The VERY BEST Homemade Sloppy Joes is a sloppy joe recipe that’s not only deliciousbut quick & easy to make using real ingredients instead of a store-bought can of sauce. 100s of reviews agree!
There aren’t many dinners that you can get on the table faster than whipping up a Sloppy Joes. And while the store-bought sauce that rhymes with San-wich might make this meal even quicker, it’s got some less-than-ideal ingredients. After all, I tend to avoid high fructose corn syrup in my sweets, much less my dinner.
So what’s a Sloppy Joe-lovin’ family to do? Why, put together your own quick and easy, all-natural sauce, of course! It only takes a couple of minutes, it tastes soooo much better (in fact, you get to control how sweet and/or salty you want it), and you don’t have to worry about any unnecessary additives.
How to Make Sloppy Joes
I shared my Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joes awhile back, which feature this same sauce, but sometimes you don’t have the forethought (or time) to toss something into the crock pot first thing in the morning.
So if you still want an effortless, family-pleasing meal come 5 o’clock, make this tried-and-true Homemade Sloppy Joe recipe! Simply brown some ground beef (or turkey), stir together a simple sauce, and then combine the two. Allow the mixture to simmer on the stove for a few minutes and then slap it on some buns. Easy peasy!
There’s really not much more to say about this recipe, folks. Kids adore it, but adults love it, too. It’s so simple but oh-so-good. A side salad, some baked beans, and — of course — some thickly-sliced pickles on top of your Sloppy Joes, and…dinner is served!
Homemade Sloppy Joes Tips, Tricks, & Equipment
(some affiliate links below)
- If you’re making your own Sloppy Joe sauce in order to avoid processed ingredients, be sure to use all-natural ketchup.
- This Sloppy Joe sauce is intended to be slightly sweet, but it’s really a matter of taste. If you prefer a more savory sauce, feel free to use less brown sugar. Additionally, you may use unrefined sugar (or even a squeeze of honey) in place of the brown sugar, if you wish.
- If you like your Sloppy Joe meat with onions and peppers, you may dice up half an onion and half a bell pepper and cook them in a tablespoon of olive oil until softened (about 5 to 10 minutes) before browning the beef. Remove the onions and peppers from the pot and proceed with the recipe, cooking the meat and then stirring the onions/peppers back in at the same time you add the sauce.
- Along those same lines, if you’d like to make this meal even healthier by packing in some extra veggies unbeknownst to your kids (or your hubby), be sure to check out my How to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies post, which specifically addresses Sloppy Joes.
- My family loves Sloppy Joes so much that I’ve also come up with a zesty Tex-Mex version…olè!
- If, like me, you make a lot of ground beef (or ground turkey) recipes, this tool is pretty darn handy for breaking up your meat.
- Be sure to check out the recipe video below to see just how quick and easy this recipe really is!
Sloppy Joe Recipe
Homemade Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef (OR turkey)
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Hamburger buns
- Sliced pickles
Instructions
- Set a large pot over medium-low heat. Add a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil, and saute the garlic for a minute or two until just fragrant and very light golden brown. Add ground beef, increase heat to medium/medium high, and cook until no longer pink, breaking apart and stirring as meat cooks. Drain grease from meat.
- While meat is browning, make sauce. In a medium bowl, stir together tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste, until well combined. Pour over browned meat, stir, and simmer for a few minutes until heated through (or longer, if you have time, to allow the flavors to meld).
- Serve on hamburger buns or rolls with sliced pickles on top.
Notes
- This Sloppy Joe sauce is intended to be slightly sweet, but it's really a matter of taste. If you prefer a more savory sauce, feel free to use less brown sugar. Additionally, you may use unrefined sugar (or even a squeeze of honey) in place of the brown sugar, if you wish.
- If you like your Sloppy Joe meat with onions and peppers, you may dice up half an onion and half a bell pepper and cook them in a tablespoon of olive oil until softened (about 5 to 10 minutes) before browning the beef. Remove the onions and peppers from the pot and proceed with the recipe, cooking the meat and then stirring the onions/peppers back in at the same time you add the sauce.
Post originally published on January 13, 2015…back when my two-year-old couldn’t keep her little marker-stained mitts away long enough for me to snap a few pictures.
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Lisa says
December 13, 2018 at 8:16 amI love the flavor and it’s so simple to cook. Thanks for the recipe.
Lori Lorenz says
December 23, 2018 at 1:32 pmFinally, a sloppy joe recipe without peppers! I did add the onion, and I doubled the recipe because my husband can eat 4 sandwiches in the blink of an eye, and I wanted some! This is a keeper for me. He loves sloppy Joe’s and he’s been asking for them. This fit the bill!
alethia shambaugh says
February 4, 2019 at 9:52 amOk seriously love this ! I’ve made it twice and I won’t stop but mine never comes out dark like yours ! Why not ?!
A friend gave me this recipe when I asked about how she made hers and hers was also very dark in color compared to mine . I even saw t and eat it in person . Yum !
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
February 5, 2019 at 6:58 amI’m so glad you enjoy this recipe, Alethia! I’m not sure why yours isn’t coming out as dark, though…I can only imagine it has to do with the specific brands (and colors) of the ingredients you’re using? At any rate, as long as it tastes good, it doesn’t matter what color it is! 😉
Linda says
March 21, 2019 at 7:08 amI love Sloppy Joe sandwiches and I’m with you on the fact that I hate the canned stuff. Too much high fructose and other additives for me. This is a delicious looking and great quick and easy meal that everyone in the family will love. Just looking at all that mouthwatering goodness is making me hungry!
Jessica Formicola says
March 21, 2019 at 8:31 amThese really are the best sloppy joes! My whole family loved them and I can’t wait to make them again!
Monique says
March 26, 2019 at 5:52 pmDelicious! Instead of pickles I just added a little pickle juice to the meat mix. My go to recipe now. Thanks for sharing.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
March 27, 2019 at 8:17 amGreat idea, Monique…we always put pickle slices on our Sloppy Joes but I never thought to put pickle juice in the meat!
Kat says
March 27, 2019 at 4:24 pmAwesome recipe! I am very picky and typically go for recipes with dozens of reviews rather than one with few…. but this seemed promising; it was! The only change I made was to include real white onion and omit onion powder 🙂 I saw a question about the color. The darkness definitely comes from Worcestershire sauce. Variation may be due to brand? Either way, great recipe! Will probably use 1.25 lb beef next time 🙂
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
March 27, 2019 at 9:34 pmSo happy to hear these Sloppy Joes were a hit, Kat! I very recently changed to a recipe card that allows ratings, so while this recipe was originally posted several years ago and has over 100 positive comments, it only has a few ratings so far. So I very much appreciate you taking the time to leave one! 🙂
Habi says
April 4, 2019 at 7:34 pmI really like it, its taste is great. Thank you for your recipe.
Smith says
April 8, 2019 at 9:10 pmSo easy to make. Thank you so much!
ANNETTE Escalante says
April 30, 2019 at 2:56 pmThank you for the awesome sloppy Joe yummy. Can I freeze left over sloppy Joe?
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
May 5, 2019 at 3:35 pmYou’re so welcome, Annette. And absolutely! Any leftover sloppy joe mixture will freeze and thaw beautifully. 🙂
EK says
May 23, 2019 at 1:41 pmI doubled the recipe for my family and did all of it in my Crock Pot Instant super cooker. First by browning ground chicken (that’s what we had on hand) along with minced garlic and oil all together. Then I added the sauce mixture and switched the setting to simmer for about 30 minutes to reduce all the liquid. I put it on warm and the family can eat it when needed. (I did add a bit of salt….)
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
May 24, 2019 at 7:53 pmSounds fantastic…thanks for sharing! 🙂
Rene says
May 29, 2019 at 7:35 amThe best Sloppy Joe recipe by far! Hubby could not stop raving about them. A definite keeper 🙂
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
June 1, 2019 at 5:22 pmWonderful to hear that, Rene! 🙂
lasesana says
June 3, 2019 at 11:31 amI agree that kids and adults love it. Thanks for sharing.