Dinner › 30 Minutes or Less

Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes

By Amy Flanigan

Published Jan 27, 2026

Read 91 Reviews

Prep 5 minutes mins

Cook 15 minutes mins

Servings 4

By Amy Flanigan

Published Jan 27, 2026

Jump to RecipeShare

Ditch the canned sloppy Joe sauce! This is the best homemade sloppy Joes recipe, made with real ingredients and the perfect balance of flavors and texture. A quick and easy 20 minute dinner!

When you’re tired and hungry with mouths to feed, it’s hard to beat a classic like Sloppy Joes! Always a family-friendly option. These easy Sloppy Joes, along with my Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes and Chopped Cheeseburgers are requested all the time by my family.

I’ve made a lot of versions over the years, but this sloppy joe recipe is by far my family’s favorite. It’s sweet, tangy, rich, with a little zip; the perfect balance of flavors and thick consistency. Nothing fancy, just simple pantry ingredients and just plain tasty. Skip the store-bought canned sauce and make them from scratch. So much better and still so easy. Meaty, messy, and delicious in every bite!

Sloppy Joe vs. Manwich?

Manwich is the brand name of a canned seasoned sloppy joe sauce. It came to market in 1969 and was pitched as a quick, easy meal for the entire family, because you simply add it to cooked ground beef in a skillet. I’ve actually never had it, so I can’t compare my recipe to that sauce. But I do know that anything from scratch is going to be better than anything from a can.

Helpful Tips & Possible Variations

• Best buns. Buttery brioche hamburger buns pair nicely because their natural sweetness balances the tangy meat mixture. Soft, fluffy rolls also hold up well to the meat mixture without getting soggy.
• Make it leaner. Use ground turkey instead of beef.
• Try it with BBQ sauce instead of ketchup.
• Too sweet? Cut back on the brown sugar.
• Like it spicier? Stir in some chopped jalapeños.
• Want it richer? Use beef or chicken broth instead of the water.
• Hate vegetables? Omit the onion and bell pepper.
• Top with melty cheese. Fill a hollowed out bun with sloppy Joe meat, top with cheese, and stick it under the broiler for a couple minutes.
• Ditch the bun and top a baked potato with the sloppy Joe mixture! Yummy!
• Need extra? If you’re serving a crowd or want leftovers for the next day, this recipe easily doubles.

4.97 from 91

Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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This is the best homemade sloppy Joes recipe, made with real ingredients and the perfect balance of flavors and texture. Ready in 20 minutes!

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 small sweet onion, diced
• ▢ 1/2 small green bell pepper, diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 1/2 cup ketchup
• ▢ 1/3 cup water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 4 toasted buns, for serving

Instructions 

• Warm olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion, and bell pepper; breaking up the meat into crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes until beef is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
• Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Drain off grease.
• Stir in tomato paste until thoroughly combined.
• Add in ketchup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine.
• Gently simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes until mixture has thickened.
• Remove from heat and serve on toasted buns and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Crockpot option: Brown the beef, onion, and bell pepper in a skillet, then add to your crockpot along with all the other ingredients. Cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or HIGH for 2, giving it a stir occasionally so it doesn’t scorch. (Keep in mind that cooking in the slow cooker will result in a softer texture than sloppy joes made in the skillet.)

Storing leftovers: Store leftover sloppy joe mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, make sure the cooked meat mixture is completely cooled, then add to freezer-safe containers (the entire batch or individual portions) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 976mg | Potassium: 736mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 293IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.

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How To Make Homemade Sloppy Joes Step By Step

Gather your ingredients.

Sauté the beef and veggies. Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 pound lean ground beef, 1 small diced sweet onion, and 1 small diced green bell pepper; breaking up the meat into crumbles. Cook for about 5 minutes until beef is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Stir in 2 cloves minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Drain off grease.

Add other ingredients and simmer. Stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste until thoroughly combined. Then add in 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/3 cup water, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire, 2 teaspoons yellow mustard, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine.

Gently simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes until mixture has thickened.

Enjoy. Remove from heat and serve on toasted buns and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

My favorite sandwich sides are also the best sides with sloppy joes for a quick and easy lunch or dinner. A crisp and tangy KFC coleslaw is great to balance the richness, while a creamy macaroni salad adds comfort to the plate. For something fresh and slightly sweet, a classic pea salad pairs so well. And if I’m really in a rush, a simple handful of potato chips always does the trick, too.

More Sloppy Joe Recipes To Try:

• Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes are the best recipe mash-up where sloppy joes and Philly cheesesteak collide!
• Sloppy Joe Pasta is my favorite messy ground beef sandwich and tender cooked pasta for a one-pot, 30-minute meal.
• These Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes are a tasty, easy twist on the classic sandwich with ground chicken and just the right amount of heat.

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!

My Homemade Sloppy Joes recipe was originally published 5/20/20. It was retested and republished to be better than ever 1/27/26.