As an Amazon affiliate, and affiliate with other companies, I earn on qualified purchases.
This is a super fast Easy Sloppy Joe Recipe to make in your Instant Pot that starts with frozen ground beef and a surprising shortcut ingredient. Add a bun and you have a delicious one weekday dinner!
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe: These easy sloppy joes are as quick and flavorful as they come. The sandwiches are super juicy with just the right amount of spice and you can easily customize the sauce and protein with what you have on hand.
Sloppy joes are a family favorite in our house, and we’ve tried them dozens of different ways. My favorite recipe is our from-scratch homemade sloppy joes, but my kids prefer this shortcut recipe. Which is nice because it comes together so quickly!
(And if you’re looking for some dinnertime entertainment, I can never make this recipe without thinking SNL Sloppy Joe song. ?)
Sloppy Joes is one of our favorite Instant Pot Ground Beef recipes.
Our first recipe was Sweet-and-Spicy Sloppy Joes in the Cookbook for electric pressure cooker.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
Grab these ingredients to make this easy Sloppy Joe recipe:
- Soil beef. You can use frozen beef for this recipe, no need to thaw!
- Meat broth. If you prefer, chicken or vegetable stock will also work.
- Dry ground onion. These are also sometimes called onion flakes.
- Condensed Chicken Gumbo Soup. We use Campbell’s.
- Yellow mustard. You can use Dijon too.
- Ketchup for the classic tomato taste.
- red wine vinegar. Keep this handy if you need to add extra acid at the end.
- Cornstarch. To thicken the sauce.
How to Make Easy Sloppy Joes in an Instant Pot
✅ This simple recipe works in any brand of electric pressure cookerincluding the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
Add the beef broth and onion to the pressure cooker, then add the frozen ground beef. Then add the chicken gumbo soup, ketchup and mustard in that order. Without touching, lock the lid in place.
Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
When the pressure cooking is complete, turn off the Instant Pot and let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve falls, carefully remove the cap.
Stir everything well and break up the meat. The ground beef will not be cooked through at this point. Stir in the vinegar, then select Sauté and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Add the cornstarch slurry to the pressure cooker, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Season with additional salt, sugar and vinegar to taste.
If you want to make smaller beef crumbles, use a potato masher to mash the beef mixture until finely textured, about 1 minute. When ready to serve, place a heaping spoonful on a toasted sandwich bun and dig in!
Important tips for cooking with ground beef
- If your ground beef comes in larger packages, weigh out 1-pound portions and freeze them flat in quart-sized Ziploc bags. We do this for all Instant Pot ground beef recipes like this one.
(If you’re worried about it fitting, you can push it flat in the zipper at the bottom of the pressure cooker to make sure it fits, especially if you’re making it in a 3-quart.)
- You get the best results with beef that is frozen completely flat. A rounded or misshapen piece of frozen meat will not cook evenly.
- If using fresh ground beef, subtract 2 minutes of cooking time.
- You can use the same cooking times if you use fresh or frozen ground turkey.
Instant Pot Sloppy Joes Frequently Asked Questions
We love recipes like this that don’t require you to thaw anything. To make perfectly sized portions of frozen ground beef, we buy in bulk, then divide the beef into 1-pound portions in Ziploc bags and freeze them flat. Then we can take a portion and make it for dinner.
Store leftover sloppy joe beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can heat in the microwave to serve.
Yes, this ground beef mixture freezes great. Simply store the fully cooled Sloppy Joe filling in a freezer safe container for up to six months. You can thaw overnight in the fridge or in the Instant Pot to serve.
To add some heat, you can add cayenne pepper, chili powder, or your favorite sauce to these sloppy joes.
If you want to add toppings to serve these sandwiches, try pickle chips, coleslaw, and potato chips.
MORE Instant Ground Beef Recipes
Try these other easy weeknight ground beef recipes in your Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker next:
LOVE this recipe?
Leave a review below to tell us why!
Ingredients
-
1 pound frozen ground beef*
-
1/2 cup beef broth
-
1 tbsp dried chopped onion
-
1 can (10.75 ounces) condensed chicken gumbo soup (we used Campbell’s)
-
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
-
2 tablespoons of ketchup
-
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
-
1 tablespoon cornstarch
-
1 tbsp cold water
-
6 hamburger buns, toasted
Instructions
- Combine the beef stock and onion in the pressure cooker. Add the frozen ground beef. Carefully add the chicken gumbo soup, ketchup and mustard. Lock the lid in place.
- Select High pressure and set the cooking time to 5 minutes.
- When the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then use a quick pressure release. When the valve falls, carefully remove the cap.
- Stir well to break up the meat. (Be careful not to cook the ground beef at this point.) Stir in the vinegar. Choose Sauté and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Add the slurry to the pot, stirring constantly, until the Sloppy Joe mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Season with additional salt, sugar and vinegar to taste.
- For extra uniform ground beef, use a potato masher to mash the beef until finely textured, about 1 minute. (Voluntary)
- To serve, place a heaping spoonful on a toasted sandwich bun.
Notes
If cooking from frozen, the meat must be frozen flat, about an inch thick. If it is frozen in a log or ball, the cooking time will increase quite a bit.
If cooking from chilled beef, reduce the pressure cooking time by 2 minutes.
recommended products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn on qualifying purchases.
FOR MORE FROM PRESSURE COOKING TODAY
? Browse our collection of best pressure cooker / Instant Pot recipes.
? Follow Pressure Cooking today on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.
? Join us this year Electric Pressure Cooker Facebook Group. Our positive pressure cooker community uses all brands of electric pressure cookers, so it’s a great resource if you have questions about your particular brand.
? If you’re interested in more than just Instant Pot recipes, follow us at Barbara is baking. There we post fantastically breakfasts, breadand that best dessert recipes!
