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When it comes to easy homemade dinners, it doesn’t get any better than the Best Sloppy Joes, a longtime family favorite. This 30-minute meal is perfect for busy weeknights, backyard barbecues, and birthday parties. Of all the sloppy joe recipes I’ve had, this one is the best.
Homemade Sloppy Joes take me back to the good old days of summer vacations. Every year my mom would make a giant batch of this recipe, freeze it, and stow it in the car during our annual trip to northern Wisconsin. When we got to the cabin, dinner was already made. All we had to do was toast up some buns and set the table. Summer meant lots of Sloppy Joe sandwiches, and maybe a little mess, and that was fine by me.
Of course, you can fiddle with the recipe. Make it spicy with some green chilies. Keep out the sugar if you prefer things less sweet, or add some smokiness with a little Barbecue Sauce. Fill it full of hidden veggies, or leave it as-is. Throw in some ground turkey, lamb, or venison. There’s simply no wrong way to make a Sloppy Joe.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Ground beef: Or substitute ground turkey or venison.
- Onion: Finely chopped celery and a green bell pepper are great too!
- Brown sugar: Even a tablespoon is too much for some people. If you don’t like the sound of brown sugar in your Sloppy Joe, please leave it out!
- Worcestershire sauce: In a pinch, you can substitute soy sauce.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine beef and chopped onion. Cook until the meat is mostly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper).
- Pour sauce ingredients over drained beef and stir until evenly coated.
- Simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally (cover if you prefer a sloppier Sloppy Joe).
- Spoon the meat into a hamburger bun and devour. For extra flavor, brush the crown of your bun with butter and toast on a griddle. YUM!
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 to 6 cups of Sloppy Joe meat mixture, enough for 8 heaping sandwiches.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cool completely, then add to freezer containers (one big batch or individual portions), label and date, and freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Barbecue sauce. Your favorite barbecue sauce (or my favorite barbecue sauce, based on Sweet Baby Ray’s) can be added instead of ketchup for a smoky version of a classic Joe.
- Spices: Dress up your sloppy joes with garlic powder, onion powder, or any other flavors you love. If you want heat, throw in a tablespoon of ancho chili powder, a teaspoon of ground cumin, or a half teaspoon of chipotle powder. Or, splash on your favorite hot sauce to taste.
- Slow cooker: In a skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain well and add the bottom of a crock pot. Add all the other ingredients (except the buns), cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Casserole: For a fork-friendly version, try my One Pot Sloppy Joe Casserole.
- Loose Meat Sandwich: The most popular item on the Maid-Rite menu, and also hailing from Iowa, Loose Meat Sandwiches will remind you of a Sloppy Joe without the “sloppy.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Manwich is a specific food product that is marked at Sloppy Joe filling. However, as many commenters will attest, you needn’t open that can of Manwich ever again. This recipe is easy and delicious and miles ahead of Manwich!
Add a slice of cheese! The cheese melts over the hot meat and helps it all adhere better to the bun, but that’s just a bonus.
Legend has it that Sloppy Joes were invented in Sioux City, Iowa. In the 1920s, a cook named Joe was working at the Ye Old Tavern Inn. He created his sloppy sandwich filling and named it a “Sloppy Joe.”
More quick dinner ideas
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Loose Meat Sandwich (Maid-Rite Copycat)
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The Best Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (see note 1)
- 1 medium onion finely chopped (see note 2)
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (see note 3)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (see note 4)
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 Sandwich buns split
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, combine beef and onion. Cook until the meat is mostly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper).
- Pour sauce ingredients over drained beef and stir until evenly coated. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally (cover if you prefer a sloppier Sloppy Joe). Serve in buns.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Ground beef: Or substitute ground turkey or venison.
- Onion: Finely chopped celery and bell peppers are great too!
- Brown sugar: Even a tablespoon is too much for some people. If you don’t like the sound of brown sugar in your Sloppy Joe, please leave it out!
- Worcestershire sauce: In a pinch, you can substitute soy sauce.
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 to 6 cups of Sloppy Joe meat mixture, enough for 8 heaping sandwiches.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I used to make sloppy joes when my kids were little and used my mother’s recipe. This was dang close. I like gr peppers in mine so that was added and I always used cider vinegar but that is just personal preference! Thank you.
You’re welcome, Ro! I’m glad this recipe brought back nice memories! – Meggan
Another great recipe! I’m wishing that I would have found your recipes years ago. Thank you Meggan 😊
You’re so welcome, Cathy! I’m happy you love them! Take care! – Meggan
Meggan: Thanks for this recipe! It’s so easy and SO good. I make it exactly as written and it’s perfect. My husband and I love these sloppy joes!!
You’re so welcome, Rose! I’m so glad you both love them! – Meggan
I just made this and while making I realized I didn’t have any dried mustard, so I used 1 tsp Turmeric and it turned out AMAZING! I will definitely print this recipe for future use!
Thank you for the comment, Last Minute Lizzie! Glad you loved it! – Meggan
These are the very best sloppy joes. They have so much flavor.
Hi Connie, thank you so much for your comment! I’m glad you loved them! – Meggan
This is an absolutely delicious Sloppy Joe recipe. I made it numerous times as written, but recently I started making it a little more adult-friendly by adding about a tablespoon or so of gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) and that just makes it out of this world! Definitely try it!
Sounds delicious, Cheryl! I’ll have to try this! – Meggan
Meggan, I have made this recipe tons of times and we love it! I was planning this for dinner and defrosted my meat but in the meantime, we were asked to dinner. My question: if I make this today will it be okay to freeze it for another night’s dinner? Thank you so much!
Hi Diane, I’m so happy you love it! Yes but eventually the quality will suffer. But as far as food safety goes, I would say you’d want to eat it in 3 months, but I haven’t actually tested this to know for sure. Hope this helps! – Meggan
I do all the time so I know my hubby and kids will have dinner if I’m not home, and her recipe is no different than mine except I use apple cider vinegar instead.
This is similar to the Sloppy Joes I make except I use Splenda brown sugar as I am Diabetic. I also like to add a couple of tablespoons of chopped homemade dill pickle to the mix. This is also great using ground turkey.