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When it comes to easy homemade dinners, it doesn’t get any better than this easy Sloppy Joe Recipe, a longtime family favorite. This 30-minute meal is perfect for busy weeknights, backyard barbecues, and birthday parties. Of all the sloppy joes I’ve had, this one is the best.
Meggan’s notes
As a classically-trained chef who grew up in the Midwest, I love to reimagine the recipes of my childhood so they taste even better than you imagine. These homemade sloppy joes are no exception. They are packed with flavor yet perfectly balanced, and home cooks just can’t get enough of them.
I hear it time and time again: “This is the best sloppy joe recipe I’ve ever had!” Whether I’m cooking them for my family or just perusing the comments below (feel free to take a look for yourself), the verdict is in. These are the best homemade sloppy joes on the block, and once you make it, your life will never be the same.
If you’ve got 8 basic ingredients and 30 minutes or less, you are winning dinner tonight, and it’s not even close. Make a double batch to feed a crowd or freeze it for later. This is a delicious sloppy joes recipe that everyone will love, and it’s easy on the cook, too!
Table of Contents
Sloppy Joe Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Ground beef: Or substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground venison in these homemade sloppy joes.
- Onion: Finely chopped celery and a green bell pepper are great too!
- Brown sugar: Even a tablespoon is too much for some people. If you don’t like the sound of brown sugar in your Sloppy Joe, please leave it out!
How to Make the Best Sloppy Joe Recipe
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine beef and chopped onion. Cook until the meat is mostly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain well.
- In a small bowl whisk together tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper).
- Pour sauce ingredients over drained beef and stir until evenly coated.
- Simmer the sloppy joe sauce uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally (cover if you prefer a sloppier Sloppy Joe).
- Spoon the homemade sloppy joes into a hamburger bun and devour. For extra flavor, brush the crown of your bun with butter and toast on a griddle. YUM!
Sloppy Joes Recipe tips and variations
- No Worcestershire sauce: In a pinch, substitute soy sauce.
- Barbecue sauce. Your favorite barbecue sauce (or my favorite barbecue sauce, based on Sweet Baby Ray’s) can be added instead of ketchup for a smoky version of a classic Joe.
- Spices: Dress up your sloppy joes with garlic powder, onion powder, or any other flavors you love. If you want heat, throw in a tbsp of ancho chili powder, a tsp of ground cumin, or a half teaspoon of chipotle powder. Or, splash on your favorite hot sauce. Season with kosher salt to taste.
- Slow cooker: To make the best sloppy joes in a crockpot, brown the ground beef in a skillet first. Drain well and add the bottom of a crock pot. Add all the other ingredients (except the buns), cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Casserole: For a fork-friendly version, try my Sloppy Joe Casserole Recipe.
What goes with Sloppy Joes?
Yield: This Sloppy Joes recipe makes 4 to 6 cups of meat mixture, enough for 8 heaping sandwiches.
Favorite sides for sloppy joes: Try crispy French fries, crunchy potato chips, coleslaw, baked beans, and pickles.
How to store Homemade Sloppy Joes
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cool completely, then add to freezer containers (one big batch or individual portions), label and date, and freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Manwich is a specific food product that is marked as Sloppy Joe filling sold at the grocery store. However, as many commenters will attest, you needn’t open that can of Manwich ever again. This recipe is easy and delicious and miles ahead of Manwich!
Add a slice of cheese! The cheese melts over the hot meat and helps it all adhere better to the bun, but that’s just a bonus. Raw diced onion, dill pickle slices, and pickle relish are great toppings, too.
Legend has it that Sloppy Joes were invented in Sioux City, Iowa. In the 1920s, a cook named Joe was working at the Ye Old Tavern Inn. He created his sloppy sandwich filling and named it a “Sloppy Joe.”
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Homemade Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion peeled and finely chopped (see note 1)
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar packed (see note 2)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard or yellow mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 Sandwich buns split
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, combine beef and onion. Cook until the meat is mostly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain well.
- In a small bowl whisk together tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper).
- Pour sauce ingredients over drained beef and stir until evenly coated. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally (cover if you prefer a sloppier Sloppy Joe). Serve in buns.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Onion: Finely chopped celery and green peppers are great too!
- Brown sugar: Even a tablespoon is too much for some people. If you don’t like the sound of brown sugar in your Sloppy Joe, please leave it out!
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 c. of Sloppy Joe meat mixture, enough for 8 heaping sandwiches.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
I want to make this tonight, but I bought tomato paste instead of sauce thinking I was making a different recipe, then stumbled upon yours and it looks so much better! Think it would be ok to substitute? Should I maybe add water? Thanks!
Hi Savannah, I’m so sorry I didn’t respond to you in time! I hope you were able to proceed. Tomato paste is fine, and yes you could thin it with water if you like. It’s a very forgiving recipe and it’s REALLY hard to screw up, ha ha! I hope it worked for you. Take care and thanks for the question!
It came out delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
I always use tomato paste.. makes the mixture thicker!
Might make these tonight for my wife and I. Sounds good. Thanx
Confession: I love to cook & bake from scratch, but when it comes to sloppy joes I take the Manwich way out. Except for when my kids beg for them at 7:00 at night & I’m fresh out of Manwich, I went with plan B…do a Google search for best sloppy joe recipe! Yours popped up right away. And although I substituted a jar of sweet chili sauce for the tomato sauce, & a packet of Lipton beefy onion powder mix for a real onion, I followed the rest of the recipe to a tee. The result was outstanding, & I’ll never buy another can of Manwich again!
THIS IS THE BEST STORY EVER!!! I can just picture you rummaging through your pantry to find anything you can to make it work, and you obviously did the job. Your version is probably better than mine! So exciting. Thanks for sharing Kristin!
Ahhhh! Now there’s a real cook – digging through the pantry and the spice rack to see what you come up to make this recipe work when you don’t have all the ingredients called for. Remember, a recipe is just one person’s idea of how to make a dish. Never be afraid to be creative!
I totally agree with you Brian! I always consider a recipe a starting point for negotiations. I love when people can tweak a recipe based on their own ingredients and taste because let’s face it – people are different! They like different flavors! Different amounts of spice or sugar! Whatever it is. I wish I could hold everyone’s hand and tell them it will be okay if they change something out in a recipe. 😀 Thank you for being such a lovely soul!
These were delicious! Only thing I added was some sauted chopped bell pepper and a tbsp of molasses in the sauce to cut the acid in the tomato. Turned out to be a winner. Husband ate left overs with chips so had to be good. Thanks for sharing!
Looks delicious. Just curious the reason for the ketchup? I have a huge pot of fresh thick tomato sauce I just made from tomatoes from my garden and thought I would pressure can some sloppy joe sauce in jars to have on hand. I have ketchup but just wondering if I really need it with all this fresh sauce I have?
Hi Cathy! I’d say the ketchup adds sugar, for better or for worse. It’s definitely NOT required, you could certainly substitute your amazing fresh tomato sauce! It will taste great and be healthier. Obviously ketchup adds its own flavor, but that doesn’t mean it’s required. Consider this recipe a blank canvas for your own (and probably better) ideas! 🙂
Had to let you know I made these in the summer with my garden tomato sauce and did use the ketchup. Canned about 12 jars of this and we are out. Just thawed out 50 pounds of tomatoes from the garden and I am making an even bigger batch to can this time around. Gave a few away as gifts at Xmas and am already getting orders for more. I gave them the recipe and told them they are on their own this time. Thanks again!!
Hi, I’m going to make this tonight. Do you think apple cider vinegar would be a good substitute for white vinegar?
Hi Anne, yes! Absolutely. It’s a great substitution and one I’ve made myself many times. I’ll add that info to the recipe. Thank you for your question, and I hope you like the recipe! Take care.
The sauce is amazing, I tried it before I added it to the mixes, only thing I felt missing was a bit of garlic. It tasted amazing with both the lentil, onion, and pepper mixture and the meat and mirepoix mixture.
Hey there. I am going to make this for my baby shower!!! I was wondering if it would be alright to cook everything the night before and then just heat it up the day of? Am I going to lose any of the goodness?
Hey Jacqui! DO IT! It will actually taste better if you do it that way. That’s the genius of the recipe! My mom always does that for our trip up north to the log cabin. She makes it ahead, freezes it solid so it survives the 6-hour car ride, and then we heat it up when we get there and it’s THE BEST. I hope you love it! Thank you for your question and for visiting the site. 🙂 Take care!
So so good! First time making this recipe and everyone loved! Thank you!
Thank you so much Jill! So grateful for your support. And glad it was a success! Thanks again and take care. 🙂
This looks so good! I plan to try it this weekend for a camping trip. The group you talk about up at the cabin is exactly the size I’m planning for this weekend. Do you know how large of a batch you would make? Triple?
Hi, Kandace! I would say triple AT LEAST. I think my mom quadruples the batch, but that way we can eat leftovers for a few days. Leftovers might not work as well camping! But I’d still say triple it, it’s so good I personally eat at least 2 sandwiches immediately. I hope you love it!