Homemade Sloppy Joes
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Hands down the best homemade sloppy joe recipe made from scratch! So saucy, so hearty, and comes together so fast. And it’s freezer-friendly!
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WHY you’ll love homemade sloppy joes
- Lightning fast. Skip the canned sloppy joes! This homemade version comes together in lightening speed in one single pan for the easiest clean up ever. Not to mention, it’s so much better (and healthier) than the canned stuff!
- Absolute crowd-favorite. Sloppy joes are not just kid-friendly. They are a guaranteed family-favorite for everyone, especially when we’re talking saucy, tender ground beef with just a hint of sweetness sandwiched on toasted brioche buns!
- Budget-friendly. Using ground beef, a dinnertime staple, this is just one of those budget-friendly weeknight heroes that is loved by both kids and grown ups.
- Completely customizable and flexible. You can add in as little or as many veggies (carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, or leafy greens) for a heartier sloppy joe. Or double or triple the recipe as needed for a large crowd, perfect for a big party or tailgating season.
What is a sloppy joe?
A sloppy joe, known as messy comfort food, is a popular American sandwich typically made with ground beef, onions, tomato sauce or ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and garlic.
Key Ingredients
Meat (base)
85-90% lean ground beef, though ground turkey or chicken work well as substitutes
Vegetables
Sweet onion and green bell pepper (or use red, yellow, or orange)
Aromatics and seasonings
Tomato paste, garlic, paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper
Sauce
Beef stock, ketchup, Dijon mustard (or yellow mustard), Worcestershire, and brown sugar
How to make homemade sloppy joes
- Brown the beef. Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up into small crumbles, until browned. Drain off any excess fat and grease.
- Sauté the aromatics. Stir in the onion and bell pepper until the vegetables begin to soften. Then stir in the tomato paste, garlic, paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper until fragrant. Pro tip: dice the vegetables finely to avoid large chunks in the sauce.
- Deglaze the pan. Pour in the beef stock, lifting up the caramelized browned bits (fond) stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
- Simmer. Stir in the ketchup, Dijon, Worcestershire, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until the sauce is thick and rich, about 15-20 minutes. Pro tip: the longer it simmers, the more it will thicken.
- Serve. Serve in your favorite buns – toasted brioche buns, pretzel buns, or even hot dog buns for less mess!
Sloppy joe variations
- Meat: swap out the ground beef for pork, chicken, or turkey
- Vegetables: add different vegetables such as mushrooms, celery, or carrots
- For serving: serve in hot dog buns, pita bread, garlic bread, or naan instead of traditional burger buns
Storing, freezing, and reheating sloppy joes
Storage
Leftover sloppy joes (without the buns) can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat
Gently reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of water or stock, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Freeze
Let the sloppy joes cool completely. Portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months.
Reheat (from frozen)
Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Add a splash of water or stock, if needed, to loosen.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH SLOPPY JOES
Tools For This Recipe
Homemade Sloppy Joes: Frequently Asked Questions
Ground pork, chicken, or turkey can be used instead of ground beef. Ground lentils are also a great vegan option.
It is best to drain most of the fat to avoid greasy sloppy joes, leaving just enough for flavor.
Zucchini, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and leafy greens (such as kale or spinach) would be great additions. The vegetables cook down so the kids won’t even know they’re in there!
Simmer for longer over low heat, uncovered, allowing the liquid to evaporate until the desired consistency is reached.
I personally love toasted brioche buns or homemade hamburger buns that I can pull out of the freezer in a pinch!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, gently reheating on the stovetop with a splash of water or beef stock (to help loosen) until warmed through.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers up to 3 months in individual freezer bags, thawing overnight and reheating on the stovetop until warmed through (adding a tablespoon of water as needed).
Homemade Sloppy Joes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef, 90/10
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Add onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic, paprika, chili powder and cayenne pepper until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in beef stock, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Stir in ketchup, Dijon, Worcestershire and brown sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and flavors have blended, about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Use lean ground beef. 85-90% lean ground beef is ideal for sloppy joes – more fat will make it too greasy, too lean will make it too dry.
- Finely dice the vegetables. The onion and bell pepper add texture to the sloppy joes but be sure to dice them finely so that they can properly melt in the sauce (and to avoid large chunks).
- Let it simmer. Let the mixture simmer for at least 15-20 minutes for that “sloppy” consistency – thick, rich, and perfectly saucy.
- Adjust the consistency. For a thicker consistency, simmer for longer. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out as needed by stirring in 1 tablespoon of water (or stock), adding in more as needed.
- Toast the buns. Toasting the buns beforehand will make a huge difference, preventing the buns from becoming soggy and the sandwich from falling apart.
- Freeze in individual servings. The leftovers can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, ideal when frozen in single-serving portions for easy thawing and reheating.
Did you make this recipe?
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Fantastic! Just the right amount of sweet and savory, exactly what I was looking for. Used 2 pounds of 85/15 ground beef, to make up for the higher fat drainage. Also used yellow bell pepper instead of green, and just a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, to suit family taste. We will definitely be making this again and again!
The perfect combination of sweet, savory, and spicy.
Im not a sloppy Joe’s fan but I think this recipe could win me over. I think I may have to make it homemade going forward a can just won’t compare. I plan on making a bunch and freezing them.
We tried this for the first time about two weeks ago. Loved it so much we made it the next night! It’s now going in the rotation. I should add that I’ve never been a big fan of Sloppy Joes – until now. If you haven’t made this yet, try it!
I make this recipe using deer burger and it is my absolute favorite way to make a perfect sloppy Joe sandwich.
Serve it with fine cut coleslaw, sweet bread and butter pickles on fresh baked buns. It is off the chain good!!
Oh my gosh, I am so in love with this recipe!! Can’t wait to make (and eat) it again!!
Perfect with no modifications, delish! Husband also loved!
This recipe is in HEAVY rotation at our house due to is wonderful flavor, ease of prep. We adjust the recipe up to 2 pounds which fits better with 8 buns and love adding extra peppers from our veggie CSA to it. It’s been worth the “upgrade” to us to use beef bone broth,
This is the best sloppy Joe recipe! My kids love it and I love that it’s not super sweet!
I don’t usually leave recipe reviews, but this is the only sloppy joes everyone will eat! My sister and her husband tried it and even asked for the recipe. DELICIOUS!!!
Doubled the recipe. My non-veggie eating kids didn’t even notice the peppers & onions. Really delicious. Savings this recipe for sure – I didn’t make any changes. Made as is and it was perfect.
I made this recipes today. I did not make and changes and it is truly amazing and delicious! My husband said it is the best sloppy job he’s ever had! It I had one suggestion it would be to use a deep pan to cook it in. My pan was really full. That being said I will be doubling the recipe next time for sure!
Thank you!
Terri
Flavorful and easy! I only had 1 pound of ground beef so I halved the rest of the ingredients. Thanks for a great recipe!
Can you substitute the smoked paprika. I really like a Smokey flavor.
I used Stubbs mesquite smoke and regular paprika. Came out awesome
Love it. Everytime I make it thw entire pan disappears!
We love hearing that, thank you so much for sharing!
Easy and delicious!
Omg!!! Soooo good, soooo delicious! I took a little more time with prep and cooking than the recipe called for (slow & steady) but…….ohhhhhhh mmmmyyyyyyyy! So, so, soooooo good!! Do not hesitate wondering if this recipe is good… it is! Just make it!
This came out great! Super easy. My family loved it.
Satisfying and delish! So much better than dry package mix of Manwhich with no additives! This will be my go-to for sloppy Joe’s! Another winner recipe!
good recipe and i love several recipes on your site. but why make a recipe for 1.5 lbs meat when its all sold in 1 pound increments?
You can always go to the meat counter at the store and get as much as you need! All you have to do is ask.