Saucy, beefy, and so satisfying. We’re convinced this is the BEST recipe for a homemade Sloppy Joe. Ground beef in a hearty tomato sauce served on toasted hamburger buns is a great idea for lunch or dinner. Everyone needs a great and nostalgic recipe for Sloppy Joes and THIS. IS. IT.
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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 ★★★★★
This delicious Sloppy Joe recipe is a simple and inexpensive way to make a budget-friendly family dinner. The 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 Cheeseburger Sliders, 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 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.
Ingredients for the Best Sloppy Joes
- 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 a different color in a pinch. If you like things spicy, add some jalapenos along with the green peppers. If you aren’t a fan of bell pepper, you can substitute 1 grated carrot (about 1/2 cup).
- Onion & Garlic – these aromatics add great flavor and disappear into the sauce, so picky eaters won’t complain.
- Homemade Sauce – just a few simple pantry ingredients will make a sauce that’s better than any store-bought sauce. The combination of tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, and Worcestershire hits all the right flavor notes: sweet, savory, and tangy.
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 a spicy Sloppy Joes, add some hot sauce or sriracha to the sauce.
- 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).
- Serve – I highly recommend buttering the buns and toasting them in a skillet for another layer of flavor. Spoon the saucy beef mixture on toasted buns and serve as sandwiches.
To Serve
There are so many different ways to enjoy a sloppy joe. You’ll want to try them all:
- Classic – Serve this with toasted hamburger buns for the classic sloppy joe recipe.
- Grilled Cheese – Add the meat mixture when making a Grilled Cheese for a hearty sandwich.
- Pizza – Add on homemade overnight pizza dough and top with cheese for a sloppy joe pizza.
- Loaded fries– There is nothing better than loaded fries, top your air fryer French fries with cheese and sloppy joe filling.
- Chili dogs – Add the meat sauce to your hot dogs.
- Baked potato – Take a loaded air fryer baked potato to the next level by topping it with this meat sauce.
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.
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.
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Refrigerating – Let the meat sauce cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing – Once the mixture is cooled, add to freezer-friendly containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating – A general rule of thumb is that it’s best to reheat a recipe the same way it was cooked. Warm the meat sauce on the stovetop in a skillet or saucepan until hot. You can microwave, but use a microwave shield to catch messy splatter.
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 Joes
Ingredients
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
- 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
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Love Ground Beef Recipes? Try these:
- Slow Cooker Beef Chili
- Meatloaf
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Bolognese Sauce
- Lasagna
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
Would this work with venison? Any adjustments you think would be necessary
Hi Keven! I haven’t tried that, but it should work.
Made this recipe tonight and my family loved it!!! Easy and quick recipe, I will be making it again!!!
So good! I tried to make homemade sloppy joes several years ago, but they weren’t very good, and I’ve stuck to buying the cans of Manwich ever since. Tried this recipe tonight, and I’ll never buy Manwich again!
That’s awesome, Amber! Thank you for the wonderful feedback.
My husband is on a special diet because of his heart. Would you be so kind as to tell me how much meat for one serving (1/2 cup etc). Thank you.
Hi Sue! I’m sorry, I didn’t measure it out that way. Based on the ingredients and the amount of each used, my calculation is that the recipe yields about 3 cups total (so 2/3 – 3/4 cups per serving).
For a more precise measurement, you could measure the filling on the food scale and then divide that by 5. I hope that helps.
They were very good and even better with a slice of cheese!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Larry!
Tried sloppy joe for the first time using this recipe! My partner and I are both European (Croatian and Dutch) and never experienced it.
Absolutely loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re so welcome, Dolores! I’m so happy this was a hit with you and your family!
Absolutely perfect sandwich. I had to use dark brown sugar and was afraid it would effect the taste but it turned out great. Will be frequent in my rotation. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Doris! I’m so glad you found a new favorite on my blog!
I especially love your videos. A very easy but delicious recipe. My grandson will like this recipe. You make everything seem so simple.
I like mine a little tangy and add home made ACV. Yummy
I have made several of your recipes and enjoyed them all. Have you tried to add dark chocolate to the sauce to an additional flavor undertone?
I’m happy to know that you’re enjoying my recipes! I have not tried that addtion yet!
As usual the recipe is perfect and versatile 👌🏻
Natasha, what pan are you using?
Hi Ludmila! It’s a stainless steel pan. You can find it linked on my Amazon store by clicking on “shop” in the menu option at the top of the page.
Hi Natasha,
I love this recipe, it’s really easy to make and so Yummy!!!!
When I made this I didn’t have any hamburger buns, so I used sourdough bread, it’s good but the buns work better:) and some of the leftover sloppy joe meat was used on noodles the next day!!!! My kids idea:)
I saw Sharky munching on the bowl of potato chips!!!!
Wonderful Recipe, your son is really good in the kitchen:)
Thank You Always
Hi Melinda! Thanks for sharing, I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I made sloppy Joe’s tonight for supper. This is the 2nd time I’ve made your recipe. Yummy 💖 😋 My husband had 3 sandwiches and I told he better quit or he won’t have any leftovers tomorrow.
Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
Hi LeAnn! That’s wonderful. So glad he enjoyed the sandwiches.
Best sloppy Joe I have ever had after trying many recipes.
So happy to hear that!
Added pickle juice! 🤌🏻 thanks for this. My kids love it!
I made it tonight for the first time. I googled the recipe because I couldn’t find the traditional canned sloppy joe mix at the supermarket. I am so glad I didn’t find it! This recipe is delicious and I do like making recipes from scratch! Thank you for sharing 🙂
This is the best sloppy joes recipe ever! Way better then the store bought can version and without all the preservatives.
Very easy recipe to make.
I’m so glad you loved it, Toni! I always so homemade is best and this is no exception!
Yesterday I made these sloppy joes and they were so good! Everyone loved them. I made them just as shown except
I subbed ground venison
Replaced half the tomato sauce with V8
Instead of brown sugar I used 1 TBSP molasses.
I don’t eat or like ketchup – is there a version of the old recipe that didn’t use it? I wish I printed it out then.
Hi Beulah, the only change was adding ketchup, but if you remove that ingredient, you’ll have the old recipe.
Haven’t had sloppy joes in years and made this recipe for dinner. It was delicious! Stopped using the packet mix because it just didn’t taste good as I remember as a kid. Thank you!
The family requested these for the 4th of July. Everyone loves this recipe, thank you.
You’re very welcome, Dee!
Tastes amazing and easy to make. I did add a squirt of BBQ sauce (original flavor) and my husband loved it!
That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.