Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe (2024)

Home » Dinner » Beef » Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe

posted by Jenniferon May 30, 2023 (updated Aug 16, 2023) 22 comments »

Jump to Recipe

This EASY sloppy joes recipe makes a simple dinner I’m sure you will love!!It’s a family favorite meal in our house but of course, it works great for summer get-togethers too!

For weeknight dinners, the kids love these with either french fries or onion rings but sometimes I sneak in a healthy cucumber tomato onion salad that I know everyone else enjoys!

Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe (1)

Table of contents

  • Why You Will Love Sloppy Joes From Scratch
  • Ingredients
  • How To Make Easy Sloppy Joes
  • Recipe FAQ
  • Storing
  • What To Serve With Sloppy Joes

Why You Will Love Sloppy Joes From Scratch

  • A deliciously messy meal! It’s like taking everything that you’ve ever learned about manners and just tossing them right out the window. And when the word “messy” is part of the name of the food, you know it’s going to be good.
  • A kid-friendly meal that adults enjoy too!
  • Easy-to-make recipe with simple ingredients making it perfect for easy weeknight dinners.
  • A hearty and satisfying one-pot dish that’s sure to be a hit!
Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe (2)

Ingredients

  • Ground beef: Our favorite for sloppy joes from scratch but if you prefer, you can use ground turkey or ground chicken instead.
  • Onion: Adding onion gives the sloppy joes a bit more depth of flavor.
  • Celery: You want this to be chopped very finely for the right texture. It adds flavor and sneaks in some more veggies.
  • Ketchup: The slightly sweet tomato flavor makes the perfect base for all the flavors.
  • Lemon juice: A little bit of acid to balance the sweetness and fat in the beef mixture.
  • Brown sugar: My secret ingredient for the sloppy joe sauce! It really works well with the sweetness of the ketchup to make this the BEST sloppy joe recipe.
  • Worcestershire sauce: Enhances the savory flavors in the dish.
  • Vinegar: We’re adding just a tad to balance the sweetness.
  • Dry mustard: For more depth of flavor.
Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe (3)

How To Make Easy Sloppy Joes

  1. Brown the meat. In a large skillet pan with the onion and celery until the meat is browned and the vegetables tender. Drain off any fat from cooking.
  2. Add. The ketchup, brown sugar, salt, and dry mustard to the pan.
  3. Also, add. The Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, and water to the pan.
  4. Stir to combine. Everything together. Then cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally as it cooks.
  5. Serve and enjoy. Serve on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings.
Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe (4)

Tips & Variations

  • Drain off any excess fat left in the pan when browning the meat especially if you use regular ground beef.
  • Cooking the veggies with the meat softens them so they melt into the sloppy joe sauce.
  • Chop the onion and celery. Into small pieces so they cook up tender and hidden from pickier eaters.
  • Serve up on buns with your favorite toppings such as sliced or shredded cheese, pickles, bacon, fried crispy onions straws(my favorite!), sour cream, and potato chips.
Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe (5)

Recipe FAQ

Can I make sloppy joes in the crockpot?

Yes, you can make this sloppy joes recipe in the slow cooker.I like to make these sloppy joes in the crockpot when we are having a party. To make sloppy joes in the crockpot, brown the meat first and then throw the rest of the ingredients in the slow cooker, stir, and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

What do you serve with sloppy joes?

We LOVE to use salads as sides such aspotato salad,broccoli salad, or a deliciouspasta salad! Fries, chips, or roasted veggies make great sides too.

How do you eat a sloppy joe?

The meat and sloppy joe sauce are usually served on a roll or bun to make a sandwich. It’s a bit messy so be sure to have plenty of napkins. You can also serve it open-face with lots of toppings and eat it with a fork and knife.

Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe (6)

Storing

  • Store. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to five days. You can also freeze it in small containers or freezer bags for 3-6 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
  • Reheat. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.

What To Serve With Sloppy Joes

  • Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
  • Waffle Fries
  • 7 Layer Salad

More Easy Dinner Recipes

Crockpot Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Taco Casserole with Doritos
Baked Ravioli
Savory Goulash in a Flash

More sprinkles, please! Subscribe to my newsletter for weekly meal planning. Follow on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for fun behind the scenes, mom life, and the newest recipes!

Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe (11)

4.72 from 67 ratings

Leave a Review

Servings: 8 servings

Sloppy Joe Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

This sloppy joe recipe makes a simple dinner I'm sure you will love!!It's a family favorite meal in our house but of course, it works great for summer get-togethers too!

Print RecipePin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds ground beef
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • ½ cup celery, finely chopped
  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, brown ground beef, onion, and celery. Drain fat.

  • Pour ground beef back into skillet pan or crockpot. Add ketchup, water, lemon juice, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, vinegar, and dry mustard. Stir to combine.

  • Cover and simmer for 1 hour. If cooking in the crockpot, cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

  • Serve on hamburger buns.

Notes

  • Drain off any excess fat left in the pan when browning the meat especially if you use regular ground beef.
  • Cooking the veggies with the meat softens them so they melt into the sloppy joe sauce.
  • Chop the onion and celery. Into small pieces so they cook up tender and hidden from pickier eaters.
  • Serve up on buns with your favorite toppings such as sliced or shredded cheese, pickles, bacon, fried crispy onions straws(my favorite!), sour cream, and potato chips.
  • Store. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to five days. You can also freeze it in small containers or freezer bags for 3-6 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
  • Reheat. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.

Calories: 573kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 34g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 15g, Trans Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 154mg, Sodium: 1602mg, Potassium: 913mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 339IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 57mg, Iron: 5mg

Cuisine: American

Course: Main Course

Author: Jennifer

Tried this recipe?Mention @deliciouslysprinkled on Instagram or tag #deliciouslysprinkled.

Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for recommending my favorite products at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Deliciously Sprinkled.

4th of July Beef Dinner One pot Super Bowl

originally published on May 30, 2023 (last updated Aug 16, 2023)

22 comments Leave a comment »

« Previous Post Potato Chip Cookies

Next Post » Easy Cucumber Tomato Salad

Leave a Reply

22 comments on “Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe”

  1. Judy M Smedra Reply

    Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe (12)
    One of my go to recipes for large crowds of adults or kids. It’s a big hit because of the sweet and tangy flavors.

  2. Julie Reply

    This is my new go to recipe for sloppy joes from now on.
    Made 1/2 recipe and froze the rest.
    Yummy!

Leave a comment »

Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to sloppy joes to make them taste better? ›

Try serving your sloppy joes with their own toppings such as slaw, melty cheese, grilled pineapple, or Hatch green chile. Even just adding a pickle gives extra flavor and crunch, transforming it from a bland sandwich into something great, like the recipe below!

What is the Sloppy Joe sauce made of? ›

What is the sloppy joe sauce made of? 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.

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

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.

What if I forgot the tomato paste in the sloppy joes? ›

You don't have to dash out to the store if you're out of tomato paste; tomato sauce and tomato puree are both an excellent substitute. For every 1 tablespoon of tomato paste needed, use 3 tablespoons of tomato puree or sauce.

How do you thicken up sloppy joe sauce? ›

  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

Can I use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste for sloppy joes? ›

Tomato sauce: The base of the sloppy joe sauce is tomato sauce, but it's thickened a bit with some tomato paste and ketchup, which also adds a hint of sweetness. If you don't have tomato sauce on hand, you can use a full can of tomato paste with an extra ½ cup of water.

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.

What is a New Jersey style 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.

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 go 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 a fancy name for a Sloppy Joe? ›

Manwich, slush burger, yum yums, dynamite, spoonburgers, tavern sandwich; a Sloppy Joe can be called by many other names. The most well-known however is Manwich.

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.

Should you drain the grease from ground beef for sloppy joes? ›

Sloppy Joe Tips

We suggest draining the browned beef, because excess grease serves as a barrier to sloppy joe seasonings.

What do people add to Manwich? ›

Tweaks
  1. I used red pepper instead of green. ...
  2. More garlic is better! ...
  3. I really wanted something for my slow cooker but couldn't find a manwich copycat specific to slow cooker recipes. ...
  4. Add chopped green, red bell pepper, hot sauce or cayenne and some white vinegar along with 1 tsp of msg....

How do I make my Sloppy Joes less sweet? ›

Cooking Tips for Homemade Sloppy Joes
  1. If you like Sloppy Joes a little less sweet, you can reduce the brown sugar to 1 teaspoon. ...
  2. Add a piece of sliced American cheese for over-the-top comfort food creaminess.
  3. If you want to get ahead, cook the beef and veggies, then reheat them as you cook the spices and sauce.
Aug 14, 2023

What is Sloppy Joe supposed to taste like? ›

Once you've gathered the ingredients, it's basically like making Bolognese. And the flavour is somewhat reminiscent of it too, except Sloppy Joes taste a bit more like BBQ Sauce. The one big difference is that the sauce is cooked right down so it's really thick and not saucy at all.

Is mayo good on a Sloppy Joe? ›

Happy thoughts: You CAN apply mayonnaise in copious amounts to your sloppy Joe!

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Amb. Frankie Simonis

Last Updated:

Views: 5681

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (76 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Amb. Frankie Simonis

Birthday: 1998-02-19

Address: 64841 Delmar Isle, North Wiley, OR 74073

Phone: +17844167847676

Job: Forward IT Agent

Hobby: LARPing, Kitesurfing, Sewing, Digital arts, Sand art, Gardening, Dance

Introduction: My name is Amb. Frankie Simonis, I am a hilarious, enchanting, energetic, cooperative, innocent, cute, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.