A simple dry rub and 75 minutes in the oven are all it takes to produce a beautifully marbled, flavorful, and juicy ribeye roast.
There's no need to marinate the meat before cooking, and you can enjoy the leftovers reheated or cold.

Tender, succulent, and flavorful, ribeye is my favorite cut of beef. This tasty recipe for cooking the whole roast is especially easy to make.
Simply rub the meat with seasonings, then cook it in the oven until done. Your only real job as a cook is to avoid overcooking the roast.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- To season the meat: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried sage, and dried thyme.
- Ribeye roast: I usually pick a 3-pound piece. If possible, get a USDA prime grade, the highest beef grade.
Variations
- The best way to vary this recipe is by using different spices to season the roast. Tasty options include onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, and dried oregano. You can use a teaspoon of any additional spice or herb.
- Sometimes, I coat the roast with ¼ cup of melted butter before sprinkling it with the spices.
Ribeye Roast Instructions
Like beef tenderloin roast, the best thing about this recipe is that it's so easy. Simply rub the meat with seasonings, roast it in a very hot oven to get the fat cap crispy, then lower the oven and continue roasting to medium-rare.
The detailed instructions for making this recipe are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of the steps and photos to illustrate them:
In a small bowl, use a fork to mix the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, sage, and thyme. Rub the mixture all over the roast, pressing to ensure the rub adheres to the meat.
Place the meat, fat side up, on a rack in a rimmed roasting pan and allow it to get to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Insert a meat thermometer into the middle of the roast and set the thermometer to 135°F (medium-rare).
Place the roast in the 500°F oven and cook it for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Keep roasting until the thermometer registers 135°F, about one more hour.
Remove the roast from the oven. Loosely cover it with foil and allow it to rest for 30 minutes, then cut it into thin slices and serve.
Expert Tips
How Long To Roast
According to conventional wisdom, after the initial 15 minutes of browning the meat, a 3-pound roast should take roughly one more hour (20 minutes per pound).
But the only way to know for sure is by using a meat thermometer such as the one shown in the photo below. In my oven, for example, after one more hour, the internal temperature usually reaches 120°F, and I need to keep roasting for 8-9 more minutes to reach 135°F.
Fat Cap on Top
When you place the roast on the roasting pan, place it so that the fat cap is on top. This way, the tasty fat will melt into the meat as it cooks. This will also enable the fat to brown and crisp up.
Let it Rest
It's important to let the meat rest for 30 minutes before slicing it. This will allow the juices to settle and redistribute, preventing yummy juices from gushing out as soon as you cut into the meat.
Recipe FAQs
Almost, but not exactly. Prime rib is cut from the prime portion of the animal, where the meat is tender and well-marbled. It includes ribs 6 through 12.
It's sometimes called a standing rib roast because the bones enable it to stand upright for roasting. But if you cut the meat away from the bones, leaving the "eye" (the large central muscle) and a layer of fat, you get a ribeye roast.
Some say it's best to cook bone-in roasts because the bones produce a juicier and more flavorful roast. It's true that the meat portions closest to a bone-in steak, for example, taste the best. But getting to them is difficult unless you're willing to gnaw on bones!
That's why many home cooks, myself included, prefer to cook a ribeye roast. It is smaller, and you can carve it easily since there are no bones. It is still very flavorful, and the fat cap is sublime.
A ribeye steak is a prime rib roast cut between the ribs into individual steaks. A roast is slowly cooked in the oven; a steak is typically pan-fried, grilled, or broiled.
Many prefer to buy whole boneless roasts and cut them into individual steaks. Costco has excellent roasts; if you do it this way, you could save quite a bit.
You could, but it's unnecessary. The meat is well-marbled, beefy, and juicy. It tastes great without any marinade. Unlike tough cuts of beef such as London broil, ribeye is also tender enough that you don't need a vinegary marinade to tenderize it.
It's best to cook it to medium-rare (135°F). However, ribeye is marbled and juicy enough to taste good even when you cook it to medium doneness (145°F), as recommended by the USDA.
No, it's not. Since this roast is so amazingly delicious, I always assumed it was not something I would want to tackle at home. I thought it would be too complex.
But making this recipe at home in your oven is easy. This is especially true if you have a meat thermometer to help ensure you don't overcook (or undercook) the meat.
Serving Suggestions
I recommend balancing out the richness of this dish by skipping the starch and serving it with simply prepared veggies such as sautéed broccolini, sauteed spinach, or sugar snap peas.
A simple salad such as arugula salad or tomato salad is always good. And if you want a tasty alternative to mashed potatoes, this mashed cauliflower is lovely. Or go all out and make loaded mashed cauliflower!
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. Unfortunately, reheating takes them from medium-rare to medium doneness, but this can't be helped.
Unless you simply slice them thinly and eat them cold! They are surprisingly good this way, served with Dijon mustard or sriracha mayo, quick pickles, pickled red onions, and fresh-cut veggies. It's like eating cold roast beef.
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Recipe Card
Perfect Ribeye Roast
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon of any other salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 pounds boneless ribeye roast USDA Prime grade
Instructions
- In a small bowl, use a fork to mix the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, sage, and thyme. Rub the mixture all over the roast, pressing to ensure the rub adheres to the meat.
- Place the meat, fat side up, on a rack in a roasting pan and allow it to get to room temperature, about 1 hour.Â
- Preheat the oven to 500°F. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the middle of the roast and set the thermometer to alert you when the roast reaches 135°F (medium-rare).Â
- Place the roast in the 500°F oven and cook it for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Keep roasting until the thermometer registers 135°F. According to conventional wisdom, a 3-pound roast should take roughly 1 more hour (20 minutes per pound). But the only way to know for sure is to use a thermometer. In my oven, after one more hour, the internal temperature usually reaches 120°F, and I need to keep roasting for 8-9 more minutes to reach 135°F.
- Remove the roast from the oven. Loosely cover it with foil and allow it to rest for 30 minutes, then cut it into thin slices and serve.
Video
Notes
- The only way to ensure the meat is done to your liking is to use an oven-safe meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the roast at the start of cooking. This type of thermometer beeps to alert you when the roast is done. Please don't rely on general timing guidelines or an instant-read thermometer. These methods are unreliable.Â
- It's very important to let the roast rest for 30 minutes before slicing it. This will allow the juices to settle and redistribute, preventing them from gushing out as soon as you cut into the meat.
- The nutrition info assumes USDA prime (fattier), and the fat is eaten.
- The USDA says we should cook whole cuts of beef to 145ºF with a three-minute rest time.
- Keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. Unfortunately, reheating takes them from medium-rare to medium doneness, but this can't be helped. Unless you simply slice them thinly and eat them cold! They are surprisingly good this way.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition per Serving
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Frances
I made this today according to directions and the roast came out perfectly. I added a bit more oven time bc my roast was a bit larger, but everything from the seasoning mix to the time, temp and thermometer were spot on! Thank you for sharing your fail-safe recipe. I’ve added it to my recipe book.
Vered DeLeeuw
Yay! I'm so glad this was a success, Frances! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Sandra
I cooked it to medium (145F) and it was FABULOUS!!!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you liked this recipe, Sandra! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Daniel
I added a teaspoon of smoked paprika. This roast came out absolutely perfect! Thank you so much for a delicious and easy to follow recipe.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this ribeye roast, Daniel! Thank you for leaving a comment.