These fantastic homemade sloppy joes are so incredibly easy to make from scratch. Ground beef smothered in a satisfying sweet and spicy sauce. Serve it over warm toasted buns with a side of creamy baked mac and cheese. It will put this delicious recipe at the top of your family’s favorites list.
This sloppy Joes recipe is so inexpensive and quick to make. There aren’t many dinners you can get on the table faster than this one. It should absolutely be on your menu regularly.
Made with fresh ingredients. It’s nothing like the can of Manwich I used to buy from the store when I was a young wife.The ground beef is simply sauteed with onion and green pepper and simmered in a sweet and spicy tomato sauce made from scratch.
When you need a quick dinner and you have ground beef on hand. This is probably faster than ordering takeout since it is a 30-minute meal to make from start to finish!
Table of Contents
What are Sloppy Joes?
Sloppy Joe is a sandwich consisting of ground beef and a tomato-based sauce. It resembles the BBQ loose meat sandwich served on toasted buns that were originally made by a guy named Joe at Floyd Angell’s cafe in Sioux City, Iowa in the early 20th century.
Why You Will Love This Sloppy Joes Recipe:
- Homemade Sauce: has the perfect balance of hearty tomato sauce, and a sweet yet spicy BBQ flavor. This easy sloppy joes recipe has both fresh ingredients and simple ingredients, so there are no preservatives and things like high fructose corn syrup
- Versatile: This homemade version is a great recipe and can be mixed in or on most anything! It can be served with a whole host of side dishes which is partly why it is typically a family favorite.
- Gluten-free version: serve it over potatoes or romaine lettuce for a quick swap.
- It’s perfect for: Barbecues, birthday parties, and busy weeknights. You can never go wrong bringing Sloppy Joes!
Tips for the Best Sloppy Joes:
- Don’t reduce the sauce too much. When you cook with the lid off a lot of the moisture content is going to evaporate. Just watch it. There is a sweet spot between too soupy and too thick. Once it gets there put the lid on and finish the cooking time covered.
- Try to use fresh canned tomatoes if possible. If you don’t have your own, you can usually find some at your local farmers market.
- Toast your buns so they are nice and warm when you serve dinner. Either toast them on a hot buttered skillet or directly on the oven rack turned upside down. Wait to do this at the last minute though so they are nice and hot when you eat.
Sloppy Joe’s Quick Cooking Guide:
Basically, you just cook the beef, onions, and bell peppers. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes. (see the full recipe at the bottom)
TOOLS LIST:
- Large Skillet
INGREDIENTS LIST:
- Butter and olive oil – it adds some good flavored fat and prevents the ground beef from scorching on the bottom of the pan.
- lean ground beef – if you use beef with a higher fat content you will want to drain it before adding the vegetables.
- Onions and garlic – these aromatics are the base of a lot of meals because they add so much savory flavor. They pretty much meld into the sauce so you hardly notice they’re there though. (you can use garlic powder instead or in addition to the fresh garlic)
- Bell pepper – any color will work. It’s traditionally green bell pepper that is used.
- Sloppy Joes Sauce Ingredients – tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, Maple syrup or brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard or Dijon mustard, chili powder, salt, apple cider vinegar, black pepper, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes (optional for heat).
- Long Simmer Option – If cooking it the long simmer time of 60 minutes, you will also need 1 cup water or 1 cup beef broth
HOW TO MAKE Homemade Sloppy Joes RECIPE:
Step 1: Chop
First, chop the onion finely. Then deseed and dice the green pepper finely. Set aside.
Step 2: Mix Sauce
In a bowl, combine the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, water, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and tomato sauce. Set it aside.
Step 3: Cook Beef
In a large skillet or Dutch oven heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it apart.
Step 4: Saute Peppers and Onions
Add in the diced peppers and onion. Cook for another 5 minutes until the veggies are tender and translucent.
Step 5: Saute Garlic
Add the minced garlic and sauté 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly.
Step 6: Add Sauce to Meat
Add in the sauce, reduce heat to low, and bring it to a simmer.
How Long to Simmer Sloppy Joes Sauce?
Simmer sloppy joes uncovered for about 10 minutes. It will develop more flavor if you simmer longer, maybe even an hour or two. But you will want to keep it covered and possibly add small amounts of beef broth or water to keep the right consistency if you do this.
Step 7: Serve
Serve on homemade toasted hamburger buns.
It has taken years of trying to adjust the sloppy joe sauce to get a great balance of flavors that has a medium heat, just the way my family likes it. Now it is the only sloppy joes that ends up on my dinner table because it is by far the best sloppy joe recipe we have ever tried.
Next time you don’t have enough time be sure to make this easy sloppy joe recipe. You probably always have the ingredients which makes for a pretty quick meal since it saves you a trip to the grocery store, and it makes a perfect weeknight dinner.
Classic Sloppy Joes and Sides to Serve With It:
- Classic sloppy joe sandwich – Sloppy Joes are usually served over toasted buns with a side of creamy mac and cheese, baked beans, potato chips, fries, or potato salad.
- Dress it up – I’ve seen people put slices of pickles, a pile of coleslaw, or chips in their sloppy joe sandwiches.
- Queso Dip – Stir it into hot melted queso dip and eat with tortilla chips.
- Loaded Fries or Nachos – A fun twist is to serve the sloppy joe mixture over crisp homemade fries, tater tots, nachos, or onion rings. Make sure to add lots of cheese.
- Baked Potato – add it to a loaded baked potato.
- Stuffed Bell Peppers – Bake it into any colored bell pepper, green or red bell pepper are our favorite.
- Chili dogs – top your hot dog with a sloppy joe mixture instead of chili.
- Sloppy Joe Pizza – add some on top of pizza dough and top with shredded cheese for a creative pizza.
- Mac and Cheese – sprinkle it over or mix it in.
- Quesadilla – spoon some into a quesadilla as you grill it.
- Grilled Cheese – When making a grilled cheese sandwich add a1/4 c of sloppy joe mixture to the center and don’t spread it around. When the cheese melts it will all even itself out.
Tip on Homemade Sloppy Joes Storage
- Fridge – store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days.
- Freezer – store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight when you are ready to use.
- Reheating – Warm the sloppy joe mixture on the stovetop just until hot.
Can You Make Sloppy Joes Ahead of Time?
Yes, sloppy joes can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Can Sloppy Joes be Frozen?
Yes, sloppy joes can be frozen. Cool leftover sloppy joe meat to room temperature before placing it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight when you are ready to use.
Substitutions and Variations: There Are so Many Different Ways
- Don’t have Worcestershire sauce: swap it out for soy sauce
- Tomato paste or crushed: swap it out for BBQ sauce, tomato puree, or ketchup
- Like it sweeter: add a little brown sugar. We just use maple syrup or honey, but when company comes, you can bet we are adding the brown sugar.
- Casserole style: layer it in a glassy baking dish and cover with tater tots
- Hawaiian sloppy joes: Swap out the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes for BBQ sauce and add diced pineapple
- Asian sloppy Joes: trade hoisin sauce for the Worcestershire sauce and mix in 1 T ginger. Mix in chopped water chestnuts, and shredded carrots. Serve with thinly sliced cucumbers.
- Spicy sloppy joes: just add diced jalapenos, hot sauce, or more red pepper flakes to the meat mixture and tomato-based sauce.
Can You Make Sloppy Joes in a Crockpot or Slow Cooker?
Yes, you can make sloppy joes in a crock pot. Just brown the beef and onions, then add all the rest of the ingredients and cook on LOW for about 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. The vegetables will be softer with this method.
What is the Difference Between Manwich and Sloppy Joe’s?
Manwich is a store-bought canned sauce that comes in a can, it’s a little dull and does not have much flavor but works when you are in a pinch. This homemade sloppy joe recipe is made from scratch with fresh ingredients and has incredible flavor.
FAQs
What type of ground beef do I use for Sloppy Joes?
You will want to use 90% lean ground beef in your sloppy joes. If you use anything with a higher fat percentage (85% and less) the fat separates and it isn’t very appealing with blobs of oil floating on the top.
Can I use a different meat for Sloppy Joes?
Yes, you can swap out the ground beef in Sloppy Joes for any other ground meat. Ground turkey, chicken, venison, and sausage all work great.
What kind of bread do I use with sloppy joes?
Toasted hamburger buns are traditionally used with sloppy joes. But feel free to use Texas Toast, pretzel buns, french bread slices, brioche buns, or even just slices of plain sandwich bread.
Are sloppy joes gluten-free?
Yes, you can make these sloppy joes gluten-free pretty easily by not using any bread. The meat and sauce mixture is already gluten-free. Some alternatives could be serving it on romaine lettuce, potatoes, rice, gluten-free noodles, or gluten-free buns.
Are sloppy joes healthy?
Yes, this sloppy joe recipe is made with healthy fresh ingredients. You won’t find any preservatives here. It uses honey instead of white sugar.
How can I spice up my sloppy joe?
If you want to add some heat to this sloppy joe recipe, just dice up some fresh or canned jalapenos and add when you add the bell peppers. This recipe already has a small amount of red pepper flakes, you could also just add another 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes.
Pro Tips:
How to Serve Homemade Sloppy Joes for a Crowd: This recipe calls for 1lb of ground beef for 8 people. So multiply it as many times as you need. Cook it up in batches and dump it into an extra large disposable aluminum foil pan. Keep it in the oven on about 300 to cook and keep warm. You dont have to add any of the tomato or seasonings to the skillet, just pour it directly into the aluminum pan. You only need to precook the ground beef, onions and bell peppers. Keep warm till you are ready to serve it. This method makes cooking for 100 easy! Enjoy!
Sloppy Joe’s Bar Ideas List:
More Popular Recipes to Try:
- Sourdough Chinese Orange Chicken
- Homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
More Ground Beef Recipes to Try:
- Hearty Meat Lovers Lasagna
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Italian Sausage Meatloaf
- Hearty Shepherd Pie
If you find that you love this easy homemade sloppy joes recipe, be sure to print the recipe card below.
Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
These fantastic homemade sloppy joes are so incredibly easy to make from scratch. Ground beef smothered in a satisfying sauce made with fresh ingredients. Nothing like the can of Manwich I used to buy from the store when I was a young wife.
Serve it over warm toasted buns with a side of creamy baked mac and cheese. It will put this delicious recipe at the top of your family’s favorites list.
Ingredients
Meat and Veggies:
- 2 T butter
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 3 minced garlic cloves or 1 tsp garlic powder
Sauce Ingredients:
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- ¼ c Maple syrup or brown sugar
- 1 T Worcestershire sauce
- 1 t Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp yellow mustard or Dijon
- ½ t chili powder
- ½ t smoked paprika
- 1 t salt
- ½ t black pepper
- ¼ t red pepper flakes (optional for heat)
- 1 c of beef broth or 1 c of water (optional if you want to simmer this the long time amount)
Instructions
Step 1: First, chop the onion finely. Then deseed and dice the green pepper finely. Set aside.
Step 2: In a bowl, combine the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, water, brown sugar, and tomato sauce. Set it aside.
Step 3: In a large skillet or Dutch oven heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it apart.
Step 4: Add in the diced peppers and onion. Cook for another 5 minutes until the veggies are tender and translucent.
Step 5: Add the minced garlic and sauté 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly.
Step 6: Add in the sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
Step 7: Serve on homemade toasted hamburger buns.
Notes
Serve with a side of grilled corn on the cob, baked beans, or broccoli salad with bacon.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 247Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 899mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 12gProtein: 19g
nutrition information isn't always exactly accurate, it's just and estimate.
One of the first homemade sloppy Joes recipe easy for me to remember was by Pioneer Woman. Some of the inspiration for this recipe came from her!
