The BEST Homemade Sloppy Joes
Step away from the canned sauce and give these homemade sloppy joes a try! They’re truly the best version of a childhood favorite!

As we head into the upcoming holiday season, I’ve been thinking about family-friendly meals. You know, those meals that your kids always want to eat. In our house, this Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese is number one on our list… with these sloppy joes being number 2! With two little ones myself, I know ALL too well how frustrating it is to cook a meal and have them promptly turn up their noses and say it’s “gross”. *facepalm*
I’ve always been a fan of classic sloppy joes. There’s something so innately satisfying about the sweet and savory combination and messiness of it all! And I know you all love them too, since I’ve been getting a lot of requests for sloppy joe recipes.

I’ve made a LOT of sloppy joe recipes lately, trying to come up with the perfect one. Some were too sweet, others too spicy. Well guys, I finally got it. The perfect balance. This sloppy joe recipe is sweet, tangy, zesty and savory, with the perfect texture and consistency.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES
Homemade sloppy joes are incredibly easy to make, and come together in one skillet in about 20 minutes or so. Browned beef is mixed with onion and green pepper and simmered in a sweetened tomato/ketchup sauce. The secret is in finding the right seasoning for the sauce!
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MANWICH AND SLOPPY JOES?
Technically Manwich is a pre-made sauce that’s used to make sloppy joes. I’m not sure exactly what’s in it, and have never tried it myself, so I can’t say that my recipe tastes similar or not. Manwich is marketed as a easy way to make sloppy joes… but in reality, homemade sloppy joes are JUST as easy to make!

HOW DID SLOPPY JOES GET THEIR NAME?
From what I can glean from the good ol’ internet, a cook named Joe in a cafe in Sioux City, Iowa added a tomato sauce to a loose meat sandwich. It must have been a favorite and took off!
WHAT CAN I DO WITH SLOPPY JOE MEAT?
Number one, slap some on a toasted bun!! After that, here are some of my favorite things to do:
- Spoon some over some crispy waffle fries. Bonus points if you also melt some cheese over the fries before adding the sloppy joe meat!
- Add some to a grilled cheese.
- Roll up in crescent roll dough and bake at 375 F degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Cheese makes a great addition to these as well!
- Add some on top of a burger.

CAN YOU MAKE SLOPPY JOES IN A CROCKPOT?
You can! Just brown the beef and add all the remaining ingredients (no buns though), and cook on LOW for about 4-6 hours, or HIGH for 2-3 hours. This will have a softer texture than skillet sloppy joes though.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES:
- Before you get started, toast your buns. Toasting the bun makes ALL the difference, and only takes a few minutes. Crank up the heat under the skillet to high, and add a drizzle of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the buns, then place the buns cut side up on a cooling rack after they’re toasted.
- Watch the sauce so that it doesn’t reduce too much. When too much of the sauce reduces, it gives you a dry sloppy joe mixture. Everyone likes theirs a little differently, but for me, I cook it down so that I can see the bits of meat, and when I drag my spoon through the sauce, it leaves a trail where the sauce is parted. If the sauce immediately flows back into that trail, it’s too liquid-y. I want a few seconds before the sauce covers the trail, which gives me a saucy consistency that’s not too liquid.
- Choose your favorite type of bun. I usually go for either a pretzel bun (like I did in these Beer and Chorizo Sloppy Joes!), or a brioche bun.

SHOP THE RECIPE:
- Skillet – I like to use either stainless steel or cast iron for this, as they both give a great sear!
- Wooden plate – I love these for sandwiches!

The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/3 green bell pepper, minced
- 1/2 large yellow onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar - (or less, if you prefer)
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes - (optional)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- dash of hot sauce - (optional)
Instructions
- Heat butter and oil in large skillet over MED/MED-HIGH heat. Add beef and brown, breaking apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Transfer to colander to drain.
- Add onion and bell pepper to same skillet and cook 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Add beef back to the skillet and add tomato paste. Stir well.
- Add ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, red pepper flakes (if using), and black pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Cook over MED heat for 10-15 minutes, until mixture has thickened to your liking. Remove from heat and serve over toasted buns.
Video
Chef's Tips
- Cool the mixture completely, then add to freezer containers and freeze for up to 4 months.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.
If changing the recipe serving quantity, the recipe plugin will change the ingredient values for you, but it does NOT change the written instructions, those are manually added and not subject to a slider/button. You will have to extrapolate that multiplication to any amounts listed in the instructions.








A bit too sweet. Added a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar and it evened it out perfect. Otherwise, a great recipe. I also seasoned the meat a bit while browning.
Made this tonight! I used ground venison, I added a diced jalapeño, and I used about 1.5tsp of brown sugar. I’ll definitely be making this again! I didn’t need to drain it because venison is so lean. Other than that I thought the flavor was really good! Thank you for sharing!
This was yummy! I don’t normally look at prep times but today I am thinking about it because I needed a quick recipe. 5 minutes prep?? Can people realliy pull out all these ingredients, measure them, clean and chop a pepper, clean and dice an onion and MINCE three cloves of garlic in 5 minutes?? I decided to time myself. Took me 21 minutes working fast with no distractions to get this all ready to cook. Is it me or does she have minions dicing and mincing for her?
No minions, unfortunately, those would be handy! I don’t measure all the spices etc out before hand, because I can do that while the beef is cooking. And yes, I can chop a pepper, onion and mince the garlic during those 5 minutes of prep. Just takes practice 🙂
Very good!
I tried this recipe and it is delicious. My husband really enjoyed it. I had all the ingredients required for this recipe in my pantry, except for the ground beef, so this was also a bonus. You definitely want to use the brioche bun.
Made this last night and it was soooo yummy!!! Included all the optional ingredients but didn’t add the worcestershire sauce bc I couldn’t find any and it didn’t call for much so no big deal. Tasted wonderful!! Took me back to my childhood :’) will be making it again!
I usually use a packet but I didn’t have one so I looked for a recipe. This was great! Only had a few adjustments because we didn’t have items. Didn’t have tomato paste so I used around a cup of tomato sauce (depending on how saucey you like it) and didn’t add ketchup or water. Didn’t add peppers because we don’t like them. Since I didn’t use ketchup I added a cap full of cider vinegar and added some molasses because I like that flavor. I did add salt and black pepper to the ground beef.
Very good. It was a bit too spicy so I would omit either the red pepper flakes or hot sauce. It was also missing a little something so I added 2 tablespoons of my favorite barbecue sauce and it was perfect.
This is about the best sloppy joe I have eaten! So good!
This is a great recipe. I did use the butter and oil and liked the way it it tasted and the texture of the meat…not big chunks, very fine smaller pieces that stayed in the bun. Used all ingredients as stated but no hot sauce.
Best recipe for sloppy Joe’s ever!CCa
So I made it. I was a little skeptical, when I saw that you did not add ANY spices to your ground beef, but I gave it a go. It was better than Manwich, but that’s about as far as it goes. You hardly used any spice, so it made it very unremarkable. It’s very easy to put together, so I will make it again, but I’ll definitely be adding my own spices to it. Next time I make it I will add what I used.
Don’t know what you are talking about it has plenty spice. Black pepper,mustard,red chilli flakes, I could go on.
Worth every star. Best kind of recipe for a quick and delicious meal. Not fussy. Don’t have to really measure. Guestimates won’t steer you wrong. Ingredients are regular pantry items. My husband said, “We’ll have to add this to our regular dinners!” Well done! Thanks for sharing.
I have used Manwich for years and never tried making Sloppy Joe’s from scratch but after making this recipe I will never go back to Manwich!! It was pretty easy, and had really good flavor and we really enjoyed it.
I tried these for the first time tonight for left over roast beef. It was excellent. I did everything as noted but I put the onion and green pepper with a drizzle of water in the microwave covered for 3 1/2 min. so they were perfectly soft and with no added fat. Really loved it.
Good recipe but one question. Why cook the meat in butter if you are just going to drain it out? Just cooked the meat and had it cook in own fat and then sautéed the onions in butter. Otherwise good stuff
Because depending on the fat ratio of the beef that’s used, you may need some fat to keep the beef from sticking to the pan. Plus, it adds a touch of richness. Glad you were able to make the recipe work for you 🙂
Absolutely fantastic!! I just left out the hot pepper flakes… husband is so happy and the kiddos are too !!!!
Made this for my Danish boyfriend who had only ever heard about sloppy joes in the movies and he loved it! 🙂
I thought they were great too and much better than the canned stuff
Tastes just like the manwiches we ate as a kid. I did cut the sugar in half and may take a little more out next time. Very tasty!
Made it. It needed something to punch it up. A little bland.
Loved it! Followed the recipe and it was great! Next time I’m going to try it with shredded chicken, can’t wait to try it! Will be a go to supper recipe!!
Husband and I are both fans! Have made different recipes, this one is TOPS. Put it on homemade toasted brioche buns with a side of fries and cole slaw. YUMMMM. Will be my go-to recipe from now on. Thanks for the recipe!
I made the mistake of making this recipe for dinner tonight. It was the worse sloppy joe I’ve ever eaten. It was so sickly sweet I had to force myself not to puke while I ate it. If you make this leave out the sugar and use tomato sauce instead of ketchup. All ketchup has sweetener in it, most often high fructose corn syrup.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe! Yes, I mentioned you can adjust the sugar, and while all ketchup does have sweetener in it, not all are high fructose corn syrup; we use one that only uses honey.
Perfect blend of sweet & savory! It’s a keeper!
Amazing! Super easy to make, and my picky eater 9 year old, who won’t eat anything with any type of sauce, tried mine and LOVED it! Thanks and can’t wait to try more recipes!
My super picky eaters that HATE all sloppy joe’s happily gobbled these up tonight! I’m calling it a momma win dinner tonight. I froze the leftovers for a quick easy dinner in the future.
My family loves this recipe! I usually add grated carrot (just to sneak more veggies in) and use my food processor to blitz the onion and bell pepper – we get the flavor but no chunks. I’ve made this with ground beef, ground turkey, a combo of the two, and even added lentils when trying to stretch the meal. Thanks!
Delicious.
FANTASTIC RECIPE
EXACTLY CORRECT AMOUNT OF SPICES
MADE THIS TONIGHT, takes minutes to put together. Toasted the buns and dinner was DELICIOUS 😋
MY COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF WHO PUT THIS RECIPE TOGETHER!!
Will be my go to recipe from now on !!
Thank you 🙏
Sincerely Christine
I made this tonight and my family loved it! I omitted the bell pepper because my family doesn’t like them and I used turkey instead of beef but did everything else as written.
Made this with ground turkey and it was SO GOOD! Thanks!
Rthus was awesome. Not very far off from. My youth( mom would never have used mustard). But soon tasty.
Hoping for a family fan fav..
Thanks
I am not the greatest cook. I found this recipe easy to follow and tasted great! Honestly, I didn’t have any tomato paste on hand so I used tomato sauce and left out the water (I was gonna add it as needed). Never needed it. Turned out perfect. Thank you!
I added a small 4oz can of Diced Green Chilis
My NEW favourite recipe!!!
Thanks for the great recipe.
Absolutely the best Sloppy Joes we ever had!
Making this tonight, I’ll be omitting the brown sugar but everything by the recipe.
I’m 65 and have enjoyed many Sloppy Joes in my life. This is the single best recipe I’ve ever tried. I made a batch with a minced jalapeno but it gilded the lily. Your recipe is best as is. Unsure whether you mean prepared mustard, or dry ground mustard. I make it with the dry. Fantastic!
So happy you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! You can do either dry or prepared mustard in this recipe, whatever you have on hand 🙂
I think it has an awesome taste with the ground mustard. Concentrated spiciness!
The flavor was nice only I followed the instructions exactly and my onions and bell peppers were still crunchy in the end (not good).
Oh no! It sounds like either your pieces of onion/peppers were bigger than mine, or your stove runs a bit cooler than mine. In step 2 it says the times to cook the peppers/onions, but also the quantifier “until soft”, because there are always variations in everyone’s stoves, cutting size, etc.
My daughter loves this! I have tweaked it just a tad. I leave out the tomato paste and the spicy stuff. I also use ground turkey. This has replaced my meatloaf as her favourite food.
Fantastic sloppy joe recipe! I made it exactly as directed and it was great! It is now my go to sloppy joe recipe.
Wow – these are delicious!!
Oh yes 🙌🏾
First time ever making sloppy joes. It turned out amazing!! I omitted the brown sugar and used poblano peppers instead of bell peppers.
GREAT!! We are vegetarians and I look for recipes that translate well to plant-based meat alternatives. This recipe is perfect! I used 1 lb Beyond Meat ground and followed the recipe exactly as written. Next time I’d reduce sugar based on personal taste. Loved it, thanks so much. 🙂
These are very yummy!!! Followed recipe (didn’t have green pepper) and my college daughter loved them–she had more than one for dinner!
Top shelf. No need to try anything else.
Amazing, my kids asked for these and I never like them. This one I really did like! All I remember is the nasty can stuff. This will become a monthly dinner! Thank you!
I’ll try this, but substitute Heinz Chili Sauce for the ketchup.
I’m never going back to can sloppy joe sauce again… I love this recipe it is the best A+
Delicious!
My husband is a hunter and we always have lots of ground venison. This was awesome with the ground venison. Great recipe!
The name says it all. Just like mom used to make!
Lives up to the name of “Best sloppy joes ever! “
Such a wonderful reciepe!!
Delicious, I used ground chicken breast and it was Perfect . Thank you for the recipe. My family loved. I may have used a bit more ingredients than as written. I made for lunch , served on Nann Bread open face with a little arugula and fresh heirloom radish. It was a 10!
I used a little more tomatoe paste and less ketchup and I skipped the brown sugar. And mustard. It was delicious on a brioche bun.
Needed a break from turkey, and what a break this recipe gave. Fantastic, don’t think I’ve ever had or made better.
My family & I Absolutely loved this! I used ground turkey and cooked the onions, green peppers and garlic in a separate pan, stirring in the tomato paste before transferring to pan with undrained ground turkey. I mixed in all the other ingredients and heated thoroughly. So easy and so good. Thank you for sharing😋
Made this exactly as is and it was delicious. My only recommendation would be to use a lean ground beef. I used 85/15 and it was more difficult to break up and chewier but not in a good way. I’ll save that meat for the burgers and meatloaf going forward.
Made this with Beyond ground beef substitute. No need to drain after cooking. Very tasty, I didn’t need to include salt. I subbed 1/2 apple juice for some of the water. The recipe is slightly sweet. I would reduce the brown sugar by 1/2 next go…especially using apple juice. Great comfort food-reminded me of school lunch.
Great recipe… used impossible burger and added a bit extra garlic, chili pepper, and tomato paste… fantastic!!
I’ve made this several times exactly as written and my husband absolutely loves it. To me, it’s a touch too sweet so I think I’ll omit the brown sugar the next time. Thanks for a good base, though.
This was my 1st time making this recipe and it was so easy and is so delicious.
Excellent! I will NO longer buy sloppy joe mixes from the store.
What kind of bun is in the photo? It looks tasty! Please reply!!!
It’s a brioche bun 🙂
Really good recipe – we loved it! It took us more like 35 minutes to prepare but well worth it. We liked the balance of flavors. We will be putting this in the regular rotation. Recommend serving with coleslaw 🙂
Amazing!
I was wondering, does it taste like mustard? I am not a fan of mustard and want to make sure.
I don’t find it tastes like mustard at all, it just rounds out some of the sweeter flavors.
VERY tasty! Far better than the canned stuff.
I used plant based hamburger with this recipe, and they were delicious!
VERY tasty! Fsr better than the canned stuff.
The BEST sloppy joe recipe!!
Excellent and easy. Love how adding different peppers changes the flavor. Will definitely make again nd check out other recipes.
Absolutely delicious. I omitted the brown sugar completely. I felt like the ketchup made it sweet enough. Super easy to make, too.
Hits the spot! Sloppy Joe’s remind me of my Mom. Nothing like a great recipe with a dash of nostalgia. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Do u know exact measurements for the onion and peppers? Thanks
I don’t, as it’s not super important to be precise.
This was great! I used ground turkey because I did not have beef in the house. Left brown sugar out. Kids loved it. One ate it over rice instead of a bun. Will add this to rotation!
I’m from the UK and, as a kid, I saw a lot of American TV and Movies where they were eating Sloppy Joes. I finally got to satisfy my curiosity!
I made this for my husband, kids and my in-laws for a nice quick meal (plus experiment haha) and there were clean plates all around! Everyone loved them and I’ve been asked to make them again.
Thanks for meeting my childhood expectations lol! This recipe is definitely for keeps!
Made this with ground chicken tonight . Delicious .
Substituted 1 tsp coconut aminos for Worcester.
Oops, forgot to hit the stars.
I made this recipe as is with one exception—I doubled it because it is delish! This is a keeper. I’ve made it in the past and wasn’t disappointed. Super easy and fast.reading your commentary, I figured if Mac and Cheese is number one in your house and the sloppy joes are next on the list, they would have to be great together!! That’s dinner tonight-comfort food at its best!
Made this for supper it was AMAZING!!!
I saved myself some time and made batch of the smaller ingredients using the whole small can of tomato paste. One small can makes about enough seasoning for 7 lb of ground beef. I froze it in an 14 cube ice cube tray sprayed with cooking oil spray. Easy enough to thaw 2 cubes and mix with water and ketchup before adding to the pan.
PERFECT as is.
This is the best sloppy joe recipe! My kiddo & husband love it too! I have to double the recipe so we have plenty of leftovers. Since we are not “pepper” people, I left out the bell pepper and I don’t add as much red pepper flakes.
Really, really good.
Best Sloppy Joe’s ever by far! Amazing! Thank you for sharing.
This is the flavor I was yearning for! This is just like my mother used to prepare it. Perfect!
I made this a few months ago. The whole family loved it. Didn’t change a thing. We are making it again this week. Great recipe 🙂
Made ours with lentils, really good. Next time I will double it and freeze some. Thanks.
This recipe is awsome. I havent has Sloppy Joe’s since I was a child. This was a great lunch.
Decided to cut out the canned Manwich and try this! WOW! My new “go to” when craving Sloppy Joe!!! Kick the can!
This is a great recipe.
I also omit the brown sugar and mustard and use it as a meatloaf sauce. AMAZING meatloaf that everyone comes back for seconds!
Great recipe! I really enjoyed it AS IS. I was going to post a comment here before making it because there is something that I find very frustrating and I just don’t understand why people do it. Then I decided to just make it first so I could truly rate it myself. I see this a lot everywhere, why are people rating it at 5 stars and then submitting their reviews with the multiple changes they have made to the recipe? In that case you’re not rating this recipe, you’re rating your own which isn’t helpful to someone looking for a highly rated recipe that doesn’t want to read through all of the reviews with your changes. Anyways, that’s just really a pet peeve of mine. The recipe is either good, which I felt these were great sloppy joes, or it’s not.
I didn’t think the sloppy jokes were so good. I followed the recipe exactly
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe! We’ve always loved them, and they’re definitely a reader favorite. However, we all have different tastes 🙂
This recipe was great! I love to cook, i just tried the brown sugar in this! my husband and kids as well as me of course loved it! Thank you for sharing this,😁
This was great! I found your site while looking for an easy shepherd’s pie recipe to use up some leftover potatoes, went on a deep dive, then made this instead.
I used 4 servings’ worth of beef, 1/3 cup tomato sauce, less ketchup, no sugar, and a splash of Stubb’s BBQ sauce, and it was great. I got fancy and added cheddar cheese, horseradish and sour cream to my sandwich.
Thanks for this awesome early fall recipe! The shepherd’s pie will have to wait! hehe.
This is a great recipe but with a few tweaks. First of all, I double it because even with my husband and I, it goes too fast! I add an 8 oz can of tomato sauce instead of tomato paste (no leftover paste in the fridge) and I cut down the water to just enough to rinse out the can and cut down catsup to 2 Tbsp. I sauté the minced onions, peppers and garlic in the butter and oil because I don’t want to drain off that wonderful butter and olive oil flavor with the hamburger. I add all the rest of the ingredients to the onions/pepper mix and add cooked hamburger last. We like it with a little kick so we add the red pepper flakes, hot sauce and a splash more Worcestershire sauce.
This is so good— no need to buy the canned sauce again as I have all the ingredients on hand in my pantry and it is so quick to make. Yummy!!!
Incredibly delicious and come together easily. Thank you! Funny thing is I started craving sloppy joes (which has never happened before). Came across this recipe a few days later and immediately made it. My family and I decided it’s absolutely superior to canned sauce. Thank you!
We made this tonight and it is wonderful. We omitted the sugar and it was plenty sweet.
Great recipe will cook this again. 🙂
Loved this! Quick to make. Hubby loved it!
This was very tasty – I didn’t have any tomato paste on hand but additional ketchup worked just fine. My husband didn’t quite believe that I had made it from scratch. And I am sure the leftovers will be eaten quickly.
Hi! Was it light or dark brown sugar you used?
Cant wait to try it out! Thanks 🙂
You could use either, but I normally use light.
The BEST sloppy jo’s I’ve tasted since I left high school 60 years ago. Always looked for that good flavor and this recipe has it. This week I have made it 4 times, for grown children and their families and have used 15 lbs of ground beef. Everyone one of them has asked for the recipe and all the ingredients are usually already on hand. Thank you for publishing this recipe, we all love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do not usually leave reviews but I had to this time. This is by far the best sloppy Joe mixture my husband and I have ever had. We did leave out the bell peppers because he isn’t a fan and the brown sugar because I am diabetic. It was still perfect. My husband gave it a 9.5 out of 10 and he always thought sloppy joes were just meh. I do recommend either doubling or tripling the recipe so you can have leftovers lol.
My guy was craving Sloppy Joes for dinner, and we always have a can of Manwich for such “emergencies”. Not tonight! There were no more emergency cans! He looked pretty sad, so I told him I’d make them. He wasn’t feeling very hopeful… until he took that first bite! He said this was WAY better than Manwich, and only wants this from now on 🙂 He usually only has 2 sandwiches, and as full as he was, he still made a 3rd one LOL Thank you so much for this recipe! Definitely a keeper!!!
I’m never using a seasoning packet again. These were the best I’ve had anywhere.
I have made this a few times. My 6 year old and I love it! I use ground turkey, leave out the tomato paste and I only use 1/2 tsp chili powder and 2/3 cup of water.. SO YUMMY!
The best sloppy Joe I ever had!
My family and I really enjoyed this sloppy joe recipe. Great flavor! We will make this again.
Definitely the very Best I’ve ever made😋. All the way with the toasted Brioche buns… we always had homemade growing up! Yummy!
This is the best Sloppy Joe’s recipe I have found out there. My family is so picky with what they eat, but this dish makes everyone happy! I’m actually going to make it right now.
Best recipe and super affordable !!
This recipe is great! I used ground turkey. My 6 year old LOVES it!
Delicious! I made mine in the crockpot, so easy and so good.
Best sloppy joes ever!
My husband loved this and so did I. Thank you. Way better than canned sauce.
Wonderful!!!!
The very best!
Ok this is a game changer! So tasty and delicious. Cannot wait to make a bit batch and freeze for easy week night meals!!
Just made this today. It is deeeeelicious. Perfectly seasoned. I used Morningstar Grillers “beef” crumbles instead of meat and it is still 5 star. Will be my go to recipe from now on.
Good basic sloppy joe recipe. Definitely a homemade version of canned, so only 4 stars for not being necessarily a better home cooked version. I did use 3 tbs brown sugar instead of 1. And needed a bit more sauce.
Seriously, your that good you can grade the flavor of a canned Sloppy Joe mix to this one, except you made this anyway because you had to “make a better homade version of the canned” stuff? Do you listen to yourself? Not being “necessarily” a better version? Only 4 stars? I’ve got four things to say about your opinions right here! Come and get some!
Delicious recipe! I added shiitake mushrooms to this & added different color peppers. I used seeded dijon mustard instead of regular yellow mustard! I made the sandwiches with brioche buns, added baby arugula, some kumato tomatoes, & goat cheese to it. Made a side of homemade pineapple slaw! It was excellent! My kids absolutely loved it! Thank you
Excellent recipe. The only change I made was to add a little more Worcestershire sauce and a little more mustard.
very yummy. homemade is so much better . Love this site !!!!
This is the absolute best sloppy joe’s I have ever made. Followed the recipe exactly with the exception of I only put half a teaspoon of chili powder. Perfect for us Perfect for us. Can’t wait to try your other recipes. Thank you Mrs. Chunky Chef.
My family loved this recipe and wanted seconds. I will definitely be making this again and adding it into the rotation.
This was so yummy! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This is way better than the can! I have to hide veggies from the kids so I pulsed a rib of celery, a carrot, and the called for onion, garlic, and bell pepper in a food processor. Didn’t change the flavor or texture and the kids were none the wiser!
This was the best sloppy joe recipe I have ever made… believe me, I have tried a few… made for my card group and everyone loved it. I would DEDINITELY make again.. throw away the packaged mix or canned mix…
So delicious this will definitely be a staple meal in our household now! It is sweet, but I think it tastes authentic that way!
Just made this tonight. I have been craving sloppy joes and this recipe did not disappoint!
I remember making this recipe a long time ago for a school fair. . It was the best ever. I am glad to find it again. I even make it in a crockpot with the hamburger raw. If the fat is too much you can soak it up with white bread.
Don’t know why I was craving a sloppy joe today, but thank god i did and stumbled upon this. It’s great. We live near a restaurant that has a 15$ sloppy joe on their menu (made from prime rib or something expensive). This annihilates it… no contest. In fact someone should go to that restaurant and slap whoever’s responsible.. I’m gonna eat these for a week on little Hawaiian slider rolls and die happy.
My goodness, thank-you so much for this recipe! I was looking for something crowd pleasing and this hit all the right notes. We have some tomato-haters so I swapped bbq sauce for the tomato and actually found my self out of What’s-this-here sauce so I used some Kitchen Bouqet instead. This was such a quick and easy meal to throw together on work night, I tucked this right into my recipe box to use again. Thank-you, thank-you!
My kids really enjoyed this sloppy joe recipe! My daughter and I both felt like it needed a little more sauce so next time I plan to double the sauce. Thanks for sharing!
Really good. I left out the tomato paste. Replaced chili pepper but with paprika.
I tasted it shortly before serving, and it really close to perfect but needed something to bump up the flavor a little. Added a splash of apple cider vinegar, which really did the trick. This will be my new go-to Sloppy Joe recipe (with the splash of vinegar at the end).
While this is easy I would say its *as easy* as browning meat and pouring a can of sauce over it. That said, this stuff is worth it. I’ve made this several times and then last week made Manwich and it just tasted awful (after years of “enjoying” the stuff). We will never go back!!
ACV! Brilliant. That’s exactly what it needed. Thank you
I just made these and they were AMAZING. So easy to make and delicious – thank you!
Doubled this recipe and glad i did. No left overs! I may 1/2 the brown sugar next time.
Just made this for dinner, husband was a huge fan! I substituted the green bell pepper for red bell pepper as it was all I had. Turned out amazing! Definitely making this again!
Thanks this recipe sounds good and easy was going to buy manwich. But didn’t like it last time and your recipe sounds better
I love sloppy joes. My husband does not, therefore I make them very seldom. Well, my husband loved this! My only change would be to eliminate the brown sugar next time.
Super easy and honestly tastes almost exact like Manwich, but with that homemade touch 😉 I loved it!
On no, please dont tell me it tastes almost exactly like manwich. Thats what i was trying to avoid? Thats what my girlfriend uses and it almost ruined sloppy joes for me. Lol
No way! Manwich is garbage. This tastes like it you went to see a buddy you hadn’t seen in forever and you went and had some beers. Three pints in and he’s like “dude, let’s go. Imma take you to get the best sloppy joe ever” . You meander the the city to a alley basement entrance and the place is packed with locals, run by an 85 year old Islander that simply goes by Joe. Nothing else is served only sloppy joes.
Have made this now several times with “crumbles,” soy-based ground beef substitute. It is excellent, and I doubt most could tell the difference versus recipe made with real meat. That said, had to use extra olive oil to cook meat substitute, and probably 2-3 times the amount of water, as the crumbles do not produce the amount of liquid ground beef does.
I’m so sad… it’s sour. It’s just awful and I followed your recipe to a T. I’m no chef, not by any means, but ya girl can cook and I’m in utter disbelief at how… awful and totally unlike sloppy joe’s this is. Maybe my tongue is illiterate…. but no. I don’t think so. But hey… if you like extra garlicky and sour beef sammiches, have at it! D:
I’m so surprised it turned out sour for you, especially with so many other people’s positive experiences. I’m not even sure what would have made it sour. You didn’t substitute anything?
Super delicious!!! I used impossible ground beef for a vegan option and it came out amazingly! I can’t wait to make a huge batch and freeze some as well. Thank you!!
Very tasty! I used a tablespoon of real maple syrup instead of brown sugar; added 1 tsp each of apple cider vinegar, liquid smoked flavoring, and A-1 steak sauce, along with your ingredients. Really delicious recipe!
So good!! Flavors blend so well, sometimes in recipes a certain flavor overpowers, not this one, all work together to make a delicious recipe.
Yes!!! So good, my family loved this. I used dehydrated onion flakes, came out great. I will make again😋
My Son and I really enjoyed this recipe. I have not made sloppy joes in years. This was worth it!!
This recipe was so very good. My family devoured it. Will definitely make again soon. Keep the great recipes coming!
So good! Didn’t cook onion and pepper separately, just threw in with ham!burger as it was getting done.
Never made it from scratch before. Excellent!!!
I tried this last night after finding it on Pinterest and we loved it! It’s definitely on my list to make again!
Delicious!! Easy to make. Everyone loved them!
Awesome flavor & texture from scratch, quick ‘n easy! It was a hit, my wife loved it!
I substituted bbq sauce for ketchup, added extra chili powder and a t of cumin and a few extra dashes hot sauce to our taste which runs a bit spicier than average. Excellent! It went very well with the Mac & Cheese.
Thank you! Delicious Comfort food on a cool evening.
I used your adjustments and loved it. Thank you
I made this once before and making them again tonight and what a difference between Manwich and this homemade version, everyone loved them!
This recipe is fantastic! I am the only one in my family who likes sloppy Joe’s, so I don’t get them very often since they won’t let me make them for dinners. So when they were all out of town and I was home alone, I decided to make some for myself. The red pepper flakes with the brown sugar and ketchup combination hits the spot! I eyeballed the measurements like I usually do. I did omit the green pepper since I don’t like those, and added a little less ketchup and more tomato paste In its place. This one’s a keeper. Yum!
Very Good!!!
I was in the mood for sloppy joes and didn’t have my usual powdered packet on hand (I know not the best, but I grew up with it😊), I came across this recipe while searching for a homemade version. I had all ingredients and decided to make for my husband and myself; It was delicious! Recipe was quick and simple and had lots of flavor. I will definitely make again. The only thing I did different was omit the black pepper. I will definitely make again!
This was delicious. I have Hunts ketchup, which is less acidic and a bit sweeter than Heinz. I cut back on the sugar, and added some sherry vinegar to bump the Hunts more in line with the Heinz. I will make this again.
These were so good! Made the recipe exactly as it is written. Thank you so much for a great recipe!
This…this right here. I didn’t have Worcestershire sauce, so had to leave it out, didn’t add the red pepper flakes, and to top it off I used veggie burger crumbles instead of meat. 😁 Folks, this is an awesome recipe! My husband loved it and so did I! It’s just a really good sloppy joe! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Made this recipe for dinner last night and it was absolutely amazing! This was just like the sloppy Joes I remember growing up. I substituted the water with 1 can of blended fire roasted tomatoes instead and it had a sweet/spicy kick to it, full of flavor! My fiancé licked his plate clean 😂!
Licked his plate clean? How do you mean that?
You know, you part your lips, slip your tongue out and place it on the plate, then while pressing your tongue against the plate you smear it ask over the plate being sure not to miss any spots. You then put your tongue back in your mouth and close your lips and proceed to swallow. You may have to repeat a few times to “clean the plate”. Yum.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Is this…. is this a real question?
Anyway, A+ sloppy joe recipe. I never thought any sloppy joes could beat my Mom’s homemade recipe but this one achieves the unachievable. Don’t let her know I said that.
Great recipe! And easy to tweak. I never have tomato paste and I leave out the pepper flakes and hot sauce for the kids, little extra ketchup and clean plates every time.
This recipe looks so good! I went through a long period where I didn’t eat sloppy joes very much because I didn’t want to eat manwich (always wondered what chemicals were in there!) but it’s so cool to now be able to make them homemade! Thanks so much for sharing. Your site is great!
My wife and I declared that these were the best Sloppy Joes we’ve ever had.
That said, if a recipe calls for ‘a 1/3 of a green pepper’ I read it as saying ‘1 whole bell pepper that isn’t green’ or ‘1 tsp yellow mustard’ as ‘just eyeball that dijon mustard you need to get rid of.’ We are also very selective about where we use sugar, so I omitted the brown sugar and used some homemade ketchup that has no sugar.
All that said, the bottom line comes down to best Sloppy Joes we’ve ever had.
Real tomato ketchup, Eddie?
Lol. Nothin but the best Clark.
Awesome recipe! I didn’t have tomato paste so I just used extra ketchup
Just finished making. Amazing Flavor! So delicious. Definitely a keeper.
This is an awesome and easy homemade recipe – I make it over and over again! Always a hit in my house! Thanks!
Absolutely the best Sloppy Joes I’ve ever had. Easy recipe. Used yellow peppers instead of green (I like the milder taste) and added a dash of apple cider vinegar.
Toasting the buns was an essential step to making these The Best Ever.
This is superb. I dont think I’ll ever use the can again. ! I modified it slightly. 1tbsp worchester and added a splash of ACV . Extra spoon of brown sugar. Came out great. Good recipe.
Can I just tell you this was the BEST Sloppy Joe EVER! My 18 year old son and I have a thing where he rates my meals. I long to earn a 10. And, your recipe along with a side of grilled corn on the cob earned me the PERFECT 10.
So good! First time making sloppy joes! My husband and I really enjoyed them, look forward to making them again!
So, I never comment… however…these are delicious. I ran out of buns and ended up putting this on garlic bread right out of the oven and drizzled it with Russian dressing. This was a HUGE hit with my family. Thank you!!!
I’ve been using this recipe for six months now after trying countless others. These really are the best sloppy joes! I use ground turkey instead and a generous splash of hot sauce. So great!
Wow! I must say I am impressed! I made this with TVP instead of meat and I am tearing this stuff up right now as we speak! It truly is delicious and the best sloppy joe recipe I have come across so far! Thank you for the recipe!!
Tried this recipe for dinner. Although I did have to play around more with the measurements, I found this recipe to be outstanding and delicious
The best homemade sloppy joes I’ve ever made using 80/20 organize ground beef. I did go with half teasp of chili powder vs. three-quarters. I did not use the red pepper or hot sauce because it bothers my husband, but I did add three small drops of the hot sauce to my sandwich. I also added a touch more tomato paste in a tube. A keeper!
This is a great recipe. Here is a suggestion to shake it up: in a greased glass pan layer butter rolls sliced in half along the bottom. Smooth sloppy joe mixture over top. Cover in shredded cheese. Top with top half of buttered rolls. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes so rolls don’t burn. Serve with slaw. Delicious.
A hit today with my finicky 12 year old. Thank you! Used Beyond ‘meat’ in place of ground beef. I needed about twice the water, probably because the Beyond Beef doesn’t have as much fat as real beef.
You weren’t kidding! These are incredibly delicious and addictive! I used toasted brioche buns. Forwarded to family and friends. Just subscribed to your blog too! Thank you!
Omg! This was so delicious!!! I forgot the tomato paste but even without it, it was so delicious. !!! Thank you!!
Very good!
Second go round for us with this recipe! My picky teenager requested it! That’s a win in my book!
This is the best Sloppy Joe recipe I have ever made. I highly recommend it.
Great, easy lunch for teenage boys during stay-at-home school days. This is what I remember sloppy joes tasting like, but the familiar can doesn’t taste like my memory of it.
I made a few changes to suit my tastes, but the foundational recipe is great! I used molasses instead of brown sugar (because I like it), Sriracha instead of hot sauce, BBQ sauce in place of mustard (although I thought about adding some dry mustard), and extra Worchestershire sauce (because I don’t think there’s ever too much with the exception of the time that I went to a Mexican restaurant and ordered a steak in Worchestershire sauce and got a steak in a lake of it!). I could honestly just eat a bowl of this with a spoon (I did go back to the pan a couple of times!). I like that it makes a pound of ground beef go a lot farther than making it into patties for burgers (as long as your buns aren’t huge). Definitely a keeper!
These were the best sloppy joes I ever tasted. I do not even by Manwich anymore, since these are WAYYY BETTER than it. If you want to make more than a pound, just increase seasonings to your liking.
This will go in my recipe book for later use. Thanks
Delicious. Couldn’t stop eating it. I used 1/4c tomato sauce instead of paste. Toasting bun is a must.
Very good! My family loved them made a double batch for dinner, served the rest for lunches that week. Family asked when would I be making it again.
I just made this recipe as is. It is like the gourmet version of sloppy Joes!! I will never never never make any other version. My wife who is picky loved it and wants to make it at our next family gathering. One important thing to remember and I am proud to say I did, is to get a good quality bun. The secret to any really good sandwich is the bread. I used fresh made Kaiser rolls from the grocery store.
Delicious!
I didn’t have tomato paste so I chopped up a chipotle pepper in ancho sauce, gave it a nice spicy kick. Also added a packed of beef bullion, and made sure to crisp the meat/sauce up in a lil bit in the cast iron before serving. Yummmm!!!!
I love this recipe. Didn’t use tomato paste since we didn’t have any in the house, added a little more ketchup and extra garlic just because I love garlic. It turned out amazing!!!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I made this recipe for the Best Homemade Sloppy Joes along with Food.com’s 40 Minute Hamburger buns recipe by Marie for the first time and it was a fantastic yummy dinner! (the buns recipe makes 12 buns but I used half for buns and allowed the other half of the dough to rise and baked a small 9″ loaf.) The leftovers the next day were even better and I highly recommend doubling the recipe to actually have leftovers! I really appreciate recipes that make a smaller volume because we don’t like a lot of leftover food but this one made just enough for 2 people for a dinner and then a smaller lunch portion. We aren’t large portion eaters. I did not use the pepper flakes but subbed some cayenne pepper because we like things a little spicier here at home.
Just made these the other day. Outstanding! We used 4.5 lbs of beef, as I was hoping to have it last for 3 days…it only lasted 2. I added extra peppers and onions. I added 3 jalapenos (seeded) and 1 can green chiles for an extra kick. I don’t like too spicy. This was mildly good for my taste. 2 of my sons, besides using a toasted bun, also used corn tortillas! Thanks so much for sharing.
My son loves them. I haven’t made these from scratch in a long time. Tried Manwich but we don’t the cinnamon in the product.
This is SO DELICIOUS!!! We love it! This went straight into our family favorite recipe binder. Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe.
Made this recipe and LOVED IT!!! Froze well too. I made the recipe as written but used a red pepper as that’s all I had. DELICIOUS!
i do wish you had more of a left margin in your page. the share and save stuff runs right over your stuff. some of us do enlarge….. I do appreciate from scratch recipes…. Couldnt really try it since my peppers seem to be missing… why must people but hot stuff in everything…. But easy enough to leave out since I make it myself
I understand your frustration, as I myself, actually enlarge my text (bad eyes). I’m currently redesigning the website for 2021 and I’ll pass this along to my web designer. I’m confused what you think is hot in this recipe though. The green bell peppers don’t add any heat, and anything spicy is optional (to counteract the sweetness).
Grump!
My kids HATE Manwich. So I set out to find something different. They absolutely love this recipe. First time I misread the chili powder and it was spicey. But they thought it was amazing.
When we make it, we make 12 times the amount then freeze it for quick dinners. This next week, I will experiment canning it to see how it turns out.
Question though…. can tomato sauce be used in place of the ketchup? I am not a fan of ketchup in general so was hoping to use something else if possible.
Way to spicy and doesnt taste like sloppy joes
Well everyone does have different tastes, but are you positive you followed the correct measurements? With the spicy element being optional (the red pepper flakes), I’m surprised it was so spicy.
I’ve made these twice now… they are amazing!! I didn’t use green pepper (bc I didn’t have one), and added a jalapeño with the onion mix. So easy and quick! I’ve also subbed ground turkey and they are still great
We ran out of our go to sloppy joe mix. We decided to use this one. I don’t think I will ever by sloppy joe mix again unless I’m in a real pinch for time. This was excellent. I only enhanced the recipe by adding Bbq sauce.
This recipe is the best! It tasted so delicious definitely will be making it again
Pandemic raging my teens wanted something comforting so asked for sloppy joes. Didn’t have tomato paste or a packet for the sauce but good ol’ Google lead me straight to you and boy howdy and I so glad it did!
This was an amazing recipe that was not overly tomatoey, sweet or acidic.
We used leftover taco meat and chopped up meatballs from spaghetti the other night, no extra salt, 2 tsp molasses instead of brown sugar and a bit less ketchup, plus everything else you suggested. My kids could NOT get enough!
Definite keeper! Thank you =]
Perfect sloppy Joe’s, not sweet just perfect! Thank you
This is exactly the recipe I was searching for. The sloppy joes tasted just the way I’d hoped they would! Definitely a keeper!
Made a double batch and it turned out great! My 2 teens snarfed it up. Some caveats: 1) decided to half the brown sugar and it was plenty sweet enough. 2) I am considering decreasing the large amt of ketchup and replace it with plain tomato sauce. There was a noticeable vinegar taste/aroma and the ketchup was the main source that I could determine. I used reduced sugar/reduced sodium ketchup…again it was plenty sweet. 3) One kid is not a fan of chunks of onion/bell pepper, so I gave those items a ride in the food processor before using them. Kids asked me to make it again. Very yummy.
Really good, and so much better than canned sauce. My sons, husband, and mother loved it!
This is the second time I’ve made it. It’s so good, not overly sweet.
I seldom leave reviews, however, this sloppy joe recipe is our favorite. I always try to make stuff like this a day ahead of time to allow flavors to meld, but this one doesn’t require that. Delish!
Just made this recipe and it is yummo! I doubled so that I could freeze half for later. I used a Red pepper instead of Green and I left out the hot sauce and red pepper flakes, I didn’t want it to be spicy. It’s absolutely delicious. Thank You!
After a conversation at work, I was suddenly craving sloppy joes ….which I haven’t had in years….since I stopped using prepackaged sauces or sides. Anyway, I googled sloppy joes and came across this recipe.
I left out the bell pepper because I didn’t have any.y measurements of ingredients are never precise, but other than adding a bit of smoked paprika and more water, pretty much followed the recipe as is….oh I also used spicy brown mustard because that’s what was open in the fridge.
These came out AMAZING. Gave me all the flavor I missed from childhood without the artificial twang you get from the canned stuff.
Will definitely make again
Honestly this is a very legit recipe for super easy sloppy joes. Well done!
Made this during covid 19 as I had a large frozen package of ground beef. Was heavy handed on brown sugar due to lumps. It was lovely. Made it for another night. So I’ll pull it out for lunch or dinner with some frozen French fries.
I made this the other night and it was great. I only changed the recipe up a little. I did not add any Worcester Sauce, Pepper Flakes or Hot Sauce. However, I did add 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika and used King Hawaiian Buns. I will make it again and again
Absolutely loved this recipe. Will definitely make it again! Two thumbs up!!
This is good over a hot dog. Chili dogs are the best!!!!
I made this, as per the recipe, last week. It was very good, although it was a bit too sweet for our liking. The next time I will likely either cut the amount of brown sugar, or leave it out completely.
Great suggestion! Thanks!!
This has become a family favourite!
Made this recipe for the first time tonight. Absolutely love the flavor blend. Thank you so much for this.
Loved this! Finally, a great sloppy joe recipe! I didn’t have green peppers but I had almost everything else so I made it tonight. I threw in extra brown sugar and a T of Gray Poupon. I have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow, when I’m sure it will be even more delicious.
Once I got used to the difference in taste from Sloppy Joe in a jar, I really enjoyed this recipe and I would use this instead in the future. I don’t make sloppy joe’s very often. My daughter really liked it and she is a picky eater. I might tweek the recipe a little bit the next time.
This was an awesome recipe!!! My family enjoyed it so much. I doubled the recipe and we had leftovers. We toasted the buns and added shredded cheese. Yummy!!
Great recipe. I just substituted spicy bell peppers to kick up the heat .
Gear flavie. Very enjoyable
So flavorful! I made it pretty much as the recipe said to. But i m sure you could add/leave out whatever you dont have or like. A great pantry recipe!! Probably will never by sloppy joe mix again. 😉
As delicious as it is easy!
Wonderful! So happy I found this. Made exactly as written and needs no changes. Toasting the bus as recommended was spot on.
I grew up on Manwich, and I was skeptical about this recipe for that reason. But, sometimes, you have to work with what you have. This was awesome! FYI, I didn’t have any tomato paste, so I used a Goya chicken and tomato bouillon packet and no extra salt.
Everyone loves these Sloppy Joes.
They are a big hit with everyone. Thanks for the recipe.
Excellent recipe! I followed the recipe exactly, except I had to substitute ketchup with tomatoes sauce. The flavors were great and had just the right amount of kick to it. Will be using this again! Thank you for sharing!
Made this for my hubby for dinner tonight. He says very good and never wants another manwich sloppy Joe again!! Very good!!
Delicious!!! I like that I can control the amount of salt I add to it. My family really enjoyed it. Very easy to make already had all the ingredients except for bell peppers. Love recipes that i don’t have to go on the hunt for some spice I don’t already have.
Will definitely be making this again. 😁
Why would add butter and oil to beef? Heart attack? And don’t tell people to put the beef in a strainer to drain the grease, unless you do it over the trash you’re going to have a $700 plumbing bill one day when they have to come out and clear the grease build up in the pipes. Use the lid to drain the grease into an old jar or can then throw it away.
Because I like the flavor, and our hearts are just fine… thanks for the “concern”. I also never said to put the colander in the sink. Each individual is free to drain the grease as they see fit.
Right on sister.
Best sloppy joe ever!!! This is a must try! I used all the ingredients except the hot sauce. It sooo good!!!
It was a little sweet for me but otherwise excellent. I’ll probably half the brown sugar and amp up on the “vinegars” like the mustard and maybe add a little tomato sauce next time. Otherwise super yummy.
Really the best. I used Sriracha as the hot sauce. Came out perfect with ground turkey, I didn’t need to drain anything and added (red) peppers and onions directly to the meat after it was browned. Great one pot meal and fantastic with a beer 🙂
This recipe is amazing!!!!!!! I didn’t have tomato paste. So I added some chopped tomato and turned out great.
These are the best homemade sloppy joes ever!
These taste so good!
This is without a doubt the BEST sloppy joes ever. I did use a tablespoon of yellow prepared mustard instead of 1 tsp. Every person that has eaten this recipe has ask for the recipe. Will be cooking this many more times.
ENJOY!!!
Best SLOPPY JOES I ever made! OR ever had!! Better than Mrs, Martin’s from church!Thanks for the recipe. Yes, the toasted buns are fantastic with this dish! Excited to try your other recipes.
These were amazing. We left out the bell peppers due to personal taste, but these were a winner! This recipe has made it into the box. Thank you for sharing!
I just made this for dinner, soooooo delish!! Will make it again and again, sorry, forgot to take a pic.
Thank you! Love this – I added some thinly diced carrots. After toasting the buns with threw some coleslaw on it 🙂
Can you supplement the tomato paste? I have none on hand and with the virus I really don’t want to make a grocery run for that one thing.
You could try some tomato sauce if you have that?
My Mom use to make sloppy joes with the Manwhich crap!
This was so easy and delicious. I will have to double recipe next time. Now my daughter loves sloppy joes and wants it weekly
Our new family favorite! I’ve never made a store bought or canned version of Sloppy Joes…. I’m not a canned food person, but even compared to my old stand-by home made version from when I was a kid, this is far superior! Thanks for sharing such a fantastic recipe! I’ve used several of your other recipe’s as well. I’ve never had to supplement or change your recipes. You rock!
Definitely the best sloppy joes I’ve had!! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
This recipe is too good. It should be a crime to make something this good so easily. I made mine over a charcoal grill, and the smoky flavor was a great addition. Kids kept asking for more, so I will file this as a definite future recipe.
This truly is the best Sloppy Joe I have ever had AND I can tell you are right about the toasted bun. Added so much more. I used a few dashes I’d hit sauce too as suggested. The best. Thank you so much!!
I rarely leave reviews, however this was really a great recipe. The power went out because of a snow storm, and I needed to feed a bunch of family that was visiting. I had most of the ingredients in the cupboard with a few variations. No onions, but I had shallots, and an orange color bell pepper instead of a green one. One pound of lean ground beef and one pound of ground turkey. (I made a double batch). The rest of the recipe to a tee except half the brown sugar, I figure you can always add more. As it was simmering, I had to run outside to fetch more firewood for the wood stove. When I came back into the house, OMG! The definite scent of Sloppy Joe’s In the air. Toasted the buns on the flat top of the wood stove, added grated cheese and hot sauce. (Except for the kids) This was a huge hit! Thanks, this one saved the day and will be a regular in this house!
Tastes good . It’s kind of sweet so I will try with less sugar next time but otherwise I like the flavor!
I’ve tried 3 online recipes and two different premade sauces before I found this one I use red or yellow peppers instead and it is my s/o favorite recipe
Glad I found your recipe! It’s a keeper. I didnt have any green pepper or Worcestershire sauce, so i improvised. I used red, orange and yellow peppers and made a peppery beef broth, and added some soy sauce. It was so good. I will be saving this for sure
Delicious! Family favorite. Even a favorite to my picky 2 year old who hardly likes meat. But he can eat everything of this sloppy joe plus seconds!! Thanks a lot! Brings back memories
Delicious! I doubled the brown sugar after making it the first time…..
Yummo!
Excellent!
made this for a group of friends and it was a big hit!! easy to make and delicious!
One of the best sloppy Joes I have ever had. Great hit at Super Bowl Party
Just made this tonight. It’s not the best. I think it needs some tomatoes not just tomato paste.
I don’t see any negative reviews on your postings. I wonder about that. This can not be the best sloppy joe recipe ever. There should be some negative posts.
Don’t really care for it.
Well I’m sorry you didn’t find this sloppy joe recipe to be your favorite. I don’t delete negative reviews, this recipe just happens to be to a lot of people’s tastes and has gotten great reviews.
Didn’t have tomato paste used a jar of homemade salsa and omitted water…used red bell pepper…delicious and hearty…
Just made this for the first time tonight and it was a huge hit. We all loved it, including our almost two year old. Loved the dash of hot sauce. Delicious!
I have been looking for a good recipe not only for dinner but to can for quick meals. My kids do not like Manwich, not even a little so they were expecting this to be a copy cat recipe. I had to convince them to try it and they all had seconds begging me to make more for lunch tomorrow.
Only thing I did different was add red peppers because that was what I had in the fridge. I will be making a huge batch to can up this weekend. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!!! We have found our new go to recipe.
If you made it with tomato sauce, is there anything that makes it taste like ketchup
You’d have to add a bunch of other things to make it taste just like ketchup. Ketchup is made from tomatoes, garlic, onion, vinegar, sugar or corn syrup, and a whole host of spices.
Not only is this an amazing recipe, but it can be adjusted easily to fit any eating lifestyle! I was attracted to this recipe, but my family is pescatarian, so I made a few changes. We left out butter, increasing the olive oil, and I used tofu crumbles that I make myself (a lot like meatless ground beef sold at the store). We also don’t use catsup, so I made my own, just the amount called for with agave instead of corn syrup. The sloppy Joes came out awesome!! My husband went back for seconds and my 11 year old raved about it! We will certainly be making this again!
I made two large batches for a diverse crowd, one with ground turkey and the other with cauliflower (for a vegetarian option). They’re great! This is truly an outstanding recipe that you can suit to your taste.
Cauliflower! What a fantastic variation idea!
Made this today for my husband and I no I did not measure eye ball it and I am taster but I did it all and I also added Bison meat 1 lb It is so good this is a KEEPER
This sloppy joe recipe is the bomb!!
You eat this and you will throw rocks at the canned stuff!! So easy. So delicious 😋 Do not change a thing!
Yummy recipe. I substituted red bell pepper for the green, as that was what I had in the frig. Hubby said “don’t lose this recipe”. High praise!
Super easy and delicious, this has become a staple in our home my husband raves about it! Thank you!!
Made mine with deer burger…. was delish!
Really easy and yummy!
I don’t usually leave reviews, but this recipe is amazing. My husband is a picky eater, but he loves this! The amount of sweet and spice is perfect. Definitely adding it to my regular menu rotation!
I don’t normally eat sloppy joes. haven’t had one since I was a child until yesterday. this recipe is the greatest. I made it following recipe but omitted the brown sugar as it was sweet enough without it.
This is the best sloppy joes recipe by far. The combination of sweet and spicy is amazing!
Everyone loved it. Unusual for 3 adults and 3 kids to all like the same thing in this house. Will definitely make again! ( just omitted bell pepper with kids in mind).
The Recipie is Absolutely the BEST!
Hands Down!
😀👍
wow -really delicious- its my new recipe thanks
Omg i just tested this recipe tonight to see how it tastes. I am from now on making this for my son and daughter and my step sons. Between my husband and 5 teens it is hard for them all to agree with each other this will be a hit with everyone i just need to triple the recipe to feed everyone comfortably
Reading your comment instantly triggered memories of getting introduced like, (this is my daughter Amber, and those 4 are my foster kids.) As if we didn’t have names. Lemme ask was writing my daughter and son and step sons easier than My daughter and 3 sons…or my 5 Teens. Eh, found myself wondering. Can’t wait to try the recipe!
WOW!!! Just made this for dinner and it is so good! Will be making again!!
The only issue I had with this is the method of cooking the meat. I used the low and slow method the second time to get a finer meat. It will still get 5 stars from me though, because the flavor was to die for.
I made this tonight. I’ve been looking for an alternative to manwich and other canned sauces because my wife is avoiding salt and they are all very high in sodium, I left out the salt and used no salt added ketchup and I will probably never buy manwich again.
These were great sloppy joes, an very easy to make. I made one version according to your recipe and a vegetarian version with ground soya round and vegan Worcestershire sauce and both were enjoyed. Sides of coleslaw and your garlic and Parmesan wedge fries made a delicious meal. Thanks for a great recipe!
I use this recipe every time I make sloppy joes for church.i just times it by 10. Everyone just loves it!
I have 15 lbs of ground meat to use for a homeless shelter. Do you have suggestions for such a large amount?
This recipe is great! So easy and super delicious! I really appreciate your blog. I use your buttermilk biscuit recipe all the time and I will be putting these sloppy joe’s into circulation as well! Thanks lady!
Great recipe!
If I may add an additional “what can you do w/sloppy Joe meat”… flour tortilla, top w/seasoned (a sprinkle of cumin and chili powder) about 1/2 c shredded cheese, 400 degree oven, 5 min, remove, spoon “Joe” mix on 1/2 w/a chop of cilantro, fold, cut in wedges…voila…beefy, cheesy, “Joe” quesadilla! 😃…
That is GENIUS! I love it 🙂
This is the best recipe to date! My whole family gobbled it up. I made it exactly as written and it’s so delicious-not too sweet and with just the right amount of kick. It’s a keeper! Thank you.
Thank you so much for this easy, yummy Sloppy Joe recipe😁 You can call me anytime just not late for dinner 😊!
Great recipe. Recommend adding a little vinegar if you find it too sweet. We used sherry wine vinegar to cut the sweetness. It turned out excellent!!
These are amazing. I read all the reviews and decided to try them. My husband kept raving about how good they are. We agree, they must be served on a toasted bun.
Delicious! We’re from the Netherlands and not familiar with the original sloppy Joe’s. Made this with sovalled ‘tigerbuns’ which we baked in some butter (cutside down). My meatloving husband was in heaven 👍👌!
I have to agree with one of the other comments. I found it too sweet and it needed more spices. I will make it again but with some adjustments.
Found your recipe, it looked so good that I made it for breakfast this morning. My family loved it! I didn’t have the green peopper or chili power but it was excellent. I’m glad I made a double batch and next time I will have all the ingredients. Thank you!
I found this recipe tonight when I realized that I did not have a can of sloppy joe mix in the pantry. This was great! I did not have a green pepper, so I added extra onion. I also toasted brioche buns, which helped to keep the “sandwich” together. This is a keeper!
I loved this recipe! I didn’t have green peppers at home but I did have some poblanos from the garden , so I used those. I also used beer instead of the water. I made wheat brioche buns to serve with it……a total hit!
BEER!!! OMG…great tip… you GO girl🤣😂!! Definitely using the beer👍🏻💪🏻
I agree great idea I’m making this tonight and beer would be a great addition or white wine for those that found it too sweet, as the wine will add some tartness to the dish.
I found it a bit too sweet and needing a little more
Liquid. I used beef stock instead of water and changed the mustard to spicy brown. I added more Worcestershire – 1tsp. I also added cayenne instead of hot sauce but I think Frank’s Red Hot might add an additional dimension. I would also increase the mustard to 2 tbsp, reduce ketchup to 1/2 cup, add more beef stock and tomato paste for liquid and to thicken respectfully.
I served it over my homemade Spanish rice for bf and roasted spaghetti squash for me. I topped with Shredded Mex Cheese.
This is amazing!
I’ve made this several times. I always follow the recipe exactly. I also always double it since I’m feeding my boyfriend, his 18 year old son, and my 17 year old son. Everyone in my family LOVES this sloppy Joe recipe. It’s so delicious!
Hands down the BEST sloppy Joe recipe! My husband loves the sweet heat (I follow recipe exactly and use the crushed red peppers but not hot sauce). Thanks so much for this go to recipe!
Prepared this recipe. So much better tasting and healthier than Manwich Sloppy Joes.
Made today, did not put in sugar but followed everything else. I always make homemade and with the frost last couple mornings needed to use up green peppers and hot peppers. This was excellent. Will make again.
So good!
I didn’t do exact measurements because I was starving and in a rush. I accidentally added a whole onion. I used a red pepper because I didn’t but have a green one. I think I added too much brown sugar too. It seems like a very flexible recipe. As long as you stick with the base ingredients it would be hard to mess up. Will definitely make again.
This is a great recipe! I over-cooked a brisket in my smoker to the point where I could not slice it. It’s simply fell apart in my hands. I substituted the ground beef for the brisket meat and took it to work. The crockpot was empty within an hour. I probably added a little more tomato paste and brown sugar. Combined with the smokiness of the brisket, there were a lot of happy tummies at work.
Oh.My.Heavens. This is absolutely hands-down THE BEST sloppy joe recipe EVAAA! I couldn’t find my usual hum-drum recipe so I stumbled across this one and oh am I glad I did. I made as instructed, only added 1/2 Serrano for some heat, swapped Cayenne pepper for the pepper flakes. This was very easy to make. I let it simmer for 30 mins and seemed a tad sweet for my liking (but hadn’t added all the cayenne yet) so tossed a few more shakes of cayenne and VOILA! Beautimous! My husband is usually the cook and he actually LOVED+RAVED about these. He’s even wanting to experiment with different cuisine versions. It was a hit at the potluck too, good thing I secretly kept some home for me 🙂
I grew up having sloppy joes ONLY on toasted buns so, to not do so is sacrilig! I put a little yellow mustard and dill pickle chips on my ‘joes and I’m golden….especially with this recipe. Thanks for the awesome addition to my “go-to” recipes!
I accidentally added twice as much brown sugar as possible, but it was still the best damn sloppy joe I’ve ever had! *SO* much better than the crap sold in stores…
Excellent recipe, this is my new go-to sloppy joe recipe.
This is so good. I worried about adding chili powder, red pepper flakes, hot sauce but I thought I would just go ahead and try it just exactly as the recipe says. So glad I did, this is a keeper, will make it again.
Excellent recipe. We had a prior Manwhich-like recipe, but we made it again in the crockpot and it was nasty. Don’t know why we like it. However, we decided to find a new recipe that you make on stove and not in crockpot, because I don’t think it works the best for Sloppy Joes. Anyway, we made yours, and it was PERFECT. However, we didn’t do the spicy elements: pepper flakes and hot sauce. And, I said to Wife that it was a tiny bit bland (or more neutral — with an slightly undefined taste). So, we will add a little more spices next time to make it more flavorful. Yet, without the extra optional stuff, it is still 100 times better than Manwhich or any sloppy joe can mixes.
ALso, after trying this recipe, we subbed to your site and will start using your recipes more. If you do a cookbook, we will buy that too and support you. Thanks.
These are so good. I could put it in a bowl and just eat it with a spoon. I will never eat Manwich again. I find myself craving these.
Great recipe. I used ground turkey and it came out delicious!
Made for daughter who likes Manwich and said these were the best she has ever had. Doubled recipe for cresent rolls tonight. Delish, thank you
Any adverse effects if I crockpot these longer than 6 hours? I’d like to start them before work so it would be at least 8.
You might want to add a little bit more liquid, so it doesn’t dry out, but other than that, it should be okay 🙂
I made this for my family last night and they loved it. My husband said it was a lot better than out of a can. I think the sugar could be cut some but it was still wonderful and very quick and easy to make. It only took about 30 minutes. I will definitely make this again.
Really tasty! Will make again
I made this tonight. I didn’t add any hot sauce. I had to add some more water because after adding and mixing all ingredients with the beef…it was dry! I thought it should simmer a bit so the spices could cook a little and blend. Also it was a bit sweet for my liking but maybe if I had added the sweet sauce it would not have been so sweet? Feedback please.
Instead of Bell Peppers, Mustard, and Chili Powder
I made due with Relish, Mustard BBQ, and Franks Red Hot 🙂
The best. First time I have made them in years. They were a big hit with everyone.
Super nummy! Have never made sloppy Joe’s from scratch, have always used Manwhich. This will definitely be my go to from now on! Thanks!
Wow. Easy and delicious. It’s going into the ‘family favourites.’
Excellent. Really good. Mixed the leftover with cooked elbows and cheddar cheese. Yummy. Thank you.
Of the many sloppy joes I’ve tried, these are by far the best! The flavors run deep and wide. Quite refined. In fact they’ve insisted I refer to them as “Unkempt Josephs” in the future.
Yum …Yum…Yum
I’m glad that I stumbled upon your recipe. IT WAS DE-LIC-IOUS!!! I chose not to use the red pepper flakes, because I didn’t want the kids to complain about it being too spicy. I also seasoned the meat with the salt and pepper while it cooked.
My only complaint is that I did not double the recipe. The kids and my son’s friend’s mom helped “kill” all of it. There were NO left-overs! We were hoping for left-overs for dinner the next night.
Thanks for publishing this recipe. I may not look for another recipe for sloppy joes, because this one was great.
I have to agree!s the best sloppy Joe I’ve ever had.
This is the only recipe I’ve ever made that my S/O has loved. Enough said.
This was delicious!
Great easy recipe! We used Beyond Beef and homemade ketchup from our garden and it came out delicious and we all had second servings.
Good to know. That’s what I was planning to use!
i tripled the recipe, wow, turned out super good! Dinner in one form or another all week. Whatever is left over gets mixed with rice for stuffed green peppers.
Absolutely wonderful receipt! Loved by all the family! Highly recommend this for sure!
Home run at our house! Substituted hamburger for Beyond Meat. Thx for sharing the recipe!
I make these all of the time as written. Delicious!
Do you have nutritional values for this recipe? I cook for a diabetic and need a carbohydrate and fiber values in particular.
As I’m not a nutritionist, I don’t provide full nutritional information for my recipes (don’t want to inadvertently pass along incorrect information). Your best bet would be to copy the ingredients into your favorite online nutritional calculator.
There aren’t even words for how amazing this is! I’m SO glad I stumbled upon this recipe!!
Great recipe!! Beats the heck out of manwich. Did not brown beef in butter…never have,never will! Will make again! Thanks!
Husband wanted sloppy Joes. I have only used manwich. We loved this receipe! No more cans for us!! Perfect
Big taste! I will never settle for a doctored up can again….excellent!
This is now my go-to sloppy joe recipe! So easy and so good!
Made thid sloppy joe receipe. Family loves it! Easy and quick. No more canned or dry package mix anymore!
Excellent! Thank you.
Just wanted to say we think your recipe is truly “the best” homemade we’ve ever had–I’ve made it twice in less than a month. Thank you!
Was great! I left out the brown sugar and substituted cayenne. Thanks for the recipe!
Made as written. Thank you!!
We all loved it!
Really good I didn’t have Worcestershire sauce but balsamic vinegar worked well. I didn’t add the sugar because the balsamic was sweet enough. Very Very good.
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! My family loved it, it will be my go to for sloppy joe night. 😉
Do you put a lid on this when cooking ? Thanks KSB
Awesome recipe! I am very picky and typically go for recipes with dozens of reviews rather than one with few…. but this seemed promising
EXCELLENT, wish I found this recipe sooner. Used venison and have sent it to several people.
Actually measured the ingredients. I don’t use green peppers so I used Irish whiskey instead…seems reasonable to an Irish gal. Have made it twice in 1 month now. Plan on trying a few of your other recipes now. Thanks
I made this last night and it was DELISH! My mom used to make sloppy Joes from scratch when I was growing up and this recipe tastes like how she used to make them!
Yum yummy yum yum!!
I used fresh seeded jalapeños instead of Bell Pepper
Found Brioche bun at Walmart…toasted definitely!
Delicious!!!!!!
Delicious 🙂 At the suggestion of my mom, I added cream of mushroom soup instead of water. I really liked how it turned out!
This was fabulous! I doubled the recipe and there was enough for lunch the next day for the whole family, it’s even better today! I’ve made homemade sloppy joes a few times, but this has to be the best I’ve made. The flavors are awesome (I don’t skimp on the green bell pepper), and it smells wonderful while it’s cooking!
My family loved this recipe for Sloppy Joe’s! I’m planning to add it to our regular meal rotation! I added a few extra vegetables (carrots and celery) the recipe easily accommodated the additions.
I’m not a big fan of Sloppy Joe’s, I became one after trying this one. I was short on ketchup, as I had less than 2/3 cup for the recipe. It didn’t take away from the delicious flavor. As I type this message, I am making Sloppy Joe’s again, in less than a month. This time I have enough ketchup!
I didn’t have any green peppers or chili powder (sub’d With paprika), but this recipe did not disappoint! Family approved ✅ recipe tinted for my recipe book ✅ putting this one repeat as soon as possible!
excellent recipe, i made a triple batch today, thanks for sharing
I usually try& keep a can of Manwich under the cupboard for a quick fix. I’d already said I’d make them for my son for his lunch for work, &no cans stashed. With little time to spare, I dashed to the internet. Yay!! I didn’t have a gr pepper on hand, but followed the rest of the recipe. They loved them! I always toast the buns, &I like to put mustard& onion on my sandwich for a little extra zing. My new go to for Sloppy Joes! Thanks for the recipe
These hit the spot – THANK YOU! We are looking for things to cook in this HOT weather that do not require us to turn on the oven, so these were perfect! We will definitely put these into our rotation!
I doubled the ingredients but used 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of ground Italian sausage. Then served over toasted buns and avocado slices with sweet potato fries on the side. It was all gone within a day! Sooo delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Putting a roof over our deck at the campground and need to make lunch for the guys who helped. First time in my life making sloppy joes and they turned out pretty darn good !
Made this last night… so good! The flavors are wonderful! You get a touch of sweet and a touch of spicy in each bite!
you nailed it, perfect combination, best i’ve made yet, thank you
Very good! I used a finely diced Jalapeño. No pepper flakes. I also used more Worcestershire sauce and a bit more mustard!
these were easy and very tasty! you can makr then as spicy as you like.
I used homemade sugar free ketchup, and Lankanto golden sugar substitute to make this keto. Used 1/2 chuck and 1/2 bison. I LOVE sloppy joes, and these were seriously exactly the perfect recipe.
I made this for the first time tonight. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!
I love the taste, but equally, I love using ingredients I can control – my ketchup without high fructose corn syrup, and I added a little bit extra garlic and pepper (just a tad extra!).
Thank you so much for sharing!
I didn’t grow up eating sloppy Joe’s nor know what they’re “supposed to taste like” however I’ve made a few different recipes over the years, could not find my old one for some reason so tried this. I was a bit hesitant at first, but this is hands down the best recipe I’ve used yet! I did add some BBQ sauce and extra Worcestershire sauce – hands down tasty!
This is a excellent combination of flavors for this sloppy Joe lover. One thing I would change is reducing brown sugar to 1/2 tab . It was to sweet had to add hot sauce and maybe melt cheese to cut the sweetness.
I doubled the recipe and used an entire yellow bell pepper and a serrano (minced) pepper. These are the best sloppy joes I’ve ever had. My family absolutely LOVED them!!
Best tasting sloppy joes I ever made and seem to be even better the next day
Great recipe! I had to leave out the hot pepper flakes as one person doesn’t like spice. Also, I only drained out part of the fat from the olive oil/butter/beef fat left after browning the meat, and after sauteing the onions, peppers and garlic, I pushed them to the side, so there was a little puddle of oil in the centre, and added a tablespoon or so of Robin Hood’s “easy blend” flour, which formed a nice roux. Then I added back the beef and tomato paste, and continued on as written.
The roux thickens the sauce quickly and easily, and without any “raw flour” taste. Not a speck of sauce was left when we were done.
So delicious! I browned the green pepper, onion, and a spoonful of diced red pepper with the ground beef. Then, I added fresh-pressed garlic. I halved the brown sugar and mustard (I detest mustard, but Mom used to sneak it in her sloppy joes). I added 1/2 tablespoon of butter at the end like one reviewer suggested. I used crushed red pepper flakes and Kagome Japanese Worcestershire sauce. Lots of ingredients, but well worth it. Thank you!
Hey Pastorette…I know the post is old, however if you see this, may I ask where you obtained your Japanese Worcestershire…
regards…
I just got finished making this. We used ground Bison. This recipe is Amazing, Amanda!!
We love it….won’t be going back to store made.
Best recipe for Sloppy Joes yet! Love it!! Even the kids loved it!! I added everything except the hot sauce. SO GOOD!!! Yummy!!
Great recipe, although I modified slightly. Instead of butter and olive oil with the meat, I just browned the meat in its own fat. l used ilive oil in the skillet after removing ground mixture, for sauting peppers/onion. I then put the tblsp butter in the finished mixture to thicken and deepen flavors. For serving I did on leaf lettuce as a wrap with roasted red pepper strips. The mixture holds well without the buns. Makes meal so much lighter.
Ooh good idea!! Butter lettuce would be amazing!
Awesome! Never buying canned again.
Very happy with this recipe, added to my favorites!
As a longtime Manwich lover, I will be making these again next time I have a craving for Sloppy Joes. So. Much. Better. DELICIOUS! Thank you for sharing.
Didn’t have manwich sauce in the cabinet. Don’t need it ever again now! Everybody gobbled it up with not a single spoonful left. I’m surprised it was so easy and yet so good. Definitely a keeper!
For me it was a good base for Sloppy Joes. I quadrupled the recipe since we have bottomless pits aka kids. So I added a whole 28 oz. box (yes box) of tomato sauce and cranked the heat so that I could evaporate the water. I played with the same ingredients called for and came out with a pan of sj’s we liked. That’s why the 4 star rating from me. I like the ideas on what else to do with the meat too. We’ll see if there’s anything left to try them.
I just made this! ( I USED 8 POUNDS of beef. I used all the ingredients ×8 )Wow! Great recipe. I did however add two more table spoons of brown sugar Now I’m taking this awesome sloppy joes to feed 26 kids-after their school play practice.
Thank you for sharing.
This was a pretty legit grown-up take on the SJ! My wife declared it a keeper, my two year old devoured his small portion and even I, a sloppy joe non-believer, was won over. To be fair, a few modifications were made: 50/50 blend fresh ground chuck and ground pork, a skosh less sugar and a skosh more Worcestershire, and a dash of oregano. Everything else as written and will remain so. Served alongside, and, eventually mixed with, some tots and slaw.
I love this sloppy joe recipe! I first found it about over a month ago and I’ve made it at least 5 times. It’s the best sloppy joe I’ve ever tried and my partner loves them too. He says it tastes just like Manwich.. (only better!!). Thank you for sharing!
Great. Easy to make. Will make fir the next group get together.
Fantastic
Great recipe! Best sloppy Joe I’ve ever had. Love the idea of buttering and grilling the rolls! It was a little too sweet, but I kinda eyed the sugar. I didn’t use hot sauce, because I’m a big baby when it comes to hot food. The pepper flakes gave it enough spice for me. Will definitely make again! Thank you!
I made this for dinner last night. It was very good. I personally don’t like ketchup in my recipes but when in Rome… for me it could have used a little more spice, such as minced hot peppers, hot sauce, chili or cayenne pepper powder, but my wife and daughter don’t like anything spicier than black pepper. It must have been good because they each wen back for seconds.
I served this on homemade sesame pretzel buns which were absolutely wonderful and made the meal. Will be making this again, albeit probably with some tweaks.
Can I just say…FABULOUS! The only thing I omitted was the red pepper flakes and my family almost licked the pan!
Excellent! Way better than the canned stuff! I used ground turkey… my husband raved!!!!
Best ever sloppy Joe’s! So balanced. If you have a trued and tested meatloaf recipe, I would love to have it!
So happy you enjoyed it! I have two that my family really love, and have gotten rave reviews https://www.thechunkychef.com/the-best-crockpot-meatloaf/ and https://www.thechunkychef.com/glazed-chipotle-meatloaf-recipe/
Rcipe looks amazing. But the ads and amount of scrolling I have to do to find anything is unbelievable
Perhaps you missed the purple “jump to recipe” button at the top of the post, so you can literally go right to your FREE recipe.
Granddaughter asked me to make sloppy joes for her birthday and some friends. The BEST ever. We didn’t want to share so will be making it again for us this weekend. Who knew you could get excited about sloppy joes. I will be checking other recipes on your sight. Thank you for making me a super Gram
Seriously the best sloppy joe recipe. I’m taking care of my daughter just out of the hospital and she asked for sloppy joes. I found this recipe and tried it and it turned out perfect! Her fiancé was like Sloppy Joes? Who asks for sloppy joes? Like I remember having to eat those in high school at lunch but… well he ate two piled high and declared he got the leftovers too!! Thanks!
I wonder how this would be with chicken instead of burger.
I think that would be tasty!
I tripled this recipe for 4 hungry teenagers and 2 adults, there was barely any left for lunch the next day! People were coming up and just scooping it onto the plate and eating it without buns. I mixed the ingredients from the ketchup to the salt in a separate bowl and blended it together before pouring it into the skillet and it was just so good. Thank you!!
I heard of a sloppy joe recipe using taco seasoning. Do you have that recipe?
I do not have that one at this time, but am always open to new ideas for developing recipes!
Tasty recipe. I made a double batch of the sauce by itself because I used died leftover brisket instead of hamburger. The only things I did differently were leaving out the tomato paste because I didn’t have any and used stone ground mustard. There may have been a few extra shakes of westchester sauce because I like the stuff.
In a pinch I found this recipe. I did not have enough onions or cstup so I substuted the catcup for tomato sauce and onions I used a tablespoon of dehydrated onions and used 1 teaspoon of garlic powder instead of fresh. This actually turned out pretty good.
Great alternative to the canned version, way better actually! I will definitely make it again, maybe with a smidge less sugar. For five servings using drained 80/20 ground beef, I calculated 233/calories per serving not counting bread. Not bad for “comfort food”!. Thanks for the recipe!
Great recipe! I doubled it and served them on homemade hamburger buns. Family of 5 all enjoyed, my 8 yr old put cheese on hers, the rest of us prefer more kick.
The only modifications I made were that I took another reviewers suggestion and added a splash of apple cider vinegar, and I subbed carrots for the green peppers (my husband can’t eat nightshades).
Made this recipe last night measured precisely. Best yet Sloppy Joes! The red pepper flakes and chili powder add just enough zest to make your mouth happy. Next time, instead of using salt, I will use a squeeze of lemon. Make this!!!😀
Was delicious on a fresh grilled brioche bun. Added 4 wickles pickles to each bun. Perfect!!!
These were just what I was looking for! These had a great depth of flavor that is impossible with a can. This will be a keeper! Thank you!
Have to tell the truth…I didn’t measure the ingredients but made it to taste. I did use your ingredients for the base. Added a bit of apple cider vinegar for extra tang and a sprinkle of paprika for a bit of extra kick. They were pretty dang good if I say so myself!!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!
Awesome. Thank you!!
I need nutrition facts
As I’m not a nutritionist, I don’t provide full nutritional information for my recipes. Your best bet would be to copy the ingredients into your favorite online nutritional calculator.
It was good. Not exactly like the one from my childhood but still really good. Added another tbsp sugar, 4 tbsps of Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 of BBQ sauce. The BBQ also darkens it a lot more. I substituted hamburger buns with hotdogs buns. It’s less messier that way.
Some very discerning sloppy joe lovers declared this the best they’d ever had.
Excited to make these for an upcoming ski trip! Can I make ahead and freeze or would you not recommend?
These sloppy joes freeze great!
Can I substitute green bell peppers for canned green chillies
Yes, you can
I make internet recipes alllll the time and have never left a review. This my friends warrants a review. AMAZING! Just make it. At least double it because it’ll go fast!
Delicious! It will be a new favorite.
Simply D-lish! Made it “as is”, Absolutely wonderful, you get full control of your ingredients (i.e. no high fructose corn syrup like Manwich). For the hot sauce I used my favorite local favorite. Went light on the onions to suit family. Even better the next night (or I was anticipating it more, not sure which). Thanks for this great recipe!
What could be a substitute for Ketchup?? I’m out 🙁
Thanks in advance!
I’ve never made it without the ketchup, so I can’t guarantee the flavor, but I would guess some tomato sauce.
1 tbsp Vinegar and tomato sauce should be fine.
Used some of my husband’s homemade red sauce (we use organic products) instead of paste and ketchup and water. doubled everything. I used red pepper instead of green. I also used powdered mustard rather than prepared.
Other than that, I left the recipe alone 😉
This will be the way to go for my house from now on! So much better than processed sloppy Joe sauce filled with preservatives
These were great, made them for super bowl, used red pepper in place of green, and followed the recipe exactly as written—-Thank you for a great recipe
Yep this recipe is delish, I’ll make it anytime!!!
I will be trying this for the superbowl
. Will serve on a pretzel roll. Looking forward to it.
Kinda wondering why you’d need butter & olive oil to brown fatty hamburger when you drain it off. Butter and olive oil cost too much to be pouring it out. I understand using it for flavor maybe after the meat has been browned and drained.
Depending on the fat level in your beef you may not need to drain it, but feel free to switch the recipe up if you want. I write the recipes how I cook, and the butter and oil add flavor to the skillet.
And enable cooking. Try it!
The only change I made was to add beef broth in place for water for a richer flavor yummo!!!
Fabulous! Served ours in fry bread and I think we have a new favorite meal.
This turned out great! I was a bit short on the ketchup and used BBQ sauce and it still come out AWESOME—hubby was super impressed! Great recipe:)
My husband said “best sloppy Joe’s ever”. Not too sweet and not too tangy. Perfect consistency, not too watery …it didn’t ruin the bun with juice.
I added 1 additional Tbsp of tomato paste and used the whole onion since my family likes onion. We browned the onion, garlic, and beef together and it was great. Thanks for this! It’s going in my fav recipes!
Very nice. Needed a recipe for some veggie crumbled we had in the house and this worked great! Quick, easy, and tasty.
I liked it quite a bit. I found it a bit sweeter than I prefer and the chili flavor wasn’t as strong as I like (and I’d already increased from 3/4 teaspoon to a full teaspoon. I will make again but debating on either omitting the brown sugar or finding a less sweet substitute for the catsup (The hint of brown sugar adds a great flavor note) . I’ll also increase the amount of chili powder to at least 1 1/2 teaspoons.
I tried this recipe today only using red pepper instead of green . Also doubled the recipe and it came delicious. Thank you, everyone loved it . Definitely be making it again soon!
I just made this. Like now. Everyone LOVED it!
Not gonna lie, these look really special. I just got super hungry!
Better than Manwich! I didn’t have Worcester so subbed soy sauce. Delicious!
This is seriously making me hungry!
Such a great weeknight dinner! So delicious!
Yum! I grew up on sloppy joes…can’t wait to try your recipe!
Looks incredible! Love how easy to make this tasty and flavorful recipe, it’s just perfect!
Homemade versions are always so much better! So much more flavor!
Homemade sloppy joes are the best! I can’t wait to try your version!
My boys will love this!
I love the other ideas for using sloppy joe meat – I bet it makes for epic loaded fries!