Homemade Sloppy Joes

This easy and delicious homemade sloppy joe recipe is sure to become a family favorite. With simple ingredients and step-by-step instructions, you’ll be whipping up this classic comfort food in no time.

The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes

The Sloppy Joe is as all-American as hot dogs and french fries. This recipe is full of flavor from onions, bell pepper, garlic, and brown sugar in a tomato-based sauce. They are the perfect blend of ingredients without being overly spicy or ridiculously bland. If you like them a little spicier, add a pinch of crushed red pepper, a bit of cayenne, or even one teaspoon of sriracha. I love to serve these with air fryer potato wedges, baked macaroni and cheese, green beans and potatoes, and funeral potatoes.

Why are they called Sloppy Joes?

The Sloppy Joe has been around since the 1950s. It came about as a variation on what used to be referred to as loose meat sandwiches. Legend has it that Joe, a cook at Floyd Angell’s cafe in Sioux City, Iowa, added tomato sauce to a loose meat sandwich, and that was the start of what we now call the Sloppy Joe. Thanks, Joe! I appreciate your creativity, and so does my family!!

Homemade Sloppy Joe Ingredients

How to make Homemade Sloppy Joes

Start by browning your ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook until the veggies are soft and the ground beef is no longer pink. Next, carefully drain any excess fat. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Now stir in the apple cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, spicy barbecue sauce, ketchup, chili powder, and water. Simmer the meat mixture for about 20 minutes over low heat. Serve over any soft roll or, for a change of pace, serve over cooked rice, egg noodles, or homemade pizza dough for sloppy joe pizza.

How to make Sloppy Joes in a Crock Pot

Over medium heat, in a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain any excess grease. Add the onion and pepper and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Drain any excess grease and add it and the other ingredients to the crock pot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.

Recipe Tips

• Use ground beef with a bit of fat in it. The fat is what flavors the meat and makes it juicy and tasty. Drain the excess fat after browning the ground beef and cooking the veggies.
• Ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork can be substituted for the ground beef. 
• Use a spicy barbecue sauce with limited sugar. I like Stubbs Barbecue Sauce.
• If the mixture seems to be a little drier than you like, add a little more water, barbecue sauce, or ketchup.
• Spoon over brioche bun, freshly baked hamburger buns, rice, or pasta.
• Add a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon of ground cayenne, or a teaspoon of hot sauce to spice up the taste.

Storage and Reheat

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.

Freeze sloppy joe meat mixture in a freezer bag or freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat.

More Ground Beef Recipes

Patty Melt

Hamburger Vegetable Soup

Hamburger Stew

Salisbury Steak

Hamburger Gravy

Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe

Delectable family-friendly, easy weeknight Homemade Sloppy Joes made with many common pantry ingredients.  This recipe requires limited hands-on time and is ready in under 30 minutes.

5 from 44 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main meal beef

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 407kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 small green pepper finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard the condiment kind
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup spicy barbecue sauce see notes
• ½ cup ketchup
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ⅓ -½ cup water
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 8 brioche or hamburger buns

Instructions

• Over medium heat, in a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain any excess grease. Add the onion and pepper and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
• Add the cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, ketchup, chili powder, and water. 
• Simmer for 10-15 minutes and spoon onto buns.

Notes

• Use ground beef with a little fat in it. The fat is what flavors the meat and makes it juicy and tasty. Just drain the excess fat after browning the ground beef and cooking the veggies.
• Ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork can be substituted for the ground beef. 
• Use a spicy barbecue sauce with limited sugar. I like Stubbs Barbecue Sauce.
• If the mixture seems to be a little drier than you like, simply add a little more water, barbecue sauce, or ketchup.
• Spoon over brioche bun, freshly baked hamburger buns, rice, or pasta.
• To spice up the taste, add a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon of ground cayenne, or a teaspoon of hot sauce.
• Freeze sloppy joe meat mixture in a freezer bag or freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat.

Nutrition

Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 671mg | Potassium: 447mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 202IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 3mg

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