These Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes take all the guilt out of this delicious walk down memory lane. Try my sloppy joes weight watchers style with a low-carb bun for zero guilt!

Sloppy Joes are one of my favorite childhood memories of food. My mom made amazing sloppy joes, and she always let us make them sloppy on the bun too. My husband likes to serve “neat” sloppy joes so my kids get to share that fun memory when he is out of town and not home to see the sloppiness.

What Are Sloppy Joes?

Did you know that Sloppy Joes are original to the United States? Apparently, a cook named Joe started serving “loose meat sandwiches” in the 1930s. By 1960, canned versions like Manwich were being made. That took hold fast!

By 1973 when I was born, they were a family staple at my house. Probably because ground beef, a seasoning packet, and buns were super cheap and we didn’t have much money for groceries. We had a great garden, and a lot of love, but not a lot of money.

How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes Weight Watchers Style

Making your turkey sloppy joes in the pressure cooker is very simple. I will lay out the ingredients and step-by-step instructions in this article, but you can also print the recipe card at the end of this post.

Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes come together really fast too, so you can use this meal for busy weeknights, quick lunches on the weekend, or any time your family needs a quick and easy meal!

Ingredients for the Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes Recipe

Ground Turkey Breast. If you use regular ground turkey for this recipe it increases the point count to 4 per sandwich so do your best to find the ground turkey breast if you can! Ground turkey breast lowers the calorie count and fat content.

Tomato Puree. Turkey tends to be dry on its own and tomatoes add depth of flavor as well as liquid.

Ketchup. My kids claim this sauce is a spice all on its own. I’m not sure where they get that.

Worcestershire Sauce. Did you know this is really just fish sauce? It’s a fermented anchovy sauce with a fancy name.

Apple Cider Vinegar. This ingredient adds a little contrast to the richness of the meat and the sweetness of the brown sugar.

Chili Powder. If you like your sloppy joes a little spicy you can add a little bit of ancho chili powder too.

Onion Powder. I love the powder form because it adds so much flavor without freaking out my kids.

Paprika. Smoked paprika would also be a nice touch if you like that smokey flavor.

Dijon Mustard. If you have to, you can substitute regular yellow mustard.

Brown Sugar. A little sweetness is an absolute must for sloppy joes. I like to use dark brown sugar because it has so much more flavor, but you can use light brown sugar if that is what you have.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Cooking Spray.

These Instant Pot sloppy joes made with ground turkey are just as much fun and still super tasty with none of the negative red meat factors. The Instant Pot pressure intensifies the “sloppy” flavor and makes this dish the star of the meal.

Note: Served on lettuce or eaten without bread the Turkey Sloppy Joe mix made using Ground Turkey Breast is 1 smart point. Use Weight Watchers approved hamburger buns to make sure your bun is just two smart points, bringing the total for the entire sandwich to 3 smart points.

Step-By-Step-Instructions for Sloppy Joes Weight Watchers Version

First, sauté the ground turkey breast until cooked it is cooked through. You can do this right in your Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Make sure to drain the grease (if there is any) when you are finished. When you make sloppy Joes in your Instant Pot with ground turkey breast, there usually isn’t much grease.

Second, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients to the sauteed ground turkey.

Third, cook this mixture on high pressure for five minutes in the Instant Pot to set the flavors.

Finally, quick release and stir before serving. See how easy that was?

The end result of this recipe is serving something to your family that is healthy, homemade, and tasty too! Serve with a fresh salad, coleslaw, potato salad, tator tots, corn on the cob, or potato chips.

Tips for the Best Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes

Tips for Thickening the Sauce

Leave the Sauce Simmering to Thicken. If you finish following the recipe and find that the sloppy joe sauce is still too runny, you can let it continue to simmer for a little while. Most Instant Pots do this automatically with the Warm setting but if you want to up the heat level, push the sauté button again. Depending on your model you may also have to push start.

Thicken with Cornstarch or Flour. If it is still too runny after simmering, you can use a whisk to stir in one of these thickeners and continue heating it to thicken up the sauce.

Tips for the Meat

Don’t Overcook Your Meat. This includes time spent sauteeing the meat and time in the Instant Pot. Overcooking ground turkey meat is a guaranteed dry sandwich. Watch it closely while sauteeing and don’t be tempted to add time to your Instant Pot. Five minutes is enough.

Deglaze the Instant Pot Pan. If your turkey sticks to the pot as it sautés and leaves brown bits on the bottom of the pot, add a half cup of beef broth to the pot and stir it before adding the wet and dry ingredients. Scrape the bottom to release all that yummy goodness into your meat mixture and keep from getting a burn notice.

Pressure Cooker Tips

Preheat your Instant Pot. To do this, push the sauté button and let the IP sit for a few minutes before adding your meat.

Know your model. The instructions for using your presure cooker will vary depending on which Instant Pot model or pressure cooker you have. If you are unfamiliar with pressure cooking, you can check your manual. The important things to understand for this recipe are 1) sauté mode, 2) high pressure mode and 3) quick release.

Variations for Sloppy Joes Weight Watchers Style in the Pressure Cooker

Add heat. Ancho chili powder, diced jalapenos, or habaneros added with the turkey as you sauté it, or your favorite hot sauce will kick it up a notch.

Add veggies. I personally like diced onion, diced bell peppers, and diced zucchini in my sloppy joes but my kids, not so much. If you don’t have picky eaters at home, consider adding these vegetables in with your meat as you sauté it.

Add BBQ Sauce. Some people love a little bbq sauce flavor with their sloppy joes. If you are one of those people, sub your favorite sauce in place of the ketchup.

Change up the meat. If you aren’t looking for sloppy joes weight watchers version, you can also use ground beef, ground pork, or even ground venison in this recipe.

How to Store Leftover Sloppy Joes

You can keep leftover turkey sloppy joe meat in your refrigerator for two days in an airtight container and reheat it once. When poultry meat has been reheated once it cannot be returned to the refrigerator or freezer.

If you have lots of leftovers, you can freeze individually-sized portions in freezer-safe baggies and use them for quick work lunches for up to three months. Just thaw in the microwave and add to a bun.