Homemade Sloppy Joes
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
Hands down the best homemade sloppy joe recipe made from scratch! So saucy, so hearty, and comes together so fast. And it’s freezer-friendly!
Featured Comment
WHY you’ll love homemade sloppy joes
- Lightning fast. Skip the canned sloppy joes! This homemade version comes together in lightening speed in one single pan for the easiest clean up ever. Not to mention, it’s so much better (and healthier) than the canned stuff!
- Absolute crowd-favorite. Sloppy joes are not just kid-friendly. They are a guaranteed family-favorite for everyone, especially when we’re talking saucy, tender ground beef with just a hint of sweetness sandwiched on toasted brioche buns!
- Budget-friendly. Using ground beef, a dinnertime staple, this is just one of those budget-friendly weeknight heroes that is loved by both kids and grown ups.
- Completely customizable and flexible. You can add in as little or as many veggies (carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, or leafy greens) for a heartier sloppy joe. Or double or triple the recipe as needed for a large crowd, perfect for a big party or tailgating season.
What is a sloppy joe?
A sloppy joe, known as messy comfort food, is a popular American sandwich typically made with ground beef, onions, tomato sauce or ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and garlic.
Key Ingredients
Meat (base)
85-90% lean ground beef, though ground turkey or chicken work well as substitutes
Vegetables
Sweet onion and green bell pepper (or use red, yellow, or orange)
Aromatics and seasonings
Tomato paste, garlic, paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper
Sauce
Beef stock, ketchup, Dijon mustard (or yellow mustard), Worcestershire, and brown sugar
How to make homemade sloppy joes
- Brown the beef. Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up into small crumbles, until browned. Drain off any excess fat and grease.
- Sauté the aromatics. Stir in the onion and bell pepper until the vegetables begin to soften. Then stir in the tomato paste, garlic, paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper until fragrant. Pro tip: dice the vegetables finely to avoid large chunks in the sauce.
- Deglaze the pan. Pour in the beef stock, lifting up the caramelized browned bits (fond) stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
- Simmer. Stir in the ketchup, Dijon, Worcestershire, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until the sauce is thick and rich, about 15-20 minutes. Pro tip: the longer it simmers, the more it will thicken.
- Serve. Serve in your favorite buns – toasted brioche buns, pretzel buns, or even hot dog buns for less mess!
Sloppy joe variations
- Meat: swap out the ground beef for pork, chicken, or turkey
- Vegetables: add different vegetables such as mushrooms, celery, or carrots
- For serving: serve in hot dog buns, pita bread, garlic bread, or naan instead of traditional burger buns
Storing, freezing, and reheating sloppy joes
Storage
Leftover sloppy joes (without the buns) can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat
Gently reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of water or stock, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Freeze
Let the sloppy joes cool completely. Portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months.
Reheat (from frozen)
Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Add a splash of water or stock, if needed, to loosen.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH SLOPPY JOES
Tools For This Recipe
Homemade Sloppy Joes: Frequently Asked Questions
Ground pork, chicken, or turkey can be used instead of ground beef. Ground lentils are also a great vegan option.
It is best to drain most of the fat to avoid greasy sloppy joes, leaving just enough for flavor.
Zucchini, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and leafy greens (such as kale or spinach) would be great additions. The vegetables cook down so the kids won’t even know they’re in there!
Simmer for longer over low heat, uncovered, allowing the liquid to evaporate until the desired consistency is reached.
I personally love toasted brioche buns or homemade hamburger buns that I can pull out of the freezer in a pinch!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, gently reheating on the stovetop with a splash of water or beef stock (to help loosen) until warmed through.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers up to 3 months in individual freezer bags, thawing overnight and reheating on the stovetop until warmed through (adding a tablespoon of water as needed).
Homemade Sloppy Joes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef, 90/10
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Add onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic, paprika, chili powder and cayenne pepper until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in beef stock, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Stir in ketchup, Dijon, Worcestershire and brown sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and flavors have blended, about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Use lean ground beef. 85-90% lean ground beef is ideal for sloppy joes – more fat will make it too greasy, too lean will make it too dry.
- Finely dice the vegetables. The onion and bell pepper add texture to the sloppy joes but be sure to dice them finely so that they can properly melt in the sauce (and to avoid large chunks).
- Let it simmer. Let the mixture simmer for at least 15-20 minutes for that “sloppy” consistency – thick, rich, and perfectly saucy.
- Adjust the consistency. For a thicker consistency, simmer for longer. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out as needed by stirring in 1 tablespoon of water (or stock), adding in more as needed.
- Toast the buns. Toasting the buns beforehand will make a huge difference, preventing the buns from becoming soggy and the sandwich from falling apart.
- Freeze in individual servings. The leftovers can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, ideal when frozen in single-serving portions for easy thawing and reheating.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Very delicious! Everyone loved it!
These were some of the BEST Sloppy Joes I have ever had!
This is the best Sloppy Joe recipe. It’s a little richer, heartier, tastier than the others. No other recipe needed; this is the keeper!
I made this and it was delicious! I’ve been making sloppy Joe’s for most of my life and haven’t found a recipe I’d switch to until now. This recipe keeps the traditional taste of sloppy Joe you expect to get when you bite into the bun. But then it really takes it up a notch. The flavor is amazing and I love the fresh ingredients.
We served over sweet potatoes and the whole family loved it. Very rare.
This recipe is awesome!!!
Delicious, thank you for that!
The absolute best homemade recipe! I used light brown sugar because it was on hand. Do you recommend dark brown sugar or does it not matter much for flavor? Thank you!
If I were to make this again, I would skip the ketchup and brown sugar and use a can of condensed tomato soup. This was too sweet and very soupy. I needed to simmer it for an hour to get it to the consistency to stay in the bun. Added some celery too.
Great recipe. Real nice flavors to it. But PLEASE stop telling people to use Vegetable OIl ! IT’s one of the worst food items anyone could eat. Do some research on Seed oils….(they’re not really VEGETABLES ) Corn Oil, Vegetable Oil, Canola oil, Sunflower oil all causes poor vitamin and mineral absorbation and inflammation. Use Olive oil and for higher heat cooking, use Avocado oil. Not being bossy or ungrateful, just hate to see people get sick and have health problems.
There is no scientific basis for your claims. The seed oil shit is by uneducated grifting morons.
You need to do more research before making any conclusions. It has been shown to raise inflammation in the human body.
Made the Sloppy Joe’s ….. what a hit!!!! Thanks
You are so welcome, Lee! So happy to hear this was a hit!
Sloppy Joes were great! Good to freeze.
There is a ton of sugar in ketchup don’t add the brown sugar. Doesn’t need it
I have made the sloppy Joe recipe many times! I don’t change anything about it. My husband says it’s the best sloppy joe he’s EVER had and I agree, it’s my go to. The only advice I would give is to use a deep pan as it makes a lot, not a bad thing at all! Thank you SO much for sharing your recipe!
You are so welcome, Terri. The leftovers also freeze so well!
Absolutely delicious!
Much prefer having control over what is in our food-so I make our food from scratch. I was looking for a good sloppy joe recipe and came across this one.
Toned down the heat a bit and the brown sugar just a touch and it still came out so good!
Thanks for a great recipe!
I say, I say, Damn Delicious‼️
Just how I remember Sloppy Joe’s… My husband was going to go buy the can and I said no I can make it myself and found this recipe. Delicious!
I can whip up sloppy joes with what I recall….Onions, peppers, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, but I’m beginning to learn that sometimes it’s better to follow actual recipes. Ha ha. Who knew? I’m not as good as I think I am.
Great recipe. I tweaked a bit to be to my personal taste, but hands down THE BEST sloppy Joe recipe EVER. The veggie thing makes a huge difference. I added carrots and leftover cooked corn from the cob. It REALLY enhanced the flavor and gave texture that is sorely lacking in most recipes. This is a keeper.
Sounds good, but should something tomato based be cooked in a cast iron skillet?
My go to recipe! My kids call it sloppy Tom’s in honor of 2025 GBBO finalist Tom, whom they love!
Delicious made exactly as is! Highly recommend. Love that we are in control of the ingredients!