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Cheryl MalikPosted: 12/09/19Updated: 12/11/23
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This easy prime rib with au jus recipe and perfect creamy horseradish sauce is perfect for Christmas or the holidays. This recipe is super easy (Really!), and it produces a perfect medium-rare, tender roast that everyone will love.
Why This Recipe Is So Good!
- It takes just 5 minutes to prep this show stopping main dish!
- The creamy horseradish sauce and rich au jus are the perfect accompaniments.
- It’s perfect for serving a crowd and the leftovers are amazing in sandwiches!
- It’s just so easy and simple, you don’t need to plan hours ahead of time!
How to Make This Recipe
- Make the horseradish sauce first: simply stir together all the ingredients and let the mixture chill at least an hour, preferably longer.
- Preheat your oven to 450º and sprinkle all the sides of the pime rib with salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Pat softened butter over the top.
- Place the prime rib in a roasting pan and place in the oven. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 325º F. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the roast and roast until the internal temperature is 113-115º F for very medium-rare. Don’t worry – the prime rib will continue to cook after you take it out of the oven.
- Baste the prime rib every 30 minutes with the fat that’s dripped into the pan, and when the roast reaches the desired temperature, remove it and transfer to a cutting board. Let rest 20 minutes while you make the au jus.
- Place the roasting pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Pour in Worcestershire sauce and red wine; reduce slightly, by about a quarter. Add in the beef broth and simmer until slightly reduced to desired consistency. Tilt the roasting pan and carefully skim off excess fat floating on top.
- Carve your prime rib and serve with lots of this au jus recipe and creamy horseradish sauce!
How Long do I Cook Prime Rib for Medium-Rare?
This easy prime rib recipe is so tender and perfectly medium-rare, thanks to the use of a meat thermometer. It goes like this: put it in the oven at one temperature, lower the temperature, and when the thermometer beeps, take it out. Simple as it gets, right? I tried a couple of other methods first, before perfecting this easy prime rib recipe, and I can assure you: this is the most tender and all-aroundbest prime rib I’ve had at home. Or maybe… anywhere? Big claim!
So focus less on the time it takes to cook this prime rib and more on the thermometer! You’ll cook the prime rib for 15 minutes at 450º, then reduce heat to 325º F. You’ll cook it until internal temperature is 113-115º F for very medium-rare. The roast will continue cooking after removing from oven when you let it rest 20 minutes while you make the au jus.
Au Jus Sauce for Prime Rib
The au jus to go with this easy prime rib recipe is equally easy: stir in a few things, let it simmer a bit, and voilà: rich and flavorful au jus to serve alongside your roast. I will literallydrink a good au jus, and this au jus recipe is super easy, quick, and oh so savory.
You might be used to au jus from the little bottle at the store but it’s so, so much better made at home.
How Do You Make Au Jus at Home?
This au jus recipe is way easier than even making a little packet! To the pan, after you’ve removed the prime rib, add Worcestershire sauce and red wine and reduce slightly, by about 1/4. Add beef broth and continue to simmer until reduced to desired consistency. Carefully tilt the roasting pan and, using a spoon, discard excess fat floating on top. Carve roast and serve with the au jus recipe!
Horseradish Sauce
This homemade horseradish sauce is so much better than store bought ad comes together so quickly.
I let the sauce chill a couple of hours, and it was great, but 24 hours later? It was next level. I highly recommend letting the sauce chill for 24 hours before serving, but if you can’t swing that, give it at least 1 hour in the fridge. You’ll get it when you taste the stuff!
What Do You Serve With Prime Rib?
Other than the au jus and horseradish, which are a must, you can serve this rib up with a host of potato and vegetable sides. Try it with:
- Creamed Onions
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Baked Potatoes on the Grill
- Roasted Radishes with Garlic Browned Butter
Chef’s Tips
- If you can, make the horseradish the night before for maximum flavor.
- For the best results, use a meat thermometer.
- Baste the prime rib every 30 minutes during cooking for a really tasty roast.
- Let the prime rib roast for 20 minutes before serving.
5 from 27 votes
Easy Prime Rib Recipe (with Au Jus and Creamy Horseradish Sauce)
Prep:20 minutes minutes
Cook:1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Rest:20 minutes minutes
Total:2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
An easy prime rib recipe that comes out perfectly medium rare, with au jus and creamy horseradish sauce.
8 servings
Ingredients
For the Horseradish Sauce
- 1 8-ounce container full-fat sour cream
- ½ cup full-fat mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
- 3 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt more or less to taste
For the Prime Rib
- 1 4-pound prime rib
- sea salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced; optional, for garlic-rosemary crust
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary optional, for garlic-rosemary crust
For the Au Jus
- 4 tablespoons prime rib drippings or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup dry red wine or beef broth
- ½ cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium beef broth
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Horseradish Sauce
Add 1 8-ounce container full-fat sour cream, ½ cup full-fat mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion, 3 teaspoon prepared horseradish, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard, 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon sea salt to large mixing bowl.
Use large silicone spatula to mix all ingredients together until fully incorporated.
Cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and place bowl in refrigerator. Chill horseradish sauce at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.
For the Prime Rib
Preheat oven to 450° Fahrenheit. Place 1 4-pound prime rib on cutting board. Note: prime rib does not need to come to room temperature first.
Liberally season all sides of prime rib with sea salt, then season all sides with generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper.
If Using Rosemary-Garlic Crust: Add ¼ cup unsalted butter, 2-3 cloves garlic, and 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary to small bowl. Stir ingredients together with fork until well incorporated, then rub mixture onto prime rib, coating all sides of prime rib evenly.
If NOT Using Rosemary-Garlic Crust: Rub ¼ cup unsalted butter onto prime rib, coating all sides of prime rib evenly.
Place prime rib in large roasting pan, then place roasting pan in preheated oven. Roast prime rib 15 minutes at 450° Fahrenheit.
After 15 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 325° Fahrenheit. Insert oven-safe internal meat thermometer into center of prime rib.
Roast prime rib until internal temperature reaches 113° to 115° Fahrenheit. Important: Baste prime rib every 30 minutes by using basting brush to brush fat drippings in pan onto prime rib, covering roast completely.
When internal temperature reaches 113° to 115° Fahrenheit, remove roasting pan from oven. Transfer prime rib to large cutting board and set aside. Allow prime rib to rest 20 minutes. While prime rib rests, prepare au jus.
For the Au Jus
Heat medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add 4 tablespoons prime rib drippings (or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter) to pan. Melt drippings (or butter) completely, swirling and tilting saucepan occasionally to distribute drippings (or butter) across entire surface of pan.
When drippings (or butter) are melted, add 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and whisk ingredients together vigorously until combined, forming very thin paste or roux.
Pour ¼ cup dry red wine into saucepan and whisk vigorously to incorporate wine into paste mixture. Mixture will likely become purple and gooey.
Simmer mixture over medium-high heat approximately 2 minutes or until sharp alcohol smell is gone.
After 2 minutes, slowly pour ½ cup low-sodium beef broth into saucepan, whisking constantly and vigorously until beef broth is incorporated into mixture.
Once ingredients are combined, add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and remaining 1 ½ cups low-sodium beef broth. Whisk to incorporate ingredients, then increase heat under saucepan to high and bring mixture to boil.
Boil mixture 5 minutes or until slightly thickened and reduced. Once thickened, taste mixture and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper as desired.
To Serve
Once satisfied with au jus seasoning, and once prime rib has rested 20 minutes, carefully carve roast into slices of desired size and thickness. Serve carved roast immediately with prepared au jus and horseradish sauce.
Video
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1 serving prime rib with au jus and horseradish sauce, Calories: 951kcal, Protein: 33g, Fat: 88g, Saturated Fat: 37g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 190mg, Sodium: 415mg, Potassium: 588mg, Total Carbs: 4g, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 1g, Net Carbs: 4g, Vitamin A: 559IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 4mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
© Author: Cheryl Malik
Meet Cheryl Malik
In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.
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Rose saysHorseradish sauce was fabulous and the roast was perfect
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- Jessica | 40 Aprons Team says
So glad both of them were a hit! Thanks for sharing, Rose. 😊
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- Tammy says
Is it best to have your prime rib at room temperature before cooking??
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- Tammy says
I read all the way down to the ingredients ..then asked this question..then read the directions. Sorry I just answered my own question!!
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- Megan | 40 Aprons Team says
Haha, no worries, Tammy!
- Mike says
I used this for the information regarding au jus and horseradish sauce. Combined it with a beef tenderloin. Really delighted with the results, as were our guests. Thank you
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- Megan | 40 Aprons Team says
Thank YOU, Mike! Appreciate the kind words and review. So glad you and your guests enjoyed it so much!
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- Jeri Higgins says
This is by far the best prime rib recipe I’ve made. I’ve now made it three times. Two of them at the request of previous guests who can no longer enjoy prime rib in restaurants because they think of how much better this one is! I’ve also made the horseradish sauce dairy free with almond based sour cream and no one has noticed this change.
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- Megan | 40 Aprons Team says
So, so happy you and your guests all enjoyed our prime rib recipe, Jeri! Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
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- John Finity says
What kind of meat thermometer beeps like that?
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- Anna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says
Most meat thermometers do!
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- STEVE says
SSsssoooooooooooo delicious!
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- Anna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says
So glad you enjoyed it!
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- Ellis Fields says
I totally understand using the meat thermometer, but would still like some guidance on estimated cooking time per pound of beef so that I know how to time the rest of my meal.
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- Anna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says
With a cut like prime rib, it truly is best to use a meat thermometer to guarantee that it’s cooked through. We typically keep warm side dishes in the oven covered with foil until it’s time to serve and prepare salads right before serving. Hope this helps!
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- Stephanie Sabo says
Unfortunately, I came here with the same question… While I would use a meat thermometer to check if it’s done, I still would like some guidance on approximately how long to plan on this being in the oven so that I know when to put it in….
- Jessica | 40 Aprons Team says
Hi Stephanie! It took Cheryl’s 5-pound roast about 1 1/2 total hours to cook. So I’d definitely let the thermometer be your guide, but assume somewhere around 17-19 minutes per pound.
Hope this helps!
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