Skip to Content

Air Fryer Sloppy Joe Pockets

Air Fryer Sloppy Joes are an easy dinner or snack idea that cooks in just a few minutes in the Air Fryer. This recipe takes our delicious Sloppy Joe filling and stuffs it into buttery crescent roll pockets. Simple – only four ingredients!

Air Fryer Sloppy Joe Pockets

Sunday nights are our easy dinner night where we eat a lighter mean that is a little more “fun” than a traditional meal.

The air fryer is perfect for making these little fun meals that are almost like snacks.

You can make a lot of different variations of these hot pockets in the air fryer.

We love the Air Fryer Cheesy Taco Crescents and the Air Fryer Crescent Dogs just as well.

Sunday nights are also a great opportunity to get the family involved in dinner preparation.

Everybody gets to help with the cooking and make something special.

Those are the moments I will cherish with my family.

Disclosure – I may get a small commission for purchases made through affiliate links in this post.

🔑 Key to Success #1 – Make The Sloppy Joe Filling

The sloppy joe filling is based on our delicious Sloppy Joes recipe.

It’s only 3 simple ingredients but very tasty indeed.

The ingredients are ground beef, barbecue sauce, and ketchup. That’s it.

We are super fans of Head Country Barbecue Sauce.

The original variety is our favorite.

We always keep a big bottle in our fridge because it’s so easy to whip up a quick dinner using what you have on hand when you have a good BBQ sauce.

First, brown your ground beef in a small skillet and drain off any excess grease.

Then add in the barbecue sauce and ketchup.

No matter how much meat you’re using, the ratio is 2 parts BBQ sauce to 1 part ketchup.

The true secret to great Sloppy Joes is cooking the filling until it has thickened.

When we’re only using a half-pound of meat, you will need to allow the sauce to simmer for about 6 to 8 minutes.

The sauce will thicken up and get dark and that’s how you know the flavor has really gotten good and concentrated and you Sloppy Joe filling is ready to go.

🔑 Key to Success #2 – Seal Those Edges

If I can find them, I like to use the crescent roll sheets instead of the separated crescent roll dough.

There is really no difference as far as taste but I think it’s easier to work with the full sheet of dough in situations like this where you’re making a pocket.

If you have a roll of crescent dough on hand, go ahead and use that!

I’m a big proponent of using what you have on hand.

Use a sharp knife to divide the crescent roll sheets into 8 equal sections.

I usually cut the dough into square-ish shapes.

Then when I fold over the individual pockets, they are more rectangular.

You can get fancy with the shapes and make triangles or anything else your mind can dream up.

Put a heaping tablespoon of Sloppy Joe filling in the middle of each square then fold the dough over to cover it.

Use your fingers or the tines of a fork to press the edges together to seal all that yummy goodness inside.

I like to make pretty edges using the tines of a fork. They do not have to be perfect by any means.

The main point is to get the edges sealed so that the filling won’t leak out into your air fryer.

🔑 Key to Success #3 – Line Basket with Foil

I highly recommend lining your air fryer basket with foil before you add in your Sloppy Joe Pockets.

Some air fryer baskets are different but almost all of them are full of holes.

My air fryer basket has small round perforations all along the bottom. Many other air fryers have wire baskets with holes in varying sizes.

With a soft dough like a crescent roll, the foil will prevent the dough from getting stuck in the holes in the air fryer basket.

Put the foil into the air fryer basket right before you put the food in, not while the air fryer is preheating.

The powerful fan in the air fryer will cause the foil to fly up if there is nothing on top of it to hold it down.

You don’t need to line the full basket with foil. Just put a piece in the bottom of the basket to cover the holes.

Air Fryer Sloppy Joe Pockets

📌 Get the Printable Recipe for Air Fryer Sloppy Joes

Save this Air Fryer Sloppy Joes Recipe to your favorite Air Fryer Snacks board or your BBQ Recipes board.

Air Fryer Sloppy Joe Pockets
Air Fryer Sloppy Joe Pockets

Air Fryer Sloppy Joe Pockets

Yield: 8 crescents
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes

Air Fryer Sloppy Joe Pockets are an easy dinner or snack idea that cooks in just a few minutes in the Air Fryer. This recipe takes our delicious Sloppy Joe filling and stuffs into buttery crescent roll pockets. Simple - only four ingredients!

Ingredients

  • 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent sheets
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 cup Head Country Barbecue Sauce
  • 1/4 cup ketchup

Instructions

  1. Preheat Air Fryer to 400 degrees F.
  2. In small skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef. Cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain any grease.
  3. Add in barbecue sauce and ketchup. Continue cooking about 6-8 minutes until sauce thickens.
  4. Cut crescent sheets into 8 equal squares.
  5. On each crescent square, place 1 heaping tablespoon of sloppy joe filling. Fold squares over around filling and crimp ends to secure.
  6. Line Air Fryer basket with a square of foil. Grease foil and place crescents on top in single layer.
  7. Cook 5 minutes. Turn over and cook another 2-3 minutes until browned.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 210Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 492mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 6g

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have suggestions for improvement?

Your feedback helps us create better recipes for you. Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts!

NOTE: This easy Air Fryer Sloppy Joe Pockets recipe is featured in our Easy Air Fryer Recipes web story!

Visit our list of Easy Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners.

The Best Sloppy Joes

Air Fryer Crescent Dogs

Air Fryer Cheesy Taco Crescents

Dark Chocolate Poke Cake

Crescent Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Air Fryer Soft Pretzels

Air Fryer Chocolate Lava Cake

Skip to Recipe