
There are so many reasons why these are the BEST Instant Pot Sloppy Joes!
Not only does the Instant Pot do most of the work for you, but they are also loaded with such great flavor.
They are the perfect budget-friendly dinner recipe to make on those busy weeknights and know that everyone, even your picky eater will enjoy dinner.
It’s also great to have an Instant Pot beef recipe handy, especially since it seems like there are a lot of Instant Pot chicken recipes.
But, since the Instant Pot has the SAUTE function, you can even brown the meat in one spot, making this recipe super simple.
Related Recipe: Try our Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes
Need more easy Instant Pot recipes?
- Instant Pot Cheesy Beef Taco Pasta
- Homemade Bolognese in the Instant Pot
- Copycat Panera White Cheesy Shells in the Instant Pot

Ingredients Needed For The BEST Instant Pot Sloppy Joes:
- Butter
- Lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
- Diced red bell pepper
- Diced red onion
- Brown sugar
- Red wine vinegar
- Steak seasoning
- Worcestershire sauce
- Tomato sauce
- Hamburger buns
If you need a recipe for homemade steak seasoning, check out this wonderful homemade recipe: homemade steak seasoning recipe.
How To Make The BEST Instant Pot Sloppy Joes:
Plug in your Instant Pot and press the SAUTE button and then add in the unsalted butter and let it melt completely.
When the butter is done melting, add in the ground beef, red bell pepper, diced red onion, and cook everything together, breaking up the meat as it cooks.

Once the meat is browned, press the CANCEL button.
In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, red wine vinegar, steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce.

Pour the sauce into Instant Pot, covering the meat, and stir everything together.
Once everything has been mixed together, place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the valve to the SEALING position.

Then, press the MANUAL button and set the timer for 8 minutes.
After the timer goes off let the Instant Pot natural release for 10 minutes and then move the valve to the VENTING position to release the remaining pressure in the Instant Pot.

When the pressure is all out, remove the lid, stir the meat up and serve it on your favorite buns and toppings (I love a slice of American cheese on mine, but my husband loves crushed up Doritos – don’t knock it until you try it!) and enjoy!
How to turn this into a freezer meal:
- Cook the ground beef and place in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag or other freezer-safe container. Let the bag cool down (if still hot from the cooked ground beef).
- Add in the bell pepper and onion into the bag. In a bowl, mix together brown sugar, red wine vinegar, steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce. Pour on top of the ground beef. Place freezer bag into freezer and it will last up to 90 days.
- When ready to use, dump ingredients from bag into Instant Pot (if it won’t come out, run the bag under hot water so that you can remove/peel off the frozen bag). Add 1/2 cup of water in with the frozen food. Place the lid on top, move the valve to SEALING, and press the MANUAL button. Set timer for 25 minutes. Do a QUICK RELEASE when the timer is done. Follow the rest of the instructions as written.
Looking for more freezer meals just like this? Click here for our top 100 Instant Pot Freezer Meals!
What to serve with Instant Pot Sloppy Joes?
- Baked Seasoned Steak Fries Recipe
- Apple Cranberry Walnut Green Chopped Salad Recipe
- Slow Cooker Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
- Mom’s Potato Salad

“I have so much time!” -No mom ever
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More of our favorite Sloppy Joe recipes:
- Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes Sandwich Recipe
- Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes
- Hawaiian Sloppy Joes
- Spaghetti Squash Baked Sloppy Joes Recipe
- Cornbread Sloppy Joe Casserole Recipe
- Instant Pot Big Mac Sloppy Joes

The BEST Instant Pot Sloppy Joes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- ½ red onion diced
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon steak seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 8 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Press the SAUTE button. Add in the butter and let it melt.
- Add in the ground beef, red pepper, and red onion and cook, using a spatula to break up the meat.
- Press CANCEL.
- In a bowl, mix together brown sugar, red wine vinegar, steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce.
- Pour sauce on meat in Instant Pot and stir to combine. If you are worried about getting the "burn notice" on your Instant Pot, use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot and loosen up any burned or brown bits on the bottom of the pot (aka deglazing the pot).
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and secure in place. Turn the vent to SEALING. Press the MANUAL button and set the timer for 8 minutes.
- When cooking is finished, let the pressure NATURALLY RELEASE for 10 minutes and then move the vent to VENTING and release the remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid and stir to make sure everything is mixed together, then serve meat on hamburger buns.
Notes
- You can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for the ground beef.
- If you are worried about getting the burn notice, feel free to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of beef broth or water to the pot before cooking.
- Cook the ground beef and place in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag or other freezer-safe container. Let the bag cool down (if still hot from the cooked ground beef).
- Add in the bell pepper and onion into the bag. In a bowl, mix together brown sugar, red wine vinegar, steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce. Pour on top of the ground beef. Place freezer bag into freezer and it will last up to 90 days.
- When ready to use, dump ingredients from bag into Instant Pot (if it won’t come out, run the bag under hot water so that you can remove/peel off the frozen bag). Add 1/2 cup of water in with the frozen food. Place the lid on top, move the valve to SEALING, and press the MANUAL button. Set timer for 25 minutes. Do a QUICK RELEASE when the timer is done. Follow the rest of the instructions as written.
Nutrition
Equipment
- Instant Pot (or Pressure Cooker)
- Mixing Bowl
Recipe Details

This post was included in our 10 of the EASIEST Weeknight Meals video – for more inexpensive and delicious recipes like this one, click here to check it out!
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