Last Updated on November 17, 2025 by Michelle Mundy
Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Ribs are fall off the bone tender and wrapped in a delicious restaurant quality caramelized sticky sauce.
Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Ribs has been a well loved recipe in regular rotation in our house for well over ten years. Of all the ways that we make ribs, this is the easiest one with the best results every single time!
The hardest part of the recipe is probably the ten minutes that it takes to make the sauce but the way it caramelizes in the slow cooker and soaks the ribs in flavor makes it absolutely worth it. Fall off the bone deliciousness!
Quick & Easy VIDEO : Making Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Ribs
How to make Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Ribs
We love our slow cooker and this recipe for Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Ribs is one of those recipes on repeat in our house.
As these ribs cook, the smell wafts through the whole house and gets everybody hungry for dinner. The meat falls off the bones after a long, slow cook and the caramelized sauce on these ribs is sticky and delicious.
Our favorite serving suggestion is to serve these ribs over rice and spoon extra sauce over the top. The rice soaks up the sauce and the combination is a filling and delicious dinner idea.
We like to use baby back ribs for this but any type of pork spareribs can be used.
Prepare the ribs by cutting the slab into sections of 2-3 ribs each, depending on thickness. This makes them fit better in the slow cooker and portions them into individual servings. Set aside.
In a large saucepan combine the brown sugar and flour. Mix with a fork or a whisk until the flour is incorporated into the flour. Add water and stir until combined.
Set the saucepan on the stove over medium heat.
Add the vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, ginger and garlic powder and stir to combine.
Heat and stir until boiling and thickened, about 10 minutes. As the sauce simmers it will caramelize and visibly thicken.
Please note: Stay close to the sauce as it simmers. It needs to be stirred often and if it boils over it is a terrible sticky mess. (Trust me on this one!)
Layer the ribs in the slow cooker and pour the thickened sauce over them.
Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, basting occasionally with sauce throughout the cooking process if possible.
It’s an amazing and delicious thing that happens in the course of those 6-8 hours. The sauce totally changes, the fat disappears and the ribs become fall-off-the-bone delicious.
Baste with sauce just before serving. Serve over rice if desired. Enjoy!
Other Slow Cooker Recipes You May Enjoy
Sweet Pulled Pork Sliders with Root Beer Sauce – Sweet and tender slow cooked pulled pork served on slider buns with a delicious savory sauce with just a hint of root beer!
Crock Pot French Onion Soup – Overnight French Onion Soup made easy!
Easy Crock Pot Taco Chili – Delicious dump, stir and walk away recipe. Dinner is ready.
Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Meatballs – easy and delicious as either a meal or as an appetizer!
Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast – Flavorful slow cooked shredded beef, tender and tangy with just a hint of heat.
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Ribs
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prepare the ribs by cutting the slab into sections of 2-3 ribs each. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan combine the brown sugar and flour. Mix with a fork until the flour is incorporated into the flour. Add water and stir until combined.
- Set the saucepan on the stove over medium heat.
- Add the vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, ginger and garlic powder and stir to combine.
- Heat and stir until boiling and thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Layer the ribs in the slow cooker and pour the thickened sauce over them.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, basting occasionally with sauce throughout the cooking process.
- Baste with sauce just before serving. Serve over rice if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
Roberta Richard says
they were fantastic
Michelle Mundy says
Love this! 🙂
Loui says
delisious
Michelle Mundy says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know! 🙂
Candace says
We love these ribs, thank you! Wondering if you can do them in a dutch oven and how long? My tiny slow cooker is only good for 2 portions and want to make these for a bigger crew:)
Michelle Mundy says
We haven’t tried to make them in a dutch oven but as long as you are patient and cook them slow and low, they should turn out fine! I found this on Google and if you try it please report back and let us know how they turned out!
Oven-braising Ribs in a Dutch Oven
– Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 300°F or 350°F.
– Sear the ribs: Season the ribs and sear them on all sides in a Dutch oven with a little oil over medium-high heat until they are browned.
– Add liquid: Remove the ribs, add aromatics like onions and garlic, then pour in liquids like broth, cider, or BBQ sauce. – Scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze.
– Return ribs to the pot: Place the ribs back into the Dutch oven, cover, and transfer to the oven.
– Bake: Bake for 1.5 to 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and falls off the bone.
Kate says
Great sauce…added a tablespoon of molasses and unsweetened cocoa. Yummy. using this tomorrow on Superbowl Sunday. go K.C. Stay away tRump🤮
Michelle Mundy says
We have never tried adding cocoa or molasses! Thanks for the great suggestions! 🙂
Marsha says
This recipe was so easy and so delicious. served it with fried rice. Going to make it again. great for hot summer days because of no oven needed. Loved them.Thx for posting.
Cindy says
Do you have some sort of liner in the crock pot?
The Bandit says
Hi Cindy! Yes – I really like using the Reynolds Slow cooker liners, especially for the sticky stuff. 🙂 You can buy them on Amazon but I usually just pick them up that the grocery store or WalMart. 🙂