Homemade Sloppy Joes

Homemade sloppy joes are nearly as easy as using the canned sauce, but they taste oh so much better! Kids and adults both love this sloppy joe recipe with my sweet and tangy sauce. Pile on some pickles and serve alongside some potato chips. 

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I’m a sloppy joe fanatic. I make them just about every week for either lunch or dinner and I’ll probably never get tired of it.

These saucy little sandwiches are perfect for busy moms who just want to get something on the table quickly, but don’t want to rely on a can of sauce with questionable ingredients. Our sloppy joe sauce is beyond simple to whip up, it tastes better than the canned stuff, and it’s a huuuuuuge hit with the family thanks to the sweet, savory, tangy goodness going on.

My kids have grown up eating this sloppy joes recipe and it’s really stood the test of time. I have no doubt that they’ll be all grown up and making these for their own kids one day! <3

You’ll find us serving these sloppy joes with a side of cucumber salad on busy weeknights. When we’re serving these to a big crowd, they go great with our cheesy funeral potatoes or some crock pot corn on the cob.

Our sloppy joe casserole (made with crispy tater tots!!) is another family favorite!

Expert Tips

Sauce: Taste the sauce as you add the seasoning. You might like things a bit sweeter (add more brown sugar), more spicy (a bit more chili powder), or extra tangy (another splash of vinegar). You really can’t mess this one up!

Beef: We like to use a lean ground beef and we always drain off any excess grease after cooking. This recipe will also work well with ground turkey or plant based meat substitutes.

Serving: We usually serve this on buttered and toasted buns, but my kids also love this one piled on top of a serving of our mac and cheese casserole.

Ingredient Notes:

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For the ground beef mixture:

Ground Beef – We keep it traditional with ground beef more often than not, but this recipe also works well with ground turkey or plant based ground beef substitutes, like Beyond or Impossible.

Onion & Bell Pepper – I like to cook the ground beef with onion and bell pepper to add a little texture and flavor. These are easily left out for picky eaters.

Garlic – Some minced garlic will also add flavor to the ground beef when cooking!

For the homemade sloppy joe sauce:

Ketchup & Mustard – The base of this sloppy joe sauce starts with a mixture of ketchup and mustard. So simple, but flavorful! We’ll enhance it with a few other ingredients…

Vinegar – Distilled white vinegar is best here but ACV works great too. It’ll add the tangy flavor to the sauce.

Brown Sugar – The best sloppy joe sauce is savory and sweet! We sweeten this sauce up with brown sugar. You won’t need a lot, as the ketchup is already sweet.

Tomato Paste – It’s basically concentrated tomato flavor and a little bit goes a long way! Tomato paste will definitely add some tomato vibes to the sauce. We buy it in a tube and keep it in the fridge to add a pop of concentrated tomato flavor to dishes.

Worcestershire Sauce – This savory sauce is one of our favorites for all kinds of recipes. You don’t need much of it either.

Seasoning – Nothing major here, just some salt, pepper, and chili powder!

Serving- Keep it traditional and serve these on a buttery toasted bun, or serve this over your mac and cheese or as a dip for chips!

How to Make Homemade Sloppy Joes:

Sauce: Whisk together ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or mason jar until smooth and combined.

Ground Beef: Brown a pound of ground beef in a large skillet, breaking it up as it cooks. When the meat is about halfway cooked through (you should still have lots of pink throughout), add in some chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic.

Continue cooking and stirring until the meat is cooked through and the veggies have softened. Drain off the fat.

Sloppy Joe Sauce: Pour all of that sweet and tangy homemade sloppy joe sauce right over the meat and stir it all up. Simmer this mixture for about 5 minutes.

Serve: Spoon the homemade sloppy joe mixture onto your sandwich rolls and top them however you like. We prefer dill pickle slices or some dill pickle slaw, but you can even just serve them plain as is!

So easy and always a kid-pleaser! These go great with a pile of potato chips on the side too. See below for more serving suggestions!

FAQ’s:

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Recipe

Homemade Sloppy Joes

Homemade sloppy joes are nearly as easy as the canned sauce but they taste oh so much better! Kids and adults both love this tangy sauce! You can switch it up with chicken or turkey too. The sweet, savory, tangy sauce works well in lots of recipes!

4.07 from 49 votes

Print Pin

Prep10 minutes minutes

Cook15 minutes minutes

Total25 minutes minutes

Serves 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound ground beef
• ▢ ½ sweet onion minced
• ▢ 1/2 bell pepper minced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ ¾ cup ketchup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon mustard
• ▢ 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar more or less to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 4 sandwich rolls

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Instructions

• Brown the ground beef over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks.
• When beef is partially cooked through, add the onion, pepper, and garlic to the pan and continue cooking and stirring until meat is fully cooked and vegetables have softened. Drain grease and return to the pan.
• Add the ketchup, mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, and pepper to a small bowl and whisk well to combine.
• Pour the sauce over the ground beef and stir to coat.
• Simmer the meat mixture for 5-10 minutes to thicken up as much as you'd like before spooning onto sandwich rolls.

Tips & Notes:

Use any color bell pepper you prefer or leave it out entirely if you have picky eaters. 

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1sandwich| Calories: 557kcal (28%)| Carbohydrates: 53g (18%)| Protein: 26g (52%)| Fat: 25g (38%)| Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)| Cholesterol: 80mg (27%)| Sodium: 1439mg (63%)| Potassium: 633mg (18%)| Fiber: 2g (8%)| Sugar: 20g (22%)| Vitamin A: 1160IU (23%)| Vitamin C: 42.3mg (51%)| Calcium: 98mg (10%)| Iron: 4.6mg (26%)

Author: Karly Campbell

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:American

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