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!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
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.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef 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.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Jackie says
Can I substitute tomatoe sauce for tomato paste? If so, how much?
Amanda says
You can, and I would just do a tablespoon or two.
Cathy Braden says
Best sloppy joe recipe I have ever made. So much flavor. The only change was I used orange bell pepper instead of green.
Tonya says
Great recipe! I’ve made it quite a few times and my family loves it. I have even shared it with others. Great flavor and much better than Racheal Ray’s recipe (I used to use that one). I can’t tolerate anything that comes from a can. Good Job!! Thank you.
Suzanne says
I used to buy that yucky stuff in a can! But I sampled my sister’s recipe and enjoyed it. Well, I misplaced her recipe and tried this one and I absolutely love it! She was intrigued when I told her about this recipe and wants me to send her a copy so that she might compare it to hers. Thanks so much for this tasty treat!
Karen Swanson says
Thank you Amanda for this fabulous receipe! I defrosted chop meat and was going to make burgers this eve. But wanted something more for my husband, and I looked for a sloppy joe receipe, to see if I had the necessary ingredients. I haven’t made sloppy joes in over 10 years. In the past I used to use Manwich. Your receipe looked perfect. I had everything but the correct amount of ketchup, so I substituted my homemade pasta sauce for part of the ketchup. It was delicious! We will definitely be enjoying this again in the future.
Tiffany says
Absolutely love this recipe. Have only ever used canned sauces for sloppy joes in the past and this is familiar enough to satisfy that craving but so much more tasty! Thanks so much!
Bridget says
We made this last night using ground turkey, and WOW! This was absolutely delicious. My boyfriend never had a sloppy joe before, and he was seriously impressed – he even said he was excited we had leftovers for tonight. Thanks for a great recipe!
Terri says
I’ve made this sloppy joe recipe a couple times now and my husband just loves it. Thanks so much for sharing it.
Rich says
Excellent recipe. Recommended.
Maureen says
I made the Sloppy Joes for a large party. Everyone raved about them! I’ve sent numerous friends to the Chunky Chef.
Terri says
Just like mom used to make! I made pretty much as written but added more tomato paste as I like it a bit more tomatoey. Also had to add more water as it dried up before it was done cooking. Added no “heat” and it was just perfect. Don’t like the current trend of added heat to virtually everything, even cupcakes. Leave classic recipes as they were originally……if you’re one who likes to drench everything in Tabasco, then I’m sure you’ll do it with this too.
Molly says
I had not had sloppy joe since grade school. I am now 52. This receipe satisfied my grade school craving to perfection. Thank you.
Name says
DO you have any idea how stupid these articles look with you trying to jump through google’s SEO hoops to boost your ranking? NOBODY wants your f**king history of Sloppy Joes OK? NOBODY.
Amanda says
Awww bless your heart. You seem really worked up over a recipe. You might want to work on that. Oh, and if you don’t want to read what I wrote, feel free to click the button that literally takes you right to the recipe 😉
Belle Faire says
Love this recipe… hate idiots that feel the need to use profanity re: your review of the cultural history of Sloppy Joe. In fact it make me feel obligated to join you 😻😻😻 In our family it was tradition to have homemade Sloppy Joe and crinkle fries every Halloween before heading out to Trick or Treat! This recipe is sooo similar to my grandmother’s that it takes me right back to 1968– the last year she was alive and able to celebrate with us.
I bulk cook and TRIPLE this recipe. I freeze a third and send a third with my son and his fiancée. Thanks for sharing.
Todd says
I love this response. Bless their heart. 😆
ed says
There was a great article on thetakeout about how hard it is to post recipes, and an app that shut down because they wanted to take out the story portion. I’m making this tonight. Looks about what I made as a kid.
Mary says
WOW!! I jumped straight to the recipe at first but after reading THAT comment I felt obligated to read the entire article/history! What a cretin! Interesting to know Sloppy Joes came from loose meat sandwiches. I always wondered what loose meat sandwiches were, first heard about them on Rosanne. And recently tried my hand at them (fam decide I should stick with sloppy joes) I am always looking to up my game in cooking and will give this recipe a try. I too grew up with Sloppy joes on Halloween and have continued that tradition with my boys for the past 25 yrs. Love your recipes!!!
Lau says
You’re a jerk. This person is kind enough to share her story and her recipe and some fool like you takes issue with it. Crawl back in your cave
Karen Swanson says
Name is clearly very stressed, but you handled your response very well…bravo to you for a great tasting recipe and being authentic to who you are and your creative website!
Nobody says
I did like seeing the history. Thank you for adding it. The no named reviewer was right when s/he said I wanted it.
Alison says
This recipe was absolutely delicious – I didn’t make any changes at all and loved it! And thanks so much for the toasted bun recommendation – total game-changer!
Jenn says
This recipe is spot on perfect. Will make it again and again. Thank you!
D. IKelly says
Delicious. I make it once a week. Great on a potatoe roll I also melted some cheddar cheese on the bun. Sooooo good!!!!!
Audrey B says
Absolutely the best sloppy joe I ever made! My grandson lived them!
alma ferry says
How many calories?
Amanda says
It’s estimated at 266 calories per serving, which doesn’t include the bun. But this is just an estimate and results can vary widely based on brands used, etc. For future reference, the calories per serving are listed in the navy blue section of every recipe card 🙂
Jill says
Oh! My! God! This sloppy joe was AMAZING! We have it on rotation at our house. Thank you because the canned stuff is…..bleck.
Gen says
How would you reheat?
Amanda says
I would just reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave 🙂
Dusty says
Delicious! Added a little more water & toasted buns with a slice of American cheese. The best!