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 42 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 42 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.

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

Add Veggies: Diced bell peppers, zucchini, spinach, or shredded carrot, can easily be added to this recipe and your kids won't even notice a difference. Hawaiian Sloppy Joes: Substitute more BBQ sauce for the ketchup and add 8 oz., drained crushed pineapple.

How can I thicken my 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.

Can I use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste for sloppy joes? ›

You don't have to dash out to the store if you're out of tomato paste; tomato sauce and tomato puree are both an excellent substitute. For every 1 tablespoon of tomato paste needed, use 3 tablespoons of tomato puree or sauce.

What's the difference between Manwich and Sloppy Joes? ›

What is the difference between Manwich and Sloppy Joes? Sloppy Joes are the sandwich, while Manwich is the store-bought canned sloppy joe sauce, produced by ConAgra Foods and Hunt's.

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.

Should you drain meat before adding sloppy joe sauce? ›

Do you drain the meat for sloppy joes? We suggest draining the browned beef, because excess grease serves as a barrier to sloppy joe seasonings. You'll want the beef to absorb these wonderful flavors as it cooks.

Why is sloppy joe so sloppy? ›

Some attribute the original Sloppy Joe to a cafe in Sioux City, Iowa, where, many years ago, in 1930 a cook named Joe added tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwiches. Voila: a new between-the-bread offering, and the sandwich's official name.

Can I use sour cream to thicken sauce? ›

For an add-in that both thickens and enhances flavor, turn to a versatile, dairy-forward ingredient: sour cream. Sour cream is a common add-in for thickening soups and sauces, but it can also be stirred into gravy for a touch of tang and a smooth, creamy finish.

How do I make my sauce thicker and creamier? ›

The most readily available sauce-thickener is flour. For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.

How do I make my sloppy joes less sweet? ›

Cooking Tips for Homemade Sloppy Joes

If you like Sloppy Joes a little less sweet, you can reduce the brown sugar to 1 teaspoon. If you keep the mustard at 2 teaspoons, the result will be a tangier Sloppy Joe. Add a piece of sliced American cheese for over-the-top comfort food creaminess.

How to make sloppy joes better? ›

Try serving your sloppy joes with their own toppings such as slaw, melty cheese, grilled pineapple, or Hatch green chile. Even just adding a pickle gives extra flavor and crunch, transforming it from a bland sandwich into something great, like the recipe below!

How to spruce up Manwich? ›

5 Easy Ways to Doctor up Manwich Sloppy Joes to Improve Taste
  1. Produce.
  2. • 1/4 tsp Garlic powder.
  3. • 1/2 Green bell pepper.
  4. • 1 Large or 2 small jalapeno peppers.
  5. • 1 Onion, medium white or yellow.
  6. • 1 Pickled jalapenos.

What is manwich made of? ›

TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, DISTILLED VINEGAR, CORN SYRUP, LESS THAN 2% OF: SALT, SUGAR, CARROT FIBER, DRIED GREEN AND RED BELL PEPPERS, CHILI PEPPER, GUAR GUM, SPICES, XANTHAN GUM, DRIED GARLIC, NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID.

What can I use in place of Worcestershire sauce? ›

9 Worcestershire Sauce Substitutes That Get the Job Done
  • DIY Imitation Blend.
  • Reduced Balsamic Vinegar.
  • Soy Sauce.
  • Miso Paste.
  • Oyster Sauce.
  • Anchovy Paste.
  • Red Wine.
  • A1 Steak Sauce.
Apr 28, 2024

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.

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