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
Great recipe! I have never reviewed any type of recipe, but this sloppy Joe recipe is the best!! Thank you!!
Aw, thank you, Connie for taking the time to do that!
So easy to make! I use green onions and several dashes of Tabasco! Amazing! Thank you
Super easy and delicious recipe, thanks Natasha🌹!
I made this according to instructions, minus the olive oil. Very flavorful, and super good! It’s a keeper.
Haven’t had sloppy joes since I was a kid, and this recipe tasted just like how mom used to make them! They were finger lickin’ good!
My only complaint is that it was a bit too sweet, so next time I will cut the brown sugar in half.
Thanks for sharing!
Question – I’d like it to have a bit of a barbecue flavor. What can I add? Vinegar? Liquid Smoke? How much. Thank you 🙂
Hi Anna, You can add a smoky BBQ sauce for a smoky profile. I haven’t tried it with liquid smoke to advise. I hope you love it.
Hi Valentina. Making this now. Do we drain the meat after cooking, before adding sauce mixture?
Hello! Depends on your preference but you can drain it after cooking for less grease/oil.
It was great!!! Came out perfectly! 😍
So glad you loved the recipe, Jon!
Dee-licious and easy. I had to adjust and use what was in the pantry, like scallions instead of onion, crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. And I used Waygu ground beef as it is what I had on hand, for what, I forget. Tastes great. It’s perfect.
So, an update. After I made this at 8 am this morning, I decided to cover it and put it in the oven on warm all day. Oh migosh, did that increase the flavor. I wanted to reduce it a little more, so I took the lid off the dutch oven the last half hour. BIG success.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review. Valorie!
Check out the wagyu ground beef on Valorie!
I followed this recipe exactly as written. 15 oz. of tomato sauce was too much as this was way too runny to put on a sandwich bun! I let it simmer for about 1/2 hour thinking it would thicken but it was still soupy. I also had to add extra brown sugar and a splash of ketchup to give it some taste.
Hi Barbara, the size of your pan could affect how that thickens up since a larger pan has more surface area. Also, did you possibly add the water too early in the process? I would add that only at the end to loosen it up to your desired consistency and skip it altogether for a thicker consistency.
I have to agree…way too much sauce, and I added ketchup and extra brown sugar as well. It was just too bland. I was disappointed, as all the reviews were so positive!
These were delicious and did not disappoint! Will definitely be making these again. Thank you for another great recipe.
You’re so welcome, Kimber! i’m happy you loved this.
Really good! With my alterations, def 5 stars! I added a little more than double the mustard and worcestershire, and added additional garlic. Also added 2.5 cups of steamed green lentils and it made it stretch a lot farther!
Used jalapeño pepper instead of a bell pepper
Used banana ketchup in place of tomato sauce
Sweet/ Hot..Yum
The sauce was a bit bland. I think ketchup would have been better, in my opinion.
This came out so good! I love that it’s made with tomato sauce instead of ketchup. Makes it a bit healthier! Will definitely make again.
I made your recipe for a group at a cabin in northern Minnesota. I doubled the recipe, loved that it used only one pot, and everyone gave it raves!
I’m so glad it was a hit! Doubling it is always a good idea!
I was out of all the ingredients so I made baked chicken instead. Super yummy!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
My family loved this last night for dinner. I posted 4 stars because I needed to double all the spices and flavorings for the sauce- it was bland before that. With the increase in spices and flavorings it is a 5 star recipe. I made enough for 12 people and it was all gone!
Very similar to the recipe I use, but try adding some liquid smoke. Takes the sloppy joes to a whole different level.
Leave out yelliw mustard and use 1/8 tsp Colemans mustard powder.
Omits the overwhelming vinegar taste
I made this today and we loved it. Will be making it again. I love your recipes on Facebook.
FANTASTIC! I have never made homemade sloppy Joe’s before. I am using up what I had today for dinner. Looking at my pantry ingredients and produce, I was sure I had the makings for them. I just didn’t know how. I am not a fan of sweet Joe’s, this recipe was pretty good though. Ty! I’m sure I’ll make them again. Now let’s see what the family thinks- and the picky toddler!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Melissa! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.