Saucy, beefy, and so satisfying. We’re convinced this is the best recipe for homemade Sloppy Joes. Ground beef in a hearty tomato sauce, served on toasted hamburger buns, is a great option for lunch or dinner. Everyone needs a great and nostalgic Sloppy Joe recipe and THIS. IS. IT.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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 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.
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.
- 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 and to keep the buns from getting soggy. Spoon the saucy beef mixture on toasted buns and serve as sandwiches.
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.
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.
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
- 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
Filed Under
Easy Ground Beef Recipes
- Slow Cooker Beef Chili
- Meatloaf
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Bolognese Sauce
- Lasagna
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
- Beef Burritos
Great chemistry between you and your son – looks like a good kid… you must be so proud. I will definitely try this recipe 🙂
This is definitely a keeper in our house. We use the grass fed beef from Costco and it comes out so good. Tonight we are making it with ground turkey. Im sure it will be just as good. Thanks Natasha for sharing. Love following all your recipes.
You’re very welcome, Leigh! I’m so happy to hear you loved this recipe.
Hope I won’t upset anyone, but as this sloppy Joe recipe was similar to my mother’s spaghetti sauce, I enjoyed it one day in the buns, added a little more tomato sauce to make it ‘runnier’ and then had the rest over spaghetti today!
Hi Natasha.
I am a fan of the original recipe. When I went back to this recipe to make it, I saw the addition of the ketchup. I didn’t like the idea, but decided to give it a try. The ketchup completely ruined the taste of the dish 🙁 I will stick to the original from now on.
Hi Susanna! I updated this because I was getting fairly consistent negative reviews about the taste with the old recipe. I’m glad you enjoy the old version. It’s easy to modify back.
Turned out too watery/thin despite my adding some cornstarch. Advise reducing the amount of tomato sauce at the start and add later if too thick. Also consider adding some tomato paste to the meat portion of the process. I spiced this up with some hot sauce and crushed red peppers.
Hi, I haven’t had this same experience – did you change anything in the ingredients or preparation that could have caused a watery sauce? This is normally thick and hearty.
Foolproog and old-school delicious. A crowd pleaser for young and old. I serve it with homemade cole slaw.
I made this recipe however instead of ground beef I used tofu crumbles and vegan worchestershire sauce. Very Tasty — plus a little extra heat…
I’m loving this website and Natasha’s recipes. I’ve successfully made several dishes with no changes! Yesterday, I made the sloppy Joe’s and it was absolutely fantastic! My husband said to get rid of the other recipes I had for sloppy Joe’s and keep this. He ate the remaining portions after bible study at church last evening and said it was the best he has EVER had! That was at 8:00 pm! We NEVER eat that late! I’m sticking with this crazy funny chef and am excited about future recipes! If I could give it more stars I definitely would!
I’m so glad you found a favorite on my blog, Denny! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
My husband of 52 years just said not only are these the best sloppy joes I have ever made, they are the best he has ever tasted!!
I made them exactly by the recipe
Thanks Natasha.
That’s wonderful, Melinda!
This sounds amazing!! Would it be possible to cook this in the slow cooker?
Hi! You can go to this portion of the recipe “Can I make Sloppy Joes in a slow cooker?” I explain the answer a bit there.
Natasha your Sloppy Joe’s were totally delicious and the ketchup nailed it along with fresh buns! Thanks for sharing !
You’re very welcome, Darryl! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Your recipe is great
I didn’t have peppers so substituted celery.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
We make a lot of your recipes and we keep coming back to this one at least 2-3 times a month. It’s quick and so easy. We like a very small amount of heat so we add some kindred cowboy butter. As a friend says “It’s a go-backer!”
These were so good! Thank you…went right by the recipe…only I cooked everything in my crockpot! So good!
The absolute best. I never make any other recipe but this.
What adjustments would I need to make if I used ground chicken instead of hamburger?
Hi Sylvia! You can follow the same instructions. Chicken is more lean so it will be more dry.
Great recipe with the addition of some chili powder! I didn’t have any tomato sauce, so I mixed some tomato paste with a smal can of Hot & Spicy V8 juice. Also used ground Turkey and cooked in Crock pot! Worked great, thanks!
You’re welcome, I’m so happy that worked out well!
My picky eater child ate so much. Doesn’t happen very often. Thank you Natasha!
For those that like some heat, top with giardiniera.
I can’t find my comment to edit, because I forgot I do change one thing: I use a red bell instead of green to help the sweetness.
I can’t remember if I’ve commented on this one before, but these turn out so amazing! I’ve made them several times and wouldn’t change a thing. I serve them on the Texas toast bread you can find in the freezer section. Simply phenomenal!
I will never use the canned sloppy Joe mix again! The recipe also makes a great hotdog chili!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Chandra!