Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe
Published January 2, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe is made from scratch and served with caramelized onions and pickles for the ultimate sandwich. These are much easier to make than you may have thought, so learn how simple it is to do right from your kitchen.
If you’re like me, you grew up eating sloppy joe sandwiches as it’s a great simple weeknight meal for the family. Instead of popping a can of who knows what’s in there, learn how to make it from scratch. It’s way more delicious and easier than you’re thinking, and if you love cooking with ground beef, then definitely check out my meatloaf recipe or my loco moco.
Sloppy Joe
Sloppy Joe is a simple American dish of seared ground beef with tomatoes and seasonings that is commonly served on a bun or as an open- sandwich. My recipe is homemade, and the flavors are far superior to anything pre-made. In addition,
This recipe has been around since the 1950s and was created by a cook named Joe at a restaurant in Sioux City, Iowa, who put a bit of tomato sauce onto some ground beef, served it up on a bun, and called it a “sloppy joe.” It’s also messy to eat, so the name works perfectly.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fat – You can use avocado oil, olive oil, lard, or beef tallow.
- Ground Beef – I prefer a fattier, more flavorful beef like 80/20 ground chuck. However, you can lean to fat-ratio beef if you like.
- Peppers – I used red and yellow bell peppers. You can also use green peppers.
- Garlic – A few minced garlic cloves bring out many flavors in this Sloppy Joe.
- Tomato Puree – You can puree fresh or canned tomatoes or purchase them already pureed.
- Tomato Paste – Plain tomato paste is needed to help thicken the mixture.
- Mustard – Yellow is best, but you can use Dijon if you want something zestier.
- Brown Sugar – I used light brown sugar, but dark brown can also be used.
- Worcestershire Sauce – There is no replacement for this.
- Vinegar – White distilled vinegar works great. However, you can use apple cider or even red wine vinegar.
- Chili Powder – I used regular chili powder. However, you can use a spicier chili powder like Chipotle.
How to Make a Sloppy Joe
- Sweat some garlic and bell peppers in some oil in a large pot.
- Add in your beef and cook until all the pink is gone.
- Stir in the tomato puree, tomato paste, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and chili powder, and simmer over low heat for 25-30 minutes.
- Finish with salt and pepper and serve on a bun. I recommend taking this further and adding all the delicious toppings I did, such as cheese, caramelized onions, and pickles.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This is meant to be eaten when it’s done cooking. However, keep it warm and covered over low heat for up to 30 minutes before serving.
How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep it covered in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating it.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of sloppy joe into a saucepan and cook over low heat until hot. You can also heat it in the microwave until hot.
chef notes + tips
- This recipe makes a lot of sloppy joes, so please scale down or up to fit your needs. Place your cursor over the serving amount in the recipe card and slide up or down to scale.
- Try serving this with Southern Potato Salad or Pasta Salad.
- Manwich is a processed and canned sauce that has attempted to replicate the original sauce with its take. It can be purchased from the grocery store, but I can promise you the homemade version is far superior to this.
More Beef Recipes
Video
Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe
Ingredients
For the Sloppy Joe:
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 each seeded and small diced red and yellow bell peppers
- 6 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 4 pounds ground beef
- 2 cups tomato puree
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
- ¼ heaping cup light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 tablespoons distilled vinegar
- 3-4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- Sea salt and cracked pepper
- 10 buns
For the Toppings:
- caramelized onions
- dill or bread and butter pickles
- Colby jack cheese
- pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- Add oil to a large pan over low to medium heat and sweat the peppers and garlic for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add in the ground beef, turn the heat to medium and cook until all of the pink is gone, about 7-9 minutes.
- Next, pour the tomato puree, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, tomato paste, and chili powder and simmer over low heat for 25-30 minutes.
- Finish by stirring in salt and pepper and serve on buns with optional toppings.
Delicious! Butter pickles, caramelized onions cheese and brioche buns ! Kid approved ! Two thumbs up!
I made this recipe of yours tonight Chef Billy Parisi and it was outstanding!
I made a few tweaks (I can never just let a recipe ‘be’). But they were minor tweaks. I diced onion and sautéd it with the bell pepper. I cooked the meat separately (drained off the fat) then added back in the sautéd peppers and onions then added the garlic. The grocery was out of tomato puree. So I pureed a can of diced tomatoes. I added some tomato paste. But what I really liked was the addition of white vinegar, Worcester sauce and mustard. It was these additions that made it taste like sloppy joes.
I can’t do chili powder so instead I used dijon mustard instead of regular. And besides black pepper I added some Lawry’s Garlic Salt made with course salt (I think it’s sea salt). This spice is a favorite of mine. And I plated it on 2 halves of browned brioche slider buns. It was perfect!
I only used 1 lb of meat so of course I used less of all of the other ingredients too. And now I have several days of leftover sloppy joes that isn’t overly salty and filled with extra preservatives, etc that I don’t need.
This recipe is a keeper! Thanks so much!
Two days ago I froze my sloppy joes leftovers in three small containers i tried it for lunch yesterday on a toasted piece of sourdough bread. The bread was too tough to cut with a fork.
Today I ate 1 small container of it while I waited 20 min for some puff pastry to cook. Then I made a sandwich with the last small container and a small piece of cooked puff pastry. It was EVEN BETTER than previously. With some really good locally grown bread and butter pickles in a side dish. SO GOOD!
Again, THIS RECIPE IS A KEEPER!
Good chance I will make it again soon.
Thanks once more! Keep your tasty recipes coming!!!
Your video shows you adding tomato paste, but it’s not in the ingredients?
it’s optional, and only if it needs to be thickened.
I just love all your recipes Thank you!
You are an interesting and excellent chef. I enjoy your ingredients and methods. Your personality makes watching you so much ffun. I’m so happy i found you. Can’t wait to see you again.
So delicious with the onions on top ! Very yummy!
I just made this today and it is delicious. I made the full recipe with four pounds of meat. I plan to freeze the leftovers for an easier dinner down the road. That is if we have leftovers. So glad I found your site. Next I am going to make your Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. Cold and rainy here and I think this chicken soup is what we need. Thanks again for all your wonderful recipes.
the best sloppy joes ever!
Delicious! And super easy. Who thought sloppy joes could be like this? I’m never making it with canned tomato sauce + ketchup again – this has a great depth of flavor + texture!
This is so much better than anything from a can! My family gobbled it up in a flash!