Easy Hawaiian Sloppy Joes are smothered in sweet and tangy BBQ sauce with pineapple and red pepper chunks.
Instant Pot Hawaiian Sloppy Joes are fruity, tangy and one of the easiest weeknight meals you could ever prepare. Everyone is going to love the tropical flair of these Sloppy Joes with pineapple.
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I have a thing for Hawaiian-style recipes.
It’s the pineapple. I love the way it adds a subtle sweetness, especially when added to dishes with bold sauces. When I can find a quick and easy Hawaiian-style meal, it’s a double bonus.
We are all busy and as much as I’d like to be able to slow life down, it’s just not going to happen. Making quick and flavorful meals provides more opportunities to gather my family for dinner as often as possible.
I love my Homemade Sloppy Joes for that very reason. They are quick and easy to make and don’t require a can of store-bought sauce with questionable ingredients.
When I decided to give Sloppy Joes a tropical makeover by adding crushed pineapple, soy sauce, brown sugar and some sweet BBQ sauce, I knew I had a winner of a recipe!
I have a feeling you and your family are going to love these Instant Pot Hawaiian Sloppy Joes as much as we do! If you love this variety, you should definitely also try my Instant Pot Pizza Sloppy Joes! And for a meatless version, try my vegetarian Instant Pot lentil Sloppy Joes!
More Hawaiian-Style Recipes to Try:
- Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken and Rice Bowls
- Instant Pot Hawaiian Meatballs with Rice
- Instant Pot Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken
- Instant Pot Hawaiian-Style Boiled Peanuts
What Are Sloppy Joes?
Sloppy Joes appear to have originated in the 1930s and were made with ground beef, onions, tomato sauce, or ketchup and a few seasonings.
Often served in diners, everything was piled onto a hamburger bun for a flavorful and frugal meal.
Canned Sloppy Joe sauce came onto the market in the late 1960s and was a mother’s dream. Children throughout the 70s and 80s ate more Sloppy Joe sandwiches than they probably care to count.
These Hawaiian Sloppy Joes with Pineapple are not the sandwich from your childhood; they are so much better!
Add a side of Instant Pot Potato Salad or Easy Macaroni Salad for a filling meal your whole family will love. I have more ideas for side dishes to serve with Sloppy Joes, too!
If you’re looking for easy Instant Pot ground beef recipes, these sandwiches are a great option!
How to Make Instant Pot Hawaiian Sloppy Joes
It’s really easy to make this Hawaiian Sloppy Joe sandwich.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Ground beef
- Red bell pepper
- Crushed pineapple
- BBQ sauce
- Pineapple juice
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Rice vinegar
- Ground ginger
- Garlic powder
- Cornstarch (optional)
- Buns or rolls
How to Make It:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Saute the Beef. First, you’ll use the saute function on your Instant Pot to brown the ground beef.
Add Fruits and Veggies. Next, you’ll add the bell peppers and the pineapple to the meat.
Mix the Sauce. Next, you’ll make the sauce by whisking together BBQ sauce, pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ground ginger, and garlic powder.
Add the Sauce and Pressure Cook. Last, you’ll pour the sauce over the meat and pineapple mixture. Seal the instant pot and cook at high pressure for 2 minutes, followed by a quick pressure release.
Notes and Adaptations:
- This mixture freezes really well. Transfer the cooled mixture to freezer bags and lay flat in the freezer. Defrost the mixture overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or a saucepan.
- Hawaiian buns are great for making large sandwiches. Look for the smaller Hawaiian rolls for delicious Sloppy Joe sliders.
- Forgot to thaw out the hamburger in your freezer? You can cook frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot, then proceed with the recipe.
Recommended Equipment:
- Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker
Instant Pot Hawaiian Sloppy Joes
Give a tropical makeover to the classic comfort food with these Instant Pot Hawaiian Sloppy Joes!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 20-oz can crushed pineapple, drained (reserve the juice for the sauce)
- For the Sauce:
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice (from the can of pineapple)
- 3 TBSP soy sauce
- 3 TBSP brown sugar
- 2 TBSP rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Optional: 1 TBSP cornstarch mixed with 1 TBSP water (for thickening sauce after cooking, if desired)
- For Serving:
- Buns or rolls
Instructions
- Add the ground beef to the insert pot of the Instant Pot. Using the Saute setting, cook the beef until browned, breaking it apart into small pieces as it cooks.
- If necessary, drain excess grease and return beef to the pot. Press Cancel to turn off the Saute function.
- Prepare the sauce in a small bowl by whisking together the BBQ sauce, pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ground ginger, and garlic powder.
- Add peppers and pineapple to the beef in the insert pot, followed by the sauce. Mix well to combine.
- Close lid and set vent to the sealed position. Select a cook time of 2 minutes at high pressure. Once the cook time is complete, perform a quick release of pressure.
- After the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid. If desired, stir in the cornstarch slurry and allow the sauce to thicken for a couple of minutes before spooning onto buns.
Notes
- I like to serve these on sweet Hawaiian buns, or you can also make Sloppy Joe sliders with smaller sweet Hawaiian rolls.
- You can freeze the Sloppy Joe mixture if you'd like--I usually transfer the cooled mixture to a freezer bag and press out excess air, then freeze it flat.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 374Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 790mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 2gSugar: 30gProtein: 23g
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
This is a real good keeper and I will be making it many times. My daughter and grandson will llove this also and I am going to serve it the way they eat sloppy joe’s, in a hot dog bun
Thank you, Larry! And what a fabulous idea to serve it in hot dog buns–I’ve never thought of that before, but it’s brilliant! 🙂
I thought you would like that idea. Any chance you have a Instant pot Goulash recipe?
This is the closest thing I have to a goulash recipe (we call it chili mac)–it’s more of an American goulash rather than a true Hungarian goulash–but it’s tasty! You can find it here: https://marginmakingmom.com/pressure-cooker-chili-mac/