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Home » Easy Dinner Recipes » Sloppy Joe Recipe

February 10, 2022

Sloppy Joe Recipe

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Our favorite sloppy joe recipe is easy and full of delicious flavors with real ingredients. Forget the canned sauce or mix packet and find the very best homemade sloppy joes right here!Our favorite sloppy joe recipe is easy and full of delicious flavors with real ingredients. Forget the canned sauce or mix packet and find the very best homemade sloppy joes right here!

Our sloppy joe recipe is easy and full of delicious flavors with real ingredients. Forget the canned sauce or mix packet and find the very best homemade sloppy joes right here!

Click here to PIN this Sloppy Joe Recipe!

Sloppy joe is a great weeknight dinner recipe. This is my favorite sloppy joe recipe because it is very easy but also uses real ingredients and is packed full of flavor. My kids love it and my husband loves it. Winner winner sloppy joe dinner!

sloppy joe sandwich on plate with chipsIf you love sloppy joes, check out my sloppy joe noodle skillet, too!

About this Recipe

The sloppy joe sandwich I ate growing up used just 3 ingredients for sloppy joe sauce -- brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard. That is how I continued to make them after moving out and getting married. They lacked in flavor so we rarely craved them for dinner.  But, ever since I created THIS sloppy joe recipe, we want them all the time!

Looking for more easy recipe inspiration? Follow me on Instagram!

Ingredients for Sloppy Joe Recipe

(full printable recipe at end of this post)

Below are the ingredients you need to make sloppy joes.

Grocery List:

  • Ground beef (1 lb lean)
  • Onion (half)
  • Brown sugar (3 tablespoons)
  • Mexican stewed tomatoes (15 oz. can)
  • Paprika (2 teaspoons)
  • Chili powder (2 teaspoons)
  • Tomato paste (heaping tablespoon)
  • Dijon mustard (1 tablespoon)

If you cannot find Mexican stewed tomatoes (in the canned tomatoes aisle) then you can substitute with a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes instead. Make sure you drain it first. I can easily find the Mexican stewed tomatoes at one grocery store, but for some reason never at another.

How to Make Sloppy Joe

Since the sloppy joe sauce is made from scratch, this recipe is so much better than dumping in a can of sauce or using a dry mix. It is so very simple, you will not spend much time on it at all. To make sloppy joes, follow these easy steps:

  1. Cook the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain grease.
    browning ground beef in skillet with wooden spoon
  2. Stir in spices, brown sugar, mustard and tomato paste. Cook 1 more minute.
  3. Add stewed tomatoes. Cook until thickened.
    ingredients for sloppy joe recipe in a skillet
  4. Serve on buns.

Click here for the full recipe ingredients and instructions.

Expert Tips

Sauce - You want the sauce to reduce only a little. If you cook on too high of heat or let it reduce too much, you'll end up with dry sloppy joes. Keep the moisture there by not over-cooking.

Flavor - The beauty of making the sauce from scratch is you can control the flavor. Any of the ingredients can be adjusted to your taste preference. Make it less sweet by reducing the amount of sugar, or add more heat by increasing the chili powder. The possibilities are endless!

Kid-friendly - This isn't super spicy, but it can be a little spicy for kids. I wait to add the chili powder until after serving theirs.

Crock pot - I've never understood the necessity to make sloppy joes in a slow cooker because it's such an quick and easy meal. Instead, if you need to make a large batch to keep warm for a party, cook it quickly on the stovetop and then transfer to the Crock Pot to keep warm.

Equipment - I use a nonstick 12-inch skillet for this recipe. I also use a wooden spatula to break up the meat and stewed tomatoes.

skillet of sloppy joe meatStorage and Leftovers

Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freeze: This sloppy joe meat can be frozen. To freeze, let cool then transfer to a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Reheat: Reheat refrigerated sloppy joe meat in a microwave before placing on bun. Thaw frozen sloppy joe meat overnight in the fridge then reheat.

Make-ahead: You can make sloppy joe meat ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

close up of sloppy joe sandwichSide Dishes for Sloppy Joes

Make your sloppy joe a meal with our most popular side dishes:

  • Classic potato salad
  • Greek pasta salad
  • Mexican street corn
  • Cajun fries

PRINT this recipe or PIN it to save for later. Made this recipe? Leave a star rating and tag me on social media @seededtable so I can see.  I love hearing from you!

This article was originally published in May 2020 and updated with optimized photos in February 2022 with no changes to the recipe.

sloppy joe on a plate with chips
Print Recipe
4.82 from 11 votes

Sloppy Joe Recipe

Our favorite sloppy joe recipe is easy and full of delicious flavors with real ingredients. Forget the canned sauce or mix packet and find the very best homemade sloppy joes right here!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time25 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy sloppy joe, homemade sloppy joes, sloppy joe, sloppy joe recipe, sloppy joe sandwich
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 156kcal
Author: Nikki Gladd

Ingredients

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • ½ onion , peeled and diced
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar , light or dark
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder , more or less to desired heat level
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 15 oz. can Mexican stewed tomatoes , drained
  • Salt & pepper , to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the beef and onions over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until meat is browned and onions are just soft; drain excess grease.
  • Mix in the brown sugar, mustard, paprika, chili powder and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in the stewed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper.
  • Continue to cook over medium heat while breaking up tomatoes for 10 minutes, or until liquid is reduced to your preference. Remove from heat and serve on buns.

Notes

  • If you cannot find Mexican stewed tomatoes, you can substitute with a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes. (I typically find Mexican stewed tomatoes at Walmart, not Kroger.)
  • Nutritional information is an estimate only, and does not include the bun.

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 269mg | Potassium: 485mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 689IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3mg
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Thanks for visiting! We’re the Gladd family! We love donuts, Disney, LEGO and Jesus. Not in that order, of course. 🙂 Ben shares DIY wood-working projects and Nikki shares delicious recipes. You’ll also find a sprinkling of travel adventures and other family fun ideas!

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