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Get ready for an amazing flavor experience with this herb crusted prime rib, a show-stopping centerpiece that promises to impress! Coated in a fragrant blend of fresh herbs and garlic, this succulent roast is not only easy to prepare but also delivers melt-in-your-mouth tenderness with every bite. Roasted to perfection in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan, the high-heat sear locks in the juices before a gentle finish ensures a dreamy medium-rare result. Whether it’s Christmas or a special gathering, this prime rib will leave your guests raving and coming back for seconds!
This herb crusted prime rib recipe promises perfect flavor every time. Made with garlic and fresh herbs, this surprisingly simple recipe is so satisfying.
If you love this, you might also like cranberry balsamic roast beef, this red wine pot roast, or perhaps these pan-roasted beef tenderloin medallions.
Why You’ll Love It
A straightforward recipe: There’s nothing hard about cooking a prime rib roast, not when you know how! Just make sure of your timings and oven temperature, check your meat thermometer is working (this one works great!) and you’re all set for success!
So flavorful: Prime rib roast is really tasty and this recipe flavors the meat quite simply, with garlic cloves and fresh herbs to let all that meaty flavor shine through.
Ideal for the holiday season: Whether you’re cooking for the holidays, for a special occasion or you simply crave something delicious, prime rib is a great pick!
Herb Crusted Prime Rib Roast Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Prime rib: Bone-in or boneless prime rib will work for this recipe. The cooking times will stay the same. I find that bone-in makes for a more flavorful roast as it still has the tasty marrow in there and also the bone helps regulate the temperature of the meat during roasting.
Fresh garlic cloves: I like to use a whole bulb of garlic when I cook prime rib because the flavor is so good with the meat.
Fresh herbs: Fresh rosemary, fresh thyme and fresh parsley add aromatic flavors to the standing rib roast.
Butter: For moisture and to help the seasonings stick to the prime rib.
Au jus gravy: To serve with the prime rib roast. You can make your beef au jus using pan drippings if you like.
How to Make This Herb Crusted Rib Roast Recipe
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prepare the prime rib: Bring it to room temperature. Depending on the size of the prime rib roast this can take up to 4 hours. Combine the butter, oil, minced garlic, herbs, and seasonings in a bowl. Pat the meat dry and rub the butter mixture all over it. Put the meat in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan and rub more of the butter mixture over the fat side.
Cook the meat: Roast the prime rib at 500°F and then reduce the heat to 300°F and cook until done. Let it rest, tented with foil, and then carve into slices and serve with your preferred side dishes.
Substitutions and Variations
Prime rib: There isn’t a substitution for the main ingredient, although you can choose from bone in prime rib and boneless rib roast. This recipe is based on a recipe using a 7½-pound prime rib roast. If yours is much smaller (or larger) the cooking times will be different. If you’re experienced at cooking this cut of beef, you can better judge the cooking time of a different size roast.
Fresh herbs: I don’t recommend using dried herbs but you can use a different combination of fresh herbs if you prefer, perhaps omitting one from the ingredients if unavailable and doubling up on one of the others.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizer: Enjoy sheet pan crab legs to begin your feast!
Side dishes: Serve your herb crusted rib roast with homemade beef au jus gravy, mashed potatoes or a crispy smashed potato salad and perhaps green bean casserole or maple roasted carrots.
Dessert: Finish up with chocolate swirl cheesecake.
How to Store Herb-Crusted Prime Rib
Store: Keep prime rib leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze it in an airtight container or in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil for up to 4 months. I recommend you drizzle a few tablespoons of leftover gravy or au jus over the meat before wrapping it up in plastic wrap (to add moisture).
Thaw: Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours or until thawed in the center.
Reheat: Drizzle ¼ to ½ cup of beef broth or au jus over the thawed (or leftover) prime rib roast, cover the pan with foil or a lid and warm it through in a 300°F oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot in the center. Slices will reheat faster (and more evenly) than one huge chunk of meat.
Top Tips
Bone-in or boneless prime rib: If you’re using boneless rib roast, I recommend setting it over a roasting rack when roasting so it doesn’t stick to the skillet or roasting pan.
Checking for doneness: The cooking times in the recipe are just an estimate. It’s best to check for doneness using a meat thermometer after the minimum cook time in case your oven runs hot. Make sure you insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat and don’t touch a bone (which will be hotter than the meat you’re trying to check).
Prime rib internal temperatures:
Rare (120°F to 125°F)
Medium rare (130°F to 135°F)
Medium (135 to 140°F)
Medium well (145° to 150°F)
Let it rest: Don’t skip the resting time. This is when the juices redistribute in the meat and you’ll get tender, moist slices. If you carve as soon as it’s out of the oven, some of the juices will run out and it won’t be as tender or moist. Tent it with foil so it stays warm while resting.
Herb Crusted Prime Rib Roast FAQs
Sometimes bone-in prime ribs come with the bones cut off and tied back on with twine. If not, you can ask the butcher to do this for you or you can do it yourself at home. Trussing it ensures even cooking and helps keep it tender. It also holds the shape of the prime rib so it doesn’t expand during cooking, for a better presentation.
Always carve against the grain for the most tender texture. Cutting with the grain means you get long strips of meat (instead of cutting through them) and this results in chewier meat. Also, ensure you let the meat rest first for at least 20 minutes.
This is up to you. I enjoy medium rare prime rib but I know others who prefer theirs rare or medium. I wouldn’t recommend going over medium well (150°F in the thickest part) because that’s when the meat starts getting drier and less tender. Anything over 120°F is perfectly safe to eat.
Garlic Herb Butter Prime Rib Roast Recipe
Herb Crusted Prime Rib
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet or Roasting Pan
- Paper Towels
Ingredients
- 7½ Pounds prime rib, bone-in
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil, or avocado oil
- 1 Bulb garlic, cloves peeled and minced
- 1½ Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- 1½ Tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
- 1½ Tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
- ½ Cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- fresh herbs, optional garnish
Instructions
- Let the prime rib come to room temperature for 2 to 4 hours (depending on size).
- Set your oven racks low enough so the roast will fit in the oven.
- Preheat your oven to 500°F.
- Combine the butter, oil, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Pat the meat dry using paper towels.
- Spread the garlic mixture all over the prime rib, applying it more lightly over the sides and bones.
- Put it bone side down in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan and rub the rest of the mixture over the fat on top.
- Roast in the oven for 25 minutes. If you’re using a much smaller prime rib, 10 to 15 minutes might be better.
- Reduce the heat to 300°F and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes per pound (for example, 10 minutes x a 7½-pound prime rib would be 75 minutes). Don’t open the oven door for at least an hour for a medium or large roast (or sooner for a smaller one).
- Check the internal temperature of the meat using a meat thermometer and take it out of the oven when it reaches 10 minutes below the desired internal temperature (it will rise another 10°F as it rests).
- Remove the prime rib from the oven, tent foil over it and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes (so the juices can reabsorb, making it more tender).
- Put the meat on a cutting board, discard the bone and cut 1-inch thick slices.
- Serve garnished with fresh herbs if liked.
Notes
Checking for doneness: The cooking times in the recipe are just an estimate. It’s best to check for doneness using a meat thermometer after the minimum cook time in case your oven runs hot. Make sure you insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat and don’t touch a bone (which will be hotter than the meat you’re trying to check).
Prime rib internal temperatures:
Rare (120°F to 125°F)
Medium rare (130°F to 135°F)
Medium (135 to 140°F)
Medium well (145° to 150°F)
Let it rest: Don’t skip the resting time. This is when the juices redistribute in the meat and you’ll get tender, moist slices. If you carve as soon as it’s out of the oven, some of the juices will run out and it won’t be as tender or moist. Tent it with foil so it stays warm while resting.
Nutrition
Moist, tender and utterly delicious, this herb crusted prime rib recipe is ideal for a special occasion, perhaps Thanksgiving or your Christmas dinner. Perfect prime rib roast, paired with au jus and your favorite vegetable side dishes, is always an elegant and tasty choice. Nobody can say no to a slice of perfectly roasted prime rib roast!
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Hands down the most tender prime rib ever. Everyone went back for seconds!
The prime rib was a masterpiece! The herb crust was bursting with flavor.