How to Cook a Prime Rib Roast with step-by-step Instructions for the perfect, flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth prime rib! Believe it or not, a standing rib roast is easy to cook, and most of it can be prepped ahead 24 to 36 hours - and with ONLY 6 ingredients! You will love the salted herb crust - it adds amazing flavor and helps to tenderize and preserve juiciness. Let's get roasting!
Why You'll Love This Standing Rib Roast
"Make a perfect prime rib for your next dinner party or holiday meal. Since you pre-prep this roast a day or two in advance, all you have to do is roast the day of your dinner. Horseradish sauce and au jus instructions are also provided. So easy!"
- Melt-In-Your-Mouth. I have made this recipe many times, and each time it comes out melt-in-your-mouth, tender, and juicy. It gets rave reviews and has wonderful flavor from the olive, salt, and herb crust.
- Only 6 Ingredients. This prime rib recipe has only a few very basic ingredients - the roast, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and fresh herbs. So simple!
- Foolproof. If you follow the step-by-step instruction below and you have an instant-read thermometer, then you will end up with a foolproof roast. Prime rib is an expensive cut of meat, and I used to worry about messing it up! No one wants to ruin an expensive roast that they are serving for guests.
- Easy and Prep Ahead. One of the best things about this roast is that you can prepare it 1 to 2 days ahead of time. All you have to do the day of your dinner party is remove it from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting, then bake it in the oven! So easy.
- Oven Roasted. Oven-roasted standing rib roast is my favorite way to cook prime rib. By starting the oven at a high temperature and reducing the temperature as the roast goes into the oven helps to ensure that the roast will be very moist.
- High Protein Low Carb and Keto. Prime rib is high in protein, gluten-free, paleo, low-carb, and keto-friendly. No sugar or additional carbs are used in the crust. Making the horseradish sauce will provide additional fat if you're following keto.
What You'll Need
Here are the ingredients and tools you'll need to cook a prime rib roast:
- Bone-In Prime Rib - 4 to 6 ribs is the ideal size for this recipe. You can use a smaller standing rib roast but you will need to check the internal temperature sooner than specified in this recipe.
- Kosher Salt - you'll want to use a coarse salt.
- Fresh Garlic - use fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Fresh Herbs - be sure to use fresh herbs as they have the best flavor. If you're going to spend $$ on a roast, make sure to use the best herbs possible.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Equipment
- Instant-Read Thermometer
- Roasting Pan With a Rack.
For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!
Be sure to save this pin to Pinterest for later! 😉
How To Cook Prime Rib
I broke out the steps into the day before and day of - most of it can be prepped the day before you want to roast it so it's super easy!
Prep The Day Before (24 to 36 Hours Before Roasting)
- Make small slits in the roast evenly around the roast, just large enough to insert sliced garlic slices. See image below. Note: An alternative is to mince garlic instead and add it to the herb mixture below.
- Mix olive oil, herbs, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over roast. Cover the entire roast in kosher salt, patting on firmly. Wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days prior to roasting the beef.
Day of Roasting
- Remove the roast from the refrigerator and the aluminum foil 1 hour before roasting.
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
- Set prime rib on the rack of a roasting pan.
- Place roast in the oven and immediately turn down to 300 degrees F.
- Roast until the internal temperature reaches 125° to 130° degrees F at its thickest part. This will take approximately 20 minutes per pound - but ovens can vary.
Let Rest
Remove roast from the oven, tent with foil, and let stand for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.
Remove the salt crust, cut the twine and remove the ribs (see note below).
Tip: for easy carving, my butcher cut the rib eye muscle from the bones and tied the bones back on for roasting. You can see from the pictures that the roast was tied and that once the string was cut after roasting, all of the bones were easily removed!
Serve
Slice into ½" to ¾” thick slices. Serve with horseradish sauce and beef juices (au jus) if desired. See recipes below!
How to Make Horseradish Sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 to 2 tablespoons horseradish
- 1 tablespoon chives, minced
- optional, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard or lemon juice
- pepper and salt to taste
Mix sour cream, horseradish, chives, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Adjust horseradish to your desired taste. Some horseradish can be spicy, start with 1 tablespoon and add as you go. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to serve. Can be made ahead of time.
How to Make Au Jus
Typically, au jus is made with pan juices, a little beef broth, then slightly thickened with flour.
You can buy commercial au jus mix and make it ahead of time, or you can also find a recipe online and make it without pan juices. This option can also be made ahead of time.
Because this prime rib recipe has a salted crust, the pan juices may be too salty. Remove any large salt chunks from the bottom of the pan before using the juices. Make sure to use low-salt or no-salt beef broth, and add your salt after.
Au Jus With Pan Drippings:
- ½ cup beef drippings (remove any salt crust)
- 2 cups low salt beef broth (you can even add a little red wine)
- 1½ tablespoons flour (keto-friendly option: 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum whisked with 1 tablespoon of olive oil)
- salt and pepper as needed.
Add beef drippings to skillet and heat over medium-high. Whisk in flour or the xanthan gum and olive oil mixture. Whisk until the mixture starts to thicken. Slowly whisk in beef broth. Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Note: thicken the sauce to desired consistency, however, this sauce is meant to be on the runnier side - as you'd find in a restaurant.
Simple Au Jus Without Pan Drippings:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2½ cups beef broth
- 1½ tablespoons flour (keto-friendly option: 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum whisked with 1 tablespoon olive oil)
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a skillet over medium-high heat cook onion in olive oil until very tender. Whisk in flour or the xanthan gum and olive oil mixture. Whisk until the mixture starts to thicken. Slowly whisk in beef broth. Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Note: thicken the sauce to desired consistency, however, this sauce is meant to be on the runnier side - as you'd find in a restaurant.
What To Serve With Prime Rib
Here are a few to serve your standing rib roast:
- Serve with a small bowl of au jus and a little horseradish sauce (see instructions above).
- Serve over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower along with thickened au jus or gravy.
- Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
- Serve with steamed, roasted, or air-fried vegetables.
- A loaded baked potato and a blue cheese wedge salad is always a perfect choice.
Easy Make-Ahead Dinner Party Menu! Start with french onion soup, then serve the prime rib with this mashed potatoes crock pot recipe, overnight layered salad, and these crock pot green beans - SUPER simple.
Kori's Tips
- Remove prime rib from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.
- At 300 degrees F, a prime rib will take approximately 20 minutes per pound. At 325 degrees it will take approximately 17 minutes per pound.
- Never guess the temperature of the roast. I use an instant-read thermometer and cook the roast until it reaches between 125 degrees F and 130 degrees at its thickest point. Most people prefer their roast medium rare. Remove the roast from the oven, tent with foil, and let it sit on the counter approximately 30 minutes prior to serving.
- Remember that some guests will like it rare, and others will like it medium - others well done. The inside of the roast will be the rarest, and as you work your way out it will be medium rare, medium, and so on. I like to ask my guests how they like their roast and try and give them a slice done to their liking.
FAQs
No, they are not the same thing. Prime rib is a roast, and a rib eye is a steak. Ribeye is the steak cut from the prime rib.
Prime rib is a delicious, very tender beef roast, with nice even marbling. This recipe is roasted with an olive oil, salt and herb crust which helps to preserve juices.
A cooked prime rib should reach an internal temperature of 125 to 130 degrees F at its thickest part. Let it sit covered in foil and the temperature will continue to increase. The outer layers of the roast will be medium well to medium, and be closer to medium rare as you get closer to the center.
Rare 125 degrees F
Medium rare 130 degrees F
As a general rule of thumb, two people per rib. You'll have some people eat less, and some more. It's also nice to have leftovers.
This recipe used an 8 pound roast, with 4 ribs. Our roast was actually slightly larger than 8 lbs with 4 ribs, and we were able to cut 10 pieces around ½ inch to ¾ inch in size (give or take).
Potatoes that are baked, mashed or roasted; steamed, roasted, or sautéed vegetables, and fresh salads all go well. See our sample dinner menu above for an easy dinner party!
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📖 The recipe.
How To Cook A Prime Rib Roast
Ingredients
- 8 to 9 pound prime rib (about 4 to 6 ribs)
- 6 to 8 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 cup kosher or sea salt
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup fresh herbs ¼ cup each of oregano, rosemary, and thyme
- 3 tablespoons ground black pepper
Instructions
24 to 36 Hours Prior to Serving
- Make small slits in the prime rib roast, just large enough to insert sliced garlic evenly around roast. Note: An alternative is to use minced garlic instead of sliced, and add it to the herb mixture below.
- Mix olive oil, herbs, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over roast.
- Cover entire roast in kosher salt, patting on firmly. Wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days prior to roasting the beef.
Day of Dinner
- Pull roast out of the refrigerator, and remove aluminum foil, 1 hour prior to roasting.
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
- Set prime rib on the rack of a roasting pan. Place roast in the oven and immediately turn oven temperature down to 300 degrees F.
- Roast until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 125° to 130° degrees F in the center of its thickest part. This will take approximately 17 to 20 minutes per pound, but ovens can vary. Note: Use a thermometer to determine the exact temperature - don't guess.
- Remove roast from the oven, tent with foil, and let stand for 15 to 30 minutes prior to serving. Remove salt crust, cut the twine and remove ribs (see note below).
- Slice into ½" to ¾” thick slices. Serve with horseradish sauce and beef juices (au jus) if desired. Recipes for horseradish sauce and au jus are provided within post.
Kori's Tips
- Don't miss all of our helpful hints, substitution ideas, cooking tips, and other delicious recipes that can be found in our post. Check it out!
- VARIATIONS: Play around with your favorite fresh herbs.
- TOP TIPS: Use an instant-read thermometer to test doneness. Allow time for the roast to rest after cooking. For easy carving, my butcher cut the rib eye muscle from the bones and tied the bones back on for roasting.
Nutrition
© 2025 Seeking Good Eats™
More Roast Recipes
If you are looking for more delicious main dish roast recipes, check these out:
- Best Juicy Turkey Recipe
- Best Leg of Lamb! (How To Cook a Boneless Leg of Lamb)
- Slow Cooker Ham With Coke
- Brown Sugar Bourbon Glazed Ham (Sugar Free Glazed Ham)
- How to Roast A Goose (Christmas Goose Recipe)
- Cordon Bleu Stuffed Pork Loin
- Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb
- Pressure Cooker Leg of Lamb
How to cook a prime rib roast. Super simple, perfect holiday recipe. This melt-in-your-mouth, juicy and tender prime rib recipe is easy to prep ahead of time. All you have to do is roast before your dinner party. Standing rib roast is a low carb and keto recipe. With step-by-step instructions, this beef roast is foolproof! #roastbeef #holidayrecipe #keto #lowcarb #christmas #thanksgiving #primerib #beefrecipe #newyear #holidaydinner
LaVonne
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made this for dinner and it turned out PERFECT. I was absolutely terrified to cook a prime rib for fear of messing it up - but it was actually super easy. With the leftovers I'm making French dip next!
seekinggoodeats
You are so welcome! I'm so happy you enjoyed the prime rib. 🙂