You won’t believe how unbelievably fast, easy, and tasty this Sloppy Joe Recipe is! My recipe is 100% from-scratch (no ketchup!) for the best sloppy joes you’ve ever had. Makes a great weeknight dinner! Recipe includes a how-to video.
Quick & Easy Sloppy Joes
Skip the stuff in the can and make this homemade sloppy joe recipe instead! Sloppy joes are a favorite easy weeknight meal in my house, and I figured it was about time to share my recipe with you. My version comes together in under 30 minutes AND is made completely from scratch (and without ketchup!). Serve it with a side of coleslaw or broccoli salad and you’ve got yourself a filling dinner!
I use several key ingredients in my sloppy joes including smoked paprika (remember this from my chicken and rice soup?), ground mustard, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and worcestershire sauce. The end result is perfectly balanced–just a touch smokey, the right balance of savory and sweet, satisfying and just so delicious.
My sloppy joe recipe is:
- Fast: ready in just 25 minutes.
- Simple: everything cooks in one pan!
- Plentiful: feeds six people.
- Kid-friendly: not too spicy and perfectly sweet.
- Homemade: no pre-made sauce or seasoning packets here!
What You Need
I prefer to make my sloppy joes without ketchup, so you won’t see that in the photo above. Instead, you’ll notice:
- Tomato paste. Some recipes use tomato sauce or ketchup, but I like to use tomato paste instead for huge depth of flavor. I like to use double-concentrated if I can find it.
- Peppers and onions. These round out the flavor of the sloppy joes. I used a red bell pepper, but you could certainly use green bell pepper instead.
- Spices. Including smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, and black pepper. If you don’t have mustard powder, you can use a teaspoon of prepared yellow mustard instead.
- Worcestershire sauce. A classic sloppy joe ingredient!
- Ground beef. Ground turkey or chicken can work too. And yes, the ground beef in the photo above is frozen, but I made sure it was thawed completely before cooking it.
SAM’S TIP: Beef broth is my preference for sloppy joes, but you can chicken broth or even my homemade chicken stock instead.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Sloppy Joes
- Cook the onion and pepper until softened, then add the ground beef and cook until browned.
- Stir in the spices.
- Add the tomato paste, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and worcestershire, then drizzle in the broth.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until reduced and thickened.
SAM’S TIP: 4 tablespoons (or ¼ cup) may seem like a lot of sugar, but keep in mind that the average sloppy joe recipe uses sugar and ketchup (which contains quite a bit of sugar!). I typically use all 4 tablespoons called for, but you can start with just 3 tablespoons and then taste-test to see if you need the last tablespoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Just like my homemade BBQ sauce, we’re skipping the ketchup today to avoid the additives and take control over the flavor. I promise you won’t miss it!
After adding all ingredients, let the sauce simmer and continue to cook without a lid. It will reduce and thicken this way without the need for thickeners like cornstarch.
Potato salad, macaroni salad, corn salad, are all great warm weather options. If you’re looking for a cozier side, steamed veggies and baked mac and cheese would pair well too! And of course, you can’t go wrong with salty of french fries or kettle chips!
This sloppy joe recipe tastes great on homemade burger buns or even potato buns, if you’re in the baking mood too 😊
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
The Best Sloppy Joe Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion about ½ a medium onion
- ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1 lb ground beef I like to use 90%
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder or 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup (121 g) tomato paste 4 oz
- 3-4 Tablespoons light brown sugar firmly packed
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup (118 ml) chicken broth beef broth, or water
- Burger buns for serving
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Add onion and pepper and cook until softened.½ cup finely chopped yellow onion, ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- Add ground beef and cook until browned, crumbling as you cook. Drain off excess grease if needed.1 lb ground beef
- Add spices (smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder (or mustard), salt and pepper) and stir into the beef.1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon mustard powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add tomato paste, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and worcestershire and stir until well-combined.½ cup (121 g) tomato paste, 3-4 Tablespoons light brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- Drizzle in broth or water.½ cup (118 ml) chicken broth
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10-15 minutes.
- Serve warm on buns.Burger buns
Notes
Beef
You may substitute ground chicken or ground turkey for the ground beef.Sugar
This may seem like a lot of sugar, but keep in mind most sloppy joe recipes add ketchup, which contains quite a bit of sugar, in addition to also typically adding more sugar on top of that. I typically use all 4 tablespoons called for, but you can start with just 3 Tablespoons and then taste-test after step 6 and add the last tablespoon if desired.Broth/water
Beef broth will yield the richest flavor, chicken stock works well, and water is my least favorite (least flavor) but will absolutely work and yield tasty results if you have neither beef or chicken broth.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Debbie G
Made this for a pot-luck everyone loved it !
Sam
So happy to hear this, Debbie! Thank you for trying my recipe!
Lorley
Loved loved this sloppy Joe recipe. It was quick to make and wasn’t TOO sloppy being thick and not greasy. Just wonderful. I made hamburger buns and my husband moaned with pleasure! I’ll be passing the recipe to my daughter as she’s always looking for a quick tasty meal. Thank you again.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lorley! I bet on homemade buns it was just fantastic! 🙂
Alfred
AMAZING! I just made this and all that I can say is AMAZING! I used two tablespoons of brown sugar and probably will go to one next time. Then I toasted the bun for extra enjoyment. Next time, I’ll make my own buns!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Alfred! 🙂
Dave
Thank you Sam for this excellent recipe. I fixed it exactly as written except I added 1 tsp of chili powder. This is definitely a keeper.
Thank again for your great recipe.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Dave! 🙂
D
can you also make this in a crockpot? would you do anything different?
Sam
There are a few different steps so I’m not sure how it would work in a crock pot. It could certainly simmer in the crock pot afterwards. 🙂
Karyn
I can’t have soy or Worchester so I use sweet pickle juice as substitute! Never knew that worchester was mainly anchovies which allergy not good to use
Lorie A Jones
Sam, I just made your sloppy joe recipe and it’s fantastic! I too, do not care for the canned versions, they just don’t taste good and nope not even in a pinch. Your recipe merely takes 3 minutes longer to make than opening a can of yuk.
Thanks again for all the wonderful recipes I have made numerous ones sweet and savory. However, I do tend to lean towards sweet 😁.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad you liked the recipe, Lorie! We’re definitely team sweet too 😍
Cathleen
Sam…This is also a great way to prepare sloppy joes: fry the hamburger, add a jar of spaghetti sauce and a can of tomato soup, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Simmer adding small amount of water if necessary. Simmer until desired thickness acheived. Easy. Serve on a toasted bun and top with grated marble cheese. 👍
Sam
Thanks! I’ll have to try it sometime. 🙂
Edwina
Tried this today, and it is going to be my go-to Sloppy Joe recipe from now on. I went with 3 Tbsp. of sugar and beef stock, and it turned out just great.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Edwina! 🙂
C
Hi!
Can something else be used instead of worcestershire sauce?
Maybe soy sauce?
Or do you think omitting it would hurt the recipe?
Sam
The worcestershire sauce adds a nice flavor here. You could omit it, but you will lose that flavor. 🙂
Brandy
I substitute Soy sauce in place of Worcestershire sauce all the time. Never disappointed!!!