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.
Melissa Anderson says
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!
Dani says
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!
Ann says
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 !
Julie S says
Made this last night… so good! The flavors are wonderful! You get a touch of sweet and a touch of spicy in each bite!
RICHARD A DADDIS says
you nailed it, perfect combination, best i’ve made yet, thank you
Caroline Treadwell says
Very good! I used a finely diced Jalapeño. No pepper flakes. I also used more Worcestershire sauce and a bit more mustard!
Shellee Niznik says
these were easy and very tasty! you can makr then as spicy as you like.
Kathleen says
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.
Candace Caddell says
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!
Loz says
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!
Judith Carr says
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.
Rebecca says
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!!
Dianne Tansini says
Best tasting sloppy joes I ever made and seem to be even better the next day
Kevin Bertsch says
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.
Pastorette says
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!
Marie says
Hey Pastorette…I know the post is old, however if you see this, may I ask where you obtained your Japanese Worcestershire…
regards…
Debra says
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.
Kristen says
Best recipe for Sloppy Joes yet! Love it!! Even the kids loved it!! I added everything except the hot sauce. SO GOOD!!! Yummy!!
Todd says
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.
Danielle says
Ooh good idea!! Butter lettuce would be amazing!
Cris says
Awesome! Never buying canned again.
Cindy says
Very happy with this recipe, added to my favorites!