Ribes binominatum is a low, spreading shrub no more than a meter (40 inches) tall, and often quite a bit shorter.

Nodes along the stem each bear three spines up to 2 centimetres (3⁄4 in) in length.

The flower has five fuzzy sepals in shades of pale green, sometimes edged with red, which are reflexed upward.

At the center is a tubular corolla of white or pinkish petals around five stamens and two shorter styles.

[4] The fruit is a yellowish-green berry about 1 cm (3⁄8 in) wide which is covered in long prickles which harden into spines.