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close view of a sandwich bun filled with beef sloppy joes on a white plate.
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5 from 13 votes

Crockpot Sloppy Joes

These sweet and tangy homemade sloppy joes are made with simple ingredients, are easy to customize to your tastes, and are made easily in the slow cooker!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time4 hours 10 minutes
Total Time4 hours 25 minutes
Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ground beef recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 445kcal
Author: The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 small white onion minced
  • 1 small red bell pepper minced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • hamburger buns

Instructions

Prepare

  • Gather a 4 quart or larger slow cooker. You'll also need a large skillet, a colander, and a small mixing bowl.

Cook beef

  • Heat a large skillet over MED-HIGH heat.  When hot, add a drizzle of oil (we normally use avocado oil), and then add beef. Cook, breaking apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 5-8 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Transfer to colander to drain.

Add to slow cooker

  • Transfer cooked beef from the colander to the insert of a slow cooker. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Stir well.

Make sauce

  • In a small mixing bowl, add the tomato paste, ketchup, bbq sauce, brown sugar, worcestershire, dijon mustard, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine.

Combine and cook

  • Pour the sauce into the slow cooker on top of the beef mixture. Stir well, then cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours, or HIGH for 2-3 hours. ** I recommend stirring the mixture every hour or 2 if you're home, to prevent any burning. **

Serve

  • Before serving, stir well, breaking up any clumps of beef. Serve hot over hamburger buns (toasted buns work perfectly!), or as desired.

Notes

  1. I've estimated that this recipe will serve about 6, but feel free to divide it up into as many servings as you'd like.
  2. Any color bell pepper will work for this recipe.
  3. Yellow mustard can be substituted for the Dijon, and additional spices may be used.

Stovetop Directions:

  1. Add 1/2 cup of water, beef broth, or beer to the ingredient list.
  2. Cook beef as directed, and after draining, add another drizzle of oil and saute the onion and pepper in the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
  3. Reduce heat to MED/MED-LOW, and add the beef back to the skillet. Stir in the tomato paste, stirring well to coat.
  4. Add in the ketchup, bbq sauce, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and the 1/2 cup water. Stir well to combine.
  5. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until mixture has thickened to your liking. 
  6. Serve as directed.

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 2120mg | Potassium: 2159mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 3306IU | Vitamin C: 56mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 7mg