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Home » Recipes » Beef Recipes

Best Sloppy Joes Recipe

Published: May 29, 2023 · Modified: May 23, 2025 by Chef Dennis Littley

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Homemade Sloppy Joes are one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. Tender, lean ground beef simmered in a tangy sweet, hearty tomato sauce with just a hint of spice, served on soft pillowy hamburger buns, makes a quick and delicious lunch or dinner.

sloppy joes on bun on a white plate.
Table of Contents:
  • Audio Player
  • Ingredients
  • How to make Sloppy Joes
  • Recipe FAQ’s
  • More Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Recipe: Sloppy Joes

Audio Player



 

One of my favorite childhood memories from elementary school was the sloppy joe sandwiches we were served. The lunch crew knew how popular they were and always made extra, so chubby little boys like me could have seconds.

I know after one bite, you’ll agree this is the best sloppy joes recipe you’ve ever tasted! And if you love messy, delicious sandwiches, make sure to check out my Easy Oven Cooked Pulled Pork Recipe.

sloppy joes on bun on a white plate.

My easy sloppy joe recipe is not only delicious but also a budget-friendly family dinner. Your whole family will love it, and I promise you’ll get rave reviews with my simple homemade sloppy joes recipe.

You won’t believe how easy it is to make the sauce for the sloppy joes, and it’s so much better than store-bought sauce.

Ingredients

ingredients to make recipe.

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Sloppy Joes. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

Made with simple ingredients

  • lean ground beef
  • onion
  • ketchup
  • tomato paste
  • brown sugar
  • yellow mustard
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder

How to make Sloppy Joes

Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make sloppy joes in your home kitchen.

collage showing how to make recipe.
  • Add the ground beef and chopped onions to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Cook the sloppy joe meat until the ground beef is no longer pink. Stir as it cooks to break up the meat. Drain off any excess grease from the beef.
  • Add the ketchup, water, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt to the sloppy joe mixture, and stir to combine.
  • Bring the sloppy joes mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.

If you want a healthier version of this classic dish, you can swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken. I don’t use green peppers in my recipe, but feel free to include those when you cook the ground beef and onions.

If you want a spicier version, add a little chili powder to kick up the heat.

sloppy joes on bun on a white plate.

Toast the hamburger bun before adding the sloppy joe filling, and serve with coleslaw, potato chips, French fries, or tater tots for one of my favorite quick meals.

This is definitely one of my favorite ground beef recipes. Just remember to bring plenty of napkins to your dinner table.

Recipe FAQ’s

Why is it called Sloppy Joes?

One of the stories I’ve heard about Sloppy Joes getting its name goes back to the 1930s and a cafe in Sioux City, Iowa. The story says that a cook named Joe added tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwiches. And the rest is history.

What are Sloppy Joes?

Sloppy joes are a popular American sandwich made with ground beef cooked with onions, ketchup, tomato sauce, and seasonings. The mixture is typically served on a hamburger bun.

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sloppy joes on bun on a white plate.

Sloppy Joes

Chef Dennis Littley
Homemade Sloppy Joes are one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. Tender, lean ground beef simmered in a tangy sweet, hearty tomato sauce with just a hint of spice, served on soft pillowy hamburger buns, makes a quick and delicious lunch or dinner.
5 from 46 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Listen to the Post
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 25 minutes mins
Course Entree, sandwich
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 483 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • ½ cup onion finely chopped
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon table salt to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper to taste
  • 4 hamburger buns split

Instructions
 

  • Add the ground beef and chopped onions to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Cook the mixture until there is no more pink in the ground beef. Stir as it cooks to break up the meat.
  • Add the ketchup, water, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and salt to the ground beef mixture and stir to combine.
  • Bring the sloppy joes mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
  • Serve the sloppy joes over hamburger buns.

Notes

If you want to perk up your sandwich, you can add pickles chips, sliced American cheese, or cole slaw to your sandwich.   

Nutrition

Calories: 483kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 25gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 1015mgPotassium: 609mgFiber: 2gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 283IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 109mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    5 from 46 votes (32 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Larry Brewer says

    July 11, 2025 at 5:53 am

    5 stars
    taste good

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      July 11, 2025 at 9:30 am

      I’m happy to hear that!

      Reply
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My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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