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.
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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.
Patricia Knapp says
Best I have ever had!
Skyler says
I’m making a large batch for my sons birthday party. Do you think I could use tomato sauce instead of some of the ketchup?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, that should work well… you may want to add a touch of extra sugar, since ketchup is sweetened and tomato sauce isn’t 🙂
ben says
delicious
Bethany says
This was so delicious! Thank you so much! Even my picky 4 year old and my tough to please husband liked these.
Max says
Wow!
Made this yesterday. My husband and I loved it. Making it again x 3 for a fun get together tonight! So so yummy!
Matthew Schmidt says
One of my favorite recipes that is super simple to make and will have your guests in amazement.
Emily says
After reading some of these comments, I was definitely spoiled growing up. I had no idea you could buy canned sloppy joe! But that aside, this recipe was delicious! I just Chipotle Chile pepper and a couple dashes of tobasco and this recipe was delicious! And it was super easy to make. It’s become one of my go to’s!
Ellen Reinig says
Excellent recipe. Easy to follow directions and the family loved it!!
Nan says
Love this recipe. 5 stars
Mary Ellen says
This was ok in a pinch when I was out of the “step away from the can” Manwich. But all this recipe really does is swap a can for jars. Jars of ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce. The dominate flavor was ketchup even after doubling the spices and adding vinegar to try and add some brightness with acid. More flavor to just open one can.
The Chunky Chef says
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe Mary. Of course you’re always welcome to use homemade ketchup, homemade mustard, etc if you don’t like to use jars. We all have different preferences, and it sounds like this one wasn’t for you 🙂
Bryce says
Mary must have had Covid when she made this because it’s amazing. Definitely my go to recipe for “Sloppy Joe’s.” Mary, you might be better off shopping the frozen section at Walmart…
Cho says
Agreed. If Mary think a can of sloppy joe sauce compares, she should stick with her frozen fish sticks and dinosaur nuggets.
Renee Samson says
Fabulous! I followed it loosely and it still hit that nostalgic note that I was hoping for. Spicy and rich. I didn’t have green peppers and subbed soy sauce for the Worcestershire, just because of what was in my fridge.
Lou VanValkenburgh says
Awesome sloppy Joes!!!! I will never use canned again!!!!
Laurie says
So good. I did amp up the amount of spices and added more liquid than it called for so I could cook it longer. Nice combination of flavor with the sweet and chili powder. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to using a can or packet to make sloppy joes again. Thanks for the recipe.
Scarlet says
Every time I made this everybody always wants more. Perfect sloppy joes every time.
Jacob miller says
Mu grandpa showed me this recipe. Sometimes three times a week. But top fries with this, extra onions, garlic aoli, and cheese…. fire
Michael Souther says
I followed this pretty close. Turned out great. I used hollowed out French rolls. This is my go to for sloppy joes.
Jenna says
Makes dry as heck sloppy Joe. Looks nothing like the photo. I followed all the ingredients to a T and it came out dry as a bone. Bad recipe.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Jenna, I’m sorry you didn’t have a good experience with this recipe. I’m surprised it ended up dry, since many people have made and reviewed this recipe and never mentioned it being dry. It sounds like the mixture may have simmered a bit too long… all stovetops and skillets will cook differently.
Maria Langmaack says
Excellent recipe! My husband was leery about trying it, but he loved it!
Heather says
Sounds really good! I like onion and green peppers in mine (because you can’t taste them) but my husband is a different story… could I make this recipe but use onion powder and something else instead? Thoughts?
The Chunky Chef says
I hear you, my husband isn’t keen on vegetables in his sloppy joes either lol. I would use about 1/2 – 1 tsp of onion powder, or 1 – 2 tsp of dried onion flakes, and just omit the green pepper (since there really isn’t a good dried substitute for that). 🙂
Jasmine says
Our family absolutely loved this recipe! Thank you!
Lorena says
So good and easy!! Only had flour tortillas wrapped it in that 10/10