Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
These Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs aren’t just delicious – they’re a viral sensation! With over 300,000 shares, this 3-ingredient wonder is about to revolutionize your BBQ game.
Country Style Pork Ribs are slow-cooked in Dr. Pepper, then baked or grilled to caramelize the Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce. This recipe is quick and easy for anyone to enjoy!
I am what you would call a fair-weather winter person. Growing up in the Midwest, it doesn’t seem right not to have snow on the ground at Christmastime, but by the time mid-January hits, I am tired of the dreary grey skies and the cold and the white stuff that has now turned a not so pretty white. I long for long summer days with sunshine and patio sitting and grilling. These Dr. Pepper Ribs make it possible to enjoy barbecue any time of the year.
Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Ribs
The first time I made this recipe, my son was home from college and I was trying to make all of his favorites before he returned to school. He loves barbecue, and I had some boneless country-style pork ribs in the freezer, so I defrosted them and decided to wing it.
I typically boil my ribs in beer before I grill them. But when the snow is flying in January, that isn’t an option, so I thought, let’s try the slow cooker instead. I tossed the ribs in my slow cooker, dumped a can of Dr. Pepper over the top, and let the crock pot work its magic.
Easy Dr. Pepper Pork Ribs
After they cooked slowly all day, becoming so tender I could barely move them to my baking rack, I knew they would be awesome. I transferred them to a rack over a cookie sheet and brushed them with BBQ sauce and more Dr. Pepper. I baked them to caramelize the sauce, flipping them once and adding more sauce.
ingredients in Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Ribs
For complete ingredients and instructions scroll to the bottom of this post for the full printable recipe card.
- Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs – I typically purchase boneless country-style pork ribs for this recipe, but bone-in work great, too!
- Dr. Pepper Soda – I use regular Dr. Pepper, but I have used Cherry and it’s yummy too. It’s okay to use the Diet version if that is what you have.
- Barbecue Sauce – Use your favorite or make your own homemade barbecue sauce.
How to Make Crock Pot Dr. Pepper Ribs
The crock pot does most of the work, making them tender as they slow cook, then you bake them to caramelize the sauce on them before you eat them. You can also do this step on the grill if you prefer.
Place the ribs in your slow cooker.
Pour a can of Dr. Pepper over the top.
Put the lid on, and cook them on low all day, or you can cook them on high for half the time.
They will be fall-apart tender. Carefully transfer the ribs to a rack over a cookie sheet.
Combine BBQ sauce with Dr. Pepper soda.
Brush tops with sauce.
Bake and then flip them over and brush the other side. Bake once more.
Serve with extra sauce on the table.
Leftover ribs will keep in the fridge for about 3 days in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
I also love to make extra and shred them up for sandwiches for another meal. Or try my Crock Pot Dr. Pepper BBQ Sandwich recipe!
Love it? Pin it!
If you love this easy BBQ Rib recipe make sure that you don’t lose it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!
What to Serve with Dr. Pepper Ribs
I like to serve them with Cheesy Hash brown Casserole, Sweet Corn, and Cornbread Drop Biscuits. It’s also delicious with Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, and Corn Pie Casserole!
FAQs About Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Ribs
Over the years, here are some of the most asked questions.
- Can I use Diet Dr. Pepper instead? Yes – it will work fine!
- Can I use bone-in pork ribs? Bone-in or boneless pork ribs work great. I have had a reader use baby back also.
- Can I substitute Cola for Dr. Pepper? Yes – use what you like. I have used root beer with success too.
- Can I use beef ribs instead? You sure can. I have always preferred pork ribs though, as they have so much more meat.
- Won’t baking them dry them out? Once the ribs are tender in the crock pot, move them to the rack. As long as they aren’t overcooked in the slow cooker you will be fine. If the ribs are smaller in size, or really thin, reduce the cooking time to 7 minutes per side. Use your judgment. The oven (or grill) only caramelizes the sauce to the outside, the ribs are already cooked inside.
- Can I make a smaller amount and if so, do I need to reduce the amount of Dr. Pepper and cooking time? Make as many as you like, and cover them with Dr. Pepper, but you don’t want them swimming in it. The cooking time should be about the same.
Years of Rave Reviews
This recipe has hundreds of comments and has received rave reviews for years. Here are a couple that I wanted to share with you.
- Brandy says: “Had this for supper tonight. It’s just as good as it looks! Fall apart tender and the sauce made it absolutely amazing! We had it with baked potatoes that I put in another crockpot and let cook on low all day. I love fixing meals in the crockpot. It’s so easy, especially nice when working long days. Thanks for sharing!”
- From Alicia: “This quick, no-stress process produced the most AMAZING tastiest ribs ever!!! Thank you!!!”
- May Says: “I found this recipe on Pinterest and omg is it fall off the bone good! I followed the recipe exactly as written and I wouldn’t change a thing!!”
More BBQ Recipes to Love
If you love this recipe and don’t want to wait all day, try making it in the Instant Pot. These Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Tenders are done in no time, too. You’re sure to love these sandwiches too: BBQ Smoked Sausage Sandwiches and Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches (crock pot recipe.)
I hope that this recipe rocks your world like it has for so many others! If you love it like we all do, I would love to hear. Thank you for the comments and the 5-star ratings on this recipe!
LIKE THIS RECIPE?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and
leave a comment below the recipe!
Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4.5 pounds boneless country style pork ribs
- 2 cans Dr. Pepper soda divided
- 3/4 cup BBQ sauce your favorite, we love our Sweet Baby Ray’s!
Instructions
- Place ribs in the bottom of your slow cooker, pour 1 can of soda over them. Cover and slow cook for 7 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with foil then place a wire rack over the top.
- Combine 3/4 cup BBQ sauce with 1/2 cup Dr. Pepper soda.
- Carefully remove the ribs from the slow cooker, placing on rack. Brush tops with sauce. Bake for 15 minutes, flip and brush other side. Bake 15 minutes more.
- Serve remaining sauce at the table.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on January 8, 2016. It has been updated to improve user experience and reshared on June 26, 2024.
Are there no seasonings required? What about salt? Do you taste the Dr. Pepper because I’m not a fan?
No seasoning required. And it doesn’t taste like you’re drinking a can of Dr. Pepper – it just does magical things to the taste, and they are fall apart tender!
Can you use frozen ribs in the slow cooker? Or do they have to be thawed? I have made this 3 times already & my family loves it! But normally my meat is thawed. Today is not that day.
I would imagine you could? You will most likely need to increase the cooking time.
Bake at what temP?
Hi, Sarah. My guess is that you scrolled past the printable recipe card with all of the instructions, measurements and oven temperatures? You bake them at 400 degrees. That card will give you baking times, too. I hope this helps!
I made these tonight – I do not eat pork but I happily cook it for my hubby, who loves ribs. I used a boneless pork side loin and it weighed over 6 lbs. I just increased the amount of Dr. Pepper to 2 cups in the slow cooker and used a bit more BBQ sauce (I did use the Baby Ray’s original) and Dr. Pepper indicated. The pork was fall apart tender when I removed it from the slow cooker and it looked amazing when I took it out of the oven after glazing it. The entire time he was eating it, he kept saying “This is SO GOOD”. It was so tender, he ended up making it pulled pork.
This was such an easy recipe and there are lots of left overs for additional meals. Definitely a keeper that we will do again.
I am so happy to hear that your hubby loved the recipe! Thank you for coming back to share the “yums” with me!
What size slow cooker is best for this recipe? I have a 2.5 quart cooker.
As long as your ribs fit in the cooker, any size will work!
How’s long would I cook 1.5 pounds of ribs in the crock pot?
It will take the same amount of time.
Can you use bone-in ribs?
Absolutely!
I accidentally got ‘bone in’ ribs!! I’m serving them tonight…do i need to modify anything?
You will be just fine! 🙂
Do you think this bbq flavor would be good over a can of pinto beans ?
I might be the wrong person to ask, because I think BBQ is perfect over anything! 😉 Pinto beans sound great!
You are an absolute genius. My best friend is English and visited me once a year before covid, and this next year will be the first time he can come to the USA since. He loves EVERYTHING America, so I linked him this and said, we’re doing this. Thanks so much!!!
Aw!! Have SO MUCH fun when he visits!! I hope you have a great time and enjoy the ribs!
Delicious! Made these for my family. They were so tender, no knife needed. It melts in your mouth and is soooo tasty! Definitely will make this again! Thank you!
I am thrilled you loved them!!
I made these ribs for our 10 yr anniversary dinner and believe me it was a smash hit…now my guest want to pay me to come cook ribs for them once a month 🙂
That is amazing! So happy you all enjoyed them!
Would definitely recommend!! I made a lesser batch, about 1.5lbs because it was just me and my son. He LOVED them….almost didn’t share! Because we made only 1.5lbs our cooking time was a little less, they started falling apart at about 3 hours and then we moved them to the oven for about 10/10. Thank you for this recipe, we will be trying more in the future!
So happy to hear that you both enjoyed them!! Next time, if you make the full amount, try shredding the leftovers for sandwiches another night! 😉 Then you get two meals out of them!
These ribs look fabulous! I’m so amazed that you can make something SO good with just three basic ingredients.
Had this for supper tonight. It’s just as good as it looks! Fall apart tender and the sauce made it absolutely amazing! We had it with baked potatoes that I put in another crockpot and let cook on low all day. I love fixing meals in the crockpot. It’s so easy, especially nice when working long days. Thanks for sharing!
AWESOME! That sounds like the perfect meal! Happy that you enjoyed it!
Do you cut the ribs apart before putting them in the slow cooker?
Thanks,
Dennis
The country-style pork ribs are not attached to one another. I buy them because they have so much more meat on them! If you are using a style that are connected, you don’t need to cut them apart, unless you can’t fit them in the crockpot! 🙂
Can i use diet Dr. Pepper or does it need to be the regular sweetened type!
Diet works great!
Would this be a good recipe to use with pork chops as well?
I think that would work just fine!
This quick, no stress process produced the the most AMAZING tastiest ribs ever!!! Thank you!!!
I am tickled you loved them too!
Would I have to half the recipe if using less ribs? I’m using about 3 lbs
You would be okay to reduce the amount of liquid if you wanted to, but it wouldn’t be necessary for making 3 pounds.
These ribs had such incredible flavor!!!
Yay!! Thrilled you love them too!