For my American friends, classic sloppy joes were a childhood staple. But growing up in Sierra Leone and then moving to the English countryside, I had never even heard of sloppy joes until just a few years ago.
But after taking 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 Instant Pot version of the classic American comfort food dish.
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.
And since you can double or even triple this recipe to feed a crowd, Instant Pot Sloppy Joes are just the thing to whip up when friends are coming over to watch the big game.
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 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 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 quick release method.
- Stuff the burger buns with the Sloppy Joe mix and serve.
Tips for Making Sloppy Joes Instant Pot Style
- 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 mince. If you don’t, you will need to drain the excess fat before adding the meat to the Instant Pot.
- Set out the sloppy joe ingredients with various condiments and fun toppings to create a serve-yourself sloppy joe bar. This is something the kiddoes (and big kids as well) will absolutely love.
- If you like a little heat, add in chilli flakes or some diced jalapeno peppers.
What are Sloppy Joes?
You’ll find sloppy joes at American BBQs, picnics and get-togethers of all sorts. They consist of beef or pork mince, tomato ketchup or sauce, onions and typically Worcestershire sauce (but I swapped the sauce for a ‘secret ingredient’ in my version). The flavourful mixture is served on a hamburger bun.
I had my first sloppy joe a few years ago thanks to a friend from across the pond and it was love at first bite. And Freddy loooved them too. The mini chefs were hesitant at first but very happy after a few bites.
Why You’ll love Pressure Cooker Sloppy Joes
- 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 other get-togethers.
- The recipe can easily become gluten-free.With a quick substitute of a gluten-free bun, you will have a gluten-free supper.
- This is a kid-friendly meal. Kiddoes love sloppy joes (even if they are a bit hesitant at first like the mini chefs were).
What to Serve with Instant Pot Sloppy Joes
Weight Watchers Points in Instant Pot Sloppy Joes
There are 9 Freestyle points in one serving of Instant Pot Sloppy Joes.
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Instant Pot Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper deseeded and finely diced
- 675 g (1 1/2 pounds) lean minced beef
- 1 tsp garlic puree
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp herbes de provence or Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp tamari soya the secret ingredient that adds great depth of flavour
- 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
- 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 mince.If you don’t, you will need to drain the excess fat before adding the meat to the Instant Pot.
- Tamari soya is my ‘secret ingredient’ that adds great depth of flavour, but you can also make this using fish sauce instead.
- If you like a little heat, add in chilli flakes or some diced jalapeno peppers.
Mary Bostow says
31/10/2018 at 12:37 pmThis sounds fantastic! Looks tasty! I would like to try your recipe for lunch. Yup this looks pretty darn perfect to me. Thank you!
Lauren Vavala | Delicious Little Bites says
31/10/2018 at 1:32 pmHomemade Sloppy Joes are something I’ve never had! Growing up my parents used the canned sauce. I so need to try this!
Jill says
31/10/2018 at 2:27 pmThis looks like a fantastic sloppy joe sandwich for sure. Great recipe!
Heidy L. McCallum says
31/10/2018 at 2:38 pmSloppy 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.
Marc @ NoRecipes says
31/10/2018 at 3:49 pmLooks like the kind of sandwich where half of the filling is going to end up on my lap. Perfect for a Sloppy Joe!
Slavi says
31/10/2018 at 4:51 pmCan’t wait to go back home and try it. Thanks!