Forget the canned mix and make homemade sloppy Joes for a delicious easy meal.
This recipe uses simple ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes.

This sloppy joe recipe is inexpensive and budget friendly.
It is a quick, easy meal that does not skip on flavor or comfort.
Try making them for busy nights or evenings you want to relax and not do too much at the end of the day!
Sloppy Joe video tutorial

Ingredients
This is the list of ingredients for homemade sloppy Joes.
- ground beef- Traditionally you would use ground beef, but ground chicken or ground turkey work also really well as a substitute.
- green bell pepper- This adds a nice flavor, but if you are not a pepper fan, you can omit this. For a milder pepper flavor, you can substitute with a yellow pepper.
- onion- white or yellow
- brown sugar
- vinegar- The acidity from the vinegar balances the sweetness from the sugar and ketchup.
- ketchup
- yellow mustard

Steps
Follow these simple steps to make homemade sloppy Joes.
- Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Drain any extra fat.
- Add diced bell pepper and onion. Cook until completely softened.
- In a mixing bowl, mix ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and mustard.
- Add sauce to the ground beef and cook on low heat an additional 10 minutes. Serve.
Toppings
I personally like my sloppy Joe's simple with mustard and pickles. However you can add other toppings. Here are some recommendations:
- American or cheddar cheese slices
- pickles
- red onions
- jalapeno
- mustard

What is the difference between Manwich and Sloppy Joes?
Manwhich uses a store bought canned sauce to make sloppy joes rather than a homemade sauce.
Homemade sauce tastes much better than the canned store bought version.
Can you freeze sloppy joe meat mixture?
Sloppy joe meat freezes very well. I suggest doubling a batch and freeze half for a later use.
To freeze, add meat to an air tight freezer bag. Spread the meat evenly in the bag so that it can lay flat in the freezer easily. When ready to cook, thaw meat and heat.

Ways to use sloppy joe meat
There are several fun ways to use sloppy joe meat. Try some of these:
- The traditional way- on a bun with your choice of toppings.
- Layer over tater tots- Add meat mixture to cooked tater tops, add cheese, and toppings of your choice for loaded tater tots.
- Top meat over spaghetti pasta or macaroni for a simple pasta meal.
- Layer over tortilla chips-Add meat mixture to cooked tater tops, add cheese, and toppings of your choice for loaded nachos. You can make your chips from scratch using this tortilla chip recipe.
- Top a baked potato-Add sloppy joe mixture to cooked tater tops, add cheese, and toppings of your choice for loaded nachos.
About the recipe
This recipe came from my sister-in-law, Melanie Crenshaw. She makes hers a little different from the typical recipe.
I honestly was not a big fan of sloppy Joes before I tried hers. They were always kind of plain and boring in flavor.
I was blown away on how delicious her sloppy Joes were and knew I had to share with my readers.
Buffalo Ranch Chicken Pie and Triple Chocolate Nutella Stuffed Cookies are also recipes she has shared with me! You should definitely check them out.
Like this recipe? Then you will also like these:
- Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
- Cheeseburger Poutine
- Ground Beef Chow Mein Casserole
- Instant Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
- Baked Calico Beans
Please leave me a comment below if you make these sloppy joes and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your sandwiches on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!

Homemade Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 green bell peppers diced
- 1 onion diced
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1½ cups ketchup
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brown 2 pounds ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Drain any extra fat.
- Add 2 diced bell pepper and 1 onion. Cook until completely softened.
- In a mixing bowl, mix 1 ½ cups ketchup, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vinegar, and 2 teaspoons mustard.
- Add sauce to the ground beef and cook on low heat an additional 10 minutes. Serve.
Allyssa
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Dennis K Littley
There is something magical about sloppy joes! Thanks for sharing your recipe it brought back delicious memories.
Amy
I never knew how easy it was to make homemade sloppy joes! My whole family loved it and it's so much better than canned!
Healing Tomato
There is something so heart warming about making sloppy Joe's at home. I love your recipe and your writing style. These sloppy Joe's look amazing.
Linda
This recipe is definitely a keeper! So delicious and everyone it!
Brianna
These sloppy joes are so much better than the can! I plan on using leftovers for nachos.
Naiby
I made my first sloppy joe and it was so easy! You're about using inexpensive ingredients for this recipe. It makes it even better!
Ramona
I have never heard of this before and it looks like a really delicious recipe that I cant wait to make soon for me and my family! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I cant wait to try this out!
Jamie
This made a delicious family dinner! The brown sugar and ketchup add just the right amount of sweetness. So good!
Nicole
I freaking love Sloppy Joes. You have a lot of good ingredients in your recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Tristin
This is so much better than the stuff you get in the can! Love the addition of the bell peppers.
Amy
These were so good! I liked your idea for doing loaded tater tots with the sloppy joe meat and it was a total hit!
Mikayla
This recipe reminded me of childhood meals, warm and comforting. However the flavors here of fresh ingredients and how well it freezes for later use makes this a top 10 recipe for me!
Nancy
This is my childhood. I'm so happy to have found your recipe so I can make them from scratch, I can imagine how much more delicious they are than the mix.
Erin
I'd never make sloppy joes before but am so glad I made these! They're just amazing. Like my childhood, thanks!
Claire
This is my kids favourite meal! And this was just so easy! We loved it! And I love how simple it is to toss together, even on a busy weeknight.
Lauren Michael Harris
I haven't had a sloppy joe in forever, but my husband and I were just talking about them and how our kids have never tried one. Adding this to the menu for next week - I'm so excited! These look so much better than the old canned sauce my parents used!
Megan
These are actually one of my favourite "burgers". So delicious and the perfect easy comfort food.
Jenny
My American husband loves you! We are in Greece, and he is asking for sloppy Joe's, his favorite dish, and I have no idea how to make it. Your recipe came to the rescue. Thank you!
Jessica
This recipe is a little different than what I remember from childhood but was so much better. The flavors were well balanced and I loved the addition of the green bell pepper. My family gobbled these up; I will definitely be making them again.
Amy Liu Dong
Oh my goodness, it is so easy, and seeing this makes my mouthwatering!
Def making this at home, thank you!
Moop Brown
Sloppy joe is such a classic recipe and was always something I ate growing up. I like that this recipe allows me to make a homemade version of it.