There’s nothing more nostalgic than a Sloppy Joe! These messy but oh-so-delicious sandwiches are filled with ground meat that’s sauteed with onions and peppers in a tangy sauce and are just as much fun to eat as they are to make!
While a Sloppy Joe sandwich is often associated with school cafeterias and can therefore get a bad rap at times, I’m here to tell you that these are not your lunch lady’s Sloppy Joes! (Am I the only one who wants to belt out Adam Sandler’s “Lunch Lady Land”?)
These are the tangy, delicious, perfectly seasoned and easy homemade Sloppy Joes everyone loves!
Sloppy Joe sandwiches come together quickly and are great for weeknights! Serve with sauteed broccoli and stovetop mac and cheese or smashed potatoes and roasted broccoli for a complete meal.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Ground beef. Though you can use a 80/20 beef you don’t really need to since there are a lot of flavor enhancers being added. A lean ground beef (85% or 90%) works best for Sloppy Joes.
- Vinegar. This adds the tanginess Sloppy Joes are known for. I’ve found cider vinegar works best with the flavors in this dish.
- Sugar. Use brown sugar for a bit of sweetness.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Dice one medium yellow onion and one large green bell pepper. Mince 5 cloves of garlic and set aside. Heat a large pan to medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the onion, and bell pepper, and saute for about 5 minutes, or until soft. (Photo #1)
- Add 1 1/2 pounds of 85/15 or 90/10 ground beef to the pan and turn the heat to medium-high. (Photo #2)
- Saute for about 5-7 minutes or until the beef is cooked through, then add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. (Photo #3)
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or until the garlic is very fragrant. (Photo #4)
- Add 1 cup of ketchup, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 cup of water and mix until combined and keep at a low simmer. Taste test the Sloppy Joe mixture and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Once satisfied with the taste, turn the heat to low and continue to cook while you prepare the buns. (Photo #5)
- Heat a pan or griddle top to medium heat and add a touch of olive oil. Open 4 hamburger buns and place them cut-side-down in the pan and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Divide the beef mixture on to the 4 buns, serve, and enjoy!
Top tips
- Make ahead. The Sloppy Joe mixture will taste even better the next day making this a great make-ahead meal!
- The sauce. If you find the sauce is too dry, simply add an ounce or two of water at a time and mix to loosen it back up.
- Buns. While a Sloppy Joe is traditionally served on a hamburger bun (which makes these “sloppy”), you can also serve in a hot dog bun for a slightly less sloppy experience.
More retro recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for simple foods that are a little retro and a lot nostalgic, give these recipes a try!
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Easy Homemade Sloppy Joe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 large green bell pepper diced
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef 85 or 90% works well
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 cup water plus more if needed
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Heat a large pan to medium heat with the olive oil and add the onion and bell pepper. Saute until soft (about 5 minutes).
- Add the ground beef to the pan and turn the heat up to medium-high. Saute the beef until cooked through (about 5-7 minutes) then mix in the salt, chili powder, and hot red pepper flakes.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes or until very fragrant.
- Add the ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and water. Mix well and keep at a low simmer.
- Taste test the sloppy Joes and adjust salt and pepper if required. Once satisfied, turn the heat to low and move on to browning the buns
- Heat a pan or griddle top to medium heat and add a touch of olive oil. Place the buns, cut side down, in the pan and cook until browned (about 1-2 minutes). Divide the beef on to the 4 buns and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Makes 4 large or 6 moderate-sized sandwiches.
- If the sauce is too dry, simply add 1-2 ounces of water and mix again to loosen it up.
- Leftovers can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love it! Thank you so much
We’re so happy to hear that, Sammie!
Had a craving for sloppy Joes today and didn’t want to use a store packet with 50 chemicals. Tried your recipe and it was really fantastic! Thanks!!
So happy you enjoyed!
My 15yo daughter had a dinner request for sloppy joes. This came up pretty quick in google and looked nice and easy. Let me tell you, it was delicious! My wife has a GF allergy so she made hers like an open faced sandwich on some GF garlic bread and she loved it that way, too! We’ll be adding this to our rotation. Thanks!
We’re so happy you and your family enjoyed, Mike!
Just made this…had to dump the entire pot in a colander to drain off some of the sauce…followed the recipe to a tee yet it turned out VERY runny? Tasted great though!
Hi Jack, if the sauce is too runny you can definitely turn up the heat a bit and cook to allow the excess liquid to evaporate. That will work for almost any sauce you find to be too runny.
Can I substitute white vinegar for the cider vinegar???? Help !
Yes, you can!
Made this last night soooooo delicious.. Was a like shy on the ground beef and added minced white mushroom to make up for it Bon Appetit! 🥰🍄😁
So happy you enjoyed it, Dona!
Love your recipes they are easy to follow and are delicious
Thank you
Gina
We’re happy you’re enjoying the recipes, Gina!
Wondering if I could just make the sauce portion without adding burger ahead of time. (Say 2 days before) Then when it’s the day for this meal, brown burger, pour on the pre-made sauce and let simmer. Do you think it’ll still taste good?
Hi there, sure you can do that.
So good…perfect Monday Night Football dinner. Thank you. I omitted the garlic because my husband said I reached my garlic quota for the week already!
So happy you enjoyed!
I have been searching for a good Slippy Joe recipe for the longest time. This is the best Sloppy Joe recipe ever and the seasonings are perfect. I’m done with my search. Thank you Jim. . Keep sending these keepers!
We’re so happy you loved the recipe! Thanks for the comment!
Could you use ground turkey?
Yes.
We have many so many of your recipes and they never disappoint. We made the sloppy Giuseppe version and it was delish.
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Melissa!
James I zip up this recipe with 1/2 cup chili sauce and bulk it up with 1/2 cup of celery. I use a mixture of red/orange and green peppers to add sweetness and color. The rest of recipe is like yours. We love this. Thanks!
Sounds great, Charla!
Any chance you can put up a good Spaghetti Bolognese recipe please
Hi Leo, my Bolognese recipe is here: https://www.sipandfeast.com/authentic-bolognese/
Made the Italian version last night. It was very good. So much better than any canned Sloppy Joe mix
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Bob! Thanks for the comment!
My grandma in Chicagoland Indiana always put clove in her sloppy Joe’s. Making this recipe this weekend and looking forward to the nostalgic flavor and aroma! 💓
We hope you love it! Clove sounds like a great addition, especially for fall!
The sloppy Joe was excellent! Easy to make and went well with a coleslaw side. I used a yellow bell pepper, next time I would reduce the amount of chili powder a bit, but we really enjoyed it.
Wonderful tasting Sloppy Joes…Love the spice combinations and tips on making the flavors stand out! This is my new favorite Sloppy Joe recipe I will be using! Thank you!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Valerie!
Add some chili powder , leave out the peppers
VERY GOOD AND EASY RECIPE! THANK YOU FOR YOUR RECIPE WITH US!
So easy and absolutely delicious. Big hit at our house!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Danielle!
Easy & delicious