The VERY BEST Sloppy Joe Recipe
The VERY BEST Sloppy Joe recipe is delicious, quick, and easy to make. A scrumptious, from-scratch sloppy joe sauce made with real ingredients puts it over the top. Hundreds of rave reviews agree that these Homemade Sloppy Joes are fantastic!
There aren't many dinners that you can get on the table faster than whipping up 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! Once you make these amazing homemade Sloppy Joes, y'all, you won't go back.
Ingredients
This sloppy joe sauce only takes a couple of minutes to stir together, 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!
- Ground beef. I usually use 85/15 ground beef, but it's okay to use a leaner or fattier ratio, depending on what you have on hand. The grease gets drained either way. Alternatively, these homemade Sloppy Joes also turn out delicious using ground turkey.
- Garlic. Fresh garlic is great, but to save time, I often use minced garlic in water, which I always keep in my refrigerator.
- Tomato sauce. An 8-ounce can of tomato sauce is the perfect amount for this recipe. I sometimes use tomato puree (passata) instead if I already have a jar open in the fridge.
- Ketchup. I prefer using an all-natural brand of ketchup without too much added sugar. As you'll see below, I like to control the sugar. 🙂 Keep this in mind as the sweetness of your ketchup will likely dictate how much additional sugar you want to (or don't want to) add.
- Brown sugar. An important recipe note...use as much or as little brown sugar as you like! Some people prefer totally savory Sloppy Joes while others like their sandwiches on the sweeter side. You may also substitute a squeeze of honey in place of using brown sugar, which I often do.
- Worcestershire sauce. For an extra savory undertone. Again, you may tweak the amount to your liking.
- Prepared mustard. Believe it or not, a little squirt of plain ol' yellow mustard adds depth of flavor.
- Garlic powder + onion powder + fresh black pepper. For further seasoning.
How to Make Sloppy Joes
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
I shared my Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joes awhile back, which feature this same homemade sloppy joe sauce. But sometimes you don't have the forethought (or the time) to toss something into the crockpot first thing in the morning.
So if you still want an effortless, family-pleasing meal come 5 o'clock, make this tried-and-true Sloppy Joe recipe!
I like to start out by mixing up my sauce and setting it aside so that it's ready to go once my meat is browned.
- Measure the Sloppy Joe sauce ingredients directly into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and stir together until well combined.
- Brown your ground beef (or turkey) and drain the fat.
- Stir the sloppy joe sauce into the drained ground beef.
- Allow the mixture to simmer on the stove, stirring occasionally.
Easy-peasy!
Sloppy Joe Recipe Additions
My family likes our Sloppy Joes on the plain and simple side. However, if your family likes yours with onions and/or peppers, they're easy to add!
- Before browning the ground beef, 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).
- 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.
How Long to Simmer Sloppy Joe Sauce
This Sloppy Joe recipe is flexible and turns out tasty whether you need to make it in a flash or you have extra time to allow it to simmer.
At a minimum, you should let the mixture simmer long enough to heat through once you've stirred the sauce into the meat. I'd recommend 10 minutes of simmering, if possible.
However, if you have the time, the flavors will really meld and develop if you allow your mixture to simmer for 30 to 45 minutes (or even longer). Just keep the heat low and stir occasionally to prevent sticking or burning. And if the sauce starts to get too thick, stir in a little bit of water to buy you more simmering time.
Crock Pot Option
One trick I sometimes use is to make this recipe on the stove and then transfer it to a slow cooker (set to WARM) just before I go pick up my kids from school. When it's time to eat that evening, dinner is already ready and the flavor is extra yummy...double win!
Alternatively, if you need to whip up this Sloppy Joe recipe more than an hour or two ahead of time, you can actually let the sloppy joe sauce do its cooking in the crock pot (as opposed to simply keeping it warm, as described above):
- Brown and drain the ground beef and transfer to a slow cooker.
- Add all of the sauce ingredients and stir well to combine.
- Scrape down the sides of the slow cooker with a spatula (so that the sauce around the edges doesn't burn), cover, and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours.
- Stir well and serve!
If you choose to make homemade Sloppy Joes this way, just keep in mind that if your particular model of slow cooker runs hot, the sauce may darken a bit around the edges. But if you're home, you can stir a couple of times during the cooking time to help prevent this.
Also, make sure your slow cooker is suitable to the size of the recipe. In other words, if you have a crock pot that's on the larger size, you may want to double or triple the recipe!
Other Ideas for Serving Sloppy Joes
Everybody knows that meaty Sloppy Joe sauce is scrumptious piled high on hamburger buns! But there are lots of other fantastic ways to enjoy it, whether you're wanting to put a new twist on a fresh batch or you're simply using up leftovers:
- Turn it into a "casserole." For example, you could arrange tater tots on top, like this Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole, or bake a crust on top, similar to Cheeseburger Pie or a even a cornbread casserole.
- Stir into mac & cheese or other pasta.
- Sprinkle over nachos.
- Fold into quesadillas.
- Top baked potatoes (and then melt cheese over the top).
- Spoon it over hot dogs in place of chili (like Chili Dogs).
- Or similarly, spoon it over French fries and add cheese (like Chili Cheese Fries).
- Stir it into queso for a hearty dip with tortilla chips.
- Stuff it into bell peppers and then bake.
- Layer it into grilled cheese sandwiches.
Have you tried any other creative ideas?
There's a reason this Sloppy Joe recipe is one of the all-time most popular recipes on the site, 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!
Helpful Tips, Tricks, & Equipment
- If you're making your own homemade Sloppy Joes in order to avoid processed ingredients, be sure to use all-natural ketchup.
- The sauce in this Sloppy Joe recipe 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 a squeeze of honey in place of the brown sugar, if you wish.
- 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 spouse), be sure to check out my How to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies post, which specifically addresses Sloppy Joes. 😉
- My family loves homemade 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.
More Easy (& Popular!) Ground Beef Recipes
The VERY BEST Sloppy Joe Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef (OR turkey)
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Hamburger buns
- Sliced pickles
Instructions
- Make the sauce in a 2-cup glass measuring cup (or a medium bowl). Stir together the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and freshly ground black pepper until well combined; set aside.
- 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 nicely browned with no pink remaining, breaking apart and stirring as the meat cooks. Drain the grease.
- Pour the sauce over the browned meat, stir to combine, and simmer for at least 10 minutes until heated through, stirring occasionally.
- Serve warm on hamburger buns or rolls with sliced pickles on top.
Equipment Needed
Video
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 recipe 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 as directed, cooking the meat and then stirring the onions/peppers back in at the same time you add the sauce.
- The simmering time is up to you. If you're in a hurry, 10 minutes is all you need. However, if you have more time, simmering for 30 to 45 minutes (or longer) will really allow the flavors of the sauce to develop and meld. Just remember to stir occasionally to prevent sticking/burning and add a splash of water if the sauce starts to get overly thick.
Nutrition
Post originally published on January 13, 2015 (back when a certain two-year-old couldn't keep her little marker-stained mitts away long enough for me to snap a few pictures) and updated on November 2, 2017, January 5, 2021, January 31, 2022, and May 10, 2023.
My kids loveeeee Sloppy Joes. I’ve been making something similar for about 3 years now! It's easy, cheap recipe.
Yes, Diane! It's hard to beat easy, inexpensive, and something the kids will actually eat... 😉
Could you substitute a little molasses in place of some of the brown sugar?
I bet that would be fine, but go light. You can always add more, but you can't add less.
Just made these and OMG are they delicious!!! I used some diced onions and then honey mustard because that's what we had on hand, and even though I hate mustard of any kind, I love, LOVE this recipe! Thank you SO much!!!!
I made those tonight and observed the sauce to be so clean and this type of incredible balance of exciting favors. awesome recipe– regardless of onions! thanks for every other winner.
Thank you so much for this recipe! My guys loved it. I tripled this recipe since I've got teenage boys and a guy that loves to eat. I did scale back on the brown sugar by a quarter cup and I used one can of tomato paste and two cans of tomato sauce. It was perfect and this recipe is definitely going in the rotation. Thanks again!
So happy to hear this recipe was a hit with your family, Gigi! With two young boys myself (who already eat me out of house and home), I can only imagine the quantities I'm going to be cooking by the time their teen years roll around. Good to know that tripling a recipe seems to work! 😉 Thanks for taking the time to comment and hope you're having a great week!
I tried these several months ago and forgot where I found the recipe. Thankfully found it again. Guess what's for dinner tonight?! This recipe is not only easy but it is delicious!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe enough to track it down again, Linda! Now just be sure to save it for next time... 😉
Have you ever froze your Sloppy Joes? I'm apart of a frozen dinner club found this recipe and thought it would be a good one to share. I was going to combine all the ingredients and freeze (meat uncooked). Do you think it would be ok to freeze?
Sorry I should also specify I would put the sauce in a different bag to freeze also.
Hi Amanda! I think this recipe could be adapted to be frozen, but I wouldn't freeze it with the meat uncooked. Rather, I would just make the entire recipe -- cook the beef, add the sauce -- and then freeze it in a bag to thaw and reheat later. Alternatively, if you just wanted to make the sauce ahead of time, I'm sure it could be frozen by itself. Then when ready to make the sloppy joes, you could just cook the ground beef (either fresh ground beef or beef that's been frozen & thawed), and then stir in and heat up the thawed sauce. Hope that helps! I love the idea of your Frozen Dinner Club... 🙂
Been making these for awhile now..still love the recipe. The other day I didn't have any ketchup so I used BBQ sauce instead. Still declicious
Sounds yummy, Katie...thanks so much for sharing! And very happy to hear that you enjoy these so much. 🙂
These sloppy joes are the best homemade variety I've ever had. They are really flavorful and fantastic. I did use only half the sugar and half the ketchup; I added sautéed onions and peppers and some salt. I'll save this recipe and make often! Thanks so much for sharing!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed these, Hollie, and I love that you were able to tweak the recipe to your tastes. 🙂 Thanks for the comment and I hope you have a great weekend!
Thanks for sharing your recipe. We loved it! I used turkey meat and added finely chopped zuchini to add to our veggie intake. Served with sweet potato fries. Very good dinner, quick and easy!
So glad this was a hit, Cindy! And I often sneak shredded veggies into the meat, too...it's easier than fighting my kids -- ha. 😉 Hope you're having a great week!
Do you need Worcester sauce?
Hi Thomas! Worcestershire sauce is an important ingredient in this sauce, so leaving it out is probably going to somewhat affect the final flavor. But if you need to leave it out, the recipe will still work...you just may want to adjust the seasonings to taste to make up for it. 🙂 Good luck!
Not to kibbitz, but for Leanne, yellow (or any) mustard will essentially never expire, regardless of dates on the bottle. So if you think you might use it going forward, it's not a terrible investment. Although this recipe also seems so flexible you could do almost anything. My version used Dijon.
And for Thomas, if by some chance you don't have Worcestershire but do have anchovies or anchovy paste, I bet they'd give the same umami kick.
And for Samantha - thanks! I woke up craving sloppy joes, which I literally probably haven't had in decades, and this recipe was by far the best out there!
Thanks for sharing your tips, Ann...and glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I made these last night and they were amazing! I added green peppers, left out the onions and followed the recipe. Delicious! thank you for sharing
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! It's always nice to find new recipes to make from scratch (saves money!)! I made these for my family the night before last and they were a huge hit...LOVE the slightly sweet aspect to it as well!
This is pretty much the best homemade sloppy joe recipe EVER. And I've made a LOT of sloppy joes since we love them soooooooo much! This one is going straight into my printed Favorites binder. My kids inhaled them!
That's so great to hear, Stacy...thank you for the compliment! These sloppy joes are a hit with my kids as well...and the parents of the household rather enjoy them as well! 😉
I don't want to buy a bottle of yellow mustard if possible since I won't use it for anything else and it will end up expiring. I already have a bottle of stone-ground brown mustard and I also have mustard powder. Could I use either of those instead? If so, would one be a better substitute than the other?
Hi, Leanne! You can definitely use mustard powder instead of prepared yellow mustard in this recipe. Just cut the amount in half, since the powder is more concentrated. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Made these tonight and it was pretty much perfection! Great recipe. And i get to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Win!
Leftovers are the best when you really enjoyed a meal the first time! 😉 So happy to hear that these Sloppy Joes were a hit, Sarah...thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know! 🙂
I can't figure out how to comment so I hope you don't mind me piggy backing your post!
Anyway, I found them to be slightly sweet so I tried to counter the sweetness by adding some vinegar. I think because tomato sauces vary so widely in the amount of hidden sugar in them I would probably use tomato paste next time and dilute up with some water, or just reduce the amount of brown sugar. I think it's important to simmer these longer than just heated through sot he flavors meld together so I simmered them on low about an hour. But they smell great and I think they won't go to waste.
Thanks so much for sharing your tips, Kami! I totally agree that sweetness is subjective and that certain brands of ingredients can affect how much sugar the final dish has...but it sounds like you were able to make the right adjustments to tweak the recipe to your liking. 🙂 Hope it was a hit!
I made this and it came out amazing!!!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Christine! Simple as it is, my family never seems to get tired of this recipe... 😉
I thought these were bland. All I could taste was sweet ketchup. I actually had to add half of a can of organic sloppy joes mix to my batch to salvage it. Not sure how my family is going to react to these as the two sample spoonful I add made my stomach sick from the sweet.
Hi Julia! I'm sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy these, as this is a recipe that typically gets very positive reviews. I wonder if the brand of ketchup you used had extra added sugar? You may certainly reduce the amount of brown sugar in the sauce to compensate for a sweeter brand of ketchup, or to suit your tastes in general. At any rate, I hope you have better luck with the next sloppy joe recipe you try! 🙂