Helpful Reader Review
“Soooo yummy! Took me years to find a sloppy joe recipe like the one I remember from childhood. This is it. Thank you!” – Kathy ★★★★★
Sloppy Joes Video
This is one of my children’s favorite recipes – it’s so satisfying, and they both agree it’s better than any other sloppy joe they have tried. I just love that my son helped me cook it in the video, and my daughter got in on the taste test because these sandwiches are irresistible.
The Best Sloppy Joe Recipe
This delicious Sloppy Joe recipe is a simple and inexpensive way to make a budget-friendly family dinner. It’s essentially a loose meat sandwich with tender and juicy ground beef is sautéed with green peppers and onions, then cooked in a hearty and flavorful tomato sauce – it’s hard to stop at just one sandwich, which is why I often double the recipe.
Having some go-to ground beef recipes, such as Ground Beef Stir Fry, Goulash, Taco Salad, or Sloppy Joes, will make dinner time a breeze. If you have some ground beef in the freezer and need an easy meal idea, this is a must-try.
Sloppy Joe served in a toasted bun with potato chips and pickle spears
Sloppy Joe Ingredients
Ground Beef – use lean ground beef (85-90% lean). If using a higher fat content, you will need to skim off the extra fat once the beef is cooked so you don’t end up with greasy sloppy joes. You can sub the beef with ground chicken or turkey if you prefer.
Bell pepper – we used green, but you can substitute any color. If you like things spicy, add jalapenos. You can also substitute with 1 grated carrot (about 1/2 cup).
Onion & Garlic – these aromatics add great flavor to the sauce.
Homemade Sauce – just a few simple pantry ingredients create a sauce better than any store-bought version. Combining tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, and Worcestershire hits all the right flavor notes: sweet, savory, and tangy.
Ingredients for sloppy joes with ground beef, tomato sauce, bell pepper, onion and seasonings
How to Make Sloppy Joes
Make sauce – In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, and brown sugar.
Natasha’s tip if you love it spicy
If you prefer spicy Sloppy Joes, add some hot sauce or sriracha to the sauce.
Making sloppy joe sauce in a bowl
Saute beef – In a deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and break up as it is being cooked. Season with salt and pepper. If you see extra fat on the bottom, tilt the pan and spoon it out.
Sautee veggies – Add in the finely chopped onion and green pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add sauce – Pour in the sauce and once it comes to a light boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more salt and pepper if needed (see the Sloppy Joe Tasting Guide below to adjust to your taste preferences easily).
Step by step collage of how to make homemade sloppy joes from scratch.
Serve – I highly recommend buttering the buns and toasting them in a skillet for another layer of flavor and to keep the buns from getting soggy. Spoon the saucy beef mixture on toasted buns and serve as sandwiches.
Toasting buttered buns for serving sloppy joes
What to Serve with Sloppy Joes
Complete the meal by pairing it with crunchy potato chips and dill pickle spears. My kids especially love this combination. It’s also delicious served with a side of creamy potato salad, coleslaw, or macaroni salad. Baked Mac and Cheese is another great option, especially for birthday parties.
Can I make Sloppy Joes in a slow cooker?
These EASY sloppy joes are GREAT to make in the crockpot. Once the meat is browned on a skillet, just add it along with all the other ingredients into the crockpot and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
Sloppy Joes with some meat sauce spilling out of the bun
What is the difference between a Sloppy Joe and a Manwich?
This sloppy joe recipe is homemade and made from scratch. Manwich is a pre-made, store-bought sauce used to make sloppy joes.
How to Use Leftover Sloppy Joe Filling
There are so many different ways to enjoy leftover sloppy joe filling. Here are some great ideas for sloppy joes without the bun:
Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese – Add the meat mixture when making a Grilled Cheese
Sloppy Joe Sliders – substitute meat sauce in my cheeseburger sliders.
Sloppy Joe Pizza – Add on sourdough pizza or overnight pizza dough and top with cheese..
Loaded fries – top your air fryer French fries with cheese and sloppy joe filling.
Sloppy Joe Hot Dogs – Add the meat sauce to your hot dogs.
Baked potato – fill baked potatos, or air fryer baked potatos with meat sauce.
saucy and beefy sloppy joe meat sauce cooked in a skillet with a mixing spoon
There’s no match for a warm homemade sandwich, from Hamburgers to my famous Philly Cheesesteak. This Sloppy Joe Recipe is definitely at the top of my list. What is your favorite sandwich? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Sloppy Joe up close with saucy sloppy joe filling on a bun served with pickles and chips
4.94 from 2043 votes
Sloppy Joes
Prep Time:
10minutes mins
Cook Time:
20minutes mins
Total Time:
30minutes mins
The BEST recipe for a homemade Sloppy Joe! Ground beef in a hearty tomato sauce on toasted hamburger buns. A family favorite that’s perfect for lunch or dinner.
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Ingredients
US Customary
Metric
Servings:
5
servings
For the Sauce
15 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup*
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard, or to taste
2-3 tsp brown sugar, or to taste*
For the Sloppy Joes
1 Tbsp extra light olive oil, or any high-heat cooking oil
1 lb lean ground beef, 85%-90% lean
½ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced, or use 1/2 cup grated carrot
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 hamburger buns, toasted if desired
Instructions
Make the Sauce – In a medium bowl, combine the tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and brown sugar, and set it aside.
Cook the Beef – Place a large skillet or dutch oven over medium/high heat. Add olive oil and ground beef. Saute the beef for about 5 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink, breaking it up with a spatula. If you see extra fat on the bottom, tilt the pan and spoon it out or blot it up with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
Add vegetables – Stir in the diced peppers and onion. Cook another 5 minutes until the veggies are tender and beef is browned. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly.
Add the sauce and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes or until thickened to your liking. Adjust the seasoning taste* and add water if you prefer a looser consistency. Serve on toasted buns for Sloppy Joe Sandwiches.
Notes
*Why ketchup? I recently started adding ketchup to my sauce, and I found that it adds more dimension, acidity, and sweetness to improve the flavor of the sauce.
*Add sugar to taste, depending on the sweetness of your ketchup. Start with 2 teaspoons and add more if needed.
Sloppy Joe Tasting Guide – You can adjust the flavor profile of your sloppy joe based on your preferences. It helps to add a bit of the sauce to a bun and adjust after taking a bite.
Too sweet? Add a pinch of salt or 1/ 2 tsp apple-cider vinegar
Too Tangy? Add 1/2 tsp brown sugar or a drizzle of ketchup
Too Tomato-y? Simmer an extra 5 min to concentrate flavors and caramelize sugars.
Missing depth? Add extra Worcestershire.
Too loose? Simmer uncovered 3-5 minutes to thicken
Too thick? Add a splash of water
Storage and Reheating:
Refrigerating – Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.
Freezing – transfer the cooled meat sauce to freezer-friendly containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheating – It’s best to reheat a recipe the same way it was cooked. Warm the meat sauce in a pan over the stovetop until hot. You can microwave, but cover to catch messy splatter.
Nutrition Per Serving
359kcal
Calories
33g
Carbs
24g
Protein
15g
Fat
Show Full Nutrition Label
Nutrition Disclosure
Author: Natasha Kravchuk
Course: Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sloppy joe recipe, sloppy joes
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $$
Easy Ground Beef Recipes
Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Meatloaf
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Bolognese Sauce
Lasagna
Ground Beef Stroganoff
Mexican Beef and Rice Ski
