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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This is soooo good! I make it on rotation now.
I ALWAYS know your recipes will come out great!! Thanks! Family of 8, kids never complain!!
As Prometheus once stole the secret of fire from the gods to give mankind, Damn Delicious now blesses us with this heavenly Sloppy Joe recipe. I’d be hard pressed to say which gift is more important, historically speaking. I admit, I still have the nostalgic taste for the Manwich of my youth. This recipe takes all that is good from those wonder years, and then says, “Hold my Worcestershire”, as it kicks you into outer space, questioning whether you ever truly lived prior to tasting this magnum opus. Make this for your family, make it for yourself, make it for your friends. Live your best life. Just agree ahead of time who gets to lick the pan.
Another banger! So I am not even sure if I have ever had sloppy joes before and it was time to change that. I decided to try your recipe because your recipes are always so good, the reviews convinced me I wouldn’t regret it and I’ve always wanted to try sloppy joes. I followed your recipe to the letter and luckily I had everything on hand. I ate two myself and so did my fiancé. This will join the regular recipe rotation. Thank you!
Just made this recipe and it was DAMN GOOD girl!! Tabbing your website for future recipes.
I made this for dinner for my family last night and it was quite yummy! I will definitely add it to our meal rotation! Best sloppy joe recipe I have ever had.
My husband and son kept pestering me to make sloppy Joe’s. I haven’t had this since I was a kid and wasn’t exactly a fan
Decided to make this recipe and they almost ate the darn pot
It was requested again today so I’m doubling the recipe in hopes there is leftovers for tomorrow
I use extra lean ground pork, no added oil and free handed the dry spices.
I bookmarked this so I can come back. Thanks for sharing.
So good! I leave out the crunchy stuff (onion and green pepper) for texture reasons. Tastes great mixed with penne pasta, too!
Delicious! If yours comes out too sweet, consider your ketchup. I use Trader Joe’s which is quite tangy, so I always keep extra brown sugar on standby and had to double it here. Sauce made plenty for 2 pounds of beef; I just added an extra t. of Worcestershire sauce. With low sodium broth and w. sauce, I had to add a full teaspoon of salt. Next time I would do that while browning the meat, just because. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Fire
The best Sloppy Joe recipe I have tried. These are amazing!
What is the nutritional values for this recipe?
Best Sloppy Joes. It didn’t need the brown sugar but if you like a sweeter version, it could be added. Served for a family dinner – ages 14 to 76. They are now a family favorite. Thank you
I had my doubts but this is that good. I won’t go back to Manwich.
Made this vegetarian with TVP. Came out great. Was a little on the sweet side for me. Might cut the brown sugar next time.
I used to use Manwich Bold as my go-to. This recipe is tasty and the light kick of spice make it top on my charts!
Very good they have change the one in the can and we don’t like …this is better
Love this recipe! Just wish it was set up for 1 or 2 pounds and the meat we buy is in 1 pound increments so had to kind of guess the measurements.
Also skipped the cayenne.
P.s.
Also AK I might cut back a little w the 1 cup ketchup w the 1 LB of ground turkey!
Doubled this recipe to eat tonight and freeze the leftovers for stress free dinners. I cooked it down a little longer (30 min), but this was a fantastic hit with the family!! So much better than the pre-made junk. Thanks!
I made this for supper and it was delicious! My husband and talked about it all week raving how it was the best sloppy joe he has ever had.