Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe (2024)

This easy homemade sloppy joe recipe offers a delicious balance of savory and tangy flavors, with a hint of sweetness. It's a quick and easy dish to make, requiring simple ingredients and minimal prep time, making it an excellent choice for a flavorful and hassle-free meal.

Servings: 4 over-filled sandwiches

Time: 20 minutes minutes

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Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe (1)

Homemade, delicious, and easy to make, these sloppy joes are perfect for busy weeknights or for when you need to get dinner on the table fast. Just a few simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry are required.

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Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe (2)

When I was growing up I hated when my mom made sloppy joes, but only because of the simple fact that they were messy. It had absolutely nothing to do with the flavor, I just simply hated having it drip all over the place.As an adult though? I can totally appreciate all the reasons my mom would make sloppy joes.

Sloppy joes are inexpensive, fast, delicious, and super easy to make. Are they sloppy? Yes. But I’m a much more careful eater as an adult. Ok, that last statement might not be 100% truthful, considering over the weekend my husband and I went out to eat and I spilled tomatillo sauce all down my shirt.

Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe (3)

I will also admit, that up until a few years ago I truthfully had no idea that people made homemade sloppy joes. I always thought if you wanted sloppy joes, you had to buy the store-bought sauce. That is so NOT true.

What is true though, is this homemade sloppy joe recipe is actually better than using the store-bought sloppy joe sauce in a can. No joke. And would you believe that sloppy joes from scratch are incredibly easy to make? You probably have every single ingredient already in your fridge and pantry.

Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe (4)

What’s in Homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce?

To make sloppy joes at home, you’ll need a pound of ground beef, mince onion and garlic, a small can of tomato sauce, a few tbsp of tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, and brown sugar. Putting everything together is simple and you’ll have homemade sloppy joes on the table in no time.

How to Make Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe

First, brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Cook the beef on medium-high heat with a little bit of butter for the most flavor, but you could also use olive oil for a lighter option.

When the beef is cooked about half way through, add in the minced garlic and onion. This really brings out the most flavor! Once finished cooking, drain off the excess grease.

In a small bowl combine 8 oz tomato sauce, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tsp yellow mustard, 1/4 cup brown sugar, salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika, and 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Pour the mixture over the cooked ground beef and stir everything together.

Bring the homemade sloppy joe meat to a low boil and immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the sloppy joes simmer for a few minutes to thicken and reduce.

While the sloppy joe meat mixture is thickening, prepare the hamburger buns. We like to spread a bit of butter on the buns and add some garlic salt. Toast the buns in a pan set on high heat for about a minute. This gives the sloppy joes sandwich even more flavor!

Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe (6)

What to serve with homemade sloppy joes

We like to eat our sloppy joe with a slice of onion and a dill pickle. Here are some side dish options that go well with this easy sloppy joe recipe too.

  • Sugar Free Broccoli Salad
  • Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
  • Rainbow Honey Lime Fruit Salad
  • Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole
  • Easy Oven Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

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Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe (7)

Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes

This easy homemade sloppy joe recipe offers a delicious balance of savory and tangy flavors, with a hint of sweetness. It's a quick and easy dish to make, requiring simple ingredients and minimal prep time, making it an excellent choice for a flavorful and hassle-free meal.

Print Recipe

Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe (8)

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:10 minutes mins

Total Time:20 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 cup onion finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 8 oz tomato sauce
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp yellow mustard
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 4 hamburger buns

Instructions

  • In a large saute pan, heat butter over medium low heat. Add ground beef, onion and garlic and cook until beef is completely cooked through. Drain off excess fat.

  • While meat is cooking, whisk together tomato sauce, paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard and seasonings in a medium bowl.

  • Pour mixture over meat and mix in well. Bring pan to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes until heated through.

  • Serve with pickles, onion and cheese if desired on hamburger buns.

  • Optional–brown hamburger buns in butter on a hot pan before serving for extra flavor

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwiches | Calories: 536kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 515mg | Potassium: 831mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 644IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 6mg

Servings: 4 over-filled sandwiches

Calories: 536kcal

Author: Amanda

Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe (9)

Amanda

Wife to a computer nerd, mom to a neurotic dog and lover of all things baking, creating and making. She's not afraid to get messy or fire up a power tool and she has yet to meet a dessert she hasn't liked.

  1. I have made several versions of homemade soppy joes, and I must say this is my favorite thus far.

    Reply

  2. This is my FAVORITE sloppy Joe recipe. But horrors went to make tonight and didn’t have tomato sauce or paste. What do I do..grab sweet baby ray barbecue sauce hickory and brown sugar. Used all the other ingredients. Man they were good.

    Reply

  3. This is my go to recipe. Love it! I had to adjust the Worcestershire sauce and garlic just because my husband isn’t a huge fan. Just decreased by half. The red pepper flakes make this recipe the bomb! Easy Peasy!

    Reply

  4. This recipe was too sweet for my liking, if I make it again I would cut down the sugar by a lot.

    Reply

  5. Would this recipe work well to make ahead of time & freeze? Looking to make it for a crowd…

    Reply

    1. I think so! I’ve frozen leftovers of it before. You could make it, freeze it then dump it in a crock pot to reheat 🙂

      Reply

  6. These were the best sloppy joes and so simple to make even my pickest eater loved them!

    Reply

  7. I can totally relate to how you used to feel when you were younger. I was never a fan of sloppy joes until I had to make quick meals for the kids…lol. Will be including this in my MM recipe round-up this week.

    Reply

    1. What cheese was used as a topping in the pictures?

      Reply

      1. Hi Sandy. It’s been several years since these photos were taken so I can’t say for sure. If I had to guess I’d guess Provolone. Hope that helps!

        Reply

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Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the ingredient in sloppy joe? ›

It's made with ketchup, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire, chili powder, garlic, dry mustard, and a little Tobasco (if you want). That sauce coats the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper to make the filling. What's a good side dish with sloppy joes?

How do you make sloppy joes taste better? ›

Add Veggies: Diced bell peppers, zucchini, spinach, or shredded carrot, can easily be added to this recipe and your kids won't even notice a difference. Hawaiian Sloppy Joes: Substitute more BBQ sauce for the ketchup and add 8 oz., drained crushed pineapple.

How many pounds of ground beef for sloppy joes per person? ›

In general, we call for 1 pound of ground beef to make 6 sandwiches in our sloppy joes recipes. That works out to 3 ounces of ground beef per sandwich. Depending on the size of your bun and how meaty you like your sandwich, you can increase or decrease that amount an ounce or two either way.

What's the difference between Manwich and sloppy joe mix? ›

What is the difference between Manwich and Sloppy Joes? Sloppy Joes are the sandwich, while Manwich is the store-bought canned sloppy joe sauce, produced by ConAgra Foods and Hunt's. While the brand markets this product as a quick and easy one-pan meal, I strongly recommend you make the sauce from scratch.

How were Sloppy Joes made? ›

Some attribute the original Sloppy Joe to a cafe in Sioux City, Iowa, where, many years ago, in 1930 a cook named Joe added tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwiches. Voila: a new between-the-bread offering, and the sandwich's official name.

Can you make tomato sauce with tomato paste? ›

Because tomato paste is a concentrated form of tomato puree, you can dilute it to the consistency of tomato sauce without much fuss. Adding one cup of water to three-quarters of a cup of tomato paste will result in a tomato base with the same texture and thickness as tomato sauce (after some brisk stirring).

What's the difference between Sloppy Joes and Sloppy Jane? ›

Unlike traditional can Sloppy Joes, which are often loaded with unhealthy additives and preservatives, Sloppy Janes are made with lean meat, low-fat ingredients, and a variety of fresh vegetables. They are easy to make and require only a few simple ingredients.

Should I drain hamburger meat for Sloppy Joes? ›

Sloppy Joe Tips

We suggest draining the browned beef, because excess grease serves as a barrier to sloppy joe seasonings. You'll want the beef to absorb these wonderful flavors as it cooks.

What will thicken Sloppy Joes? ›

  1. Flour can be used similar to corn starch.
  2. Other thickeners used are bread crumbs, potato flakes and oats. ...
  3. Go gradually with these. ...
  4. Use oats to thicken sloppy-joes as to absorb the excess but it will be thicker the next day.
  5. Barley can be used but is more expensive.
Oct 29, 2021

How many people does 2 lbs of sloppy joes feed? ›

My mom always made sloppy joes with sauce from a can. Remember that stuff? If you use that, you have to try this easy homemade version that is so much tastier! This recipe uses 2 lbs of ground beef and serves about 8 people.

What toppings do you put on sloppy joes? ›

Garnish with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, shredded pepper-Jack cheese, chopped avocado, pickled or fresh jalapeño slices and chopped cilantro, if desired. Hawaiian Variation: Prepare recipe as directed above, substituting 1/2 cup sweet barbecue sauce for tomato sauce and omitting Worcestershire sauce.

What is the fancy name for sloppy joes? ›

Some other names for sloppy joes include: barbecues, dynamites, gulash, sloppy janes, slushburgers, steamers, wimpies, and yum yums. What do you call sloppy joes where you live? Just like the many names for sloppy joes, you'll also find all sorts of variations on the recipe.

What is the New Jersey version of Sloppy Joe? ›

There are minor variations depending on the deli, but it is always a double-decker thin sliced rye bread sandwich made with one or more types of sliced deli meat, such as turkey, ham, pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, or sliced beef tongue, along with Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing.

Are you supposed to drain sloppy joes? ›

Cook beef in large skillet over medium-high heat 7 minutes or until crumbled and no longer pink, stirring occasionally; drain.

What are the ingredients in French's sloppy joe mix? ›

INGREDIENTS: Spices (Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Paprika, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper), Sugar, Modified Starch, Salt, Acids (Sodium Diacetate, Citric Acid), Natural Flavouring, Herbs (Oregano, Rosemary), Anti-caking Agent (Calcium Silicate), Rapeseed Oil, Colour (Paprika Extract).

What is Manwich made of? ›

TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, DISTILLED VINEGAR, CORN SYRUP, LESS THAN 2% OF: SALT, SUGAR, CARROT FIBER, DRIED GREEN AND RED BELL PEPPERS, CHILI PEPPER, GUAR GUM, SPICES, XANTHAN GUM, DRIED GARLIC, NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID.

What are the ingredients in Hunt's Sloppy Joe sauce? ›

Ingredients. Tomato Puree (Water,Tomato Paste), Water, Sugar/Glucose-Fructose, Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Spices, Dehydrated Green Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, Tomato Fibre, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Maltodextrin, Dehydrated Garlic, Citric Acid, Flavour, Spice Extracts.

What is the difference between a burger and a Sloppy Joe? ›

The difference between a Sloppy Joe and a regular burger is that the meat is cooked loose instead of forming a patty, even though it is eaten between two hamburger buns.

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