The VERY BEST Homemade Sloppy Joes is a sloppy joe recipe that’s not only delicious but 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.
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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Donna Ferrante says
YESSSS! That’s the recipe I’ve been looking for, tasted just like my mom used to make. I did add the onion and just browned it in the skillet with the meat. Yummmy!!!
Lewis Potts says
Awesome recipe. Thanks!
Susan K Byers says
Outstanding! Watching Carbs and sugar so I used the small hawaiian style buns and decreased the brown sugar. Sloppy Joe Sliders with a salad was perfect. Thanks
Peggy M Woodham says
I have been trying to find the perfect Sloppy Joe recipe all my life and this one is it!!! I love the sweeter taste and the fact that you don’t have to cook it half the day for it to have great flavor. I melted some butter, added some garlic powder, brushed it on the buns and popped it in the oven for a few minutes. Delish!
L Cho says
So darn good as is! I am always looking for ways to get in veggies: added a carrot steamed from the wave and chopped small, a bit of chopped canned tomatoes, and a bunch of spinach (in addition to the red peppers and onion saute recommended at end of the recipe) wilted at the end. Wow!
Michelle Hubbard says
Entire family including 6 yr. Old Grandson LOVED them! So easy & you can go w/the basic or add veggies, make it spicy, etc. This recipe is as keeper:) Cannot believe I actually bought canned Manwiche lol
John says
One of the best Ive ever had..even beats the Pioneer Womans sloppy joes.
Julie says
I have made these several times and we love them. The first time I made them I added all 4 tbs. of brown sugar…I only use 2 now! 😀 These are way better than canned sauce! Thanks for sharing.
Julie says
Same here! Used 4 now only use 2. Best recipe ever!
dennyj says
Best Sloppy Joes Ive ever eaten! Wouldn’t change a thing.
lcomings says
Excellent recipe, like Mom made when I was a kid.
Kathy says
The BEST!! You can tweet this recipe to suit your taste buds & health needs.
I left out the brown sugar & added finely grated carrot instead to add some sweetness just like when I make spaghetti sauce. Also, added 2-3 tsp of apple cider vinegar for a little ‘tang’.
Freezes well too!
Momma Bear says
Very good and the family all said they liked the pickles. I only used 2 TBLS of sugar and they all said it was a little too sweet. So taste it before you add 🙂 great recipe though Thanks
Kelli says
Love this recipe! My daughter requests sloppy joes quite often, so we have tried several recipes. This is the one we love as it uses regular pantry items and has great flavor. We omit the brown sugar as the ketchup is sweet enough for us, but is okay if you prefer yours a little on the sweet side. Thank you for posting
Shannon says
So I asked my husband to buy a can of Manwich when he want to the store. He looked at me confused but said okay. He came home with some Manwich bourbon bbq for chicken…not what I wanted. I was craving sloppy joes and had browned the meat…so I decided to search “homemade sloppy joes” and came across your recipe…it was quick, easy and delicious…no more canned sloppy joes for us. Thank you so much!
Keisha says
Your recipes are dope but your personality and commentary makes it so enjoyable, you’re not only learning but entertained. Keep up the good work, I see a network picking this up!