Sloppy Joes Recipe
Stay away from the canned sauce and try out this delicious homemade Sloppy Joes recipe. This is truly going to be the best Sloppy Joes you’ve ever had in your life! Plus, it’s incredibly easy to make too!
Making these homemade Sloppy Joes is so easy that you can whip it up in a heartbeat and don’t need to use a slow cooker either! It’s incredibly delicious and can be all cooked on a stovetop.
Make the best Sloppy Joes ever by using simple, pantry-staple ingredients. It’s quick to make, you’ll have it on the dinner table in almost 30 minutes!
Want to learn how to make it? Let’s get started!
What are Sloppy Joes?
Sloppy Joe is a delicious, hearty sandwich with three main ingredients. The first is ground beef which makes the base of this tasty sandwich. The next ingredient is a sweet, tomato-rich sauce that is made of ketchup, tomato paste, and spices. And it’s all piled on top of the last ingredient, which is a white bun.
Why Are Sloppy Joes Called That?
Sloppy Joes are widely said to have been developed by a cook in Sioux City, Iowa. Joe, as he was called, modeled his dish on the loose meat sandwiches that were popular in the 1930s.
Sloppy Joes Ingredients
Ground beef: This is one of the three most important ingredients to make Sloppy Joes. The better the quality, the more delicious your sandwiches will turn out in the end.
Onion: Onions bring out the flavor of the meat unlike any other vegetable or aromatic out there!
Butter and olive oil: We’ll be using both butter and olive oil to sauté the onions and bring out the flavors of the meat.
Tomato paste: This makes up the base of our delicious Sloppy Joes!
Spices and seasonings: This is where the magic happens! We’ll be using a few pantry-staple spices and seasonings to make this delicious ground beef dish. We’ll be needing black pepper, mustard powder, paprika, garlic powder, red chili powder, and cumin. Season with salt to bring out all the flavors.
How to Make Sloppy Joes – Step-by-Step
Sauté onions: Start by taking a large skillet on a stovetop and adding butter and olive oil to it. Now add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until the onion turns translucent on medium-high heat.
Cook the beef and add carrots: Next, Add the beef and cook until its color changes and the beef is no longer pink in color. Add the carrot and cook for approximately 3 minutes.
Add rest of the ingredients: Now add all the rest of the ingredients and stir it all in. Simmer on medium-low until the beef is cooked and only a little sauce is left.
Ready to serve: Serve Sloppy Joes on burger buns or have it with dinner rolls. We also love having it with sweet potato fries. To find out what else goes with Sloppy Joes, check out the section further down in the post.
Tips for Making the Best Sloppy Joes Ever
Here are a few useful tips that will give you the tastiest Sloppy Joes you’ve ever had:
- Make sure to follow my recipe to a T to get the right consistency of Sloppy Joes. If you cook it for too long, it’ll reduce the sauce way too much and you’ll have a very dry Sloppy Joe mixture. On the other hand, if you add too much sauce the consistency will be way too loose.
- This is the perfect base recipe to customize according to your preferences! You can add different veggies such as bell peppers, celery, zucchini, and even mushrooms to your Sloppy Joe recipe. Some people also prefer adding a few cloves of garlic.
- You can make it a bit spicier by simply adding some crushed red pepper flakes to your Sloppy Joes.
- To add a little zing, try adding a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to your recipe. You can also try adding a tsp of Worcestershire sauce for an extra savory undertone.
- I prefer using lean ground beef for this recipe, but you can add ground beef with higher fat content too. It’s a truly versatile dish that can be customized to your liking.
- If you don’t want to use beef or don’t have it at home, you can even use ground turkey or chicken to make it!
Storing Sloppy Joes
Let the Sloppy Joe meat cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
To freeze it, you can store it in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use it, just thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, you can also thaw them in the microwave if you’re short on time.
Please Review and Rate
If you have tried this Sloppy Joes recipe and liked it, please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!
Best Sloppy Joes Recipe Ever
Ingredients
- 400 gm ground beef
- ⅓ cup shredded carrot
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 3 tablespoon ketchup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup hot water
Instructions
- In a hot pan add the butter and olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent.
- Add the beef and cook until no longer pink in color. Add the carrot and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add all the rest of ingredients and cook on medium-low until the beef is cooked and have little sauce left.
- Serve on burger buns or have it with dinner rolls.
Notes
- You can go for lamb meat or a mix of both beef and lamb.
- Instead of chips, you can try my Roasted Potatoes recipe.
- For more flavor use Beef or chicken bouillon. Or instead of water use chicken or beef broth.
- Make my no-knead dinner rolls or Brioche to serve with this Sloppy Joes.
- My Coleslaw recipe goes really well with this dish.
- This post was originally published in 2017.
Would you believe I have never tried a sloppy joe? These look like the ONES to try!
You will love sloppy joes and will want to make it again, give it a try, it is really delicious 🙂
I haven´t eaten sloppy joes in so many years, this looks increible, I kinda forgot about these! Thank you for the inspiration, making this tonight!
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you like my version 🙂
Saved! I was just talking about sloppy joes the other day. These look so good, and those buns are so cute
I would have sworn that was another type of burger. I’m just getting to know of sloppy joes now. It looks like something I could try.
I’ve heard the term “Sloppy Joe” quite a lot, but never seen one before, as I don’t think they’re really a thing over here in Australia. But wow, after seeing these photos, I can see why they’re called “sloppy” 😂 But I’m a big fan of burgers, so I’d definitely give one a try!
Thank you!! You just gave us something to try for this weekend! This looks so delicious and we were looking for some inspiration anyways, so this is perfect 🙂
Looks like a great dinner idea. I will add this to our meal plan for next week. Thank you for the recipe. I did not know it was that easy to make.
wow this looks so so good its making me hungry lol
Ooo my other half would love this…it is his kind of thing, so winging this right his way xx
I love love sloppy joe they are so good! Thanks for sharing- going to make some tonight. Cant wait to see what you introduced to us next!
I hadn’t tried sloppy Joes till about 3 years ago, definitely a weird American traditional food. It’s been interesting living in America now (I’m from the UK) how everyday meals are so different to what they used to be!
This is a very good recipe. I used smoked paprika. It really bumps up the overall flavor to an elevated level. All the ingredients do very well as listed otherwise.