Home » 30 Minute Meals » Homemade Sloppy Joes (Crock Pot Friendly!)
by Stephanie on January 18, 2021 (Updated March 21, 2023)74*This post may contain affiliate links. Read more »
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It is SUPER easy to make Homemade Sloppy Joes from scratch! This delicious sauce has a perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors. Your family will request this 30 minute meal every week!
Be sure to try my Creamy Beef and Shells and Baked Chili Cheese Dogs next!
Homemade Sloppy Joes
When it comes to beef recipes, this one just jumped right to the top of my favorites list.
I did some serious recipe testing to ensure that no ingredient overpowered another here. (And that each ingredient was necessary. Trust me, everything is in perfect harmony.)
Manwich vs. Sloppy Joes
- Manwich sauce comes in a can and contains a combination of tomato paste, water, a few varieties of sugar, distilled vinegar, salt, dried bell peppers, dried garlic, chili pepper, spices, and a few other ingredients.
- My Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe was carefully created to ensure the perfect balance of flavors:
- Tomato sauce, a little ketchup, and some apple cider vinegar for just therightbalance of tomato flavor and acidity.
- Yellow mustard adds depth of flavor,brown sugar adds a hint of sweetness, and Worcestershire sauce adds umami to balance it all out.
How to Make it
See recipe card at bottom of post for ingredient quantities and full instructions
Brown the top and bottom of the ground beef prior over high heat before breaking it up and cooking the middle. The texture will be similar to that of a hamburger and it’s very good in Sloppy Joes.
Cook and crumble the beef and add the onions until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste.
Add the remaining ingredients and heat until thickened. Don’t let the sauce reduce too much,especially if you’re going to reheat leftovers. Serve with toasted hamburger buns.
Crock Pot Method
- Prepare the ground beef, onions, and garlic on the stove top as instructed. Drain any excess grease as needed.
- Add the meat to the Crock Pot and stir in remaining ingredients. (Minus the buns.)
- Cook onlowfor 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally if possible. Serve on toasted hamburger buns.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Optional:Add a little more tomato sauce and water or beef broth if you would like it saucier once reheated.
Pro Tips
- Optional Additionsinclude celery, bell peppers, and ground turkey or chicken instead of beef.
- Add a slice of cheese on top of the meat before serving if desired.
- Leftovers taste great over Homemade French Fries with Nacho Cheese Sauce. Or transform it into chili and make Baked Chili Cheese Dogs!
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 78!
What To Serve with Sloppy Joes
- Potato Wedges
- Homemade French Fries
- Onion Rings
- Skillet Potatoes
- Easy Potato Salad
- Grilled Potatoes
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Homemade Sloppy Joes
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
4.95 from 37 ratings
Servings: 4
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It is super easy to make Homemade Sloppy Joes from scratch! This delicious sauce has a perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors. You'll never buy a can of Manwich again!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. ground beef, 85% lean
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 1 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce, optional*
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
For Serving
- 4 Hamburger buns, toasted
Instructions
Add the oil to a large nonstick skillet over high heat.
Add the beef but don’t break it apart yet. Allow a dark brown crust to develop on the bottom of the meat, about 4 minutes. This gives it a hamburger-like texture.
Flip the beef and allow a crust to develop on the reverse side.
Once browned, reduce heat to medium-high.
Add the onions and break the beef apart. Allow the beef to finish cooking through. Drain any excess grease if necessary.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add all remaining ingredients and stir until heated through and thickened slightly. Don't let the sauce reduce too much, especially if you're going to reheat leftovers.
Serving suggestion: Spread butter over the top and bottom of your burger buns and toast them on a griddle or large skillet prior to serving. This adds nice flavor/texture and prevents the buns from becoming soggy.
Serve on buns and top with cheese if desired. Serve with potato wedges!
Notes
Crock Pot Method
- Prepare the ground beef, onions, and garlic on the stove top as instructed. Drain any excess grease as needed.
- PRO TIP:I like to use this slow cooker as you can brown meat right on the stove top with it.
- Add the meat to the Crock Pot along with all remaining ingredients. (Minus the buns.)
- Cook onlowfor 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally if possible. Serve on toasted hamburger buns.
Pro Tips:
- I use Texas Pete or Frank's Hot Sauce!
- Feel free to top each with a slice of American cheese, or work some Velveeta cheese into the meat mixture itself!
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 78!
- Optional Additions: Bell Peppers, Celery
Nutritional information is per serving and includes the hamburger bun.
Nutrition
Calories: 465kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 1103mg, Potassium: 676mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 345IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 114mg, Iron: 5mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Stephanie
30 Minute Meals Beef Recipes Crock Pot Dinner Freezer Food Make Ahead Recipes Our Favorite Recipes Slow Cooker
posted by Stephanie on January 18, 2021 — 74 Comments »
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Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe
74 comments on “Homemade Sloppy Joes (Crock Pot Friendly!)”
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Lori — April 17, 2024 @ 9:31 am Reply
No leftovers here! Really good. Thank u for all the great recipes!!!
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Stephanie — April 17, 2024 @ 10:20 am Reply
It’s my pleasure Lori, I’m so happy it was such a hit! Thanks so much🩷
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Eileen G. — April 13, 2024 @ 7:11 pm Reply
I’m not too nostalgic about my childhood, but about Sloppy Joes – I am! This recipe did not disappoint! Loved the blend of flavors here. The only alteration I made is I used spicy ketchup instead of regular, and I omitted the hot sauce. It gave it a nice little kick. This recipe is a keeper!
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Stephanie — April 13, 2024 @ 9:16 pm Reply
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Eileen! It’s funny, my husband used to hate sloppy joes because he had some bad cafeteria experiences when he was a kid. But he loves these! Definitely triggers peoples childhood memories. Thanks so much for the review!💖
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Jill Tompkins-Bone — April 9, 2024 @ 6:06 pm Reply
This was delicious! It reminded me of my childhood! I added a couple of dashes of Sweet Hungarian Paprika, and it was perfect!
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Stephanie — April 9, 2024 @ 6:37 pm Reply
I’m so happy that it was nostalgic for you Jill!! That is so great to hear, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! 🙂 -Stephanie
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Gary Thurmes — April 7, 2024 @ 9:26 pm Reply
I made this recipe tonight exactly as written (did not add optional hot sauce, but did add optional red bell pepper). It turned out very well, just the right tang and slight sweetness. The browning technique really adding a nice texture to the meat. This will be added to my favorites for game day gatherings.
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Stephanie — April 8, 2024 @ 9:49 am Reply
I’m so happy you liked it Gary! Definitely a great game day food! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review💖
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K. GOYDAN — March 26, 2024 @ 1:43 pm Reply
Yummy…..thanks for the recipe
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Stephanie — March 26, 2024 @ 1:57 pm Reply
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it!! Thank you!!
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Christy Herring — February 23, 2024 @ 10:54 am Reply
Made the sloppy joes , they were yummy , much better that the canned stuff 😉
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Stephanie — February 23, 2024 @ 3:19 pm Reply
I’m soooo happy that you loved them Christy!! Thank you so much! We’re hooked on this recipe! 😍
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Tracy — November 25, 2023 @ 6:04 pm Reply
This was delicious! I made some modifications to the recipe. I used the whole small can of paste and no ketchup. We were out of worchestershire sauce, so we used A-1. It turned up yummy!
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Stephanie — November 25, 2023 @ 8:49 pm Reply
Nice work Tracy! I’m so happy it was such a success, and nice job tweaking it! Thanks for the great review!❤️
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Hannah — September 20, 2023 @ 8:37 pm Reply
This recipe is amazing! It’s got lots of great flavour, my place smelt amazing while cooking it. I added celery along with the onions, which gives the meat a nice crunch. Would totally make again!
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Stephanie — September 21, 2023 @ 8:29 am Reply
Thanks so much for the great review Hannah💖! I’m so happy it was a success. I love the smell while cooking too. My husband always tries to get his little taste test in while it simmers lol.
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