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. Includes instructions for making sloppy joes in the CrockPot too.

a close up of one Instant Pot sloppy joe sandwich with slices of red onion and coleslaw on top

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.

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, as we have done in the photos. That's what my everyone else in family does. I think this sloppy joes filling would also be delicious on top of a baked potato or even over rice.

one Instant Pot sloppy joe sandwich with slices of red onion and coleslaw on top with an Instant Pot in the background

Why this is the best Instant Pot sloppy joe recipe

The Instant Pot makes this sloppy joe recipe very easy and hands-off. You will need to sauté the onions and ground beef for a couple minutes to start the browning process, but then you can dump everything into the pot, turn the IP on, and walk away.

This recipe can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker, depending on your equipment and whether you've planned ahead. It tastes great both ways.

This sloppy joes recipe is super kid-friendly without a bunch of big chunks of vegetables. My kids are picky and won't eat anything with big pieces of onion or pepper, so I omit the pepper and cut the onion very small or use onion powder instead.

This recipe is simple and uses common ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.

This recipe is great for bariatric and keto diets because it's sugar-free. There is tomato paste in it, and that has some natural sugars in it, but there shouldn't be any added sugar in any of the ingredients. Of course, always read the labels of your specific ingredients to ensure they fit with your dietary needs.

This recipe is allergy-friendly. It is gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and egg-free. Again, always read the labels of your specific ingredients to ensure they fit with your dietary needs.

What you'll need to make Instant Pot sloppy joes

EQUIPMENT

Instant Pot - I use a 6-quart Instant Pot for this recipe. You could use a bigger one or a smaller one. The brand is unimportant. Any electronic pressure cooker will be fine, as long as it has a sauté function.

INGREDIENTS

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

93% lean ground beef - I use extra lean ground beef, and I think it comes out well. Some people have told me that 80% or 85% lean ground beef tastes better, but I continue to use the leaner meat. Use whatever beef you want.
Chopped onion - I have seen recipes that use chopped green or red bell peppers, but I do not like bell peppers, so my recipe only includes onion. You can chop the onion as coarse or fine as you want. I cut mine pretty small.
Fresh garlic - I love the flavor of fresh garlic, but if you need to, you could use garlic from a jar.
Tomato paste - You could use ketchup, but it has a lot of sugar in it. I like the tomato paste because it has a richer flavor.
Low sodium fat-free beef broth - This helps to make the BBQ sauce.
Sweetener of your choice - You can use your choice of sugar-free sweetener, brown sugar, or white sugar. Or honey. This recipe is very versatile. Use whatever sweetener you want. I personally use swerve brown sugar.
Apple cider vinegar - This helps to make the BBQ sauce.
Worcestershire sauce - Just a splash of this gives the BBQ sauce an umami flavor.
Horseradish mustard - I love horseradish mustard. If you don't, you can use spicy brown mustard or dijon mustard instead, but don't leave the mustard out.
Salt & black pepper - You can add more to your preference.

For serving

Slices of cheddar cheese - I love sharp cheddar, so that's what I use, but you could use a mild cheddar, colby jack, or pepper jack and get great results.
Sliced red onion - This is for serving. If you don't like raw onion, leave it off.
Coleslaw - Homemade or store-bought. Sometimes I leave this out.
Sandwich rolls or butter lettuce leaves - As I said above, I'm not sure how I feel about the lettuce leaves option. Some people swear by lettuce wraps, but I am not one of those people. I prefer to just eat my sloppy joes filling on a plate with a slice of cheese and a side of roasted veggies. I think I'm going to try it over cauliflower rice and see how I like that. I don't recommend hamburger buns because they're not as sturdy as brioche buns. However, if hamburger buns are all you have, go ahead and give them a try.

How to make sloppy joes in the Instant Pot

Add the ground beef, onion, and garlic to a 6-quart Instant Pot and press the Sauté button.
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Cook while crumbling the meat for 5 minutes or until beef is mostly brown. Press Cancel to stop the Saute.
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Drain the excess grease. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Make sure to add all the beef broth as the Instant Pot needs liquid to reach the required pressure. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot to prevent a burn warning and also - those brown bits are delicious!
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Seal the lid, press Pressure Cook, and set the timer for 5 minutes. (Choose High Pressure if it asks.) Once finished, let the pressure release naturally.
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Remove the lid and mix well before serving.

How to make sloppy joes in the CrockPot

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. Remove the lid and mix well before serving.

Instant Pot Sloppy Joes Serving Instructions

For a super low-carb meal, spoon the meat mixture 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, topped with sliced red onion, coleslaw, and cheddar cheese.

Variations

If you want to reduce the fat content of this sloppy joe recipe, you could use ground turkey or ground chicken in place of the ground beef, but be aware that these meats are naturally more dry because they contain less fat. If you do use poultry, you'll want to use chicken broth instead of beef broth.

You can use ketchup in place of tomato paste in the BBQ sauce.

You can add a teaspoon of chili powder and/or smoked paprika to the BBQ sauce for an extra kick.

You can add a splash of liquid smoke to the BBQ sauce. Just a splash though, don't go overboard as this can overpower your sauce pretty easily.

Cook's tips for the best Instant Pot sloppy joes

Do not use the quick release. Allow the pressure to release naturally, as this will prevent the ground beef from getting tough and dry.

an Instant Pot sloppy joe sandwich with slices of red onion and coleslaw on top surrounded by potato chips and the Instant Pot in the background

What to serve with Instant Pot sloppy joes

I like to serve these sloppy joes with homemade air fryer potato chips, smoky mac and cheese, or creamy macaroni salad. For myself, I will eat it with roasted asparagus, grilled zucchini, or roasted carrots.

Storing leftover sloppy joes

Obviously, you shouldn't assemble your sandwiches until you're ready to serve them because you can't really store sloppy joes sandwiches in the fridge. What you can do is transfer the hamburger BBQ meat to an airtight container and store that in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To serve frozen sloppy joes, transfer to the refrigerator overnight to thaw and then heat in the microwave or in a skillet.

one Instant Pot sloppy joe sandwich with slices of red onion and coleslaw on top

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The Best Instant Pot Sloppy Joes Recipe

Why this is the best Instant Pot sloppy joe recipe