The BEST Sloppy Joe Recipe
Saucy, beefy and so satisfying. We’re convinced this is the BEST recipe for a homemade Sloppy Joe. Ground beef in a hearty tomato sauce served on toasted hamburger buns is a great idea for lunch or dinner.
There’s no match for a warm homemade sandwich, from Grilled Cheese to our famous Philly Cheesesteak. This Sloppy Joe Recipe is definitely at the top of our list.
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This delicious sloppy joe recipe is such a simple recipe and so inexpensive to make, a budget-friendly family dinner. The tender and juicy ground beef are sauteed with green peppers and onion then cooked in a hearty tomato sauce.
Having some go-to ground beef recipes like Cheeseburger Sliders, Taco Salad, or Sloppy Joes will make dinner time a breeze. If you have some ground beef in the freezer and need an easy meal idea, this is a must-try.
Sloppy Joe Ingredients
- Ground Beef – use lean ground beef (85-90% lean). If using a higher fat content, you will need to skim off the extra fat once the beef is cooked.
- Bell pepper – we used green, but you can substitute a different color in a pinch.
- Onion & Garlic – these aromatics add great flavor and disappear into the sauce so picky eaters won’t complain.
- Homemade Sauce – just a few simple pantry ingredients will make a sauce that’s better than any store-bought sauce. The combination of tomato sauce, brown sugar, yellow mustard, and Worcestershire hits all the right flavor notes; sweet, savory, and tangy.
How to Make Sloppy Joes
- Chop veggies – Finely chop the onion and green bell pepper.
- Make sauce – In a bowl, combine worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, water, brown sugar, and tomato sauce.
- Saute beef – In a deep skillet, heat oil over med/high heat. Add the ground beef and break up as it is being cooked. Season with salt and pepper and add in the finely chopped onion and green pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender.
- Add sauce – Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Pour in the sauce and cook over medium high heat until the sauce comes to a soft boil.
- Simmer – Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve – spoon the saucy beef mixture on toasted buns and serve as sandwiches.
Pro Tip: If you prefer a spicy Sloppy Joes, add some hot sauce or sriracha to the sauce.
To Serve
There are so many different ways to enjoy a sloppy joe. You’ll make to try them all:
- Classic – Serve this with toasted hamburger buns for the classic sloppy joe recipe.
- Grilled Cheese – Add the meat mixture when making a Grilled Cheese for a hearty sandwich.
- Pizza – Add on homemade pizza dough and top with cheese for a delicious sloppy joe pizza recipe.
- Loaded fries– There is nothing better than loaded fries, top your fries with some cheese and sloppy joe filling.
- Chili dogs – Add the meat sauce to your hot dogs.
- Baked potato – Take loaded baked potato to the next level by topping with this meat sauce.
Common Questions
For this recipe, you want to use 85% or 90% lean ground beef.
These EASY sloppy joes are GREAT to make in the crockpot. Once the meat is browned on a skillet, just add it along with all the other ingredients into the crockpot and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
This sloppy joe recipe is homemade and made from scratch. Manwich is a pre-made store-bought sauce used to make sloppy joes.
If you like spicy foods, add some jalapenos along with the green peppers.
Make-Ahead
- Refrigerating – Let the meat sauce cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing – Once the mixture is cooled, add to freeze-friendly containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 2-3 months. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating – A general rule of thumb is that it’s best to reheat a recipe the same way it was cooked. Warm the meat sauce on the stovetop in a skillet or saucepan until hot. You can microwave, but use a microwave shield to catch messy splatter.
Love Ground Beef Recipes? Try these:
- Slow Cooker Beef Chili
- Meatloaf with the Best Glaze
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Bolognese Sauce
- Stuffed Bell peppers
The BEST Sloppy Joe Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 small green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 lb lean ground beef, 85%-90% lean
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup water, optional, or added to desired consistency
- 4 hamburger buns, toasted if desired
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion. Seed and finely dice the green pepper.
- In a bowl, combine the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar, and tomato sauce.
- Place a large skillet or dutch oven over medium/high heat. Add olive oil and ground beef. Saute the beef for about 5 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink, breaking it up with a spatula. Season with salt and pepper and add in the diced peppers and onion. Cook another 5 minutes until the veggies are tender and beef is browned.
- Add the minced garlic and saute 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add in the sauce and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes or until thickened to your liking. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add water if you prefer a looser consistency. Serve on toasted buns for Sloppy Joe Sandwiches.
Nutrition Per Serving
Valentina Ablaev
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Excellent recipe! This is really good. I made mine with ground venison so really lean. As per other reviews I added a dash of chili powder and a tablespoon of vinegar. I also added a few drops of liquid smoke. These are things I do the canned stuff you buy. I also cut the sauce in half and added ketchup to make up the difference. Far and above anything from a can. Really delicious! Thank you!
Sounds great to hear that ground version works well too! Thanks a lot for this review and for sharing your experiencev trying out this recipe.
Too sweet for my taste. We added tex mex seasoning and chili powder.
Bland. Should include something acidic like vinegar and more salt or bbq sauce.
Hi Andrew, that’s a great idea to add BBQ sauce and add smoky notes. I bet it would be great with our homemade bbq sauce.
Our whole family loved this one! This one was spot on and absolutely delicious; 10/10 will be making this again!
Hello Leslie, that’s great to hear! Thanks a lot for the perfect rating, we appreciate it.
I have cooked this many times following the recipe. I can’t think of anything to add to it that would make this taste any better. We make it good and thick by slowly simmering the liquids out. We love it, what a great comfort food.
I’m so glad you love it! Thank you for the wonderful feedback!
Delicious- my kids went back for seconds. I just added 1 Tbsp of tomato paste to the recipe. Definitely making this again.
That’s wonderful! I’m so glad it was enjoyed.
This recipe is really good! Each person who follows may have their own spin on it like more of a tomatoe taste, or spicier, or thicker or thinner. It is an excellent base sloppy joe to put your own spin on it, but it is perfect sloppy joe to leave alone as is for a quick recipe and not have to use processed canned food. Thank you for this starter recipe!
Thank you for sharing your experience trying out Sloppy Joe recipe, Lisa. Great to hear that you liked it!
My mom has just tired of hamburgers so I looked for a SJ recipe with green peppers. The only changes: I substituted the tomato sauce with a bottle of sugar-free ketchup, used keto brown sugar and the whole green pepper! Definitely a keeper!!!
Thank you!
That’s wonderful, Monica!
This recipe has a lot of potential, but i just found that it lacked flavor. Using the listed ratios, i just didn’t get much sweetness or tanginess coming through and the sauce tasted mostly like unadulterated tomato sauce so i had to add almost twice as much brown sugar and mustard and almost 3 times as much Worcestershire sauce. I also added smoked paprika and a dash of chili powder and a half teaspoon of instant espresso powder for depth of flavor.
Thank you for sharing your creative modifications.
I also noticed this, although I did appreciate the use of tomato sauce instead of the typical ketchup. I also doubled the sauce flavorings with a little extra Worcestershire and about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar to counter the sugar. If I make this again I won’t use as much sugar (sucanat in my case) as it turned out a little too sweet, but smoked paprika is a good idea. That stuff is good in everything.
Im looking forward to msking this recipe, sounds yummy! Can I use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce?
Hello there, one of our readers shared this “YUM! I did add a tablespoon of tomato paste and an extra tablespoon of brown sugar, which made it perfect. It was even better the next day!” Hope that helps!
This was so good! I followed this almost to the t! I did add red pepper instead of green since it’s sweeter. I also added maybe a tablespoon of tomato paste. Thank you for this recipe my 4 year old and husband loved it!
That’s wonderful, MJ! Thanks for sharing.
Very tasty recipe! We substituted half the yellow mustard for some spicy brown mustard, added some diced tomatoes and a dash of chili powder. So good!
Sounds great! Glad to know that it worked well in this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
A few changes I made and added. Tomato paste to thicken it up, added Ancho Chili powder, paprika and a dash of cumin, and a tbl spoon of molasses. Also picked some jalapenos and added them along with the other green pepper.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This was very good. Full disclosure- I have never eaten sloppy joes from a can only from scratch. So I added a half a teaspoon of Montreal steak seasoning as I like that flavor in my sloppy joes. I also added finely diced mushrooms, and this time I threw in a jalepeno since my pepper plant is producing a lot!
Thank you for sharing, Amanda! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I’ll be making this soon, it’s a classic recipe, very similar to what I’ve made in the past. However I place the bun top on a piece of waxed or parchment paper large enough to wrap the filled sandwich in. I place a slice of cheese, some jalapeno or green chile slices and sometimes a slice of raw onion. Add the filling, bottom bun & finish wrapping in the paper. Place wrapped sandwiches on a pan in a 350° oven and bake until the cheese is melted. Voila, a delicious sandwich with gooey, melded flavors just like my mother made!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, JC
I don’t eat beef but made this with ground turkey last night and it was delicious! Also used red bell peppers because I don’t like the green ones. This will definitely be a recipe I’ll use often in the future. Thanks!
Hi Tina, great to hear that it’s yummy using grlund turkey. Thanks for sharing!
I thought this was delicious! I fried the onion and green pepper first along with the garlic then I added the meat to brown. The other difference was I used San marzano tomatoes because I didn’t have anything else. So I did not use any water. It was fantastic.
Thank you for sharing! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this last night. It was delicious. So much better than the canned Manwich sauce that I grew up on as a kid. I added a bit more brown sugar to the sauce and some tomato paste. Having leftovers of this tonight. I will add this to my dinner rotation.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Lisa!
The flavor profile was delicious but it was way too saucy, I didn’t even add the water. I ended up adding another half pound of burger and about 6oz of cauliflower rice.
My mom gave me this recipe, I passed it on to my best friend and we all rave over how delicious it is! So simple & so delicious!
So lovely to hear that, Erin. Great to hear that it was a huge hit!
Great recipe to replace horrible can versions. Easy and pulls together quick.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lisa!
We love this recipe! It’s almost identical to the way we made it in the 1970’s! I think some of the more negative comments are from people who grew up on sweeter foods with HFC. Back in the “old days” we didn’t use as much sugar. Thanks for posting this. It brought back so many good memories for me.
Thank you for your lovely comment, Lana!
Best Sloppy Joes recipe! Have made them several times. So delicious!
Hi Darla! Thank you for sharing. I’m glad this recipe is being enjoyed.
Hello Natasha! I don’t have any regular tomato sauce but I do have a Tomato sauce that is Chili Ready, looks like the only difference is they have Cuimin and Chili Pepper in it. Not sure if that would taste ok?
Hi Amy! I think it could work fine, it will just have a different flavor profile, that of chili.
My husband doesn’t like Sloppy Joe from the can. I was surprised that he came for seconds. Very good. I won’t buy the canned Joe sauce, anymore and everything in the recipe was pantry staples.
Yay great to hear that it was a success! Thanks so much for this review.
Hi Natasha! Well to begin with, I am American living in England and I just can’t go to the store and get everything I need. But I do have a couple of American Grocer’s that I usually can get a few things here and there. So went to the garage to find in my stock a can of Manwich sauce and i didn’t have anyy stinking sauce on the shelf. haha shame on me…oh but wait I thought I’ll just google a recipe for Sloppy Joe’s. As I was searching for one I ran across your recipe and since I have made several of your recipes of course I went with yours. I didn’t make any changes as that is my way to make a new recipe without tweaking it from the start. I didn’t need to add any water at all and just reduced the sauce down to where I wanted it. I also have to admit it was better than the canned. I’m very greatful that I started following you with your recipe and totally enjoy watching your videos! You are so entertaining and adorble! Thank you for your recipe and have saved me a few dollars from now on no more canned Manwich sauce for me. Thank you!!
Hi Sharon! That’s wonderful. I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes. Thank you for the love and support.
Natasha, I follow you and love your recipes. You’ve stated these are favorite family recipes.
I’ve noticed your recipe for the best sloppy joes copied word for word by another blogger noting it’s her family favorite also.
Is this the norm?
Hi Linda! We sometimes will have a guest recipe on the blog. In the recipe card above, you’ll see it noted that the author of this recipe is Valentina Ablaev.
Adjustments I made: more worcestershire, more mustard (used spicy brown as I had no yellow mustard), medium (not small) onion, more green pepper, 8 oz tomato sauce (not 15), no water and no oil. Added a pinch each of sriracha salt and powdered mustard. Good and fun!
Thank you for sharing, Sharon!
Had planned on manwiches, as my husband and I were both not feeling well, and just wanted super easy dinner, and I’d already started browning the beef, when I discovered there was not a can in the house! No choice at that point but to “from scratch” it, and found this recipe. Luckily, I had the ingredients, it was very easy, and tasty as is. Like others, we like a bit more spice and tang, so I threw in a small splash of cider vinegar and a large dash of cayenne, and now hubs says I have to make it like this every time… we’ll see… thanks for saving my bacon!
Hi Johanna! That’s wonderful. Thank you for the feedback.
Loved the base recipe, to my taste I halved the tomato sauce, dropped in 1/4tsp of chili powder (cause I like the spice) omitted the olive oil and drained the fat from my 80/20 hamburger… so same/same with no modifications right!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Will. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
When we made this, it turned out way soupier than I’d like for a sloppy joe. The taste was also way too tomato-ey. I think if I were to do it again, I’d use 1 small can of tomato paste rather than a 15oz can of tomato sauce.
Hi Melanie, the size of your pan will make a difference in how quickly the sauce cooks down which is why we recommend cooking “until thickened to your liking.”
Hi there, I didn’t have my “normal” ingredients (1 original Manwich & 1 ‘BOLD’ Manwich). Bummed, however, before Manwich, I always made from scratch. I added this to your recipe: I didn’t measure, Horseradish, Some Original Sweet Baby Ray (love this on ribs too), no salt, 1 or 2 shakes of McCormick Steak Seasoning (Great on a lot of food you would not have thought of!). My Sloppy Joe was soupy also, I did have it in a large, deep wok.
Simmered briefly when browned, let it set for a short time, drained but hardly any fat. I did use the other ingredients. (The difference between mine, is no olive oil, no tomato sauce, no water, and no lid to collect more moisture). 😉
Thank you for sharing, Janet. Hope you still enjoyed it.
This was my first time making this recipe. I sautéed my onions, half a red pepper and some celery until they started browning (it added a lot of flavor and sweetness) then added lean ground beef.
After that I followed the recipe as you listed but added more salt. It was so good and such a big hit. Thank you 👏🏼
That’s great to hear, JoAnne! Thank you for the feedback.
This makes much more sense. The recipe instructs to cook the beef quite a long time after the initial browning phase and results in overcooked meat. The proportions of the recipe though, are good.
I always make recipes that I find exactly as written before making any changes. This one is very good, but I made a few adjustments at the end to tailor it to my tastes. I added about 2 tsp of hot pepper flakes, 2 tsp of salt, and 1 Tbsp of rice vinegar for some twang. To me, that made it perfect! I like the fact that it isn’t too sweet like the canned mixes. Will probably omit the olive oil next time since I used 85/15 beef that has enough of its own fat.
Very Bland. Too much trouble to make such a bland sauce. I had to add mustard AND ketchup thickly on the toasted bun to make it palatable. I cannot recommend Natasha’s recipe. I would never make it again.
Hi Helen, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
I found this to be a great starting point, but found it to be a bit bland alike a few others. I added some ketchup, Italian seasoning and a bit of chipotle seasoning. End result was excellent
Super easy to prepare I used ground venison also doubled the recipe since venison was in a 2 lb roll. Simmering right now and reducing the sauce.
Hi Greg! So glad you loved the recipe. Thanks for the feedback.
I made tonight and it was a hit. So easy to prepare ahead and just threw together. I followed recipe but added 1 chopped jalapeno. Definitely a keeper!
Hi Cat! I’m so glad you loved this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Not a fan. Like others I found the sauce bland, and unlike others I wanted a higher sauce-to-beef ratio. No herbs or spices should have been a red flag. I would change enough things here that I’m better off starting from a different recipe.
Hi Joe, if a thicker sauce is preferred, you would want to simmer it down longer which will also concentrate the flavors more.
Perhaps Joe, you should write your own recipe and post. If you felt that this recipe was too bland or not satisfying to your taste, enhance it.
Nice that you shared your thoughts, but they came across a bit negative.
Love your recipes! I had 2 unexpected guests for this meal so I added 2 regular (not the tall) cans of Bush’s vegetarian beans I had on hand. There was enough for us all and it was a big hit!
Yay, lovely feedback! So happy to hear that it was a huge hit!
Was so good and east to make
A new favourite for my husband
That’s great to hear, Joyce! Thanks for the lovely review.
Absolutely delicious the flavors are wonderful. I will make it again! Thanks so much.
You’re so welcome! Great to know that you loved this recipe, Helen.
This is OK but a little bland. I added a tbsp. of garlic powder, a teaspoon or so of cumin, and about 1/2 tsp. of chili powder to punch it up. If you want it even spicier I’d add about 1/4 tsp. of cayenne.
Hi there, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
It’s ok. It actually tastes just like Manwich so save yourself the trouble and just go buy Manwich instead.
Nope! Who wants high fructose corn syrup, & guar gum, xanthan gum!!! Not me!!!
I ran out of canned sloppy Joe mix so I made it this way. I just didn’t have fresh green pepper today. I had a jar of pickled peppers that I tapped.
At the end I shook in some curry powder.
Sounds great! Thank you for trying the recipe.
This recipe is perfect, simple and easy to prepare . The flavor is delicious
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Debbie!
I had about a lb of leftover cooked ground beef from making tostadas. I used it for this. I sauted the onion and bell pepper first and then added the cooked beef and followed as directed. Except I only had a 8 Oz can of tomatoes sause. It turned out really good. We piled it on toasted wheat buns.
Hi Claudia! Thank you for trying the recipe! So glad it turned out well.
I made this per recipe, it is delicious as is, I love that there is no ketchup,I don’t like sweet sloppy Joe’s, I fell this a good sweet/savory balance, for those that said it was bland it’s probably because they want it sweeter, add more brown sugar
Hello Christina, good to hear that you enjoyed it!
delicious! Got a wild hair and wanted sloppy Joes. Added steak seasoning while cooking.
Good to know that you enjoyed it!
I thought this recipe could’ve used more flavor. My family thought it was bland. I added some chili powder, bbq sauce, small amount of ketchup, and some beef stock concentrate. Tasted more flavorful after.
Hi Katherine, this is a classic version of a Sloppy Joe recipe but I love that you can change it up and add new flavorings. Thanks for sharing your modifications.
I walked by the canned sloppy joe sauce at the grocery and immediately had a craving for it…but wanted homemade. This recipe hit the spot! I have to admit I added a little minced jalapeno and some smoked paprika (I hate when people review and then change the recipe…apologies!) But it’s a keeper!
Great to hear that you enjoyed our recipe, Pam! Thanks so much for sharing that with us.
Husband was craving sloppy joes, this recipe popped up on my google search. I haven’t had a sloppy joe in years and I have never made them myself. This recipe was easy and delicious. Total hit with my husband and kids! 10/10
Hi Erin! That’s great to hear. So glad you both enjoyed the recipe.
My family loves this recipe it’s so good. I know these are suppose to be sloppy,”Sloppy Joe’s,”but is there a way to thicken it a little? I thought about putting more meat in than it calls. What do you think?
Hi Kasey! Yes, you can add more meat if you prefer. 🙂
One of THE best Sloppy Joe sammies I’ve tasted! Thank you for this recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Cheryl! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This was so good! I made it for my husband and myself, thinking we would have leftovers for lunch the next day. We devoured it, and ended up only having a little bit leftover.
That’s wonderful, Patti! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
This recipe is simple enough that my non-cook husband can handle it. In addition, it is delicious so he can be proud of it. Thanks for sharing.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Dixie!
Excellent recipe. I pour it into a 9×13 pan, then top with cheese and cornbread batter to make a sloppy joe casserole. You have to bake it a little longer than the cornbread mix calls for, but it’s worth the wait.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Used a shallot for the onion, because that is what I had. Pasta sauce for tomato sauce. Added ketchup and balsamic glaze to the sauce. Beef broth for the water. Reduced quite a bit to get a very savory dish. Not really fair to rate with so many changes, but was out of this world good on toasted English Muffins. Thanks for the initial recipe.
Hi John! Thank you for sharing that with us. 🙂
Could ground turkey substitute for the ground beef? We do not eat ground beef, and have substituted ground turkey in other recipes. I was curious to see if anyone else had done this and how it turned out. TIA
Hi Helen! Yes, that would be fine.
This looks great, we are making it tonight. I am so happy to have found a recipe that doesn’t have ketchup or vinegar in it. The serving suggestions are great too!
You’re very welcome! I hope you love it.
I would like to make this in a slowcooker. Would you suggest time.
Hi Karen, I address this in the recipe post under the Common Questions section, see; “Can I make this recipe in a slow cooker?” I hope that helps!
I will never buy canned sloppy joe sauce again. It is so good thank you.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Debra!
Eh kinda bland or my taste buds are off. Don’t add the water. I don’t know about the BEST.
Hi Emily, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
Great!
I went by the recipe and added some celery, used slightly less~(7/8) of the can of tomato sauce. Did the crock pot method. Turned out awesome, all the flavors blended perfectly. 5/5 in my opinion.
Hi Chris! Thanks so much for sharing. I’m so glad you loved the recipe.
This is my go to Sloppy Joe recipe. I usually have most of the ingredients at home! I really love it!
So glad you love it, Carol! Thank you.
I have loved every one of your recipes that I’ve tried, Natasha — except this one. It did not have the WOW factor that I’ve come to expect from your recipes. Sadly, it was merely mediocre.
Hi Denise, I”m sorry to hear it didn’t hit the mark for you. Did you possibly make any substitutions to spices or flavorings? Tomato sauce has varying salt content so we always recommend seasoning to taste at the end – I hope that’s helpful for troubleshooting.
Forgot to mention…I did not add water. I pretty much followed the recipe as written with the exception of adding about 1 tablespoon more brown sugar and a sprinkle or two of Worcestershire sauce. Still the very best I have ever eaten…
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Looking for a recipe for Sloppy Joe’s for dinner so I was surfing Pinterest and did not pay attention to the author was… I should have guessed it was your recipe. Every recipe I make of yours is on point. NEVER a disappointment NEVER. These were the very best Sloppy Joe’s sandwiches I have eaten. Keep up the good work
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that lovely review with me, Ramella. I’m all smiles
I used half the tomato sauce and did everything else as written. Excellent! And fun to make.
Hi Dennis! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
YUM! I did add a tablespoon of tomato paste and an extra tablespoon of brown sugar, which made it perfect. It was even better the next day!
That’s wonderful, Lena! Thank you for sharing that with us. So glad you loved it.
I’m not sure about the comments of this recipe being bland….obviously everyone’s taste buds are different, but you know what your family like, so adjust as needed.
As for me and my family, I just added a bit more of the sauce ingredients and the taste was perfect for us. My son kept telling me how delicious the sloppy joes were. By the way, our kids have never eaten sloppy joes. This recipe was a winner!
Thank You and I will definitely cook this again!
Thank you for your comments and feedback. I agree with you, everyone’s taste buds are different but I also recommend adding more seasoning etc according to a person’s preference. I’m just glad that you enjoyed this recipe!
Extremely bland. I had to do some serious doctoring to this recipe. It honestly tasted like sweet tomato sauce. I ended up adding some apple cider vinegar, paprika, more Worcestershire, more brown sugar, and more mustard. I also added a little ketchup.
Hi Dana, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
Thank you Natasha for a wonderful recipe!! It came out perfect! 🙂 The only changes I made was to not add water, and I made an equal replacement of tomato sauce with 1/2 cup chili sauce. Family loved it!
Oh that sounds terrific! Thank you for sharing that suggestion and I’m so glad your family loved the sloppy joe recipe!
I love Natasha and every recipe I have made until now. I found it way to tomato saucey
Hi Kathy, I’m sorry to hear this didn’t meet your mark. Did you make sure to simmer it down uncovered? If you keep it covered while simmering it can seem more saucy. I hope that helps.
Made this recipe tonight for my family and another family who just had a baby.
It was delicious!
For anyone saying “too bland”… here’s some suggestions:
-Use ketchup instead of canned tomato sauce
-add more worshire to taste
-add more brown sugar to taste
-I even added some BBQ sauce to taste!
-Once you drain the grease, and before you add the sauce, add more salt and pepper to taste (and that means, have a little taste!)
-simmer, simmer, simmer. The longer it simmers, the more the flavors combine together.
Hi Lauren! Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad it was enjoyed.
Very bland. Added more Worcestershire, mustard, brown sugar. Still bland. Will try to salvage considerable leftovers by adding ketchup. I am an experienced cook. Husband was disappointed and has asked me to just “stick with Manwich.”
Hi Jen, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
I’m an experienced cook and found this recipe very lacking. I added vinegar, more Worcestershire, more brown sugar, more mustard. Still bland. My husband applauded my “from scratch” efforts but asked me to just go back to using Manwich. Very disappointing.
Hi Jen, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
You put two negative comments about changing a recipe and your husband not liking it. You completely changed the flavor profile and it didn’t work. Congrats. You sound very “experienced”.
Can you freeze the leftover sloppy recipe or better yet make extra and freeze it
Hi Donna! Yes, you sure can. See my notes above under “make-ahead” for instructions on this. 🙂
Natasha, I think this recipe is the best! I’ve never enjoyed other Sloppy Joe recipes. They either tasted like Italian meat sauce or chili. Not very unique. Your recipe, resulting from the sauce, made it just perfect! Quick, easy tasty!
Reading through the reviews, I was fairly disappointed at the handful of people that were unnecessarily offensive. You’re a really good sport!
Cheers,
Cindy
Thanks, Cindy. I appreciate your kind words and support! I hope you’ll enjoy all the recipes that you will try.
Great recipe for a quick meal. As a novice, I am always grateful for simple, yet, very flavorful recipes that don’t take a lot of time to prepare. I don’t eat bell peppers, so added a bit more mustard to give it a little kick.
Hi Lee! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for the feedback.
We have always liked celery in Sloppy Joes , is there any reason you do not add it, And if you did would you have any problem with freezing it.?
Hi Phyllis, I bet celery could work well here. It was our personal preference for us not to add it, but with adjustments, it should work well. We mentioned freezing steps in our Make-Ahead section of the recipe. I hope this helps!
This recipe is horribly bland as written. I had to add all kinds of things to give it any flavor, more brown sugar, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, ketchup. This recipe has no tang or zip at all. I added no water and it was very thin. I had to cook the moisture out of it to be able to serve it on buns. Thankfully I was able to tweak this basic recipe and make it taste good with a lot more seasoning.
Hi there, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
“Save the sloppy Joe, save the world!” I think I speak for the rest of mankind when I say, Thank you KS. Your sharp taste buds and quick thinking with the spices averted a complete catastrophe. Kudos! Kudos!
Excellent recipe for sloppy joes. Family loved it. We like things spicy so I added some sriracha. Love how customizable this is. This will be my new sloppy Joe recipe. We like ours a little thicker so I opted out of the water. For one’s thinking it’s too runny-an easy fix for that is the corn starch method. It was perfect for our liking. Thanks! 😊
That’s a good idea to add some sriracha. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
These were so good!! I accidentally forgot the mustard though, woops!
Also my grocery delivery messed up my order, and sent me diced salt free tomatoes in a can vs tomato sauce.
I just blended them in the can with my immersion blender. Simmered for about 5 minutes, added a bit of extra salt to taste. I added some chili powder, smoked paprika, and 3/4 a can of tomato paste just to thicken it up since it was fairly watery.
Was fantastic night of. My six year old asked to take leftovers to school.
We had it a few days later on top of fries with some cheese on top and 👌👌
Will definitely be going into our regular rotation!!
Hi Sarah! That’s wonderful. I’m so glad you loved the recipe, thank you for sharing.
Just made this, it’s not great. Very bland! I had to dress it up A LOT!
Hi Nate, we never had that issue before. It was never bland for us it was just right but feel free to add more seasoning according to your preference when you try it next time.
I’ve tried a lot of different sloppy joe recipes but this is one is clearly the best I have tasted. It is my go to recipe for sloppy joes, none better.
Hi Joan! That’s wonderful to hear. 🙂
Hi! We have made this recipe as is and have loved it. Can you make it was ground chicken if trying to limit beef?
Thanks!
Hi Melanie! I don’t see why not. The only thing is that chicken is leaner so it can be more dry.
Why don’t you add mayonnaise to this like you do in the cheeseburger recipe
Hi Donna, I haven’t tried this recipe with mayonnaise, traditionally, it’s not made with mayonnaise.
Well I made this for my wife and it crashed and burned. She uses her mother’s recipe which uses apple cider vinegar instead of garlic to give it a tang. Maybe give it a try see what you think.
Interesting – I haven’t tried with cider vinegar. Thank you for the tip!
Excellent recipe! Good flavor. I didn’t simmer it, not sure if that would have made a difference, but it was fine without doing that.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Shaun!
I am so confused by the write up about Valentina’s corner. Especially after reading your about me where you say that all of the recipes on your blog have been made by you and tested by your family????
Hi Rebekah, Valentina is a friend who guest-posts on our site from time to time. It helps her site grow and I trust her taste in food. We do make it a point to test the recipes on our site and the recipes I develop myself are tested repeatedly before posting. I have a meticulous process behind the scenes.
We really enjoyed this sloppy joe. It was very delicious. Tonight I plan on making it with a baked potatoe.
Oh, yum! I bet that would be great. So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Best sloppy joe recipe ever tried & definitely bookmarking! We added a tsp of Sriracha to sauce and some chili powder & red pepper flakes to mixture for a little heat then melted some Colby jack cheese and served open-faced. Super Yummy!
Sounds amazing, MJ! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Delicious sloppy joes on a cold snowy day! Added a stalk of diced celery and after I tasted it I added a bit of horseradish like one of the other reviewers suggested.
The perfect snowy day recipe! I’m so glad you loved it, Patty!
Based on the reviews I had high hopes for this recipe but it is very blah tasting. It’s missing something.
Hi Joe, did you change anything about the recipe? One of the most common things we see is under-salting. I always like to taste at the end and add more salt to taste.