This Instant Pot sloppy joes recipe is sweet and spicy as well as quick and easy to prepare. Perfect for weeknight meals, the recipe includes a tasty and sugar-free homemade BBQ sauce.
People where I live, in south-central Pennsylvania, call this recipe Hamburger BBQ, but I grew up calling it Sloppy Joes. Incidentally, my mom also made what she called Sloppy Jims, which were similar but used a white sauce. I hated those especially.
When I was a kid, my mom made Sloppy Joes all the time. I guess they must have been one of her favorites.
I didn't like Sloppy Joes back then, but I have grown to love these messy sandwiches.
I especially like the sauce on the ground beef, but it can be a huge sugar bomb if you aren't careful. I suspect that my mom probably used brown sugar in hers. I don't eat sugar now, since my bariatric surgery, so brown sugar is obviously not an option for me.
The recipe below uses artificial sweetener instead of sugar. If you prefer to use sugar, feel free. You can substitute the sweetener in this recipe with an equal amount of white or brown sugar, and it will turn out nicely. As written, it really doesn't use that much anyway.
The recipe below suggests serving your Instant Pot Sloppy Joes in a lettuce leaf for the ultimate low carb "sandwich." I'm not sure how I feel about that; I think it might be weird. I love the filling, but when we made this recipe, I ate mine plain, on a plate topped with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese and alongside some roasted cauliflower.
I've been trying to brainstorm how I would like to eat these and stay on my low carb diet, and I haven't come up with anything. I guess I'll probably try the lettuce option and see how I like it.
One thing I did think of is to fill an acorn squash with the sloppy joes filling. We used to do that with turkey black bean sloppy joes, and it was always tasty that way. Since we're heading into fall, it would be a perfect time to try acorn squash bowls anyway.
If you're not carb-conscious, you could definitely use a roll. That's what my family does. I think these sloppy joes would also be delicious on top of a baked potato or even with rice. Joe likes to eat everything with rice.
The Best Instant Pot Sloppy Joes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic pressed or minced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¾ cup low sodium fat-free beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Splenda or Stevia
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon horseradish mustard or spicy brown mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
For serving
- 4 slices sharp Cheddar cheese
- sliced red onion
- butter lettuce leaves or 4 sandwich rolls
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a 6-quart Instant pot with butter. Add the ground beef, onion, and garlic and press Sauté. Cook while crumbling the meat for 5 minutes or until beef is almost cooked through. Press Cancel to stop the Sauté. Drain the excess grease. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Seal the lid, press Pressure Cook or Manual, and set the timer for 5 minutes. Once finished, let the pressure release naturally. Remove the lid and stir well before serving.
Alternate Slow Cooker Instructions
- Place the ground beef, onion, and garlic in a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours or on Low for 6 hours, until the beef is cooked through. Stir about 1 hour into cooking to crumble the beef.
Serving Instructions
- For a super low carb meal, spoon into butter lettuce leaves, top with sliced red onion and cheddar cheese, and serve. For a traditional Sloppy Joe sandwich, serve on a sandwich roll or hamburger bun, topped with sliced red onion and cheddar cheese.
Amar Kumar says
Hello Tara,
Sloppy Joes are such a family favorite, and they’re pretty easy to make, too even if you’re making it from scratch.
A good salad is a great idea to serve with sloppy Joes like - French fries, Onion rings, Potato Chips and Raw Vegetables etc.
You have selected perfect ingredients which will surely result delicious and healthy.
Eventually, thanks for sharing your experience with us.
With best wishes,
Amar Kumar