This boneless ribeye roast makes the most amazing centerpiece for your holiday table. It’s incredibly juicy, tender, and coated in the most delicious homemade rub, which creates the best flavorful crust you can imagine.
Ribeye Roast
This ribeye roast is melt-in-your-mouth tender and so incredibly delicious and flavorful. The roast is seared at a high temperature, creating a deliciously caramelized crust from the homemade rub. The inside is buttery smooth, with a rich, beefy flavor that just melts in your mouth.
Beef ribeye roast is known for its amazing marbling. This marbling, when cooked, melts into the meat, creating a tender, juicy, and flavor-packed roast that’s hard to beat.
The homemade spice rib, made from brown sugar, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, creates the most flavorful crust you can imagine. Everyone in my family loves this herb-crusted exterior that’s savory with a hint of sweetness.
This ribeye roast recipe is one of my absolute favorites, and for good reason. This dish is not just a meal, it’s an experience. It’s perfect for an elegant Sunday dinner, or for an amazing Christmas feast.
Ingredients
Ribeye Roast: Ribeye roast is a cut of beef known for its marbling. This marbling melts during the cooking process, resulting in a super tender and flavorful roast. When shopping for your roast, look for one with nice marbling and an even shape for the best results.
Brown Sugar: This sweet ingredient is essential for creating a beautifully caramelized crust on the roast. The hint of sweetness from the brown sugar also perfectly complements the savory meat. I prefer the lighter molasses flavor of light brown sugar. If you prefer a stronger molasses flavor, dark brown sugar would also work.
Salt and Pepper: These two ingredients are essential in this recipe. Salt enhances the other flavors in this dish, while the pepper adds a bit of heat that balances out the savory flavors.
Thyme and Rosemary: Thyme and rosemary are classic flavors to pair with beef roasts. They’re both savory herbs that complement each other, and when combined really elevate the rich flavor of beef.
Garlic Powder and Onion Powder: Garlic adds a strong, savory flavor. Onion powder adds additional depth of flavor and a subtle sweetness to the roast.
Olive Oil: Olive oil serves two purposes in this recipe. Not only does it help the spice mixture stick to the roast, but it also seals in the juices during the cooking process, which creates a juicy roast with a flavorful crust.
Alternative Ingredients
If you’re a fan of spicy flavors, add a bit of crushed red pepper flakes to the spice mix. For a touch of smokiness, you could add smoked paprika.
How To Cook Ribeye Roast
Prepare the Spice Mix: Start by combining the brown sugar, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and onion powder together in a small bowl. (See the recipe card below for the full printable instructions.)
Prepare the Ribeye Roast: Rub the ribeye roast with olive oil, then coat it evenly with the spice and sugar mixture. Press gently to help the mixture adhere to the meat.
Prepare the Roasting Pan: Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan, with the fat side facing up. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast.
Initial Roasting: Roast in the preheated oven at a higher temperature for a bit to form a delicious crust.
Reduced Temperature Roasting: Reduce the oven temperature, and continue roasting until the roast is cooked through to your desired level of doneness.
Resting Time: Remove the roast from the oven, tent it with foil, and let it rest before slicing and serving. See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.
Pro Tips
- Room Temperature Roast: Always let your ribeye roast rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before cooking. This helps ensure even cooking throughout the roast and prevents the outer edges from becoming overcooked before the center has a chance to finish cooking.
- Don’t Trim the Fat: Resist the urge to trim off too much fat from your ribeye roast. The fat will render down during cooking and keeps your roast moist and flavorful.
- Let it Rest: After your roast is cooked, let it rest for about 20 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the roast, making the roast even more juicy and flavorful.
Is A Ribeye Roast The Same As A Prime Rib Roast?
While both cuts come from the same primal cut of beef, the rib, they are not exactly the same. The prime rib tends to be larger and includes the bone, whereas a ribeye roast is smaller and is cut further from the bone. They both have amazing flavor and marbling.
Is Ribeye Roast Tough Or Tender?
Thanks to its generous marbling, a ribeye roast is one of the most tender cuts of beef. That fat melts down during cooking, resulting in a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth roast.
Should You Cook A Ribeye Fast Or Slow?
Cooking a ribeye roast is all about balance. You want to start off with a blast of high heat to create a caramelized crust. Then you’ll want to reduce the heat and let it cook slowly until it’s cooked through. This method makes sure the roast is cooked perfectly – tender and juicy on the inside with a beautifully browned exterior.
What To Look For When Buying A Ribeye Roast
When buying a ribeye roast, look for a cut with a lot of marbling. These streaks of fat melt during cooking, making the roast more flavorful and juicy. Also, try to find a roast that is evenly shaped so it cooks consistently.
Should Ribeye Roast Be At Room Temperature Before Cooking?
Yes, your ribeye roast should be at room temperature before you start cooking. This allows for even cooking throughout the roast. I recommend letting it rest with the homemade dry rub on it for about 20-30 minutes before you put it in the oven.
Should You Trim Fat Off Ribeye Roast?
Don’t trim off too much fat from your ribeye roast. That fat will render down during cooking, keeping your roast moist and flavorful. Plus, it adds to the super delicious crust.
How Long Should Ribeye Rest After Cooking?
Allow your roast to rest for at least 20 minutes after cooking. This allows the roast to reabsorb the juices, and it gives the roast a chance to set, which makes it much easier to slice.
How To Carve Ribeye Roast
Since this is a boneless roast, it’s actually quite simple to slice it. After you let it rest so that it sets, look for the direction the muscle fibers are running through the meat – this is the ‘grain’. Now slice perpendicular to this, or ‘against the grain’. Slicing against the grain makes the meat easier to chew, which makes it feel more tender.
How To Store Leftovers
Slice leftovers within two hours of cooking, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also wrap it tightly in plastic wrap twice, then freeze it for up to 2 months. Reheat the leftovers gently so that they don’t dry out. You can reheat the leftovers in a skillet over medium-low heat, or in an oven at 275F.
What To Serve With Ribeye Roast
I love serving this tender roast with some greens, like Crockpot green beans or these Southern green beans, and a comforting side dish like these twice baked mashed potatoes or this amazing Velveeta mac and cheese.
Keep In Touch
I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime
Roast Recipes
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out all of our other beef recipes. Some reader favorites are:
BEST Ribeye Roast Recipe (Easy, Perfect, Tender)
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds ribeye roast
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon coarse sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and onion powder together.
- Rub the ribeye roast with olive oil, then evenly coat it with the spice and sugar mixture, pressing gently to help it stick to the meat.
- Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan, fat side up. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. Allow it to rest on the counter for 20-30 minutes to take some of the chill off. While it’s resting, preheat your oven to 425F.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes to form a crust.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325F, and continue roasting for about 20 minutes per pound for medium-rare, or until desired doneness. For a 4 pound roast, you would bake it at 325F for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, and for a 5 pound roast, you would bake it at 325F for about 1 hour and 40 minutes. For medium-rare the internal temperature will read 130-135F, keeping in mind that it will raise 5-10 degrees after it rests. For medium, allow it to continue cooking until it reaches 140-145F. For other levels of doneness, see notes.* Keep in mind that it is recommended to cook it until it reaches an internal temperature of 145F, but individual preferences vary.
- Remove the roast, tent with foil, and let it rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
I hope you enjoy this ribeye roast as much as I do! It’s one of my family’s favorite holiday recipes.
