For my American friends, classic Sloppy Joes were a childhood staple. But growing up in Sierra Leone, I had never even heard of Sloppy Joes until just a few years ago. But after that very first bite, all I could think was why have I never eaten these before?!
Knowing that Sloppy Joes really do taste that amazing, I realised there is only one way the could be even better. Enter this recipe for Instant Pot Sloppy Joes — a delicious Pressure version of this American comfort food dish.
Even better is that this full of comfort food flavor treat is made entirely with budget friendly pantry staples so you can quickly whip it up for weeknight suppers, impromptu lunches and more.
Using frozen ground beef and frozen veggies and defrosted buns makes this an easy store cupboard meal that you will come back to again and again. Of course make it with fresh veggies if you prefer.
Why You’ll love These
- Making sloppy joes in the pressure cooker is budget-friendly. No expensive ingredients here.
- It can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd.Perfect for BBQs, picnics and more.
- Great For meal Prep. Prep ahead and pull out when needed
- The recipe can easily become gluten-free. Just substitute in a gluten-free bun.
- This is a kid-friendly meal. Kiddoes love Sloppy Joes
Instant Pot Sloppy Joes are full of great comfort food flavour and are sooooo easy to make. Thanks to the little kitchen miracle all that is needed is just a few mins to quickly sauté the onions and peppers then brown the meat.
After that simply add the rest of the ingredients, set it and forget it. Yeap. It really is that easy.
Instant Pot Sloppy Joes Materials
KITCHEN TOOLS, UTENSILS & APPLIANCES NEEDED
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Here are some of the items you will need to make this recipe.
- 8 qt Instant Pot.
- I use and love the 8 qt, extra Instant Pot Insert & sealing ring.
- 3 qt Instant Pot or 6 qt Instant Pot depending on family size.
- Cutting board.
- Measuring jugs or cups.
- Measuring teaspoons.
- Bowls with covers.
- For storing your leftover food.
Ready to make this Instant Pot Sloppy Joes recipe? Gather your ingredients and let me show you…
How to Make Instant Pot Sloppy Joes Step by Step
- Switch the Instant Pot on to the sauté setting and add the oil to the Instant Pot Insert and sauté the onions and peppers for 5 mins until the onion is soft.
- Stir in the beef and garlic and sauté for a few mins until the beef is brown.
- Switch off the heat and stir in the water and vinegar and thoroughly deglaze the pot.
- Add the rest of the ingredients until the black pepper, but don’t mix them.
- Cover your Instant Pot, set the vent to ‘sealing,’ select the manual or pressure cook button (dependent upon the Instant Pot model), select high pressure, and set the timer to 5 mins.
- When done allow for a Natural Pressure Release of 10 mins before releasing the rest of the steam using a quick pressure release.
- Stuff the burger buns with the Sloppy Joe mix and serve.
Recipe Tips
- For something different, serve Instant Pot Sloppy Joes the ‘Jamie Oliver way.’ Jamie serves his sloppy joes inside of whole wheat wraps instead of hamburger buns.
- Make sure to use lean ground beef. If you don’t, you will need to drain the excess fat before adding the meat to the Instant Pot.
- Set out ingredients with various condiments and fun toppings to create a serve-yourself sloppy joe bar. This is something the kiddoes (big and small) will absolutely love.
- If you like a little heat, add in chili flakes or some diced jalapeno peppers.
MEAL PREP AND PREP AHEAD
Prep ahead – This can be cooked up to a few days in advance and reheated. Store in the fridge for up to three days.
Double and eat with everything – Make double the sauce and freeze for some other time or save for another day and serve over grilled veggies, mashed potatoes, pasta and more. A quick weeknight supper solution!
Freeze – Follow the handy tips below on how to freeze this.
- Let cool down then transfer into these very handy Ziploc freezer bags.
- Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags.
- Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer.
- Store in the freezer for 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Weight Watchers Points
There are 9 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.
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Instant Pot Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup frozen onion or 1 onion peeled and finely diced
- 1/2 cup frozen bell pepper or 1 pepper deseeded and finely diced
- 1 1/2 lbs (675g) lean ground beef
- 1 tsp garlic puree
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce the secret ingredient that adds great depth of flavor!
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 8 toasted burger buns split (use gluten free buns if following a gluten-free diet)
Instructions
- Switch the Instant Pot on to the sauté setting and add the oil to the Instant Pot Insert and Sauté the onions and peppers for 4-5 mins until the onion is soft.
- Stir in the beef and garlic and sauté for a few mins until the beef is brown.
- Switch off the heat and stir in the water and vinegar and thoroughly deglaze the pot.
- Add the rest of the ingredients until the black pepper, but do not mix.
- Cover your Instant Pot, set the vent to ‘sealing,’ select the manual or pressure cook button (dependent upon IP model), select high pressure and set the timer to 5 mins.
- When done allow for a Natural Pressure Release of 10 mins before releasing the rest of the steam using quick release method.
- Stuff the burger buns with the Sloppy Joe mix and serve.
Notes
Tips
- For something different, serve Instant Pot Sloppy Joes the ‘Jamie Oliver way.’ Jamie serves his sloppy joes inside of whole wheat wraps instead of hamburger buns.
- Make sure to use lean ground beef. If you don’t, you will need to drain the excess fat before adding the meat to the Instant Pot.
- Tamari soy sauce is my ‘secret ingredient’ that adds great depth of flavor, but you can also make this using fish sauce instead.
- If you like a little heat, add in chili flakes or some diced jalapeno peppers.
This sounds fantastic! Looks tasty! I would like to try your recipe for lunch. Yup this looks pretty darn perfect to me. Thank you!
Homemade Sloppy Joes are something I’ve never had! Growing up my parents used the canned sauce. I so need to try this!
This looks like a fantastic sloppy joe sandwich for sure. Great recipe!
Sloppy Joes’s are wonderful, I hadn’t eaten them in years and then one night jumped on the bandwagon again lol! I can’t wait to try your version ASAP. Looks wonderful.
Looks like the kind of sandwich where half of the filling is going to end up on my lap. Perfect for a Sloppy Joe!
Can’t wait to go back home and try it. Thanks!