Sloppy Joe Sauce Recipe (2024)

There’s nothing better than a hearty and Homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce that is sweet, savory and delicious!

This easy recipe combines simple ingredients with hearty ground beef for a delicious combination that is perfect served on top toasted buns or bread. It’s an easy recipe to whip up, and with all that tangy sauce, it disappears as quickly as it was made! It also can be added to casseroles or noodles for a hearty and filling meal.

Sloppy Joe Sauce Recipe (1)

Sloppy Joe Sauce

  • Making a homemade sloppy joe sauce is almost as easy as opening a can of ready-made, but so much more rich and flavorful!
  • Less messy and kid-friendly ‘sloppy joey’s’ can be made by scooping out the center of a dinner roll and filling it with sauce.
  • Sloppy Joes are so versatile and can be added to other recipes. Create a cheesy casserole, try sloppy joe spaghetti or even baked sloppy joe tacos!

Sloppy Joe Sauce Recipe (2)

Ingredients & Variations

SAUCE: Sloppy joe sauce is simple to make. It has a tangy tomato-based sauce made with tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and some cider vinegar for some zest. Add some bbq or hot sauce, or experiment with different kinds of mustard to create your own signature brand!

MEAT: Ground beef is best for this sloppy joe’s recipe. But the sauce is also delicious combined with leftover meat and chopped veggies! Try cooked lentils, black beans, or cauliflower rice for a vegetarian version, if desired.

How to Make Sloppy Joes

  1. Prepare sauce ingredients.
  2. Scramble fry ground beef.
  3. Add sauce ingredients with water and simmer until thickened.

PRO TIP: For a thicker sauce, just simmer a little bit longer. Serve over toasted buns.

Sloppy Joe Sauce Recipe (3)

How to Serve Sloppy Joes

Unlike hamburgers, these hearty sammies don’t need condiments, but toppings are welcome! Offer small bowls of sliced jalapenos, shredded cheese, coleslaw, or French-fried onions! A squeeze of mustard is a zesty way to top this ‘bunwich’.

Serving a crowd? Cook up a large batch and keep warm in the slow cooker so guests can serve themselves! And don’t forget the toasted buns! Choose sturdy buns like kaiser rolls, onion rolls, or ciabatta bread.

Sloppy Joe’s are a tasty main dish that will go well with a side of creamy potato salad or some air fryer frozen fries. Or use it as a condiment itself for omelettes, tacos, burritos, chilli dogs, or nachos!

Best Shortcut Tip

Cook Sloppy Joe Sauce and keep it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, perfect for a quick dinner or lunch all week.

To freeze, store in containers or in zipper bags, for 4-6 months. Freeze sauce in individual sized, or family sized, freezer bags then pop out and reheat for a quick dinner. Or use the sauce in other tasty recipes like .

Thaw meat sauce in the refrigerator and reheat over low heat on the stove, or covered with foil in the oven.

Sloppy Joe Sauce Recipe (4)

Easy Meals With Ground Beef!

  • Cheeseburger Casserole – easy and delicious
  • Cheesy Ground Beef Pasta – ready in 30 minutes!
  • Ground Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry – skillet recipe
  • Creamy Beef Mushroom Stroganoff recipe – a favorite
  • Texas Toast Sloppy Joes – served all at once

Sloppy Joe Sauce Recipe (5)

4.98 from 43 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce

These Sloppy Joes are the best! With it's tangy, bbq flavor, this hearty meat sauce is perfect served over toasted buns and makes a quick, easy and delish dinner.

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

Sloppy Joe Sauce

  • ¾ cup tomato sauce
  • ¾ cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • cup water

For Serving

Instructions

  • Whisk all sauce ingredients (except ground beef and water) in a bowl. Set aside.

  • Cook ground beef in a medium skillet until no pink remains.

  • Add the sauce and water, then simmer 5-7 minutes or until it reaches desired thickness.

  • Spoon meat mixture over the toasted buns and serve.

Notes

  • Refrigerate leftovers for 4-5 days. Freeze in covered containers or individual sized, or family sized, freezer bags for 4-6 months.
  • Thaw sloppy joe sauce in the refrigerator, then reheat over low heat on the stove, or covered with foil in the oven.

4.98 from 43 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 1251mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 433IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

©The Shortcut Kitchen. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

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Sloppy Joe Sauce Recipe (7)

Sloppy Joe Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the sloppy Joe sauce made of? ›

What is the sloppy joe sauce made of? It's made with ketchup, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire, chili powder, garlic, dry mustard, and a little Tobasco (if you want). That sauce coats the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper to make the filling.

Is there a difference between sloppy joes and Manwich? ›

Sloppy Joes are the sandwich, while Manwich is the store-bought canned sloppy joe sauce, produced by ConAgra Foods and Hunt's. What is this? While the brand markets this product as a quick and easy one-pan meal, I strongly recommend you make the sauce from scratch.

What's the difference between a sloppy joe and a sloppy Jane? ›

If you're aiming to eat a lower-fat diet, then consider fixing yourself a sloppy jane. This variant on the sloppy joe swaps out regular ground beef for leaner beef. It also places a higher focus on vegetables and other low-calorie ingredients.

What can I add to sloppy joe to make it taste better? ›

Green pepper - Red bell peppers are a sweeter substitute. Fresh garlic - You can substitute 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Ketchup - BBQ sauce can be used to take the flavor in a different direction, like my BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joes. Dijon mustard - Any brown mustard is a good substitution.

What is a New Jersey style Sloppy Joe? ›

There are minor variations depending on the deli, but it is always a double-decker thin sliced rye bread sandwich made with one or more types of sliced deli meat, such as turkey, ham, pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, or sliced beef tongue, along with Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing.

Can I use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste for Sloppy Joes? ›

You can use canned tomatoes, tomato sauce or even ketchup when you don't have tomato paste.

What was the original Sloppy Joe made with? ›

Many believe the Sloppy Joe is the namesake of a Sioux City, Iowa cook, who in 1930, combined the regionally popular loose meat sandwich with tomato sauce. It's less messy predecessor, the loose meat sandwich is a Midwestern favorite of steamed or sauteed ground beef, onions, mustard and pickles.

What is a fancy name for a Sloppy Joe? ›

Manwich, slush burger, yum yums, dynamite, spoonburgers, tavern sandwich; a Sloppy Joe can be called by many other names. The most well-known however is Manwich.

Does mayo go on sloppy joes? ›

Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder, dry mustard Worcestershire, tomato paste, salt and pepper Stir to combine. If mixture is too thick, add some water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Spread Mayo or Miracle Whip over toasted hamburger buns top with sloppy joe mix, sliced pickles and sliced cheese.

What do Americans call sloppy joes? ›

A 1975 Dictionary of American Slang defines sloppy joe as any cheap restaurant or lunch counter serving cheap food quickly.

What does Sloppy Joe mean in slang? ›

a man or youth whose appearance is habitually slovenly.

What is Sloppy Joe meat called? ›

The Essential Ingredients:

Ground Beef - also called 'hamburger' by some; this product is made by grinding beef cuts and beef trim. This recipe calls for lean Ground Beef (93/7).

What is Sloppy Joe sauce made of? ›

Making sloppy joe sauce, like Manwich, from scratch involves a blend of tomato sauce, ketchup, onion, green pepper, and spices. In place of tomato sauce, I use tomato puree to make it a thick sauce that really clings to the meat.

What is the best side dish for sloppy joes? ›

Roasted vegetables are the best thing to serve with sloppy joes. Choose from options such as a light and refreshing lemon parmesan zucchini to a colourful Grilled Succotash for the perfect sloppy joe pairing.

How do you thicken up sloppy joe sauce? ›

Cornstarch thickens the sauce and binds up any fat, creating a silky-smooth, cohesive texture. A potato masher breaks the ground beef into fine, uniform pieces that will (mostly) stay put on the bun instead of tumbling out.

What are the ingredients in Hunt's sloppy joe sauce? ›

Ingredients. Tomato Puree (Water,Tomato Paste), Water, Sugar/Glucose-Fructose, Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Spices, Dehydrated Green Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, Tomato Fibre, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Maltodextrin, Dehydrated Garlic, Citric Acid, Flavour, Spice Extracts.

Is Manwich just the sauce? ›

Manwich, a portmanteau of man and sandwich, is the brand name of a canned sloppy joe sauce produced by ConAgra Foods and Hunt's, introduced in 1969. The can contains seasoned tomato sauce that is added to ground beef cooked in a skillet. It is marketed as a quick and easy one-pan meal for the whole family.

What is the origin of the Sloppy Joe recipe? ›

Many believe the Sloppy Joe is the namesake of a Sioux City, Iowa cook, who in 1930, combined the regionally popular loose meat sandwich with tomato sauce. It's less messy predecessor, the loose meat sandwich is a Midwestern favorite of steamed or sauteed ground beef, onions, mustard and pickles.

What is Sloppy Joe supposed to taste like? ›

A Sloppy Joe is a beloved American sandwich made from ground beef cooked in a tangy and slightly sweet tomato-based sauce and served on a hamburger bun. The name “sloppy” aptly describes the sandwich's messy nature, as the filling tends to spill out of the bun.

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