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    Home » Cooking Method » Instant pot » Instant Pot Sloppy Joes

    Instant Pot Sloppy Joes

    Posted on May 11, 2021 By Beth Neels

    255 shares
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    Sloppy Joes Pinterest image with text overlay
    Sloppy Joes Pinterest image with text overlay
    Sloppy Joes Pinterest image with text overlay

    Instant Pot Sloppy Joes are so easy and so much better than the stuff you buy in a can! Make it in your IP or stovetop!

    Close up of sloppy joe.

    Not that making your sloppy joe on your stove takes a lot of time but making Instant pot sloppy joes gives you extra sloppy sauce and the meat is very tender.

    Why should you make this recipe?

    • A dinner everyone in the family will enjoy in less than 30 minutes.
    • One pot meal so easy cleanup
    • Economical, only $1.25 per serving
    • Can be made on the stove or in a crockpot too
    • Slightly sweet
    • Easy place to hide vegetables from those fussy kids
    overhead view of sandwich with chips and carrot and celery sticks.

    What you need

    • ground beef
    • onion
    • celery
    • garlic
    • tomato sauce
    • sugar, brown sugar or honey
    • worcestershire sauce
    • dry mustard
    • salt and pepper
    • rolls
    Ingredients for sloppy joes. See details in recipe below.

    How to make sloppy joes (stovetop)

    You can customize the flavor to your families liking. A little sweet, or sweeter. Trying to stay away from refined sugars? Honey is a great substitute because it gets all caramelized in the sauce.

    1. Brown ground beef over high heat in two batches. Set aside.
    2. Sauté onion, celery and garlic in same pan with a splash of olive oil.
    3. Add remaining ingredients back to pan. Simmer on low heat 10-15 minutes.
    Process photos how to make sloppy joes. Details in recipe.

    How to make Instant pot sloppy joes

    1. Set Instant pot pressure cooker to sauté mode.
    2. Brown ground beef in two batches. If beef is oily, drain off the excess grease in a colander. Set aside.
    3. Sauté onion, celery and garlic after beef with a splash of olive oil. Scrape all of the browned bits off of the bottom of the pot.
    4. Just soften vegetables.
    5. Add remaining ingredients and beef back to pot. Stir to combine. Affix lid to pot. Turn vent to sealing. Cook on pressure cook setting, high for 10 minutes.
    Step by step photos for sloppy joes. See recipe below for details.

    Let Instant pot naturally vent for 5 minutes. (Leave it alone.) Turn venting knob to vent to quick release the rest of the pressure. Let the remainder of the pressure release until valve drops into the top of the pot. Open lid away from your face to avoid burns.

    Serve the mixture on toasted hamburger buns.

    What to serve with them

    We like to serve these sandwiches with a lot of carrot and celery sticks. They add extra crunch and vitamins. Other things we serve them with are;

    • French fries
    • Sweet potato fries
    • Onion rings
    • Air fryer beet chips
    • Air fryer tortilla chips
    • BLT pasta salad
    Open faced sandwich on white plate.

    Fun variations

    • Make them spicy by adding fresh hot peppers. (Sauté them with the onions and celery.) Or add chili powder.
    • Add a slice of mozzarella or American or cheddar cheese for a cheesy version.
    • Try adding additional vegetables like carrots or corn.
    • Add cumin, chili powder and Mexican oregano with corn for a Mexican flair.

    What else can you do with leftover meat?

    • Use as a topping for fries. Melt cheese for a yummy appetizer or side dish.
    • Add to grilled cheese sandwiches
    • Use it for a filling for tacos or topper for nachos
    • Use it as a pizza sauce
    • Top mac and cheese with leftover meat
    • Great burger topping
    • Use as a filling for hot pockets or appetizers like these Lobster pastries
    Hand picking up sloppy joe sandwich.

    Pro tips for your success

    • Brown meat over high heat to get a nice crust on meat and not overcook.
    • Use 80% beef. Don’t use very lean beef.
    • Make this recipe a bit healthier by substituting ground turkey or ground venison
    • Don’t cook the sauce down too much. You want your sandwiches to be “sloppy”
    • If sauce becomes too dry, or to heat up leftovers, add a bit of water to thin the sauce down.
    • Reheat sauce by adding a bit of water and warming in microwave or in small pan on stovetop until hot.
    • Leftovers can be stored in refrigerator for 3 days.
    • Leftovers can be frozen up to 3 months.
    • Use any bell pepper you like, green, red, yellow or orange.
    • Toast your buns. The bun will become too soggy too quickly if it’s not toasted.
    • Add cheese if desired. Melt.
    Sloppy joe on gray plate with chips and vegetables.

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    If you have any questions or comments, please ask in comment section below. We’d love to hear from you!

    I hope you enjoyed the recipe today!

    Enjoy. And have fun cooking!

    Binky's signature
    Hand grabbing sloppy joe sandwivh.

    Homemade Sloppy Joes

    Homemade Sloppy Joes are so easy and delicious! You will wonder why you haven't been making them all along! One pan and on the table in less than 30 minutes!
    See Step by Step Photos Above!Most of our recipes have step by step photos and videos! Also helpful tips so that you can make it perfectly the first time and every time! Scroll up to see them!
    5 from 14 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: entree, Sandwich
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 346kcal
    Author: Beth Neels
    Cost: $4

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds lean ground beef
    • 1 medium onion, diced
    • 2 celery stalks, diced
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 3-4 baby bell peppers, any color, diced optional
    • 2 15 oz can tomato sauce
    • ½ cup water eliminate for slow cooker
    • 4 heaping tablespoons dry mustard
    • 3 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon Pepper
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 2-3 tablespoon sugar or honey, to taste
    • 8 sandwich buns

    Instructions

    For Instant pot

    • Set IP to sauté mode. Break up ground beef and add to pot (brown meat in two batches.).
    • Brown beef, turn and brown the other side. Remove from pot and brown remaining meat. Remove from pot.
    • Add a splash of olive oil to pot. Add vegetables. (I do my peppers in strips so that people who are intolerant can easily take them out.)
    • Just sauté them briefly. Scrape the bottom of the instant pot to remove any stuck bits, to avoid a burn notice.
    • Add remaining ingredients. (eliminate water if using slow cooker.) Set Instant pot to pressure cook, manual, high pressure for 10 minutes. Let pressure naturally release (leave it alone) for 5 minutes. Then manually release the rest of the pressure by turning the venting knob. Let the float valve drops back into pot, release remaining pressure by opening the lid away from your face.

    For stovetop

    • Place beef in hot, heavy bottom pan. Brown beef in two batches. Breaking up beef as it browns. Set aside.
    • Once beef is browned add onions, garlic, celery and peppers, if using, to the same pan over low heat to soften.
    • Add the remaining ingredients. Turn heat to medium and heat through. Can be simmered on low for a long time, if desired. Add water if sauce becomes too thick, and then cook some of the water out of it.
    • Serve on toasted buns.
    cast iron frying pan 8″
    See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!

    Video

    Notes

    Refrigerate leftover meat for 3-4 days. 
    Can be frozen, in bags for up to 6 months.
    Thaw completely in refrigerator and reheat in pot on stove top or in microwave.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 707mg | Potassium: 517mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 4.8mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nathan

      May 19, 2021 at 12:18 pm

      5 stars
      It’s been a long time since I had sloppy joes, and I don’t think I’ve ever made them for myself either! Can’t wait to give this recipe a go 🙂

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 20, 2021 at 11:18 am

        They are so easy, good and fast. I love that. Thanks for checking out the recipe Nathan!

        Reply
    2. Rachel

      May 19, 2021 at 11:23 am

      5 stars
      Great Sloppy Joe recipe! Love the suggestion of adding more veggies like carrots and corn—delicious!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 20, 2021 at 11:25 am

        Thanks Rachel! I appreciate your comment.

        Reply
    3. Angela

      May 19, 2021 at 11:15 am

      5 stars
      Sloppy joes are a favorite at my house! This is a wonderful recipe. I love that it is all ingredients that I always have on hand.

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 20, 2021 at 11:25 am

        Yes, that’s one of the reasons they are so convenient for a last minute meal. Thanks Angela!

        Reply
    4. Wanda

      May 19, 2021 at 10:54 am

      5 stars
      Sloppy Joes are such a fun easy recipe to make and eat! We haven’t tried them in the IP yet so bookmarking for the weekend!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 20, 2021 at 11:28 am

        They are really good in the IP. They stay nice and moist and tender. Sloppy. 🙂 Thanks Wanda.

        Reply
    5. Kylie

      November 17, 2020 at 5:26 pm

      5 stars
      30 minute meals are always a winner around here! And these are delicious.

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        November 18, 2020 at 10:28 am

        Thanks Kylie! I appreciate that!

        Reply
    6. Andrea Metlika

      November 17, 2020 at 4:52 pm

      5 stars
      A classic sandwich the whole family will enjoy!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        November 18, 2020 at 10:28 am

        Yes, it sure is! Thanks Andrea!

        Reply
    7. Emily Liao

      November 17, 2020 at 4:39 pm

      5 stars
      Loved these sloppy joes! So easy to make and the kids loved them.

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        November 18, 2020 at 10:27 am

        I’m so glad you liked them Emily! Especially the kiddos!

        Reply
    8. Irina

      November 17, 2020 at 2:44 pm

      5 stars
      I have heard about, I read, and I always wanted to try making sloppy joes myself. I think this is my chance to follow your delicious recipe and finally make it!!! Thanks.

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        November 18, 2020 at 10:26 am

        They are so easy Irina. Let me know how you like them!

        Reply
    9. Laura

      January 22, 2018 at 1:45 am

      5 stars
      ah, ah, ah, I should make this for my boys. Robert is exactly the same, so when he travels we always have a Tacos night

      Reply
      • Binky

        January 22, 2018 at 10:35 am

        Haha! I love tacos! He would not do well if he didn’t eat tacos! He might starve!! Thanks, Laura!

        Reply
    10. Emily

      January 19, 2018 at 3:26 pm

      I haven’t had sloppy joes in forever!! Yours look amazing!

      Reply
      • Binky

        January 20, 2018 at 10:52 am

        Thanks, Emily! I hadn’t had them in years myself!!

        Reply
    11. Amy

      January 19, 2018 at 3:24 pm

      Sloppy joes aren’t really a thing in the UK but this looks so tasty, I’m gonna have to try it!

      Reply
      • Binky

        January 19, 2018 at 4:01 pm

        They were huge in the states in the 1970’s! I think you’ll really like these ones, though! Thanks, Amy!

        Reply
    12. Sarah

      January 19, 2018 at 3:22 pm

      5 stars
      I’d love to take a bite of these right now!

      Reply
      • Binky

        January 19, 2018 at 4:00 pm

        They are pretty good, for sure! Thanks, Sarah!

        Reply
      • Chichi

        November 17, 2020 at 3:30 pm

        5 stars
        Absolutely yummy and way to make. I love sloppy joes.

        Reply
        • Beth Neels

          November 18, 2020 at 10:27 am

          Thank you Chichi! I appreciate the comment!

          Reply
    13. Kristine

      January 19, 2018 at 3:20 pm

      5 stars
      Sloppy joes are one of my favorite meals! What a twist, using the bell peppers! Sounds delicious, I’m absolutely trying these!

      Reply
      • Binky

        January 19, 2018 at 3:28 pm

        They are so good! I am going to make them more often! Thanks, Kristine!

        Reply
    14. Katie Webster

      January 19, 2018 at 2:05 pm

      5 stars
      I love that you added in all the veggies to make it healthier. I bet the honey is a really nice addition- will have to try that next time we make sloppy joes!

      Reply
      • Binky

        January 19, 2018 at 2:25 pm

        The veges give it a great texture and flavor profile, as well! Thanks, Katie!

        Reply
    15. Mary

      January 19, 2018 at 1:34 pm

      5 stars
      This takes me back to my childhood!

      Reply
      • Binky

        January 19, 2018 at 2:24 pm

        I know, right? When they made them for us they used the canned stuff! These are far superior!

        Reply

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