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.
Casey says
I’ve never been more impressed with a copycat recipe. This was very comparable to Manwich but much better. Thank you!
Dianna Hutchinson says
Absolutely love this recipe, I add in chopped yellow, green, and orange peppers, this takes it to the next level in my opinion!
Diane says
Love this recipe. Not so SloppyJoe has been discontinued..I only used that sauce. This is my new favorite. Love it and easy.
Dan says
Way too sweet, even without the addition of sugar. Definitely don’t add that tbsp. Otherwise pretty good
Nikia says
Really good! Way better than the canned. I didn’t tell my Boyfriend I made them homemade and he asked if I did something different because they were way better.
Trish Clinton says
This is a bit on the sweet side for me so I would lower the brown sugar just a tad. I made this recipe x5 for the fraternity I cook for and it was well received. I notice though that your instructions don’t mention when to add the “dash of hot sauce”. I cooked the beef and sauce and mixed to sit overnight, then used my crockpot to reheat and added sriracha right at the end. I would also advise not using a salty hot sauce like Texas Pete as then the salt would be too much. Will be using this recipe again! I also topped them with a friend onion ring and American cheese:)
Tammie says
Hubby made this tonight and it was the best Sloppy Joe recipe ever!
So flavorful!
James Evans says
Made it! Excellent! Used dried onions because my grandson hates all vegi stuff. Green peppers I threw in blender. Withheld pepper flakes and used Franks. This was really good and the vegi police none the wiser.
Laurel says
Excellent! Put it on brioche buns, along sweet potato fries and a healthy salad. Thank you!
Terri Taylor says
This is definitely the way I’ll fix them from now on. I’m in a rut and having a hard time thinking of what to cook and I’m glad I found something new to rotate in. Thank you
Kasanita Vi says
I have made this for so many events and it’s always the star of the show. Since the first time I’ve made this YEARS ago, it stays on our rotation. This is also my go to when making food for other people because they always expect it from the can and it’s sooooooooo much better
Angel Moriset says
Making your recipe, was the first time I’ve ever made sloppy joes from scratch .. it was always easier, I thought, to just grab a can and add it to my ground beef….. Well I’m making them tonight for the 2nd time and my husband and I love them! I do add more tomato paste, but I like a string tomato flavor… these are so amazing! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Kevin says
This is one of my favorite recipes! Easy and delicious, makes the family happy! Thank you for sharing it!
Michele says
Yes! Absolutely the BEST recipe for Sloppy Joes. Hubby wanted Sloppy Joes and I didn’t have the ‘can’ to make his Hubby’wich. I found this recipe and we both loved it! Awesome recipe Amanda!
Sandy says
The sloppy Joe recipe was very good, much better than the stuff in the can.
Amanda says
WOW! WOW! WOW! These are the BEST sloppy joes I have ever had! My husband and daughter both loved them as well! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Anita Pruiett says
Most delishious homemade sloppy Joe’s ever…! My husband & I love them. I haven’t used any other recipes or canned sauce since I found this recipe over a year ago…! They truly are the best…!!!
Debora Andrews says
We have pool parties/volleyball tournaments every Summer. For the past two Summers, I always make a main dish and some sort of salad for everyone when they get hungry. Slider seem to be their favorite! This last weekend, I didn’t have a whole lot of time so I made this Sloppy Joe recipe but doubled it and sliced some Hawaiian rolls up next to the pan. All but a cup of it was GONE! It was a definite hit and I will NEVER use canned or packed seasoning again for Sloppy Joe’s!
Shannon says
These were the best sloppy joes ever. THANK YOU!!! 😋
Rich says
My wife grew up on manwich but after I made this for my wife…she absolutely loved it and won’t go back….
Cheryl Messenger says
These had the best flavor and so easy to put together! My friends raved over my “sloppy joe sliders”!