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.
Lynnrae says
My new favorite Sloppy Joes recipe. Delicious – thank you!
Randi says
This was so good! I made with Turkey and all three of my kids ate it and one even asked for seconds! I love a quick easy recipe that tastes good! Thank You!
Toni Stacy says
My family loved these. I love how quick and easy they are to make! A recipe I’ll be making again.
Kristen says
This recipe was delicious! Easy to make and very flavorful. Once the ingredients were all mixed, the mustard seemed to overpower it, but after allowing it to cook and the flavors to marry, it was perfect! I only wish mine came out as saucy as the picture.
Maria says
Made these tonight…Delicious!
Didn’t have a green pepper, but had a jalapeno so they were extra spicy – I also used red pepper flakes. The brown sugar balanced the spice nicely. Toasted the buns like you suggested and topped with cheddar cheese. My husband was VERY HAPPY! Thanks!
Stephanie Jones says
This was a hit. Much better than any store bought. I will use this recipe again.
Jane W says
I made this recipe according to the direction. I omitted the green pepper because my family doesn’t like it. It was great!!! I will make this for my son-in-law next time. He doesn’t like Manwich sloppy joes. But I am sure he will like these.
Lorrie Domack says
Loved it!
Courtney says
Never made home made sloppy joes. Saw this recipe and had all the ingredients so figured I’d try it. My kids LOVED them!! They were so good!
Leslie says
It was good, but I’d step away from the brown sugar a little.
Natanya says
I followed this recipe exact and it was absolutely delicious!! I will use this one again!!
Nancy Slattery says
Love these! They’re perfect, even though I left out the tomato paste b/c I didn’t have any. I made them with veggie crumbles since we’re trying to base our diet on plants, and they were just wonderfully tasty. Thanks for a great recipe.
Imidara says
It looks so good 🤤 can’t wait to try it out 😋
TJ Kopi says
This is a great recipe! Just looked through a few. Making this tonight, added more tomato paste. But love all the layers of flavors this recipe has. The flavor is amazing! The canned Manwich was way too sweet for me, even as a child, we had it a couple times. Love making it myself and add less sugar and less ketchup.
Jean Myers says
These are by far the best Sloppy Joe’s ever! My family wants me to make these almost every week! The only thing I do differently is I make more sauce because my family likes theirs really saucy. I also make a separate batch just using mushrooms instead of green peppers and onions for my husband who is ultra picky!
Helena says
Is it ok to use ground chicken for the sloppy joes?
Amanda says
Yep, that should work well 🙂
Mary J Robbins says
This sloppy joe recipe is really good. I used ground turkey, because I don’t eat meat. There is always some in the freezer. It’s convenient, because most people keep the ingredients on hand. The hot sauce and red pepper flakes are a nice touch. Thank you for the recipe!
steve scilluffo says
um turkey IS MEAT. lmao
Amanda says
I’m assuming she meant red meat 🙂
Beth M says
Absolutely delicious and so comforting
lisa says
I was pleasantly surprised with this recipe. My daughter said she didn’t like the sloppy joes she had tried in the past. I haven’t either, but I wanted to try something new, and my family loved them. We sliced cucumbers and put them on and it tasted amazing. The recipe doesn’t need any tweaking.
Cheryl Peterson says
I was wondering what I can replace with mustard? I am currently out but am craving sloppy joes! Any suggestions?
Amanda says
I would try an equal amount vinegar, to add that little tang 🙂