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.
Edward J Comstock says
Woah, quite literally “the best homemade sloppy Joe ever.”
Didn’t change a thing, and the recipe doubles quite nicely
Bernadette Dickson says
Delicious! Only change is I added celery too.
Milli says
I don’t have a question just want you to know your recipes are some of my very favorites. Every person that has ever tasted your 5 minute restaurant salsa has asked me for the recipe – same thing with your enchilada sauce with gravy. You’re a fabulous cook and I love your recipes. Keep um coming!
The Chunky Chef says
That is so incredibly sweet Milli, thank you!! Your kind words just made my whole week 🙂
Cole says
Tastes like how my mom made it.
Kathleen Loveland says
This is always a hit at home. And I cook for classes held at my church, and this is always requested.
Dana says
I made this recipe tonight using a pound of deer meat. It was fab-u-las!
Bill says
Made this for my vegetarian son. Subbed zucchini and green, red and yellow bell peppers for the ground beef. Tasted so good, I would’ve been happy I think next time, I’ll make a big batch for all.of us. I’m not a vegetarian but I know good food when I taste it.
Robert DeCuir says
While I haven’t made this yet, I am looking forward based on the numerous positive comments AND your version lacks a diabetic coma amount of sugar! I can’t say the same for the canned stuff! Thank you for your recipe.
Leslie Elledge says
This was sooooo good! My daughter wants this again tonight. She said it was better than the canned version.
Judy says
I made these using Beyond Burger, as I was hosting a crowd that included vegetarians. Everyone liked them. Thanks for the recipe, Amanda!
Shellie says
Ohhh this was delicious! I usually do some spice adjustments at the end of recipes, but the flavor in this was absolutely spot on. The only change I made originally was to use an orange bell pepper instead of green (what I had on hand). However, mine did not turn out very saucy so there wasn’t really anything to thicken. – I did measure all the liquids so I’m not sure why it wasn’t much, but I just added a little extra tomato paste and water and it did the trick.
Rebecca says
Very easy and quick recipe that is so much better than canned sloppy joes!!! It’s a keeper!
Donna says
Yummy
Cindy says
Wow,,,I love this recipe, the only one I use for sloppy joes since I found it. I’ve posted several compliments for this and for other Chunky Chef recipes…..Where are the replies? Would be great if all these compliments could be acknowledged…..I mean, a simple “Thank you” is only common courtesy.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Cindy. Trust me, I read all the comments I receive, but as I’m just one person running this company, and I receive over 100 comments each day just on this website (plus more around this time of year, and that doesn’t include the numerous social media channels), I honestly just don’t have the time to respond to comments that aren’t asking a direct question. I have a family, this business, and try to keep a reasonable work-life balance. I appreciate all feedback though! Also, if I respond to every comment, that doubles the amount that are shown on the page, which can make the load time longer.
Cindy says
I apologize if my comment sounded ugly, it wasn’t meant that way. I’m just more accustomed to other sites (for example, The Cozy Cook) where responses are provided to each comment; it’s always nice to know if you took the time to leave a comment, your
comment was received and read. I am still in love with your sloppy joe recipe and will never use another as it is so fabulous! Please forgive me if I sounded rude, I can understand that businesses operate differently.
Cindy T. says
Wow,,,I love this recipe, the only one I use for sloppy joes since I found it. I’ve posted several compliments for this and for other Chunky Chef recipes…..Where are the replies? Would be great if all these compliments could be acknowledged…..I mean, a simple “Thank you” is only common courtesy.
Vickie says
I followed this recipe to a T. It was perfect. Everyone loved it. Very easy to make.
Jason Rose says
Very delicious! My family loved them. Thanks!
Jacqueline says
I don’t usually post on these websites, but holy moly that was so tasty I had to leave a review. I just didn’t add the mustard or onion powder because our family isn’t a fan of that. Still was amazing.
Judy S. says
This was the BEST Sloppy Joes I ever made. Thank for the recipe.
Suzanne Moore says
This is so much better than canned! I’ve already made it several times. My husband loves it!
CMC says
So yummy, thank you. We have annual tradition of making sloppy Joe’s on Halloween and we still do even now our 3 children are grown and on their own. I’ve never made them from scratch and was glad I found this recipe. Only change I made (sorry I hate it when people do this) I added a beef bouillon cube to the 1/3 cup water. Superb!