Who knew there’d be so many versions of Sloppy Joes out there! I naively thought this was a relatively simple recipe, which it is, but there are a number of ways to season it. Mine is a low sugar version, but still oh-so decadent. The Instant Pot tenderizes the ground beef very well and infuses a ton of flavour. Instant Pot sloppy joes come together in 20 minutes. Are you ready to read about how to make them?
The Ingredients
A typical sloppy joe recipe involves using a ton of ketchup and sugar to create a rich and tangy sauce. Definitely have some extra ketchup on hand if you’re one of those people who love an extra rich sloppy joe, but you don’t need it for the base of this recipe. I used a tomato in combination with ketchup, sriracha and some seasonings. I also used gluten free hamburger buns. I’m lucky enough to have easy access to them, but use regular buns if you want. I’d suggest soft potato buns. If you know you know.
olive oil
celery
onion
ground beef
salt
pepper
chicken broth
tomato
ketchup
sriracha
brown sugar
vinegar
worcestershire sauce
paprika
thyme
green onion
burger buns
Pressure Cooking the Filling
First thing you do when making these homemade sloppy joes is you turn your Instant Pot sauté setting on. Cook down the celery, onion and ground beef in olive oil (or any vegetable oil) and season with salt and pepper until everything is cooked. I deglazed the bottom of the Instant Pot with broth. After you’ve scraped up the browned bits on the bottom, stir in all of your seasoning ingredients and pressure cook! That’s it! No waiting around for the liquid to reduce or anything.
Assemble Your Sandwich
I like to add fresh slices of green onions or chives to cut through the richness of the beef here. You can also set aside the filling and reheat it if you want future Sloppy Joes but in the mean time, remove the beef from the Instant Pot and toast your buns. The toasting is key here so that the filling doesn’t make your bread too soggy. Add a hefty amount of filling (these are meant to be sloppy, right?) on the bottom bun and top with green onions and the top bun. Enjoy!
Sloppy Joes in the Instant Pot
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Course: Dinner, Sandwich
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 sandwiches
Equipment
Instant Pot
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 stick celery minced
1 small onion peeled and chopped
1 lb ground beef
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
¼ cup chicken broth
1 small chopped tomato deseeded and chopped
1 tbsp ketchup plus more for serving
1 tbsp sriracha or more ketchup
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vinegar I used apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
1 tbsp paprika
1 sprig thyme or 1 tsp thyme
1 sprig green onion tips trimmed and minced
6 burger buns toasted right before serving
Instructions
Turn Instant pot onto saute setting over medium heat.
Swirl in olive oil and add onion and celery. Saute until soft, about 3 minutes.
Add in ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until well browned, about 7 minutes.
Add in broth, scraping up any stuck on bits with a flat bottomed spoon.
Stir in chopped tomato, ketchup, sriracha, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and thyme. Cover and pressure cook for 10 minutes.
Quick release pressure. Remove thyme and stir. Taste for seasoning adjusting by adding more ketchup if you want it saucier. Optionally turn on the saute setting on medium heat to thicken it further.
Stir in green onions and serve on toasted buns.
