These homemade Easy Sloppy Joes are the perfect quick family dinner. They’re made with basic ingredients and come together in just 30 minutes! One of our favorites!
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As a child, I was a picky eater and didn’t like a lot of foods, but homemade Sloppy Joes were one of my favorites and something I was happy to see on the menu no matter where I was.
But I soon learned that most people’s Sloppy Joes tasted a bit bland and slightly sweet. And while okay, they were nothing like the from-scratch version that I was used to.
This old-fashioned Sloppy Joe recipe is a classic that both my mom and grandmother used. It is juicy, full of flavor and has a delightful tangy hint, thanks to the addition of apple cider vinegar.
I’ve eaten a lot of different Sloppy Joe recipes over the years, but I still think this simple Sloppy Joe recipe that is totally from scratch is the best!
Sloppy Joe Ingredients
- Ground Beef. The leaner the beef, the less grease you will have to drain.
- Onion. I typically use a large onion as I love the flavor it adds.
- Ketchup. Gives the meat mixture that signature red color and adds flavor.
- Brown Sugar. Adds just a slight bit of sweetness that really accents the other flavors.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. Gives the sloppy joes a hint of tanginess and is what makes this recipe special!
- Mustard. Plain yellow mustard works the best.
- Worcestershire Sauce. Deepens the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Salt.
- Rolls. We use large hamburger buns, but any bread will work. Toasting the buns makes them extra delicious and also helps prevent them from getting soggy.
How to Make Simple Sloppy Joes
STEP 1: Brown the ground beef with the onion until no pink remains. Drain if needed.
STEP 2: Stir in the remaining ingredients (except for the buns) until combined.
STEP 3: Cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
STEP 4: Serve on hamburger buns.
Helpful Tips and FAQs
Toppings. We love spreading a little mayo on the buns. You can also add pickles and cheese to the sandwiches.
Spicier. For a spicier sandwich, add a dash or two of red pepper flakes.
Ground Turkey. Using ground turkey will have a slightly different taste, but is still an option if that is what you have on hand.
Saucier. If you prefer a saucy Sloppy Joe, double the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce as this is not a super saucy recipe.
Sliders. If you are hosting, you can use slider buns to turn these into a fun finger food.
Storing. Keep leftover Sloppy Joe meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Assembled sandwiches will become soggy quickly, so I don’t recommend storing them that way.
Some of you might wonder how this recipe compares to Manwich. I honestly can’t answer that because I’ve never actually had Manwich before.
But I can tell you that if you like Manwich then I think you’ll enjoy this recipe every bit as much, maybe more. Plus, it’s healthier, cheaper and almost as easy too!
I love serving Sloppy Joes with a simple lettuce salad or raw or cooked vegetables. They also pair well with potato chips, pasta or potato salad or a fruit salad such as my 5 Minute Mandarin Orange Jello Salad.
Yes! Sloppy Joe meat freezes really well. So go ahead and make a double batch and freeze it to have on hand for a super quick meal later on.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Creamy Sausage and Potato Skillet
- White Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice
- Cheesy Beef and Macaroni
- Garlic Butter Swim Biscuits
Simple Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. mustard
- 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 6 hamburger rolls
Instructions
- Fry hamburger and onion together until browned; drain if needed.
- Add remaining ingredients (excluding hamburger rolls of course!) and stir until combined.
- Cover and simmer about 20 minutes.
- Serve on hamburger rolls. (We love spreading some mayonnaise on the rolls too for extra deliciousness.)
Notes
Erin
Good taste, but very dry. Had to triple the sauce ingredients.
Lydia Beiler
Thanks for the feedback, Erin!
Angela
Great flavor, even hubby liked it & he’s a Manwich guy. I would definitely double the sauce because it was a bit dryer than we prefer, but it’s an easy fix for the next time I make them. I absolutely prefer this over the Manwich!
Lydia Beiler
Delighted to hear that you and your Manwich-loving husband enjoyed this recipe, Angela! And yes, definitely double the sauce if you prefer a juicer sandwich. I never realized until I shared this recipe that people have very strong preferences about how sloppy (or not!) a sloppy joe should be. I find it fascinating!
Michelle
I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for posting all that you have. I know what you are doing can be thankless hobby, but honestly I am pretty sure we ALL THANK YOU!. Come on you have eaten your food LOL. With the price of thing still going up I have made the move to cheap meals in a jar, freezing and canning, not at all what I figured I would be doing at 49, but I had a heart attack in 2021 and my dr says no more working, so I have become a house daughter, mommy and wife to be. LOL Daughter. My mom passed away a month before my heart attack. Now I am not only taking care of my family of 4 , we had to move in with my dad so I can take care of him as well. Ok enough about me. I have to say your sloppy joes are now my fav. I make them sloppy cause the next day I put the leftovers over some rice and call it my sloppy rice. I made 20 lbs of it and jarred it and put it in the freezer. I guess you could say I have all your recipes in my freezer. Now I am getting off here to make some of your cream soups.
Lydia Beiler
Aw, thank you so much for your very kind comment, Michelle! You are very welcome. It always makes my day when I hear that someone is being blessed by what I share here! I love your idea of sloppy rice. That sounds delicious!
Ps. I’m so sorry about the heart attack and the passing of your mom though. That’s hard.
Jenny Hamilton
YOU NEED to 2x or 3x the sauce…not enough sauce for a sloppy Joe BUT I agree amazing and easy recipe!!!!
Lydia Beiler
Yes, if you like as messier, saucy sloppy joe, then you’ll definitely want to increase the sauce in this recipe! Glad you enjoyed it, Jenny!
Diane
I thought she was exaggerating but this is in fact the best sloppy joe recipe ever. Leftovers make a killer shepards pie too. My picky kid perks up when I say I’m making this! Tell the world to make this.
Lydia Beiler
Love hearing that your family enjoys this childhood favorite of mine! And I like the idea of using leftovers for Shepherd’s Pie. That sounds absolutely delicious!
Rebecca
I made this tonight and it was so good! It isn’t the typical “saucy” type of sloppy joe that you would get with a canned sauce, which is probably one of the reasons I liked it so much! We ate it over hawaiian rolls and it was delicious! Will definitely make it again. Oh, and it was so easy to make, I had all of the ingredients on hand! Score!
Lydia Beiler
You are right, this isn’t a super saucy sloppy joe, which is what I like about it too! Happy to hear that you enjoyed it so much.