This classic and easy Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes Recipe (my Great Grandma's!) goes back generations in my family, and it’s as easy as it is delicious. The epitome of easy weeknight meals, this old school favorite is on the table in under 20 minutes. The easy homemade Sloppy Joe sauce makes it!
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A delicious, fast and easy Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes recipe the whole family will love!
An easy dinner that’s on the table in less than 30 minutes! This Sloppy Joe recipe is fast and easy to make, with a handful of basic pantry ingredients like ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. The scratch-made sweet and tangy sauce is lightyears better than the canned stuff!
Serving the Sloppy Joes
I love to serve my Sloppy Joes on a soft, pillowy bun with a side of fries, chips, or a pickle! This recipe can also be made ahead, and kept on warm in a crockpot for tailgates and bbqs!
What goes into the Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes Recipe?
To make these super easy Sloppy Joes, you will need:
- 1 lb 80/20 ground beef.
- A small onion.
- A green bell pepper.
What goes into making the easy homemade sloppy joe sauce?
- Some Worcestershire sauce. Lea & Perrins is my favorite.
- A bit of sugar, ketchup and yellow mustard. Don't use other varieties of mustard, as they will not work well in the sauce.
- A touch of canola oil, for cooking the veggies.
Looking for more great beef recipes?
Try my Shredded Beef and Smoked Gouda Enchiladas, World's Best Pot Roast, Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with Creamy Baked Bean Gravy, or Thai Burger Sliders with Green Curry Mayo!
Easy, fast and delicious
This Old Fashioned Sloppy Joe recipe couldn’t be any easier; made quickly without any fuss with ingredients you probably have lying around the kitchen. Sauté some onions and green pepper, brown the ground meat, and add the ketchup, mustard, sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Once your meat is cooked and sauce is thickened, grab your hamburger buns, and voila- a family-friendly dinner is on the table (in under 30 minutes).
The best homemade sloppy joes, for generations
No Sloppy Joe (in my humble opinion) is as good as my Great Grandma's recipe. Her homemade Sloppy Joes from scratch were super easy, and super satisfying. I grew up eating them, and have always been a HUGE fan. Her Easy homemade sloppy joe sauce is SOOOO good, I am always craving it, especially in summer BBQ season.
For such a simple recipe, you’d be surprised how many times my Mom and I have laughed over losing the recipe for this Sloppy Joe AGAIN and AGAIN. My mom likes to joke that it’s my Great Grandma’s way of looking down and messing with us from time to time. When I decided to add this recipe to the blog, I was excited that we would finally have it in one place for safe keeping (bookmark this page, mom!).
Can I use ground turkey instead of ground beef?
You could, but I would stay away from ultra-lean turkey. If you want to go with a leaner option, I’d go with ground bison or lean ground beef. I use 80/20 ground beef for this recipe, but you could go with 85/15 or bison and this would still be super flavorful.
How to make Sloppy Joes- Video
Can I use a different kind of mustard for the Old fashioned sloppy joes recipe?
Please don't! I have tried Dijon and spicy mustard trying to be fancy, and it completely changes the flavor of the dish (not in a good way). Stick with tried and true classic yellow mustard and you won't be disappointed.
Best bread for Sloppy Joes
- Classic hamburger buns. Seeded or unseeded both work!
- Brioche buns
- Potato Rolls
- Kaiser Buns
Topping the Sloppy Joes
This Sloppy Joe recipe is great as is on a fresh, soft bun. If you want to give it a little extra oomph, add a slice of cheddar or American cheese right before serving, or a few pickle slices!
What to serve with Sloppy Joes
- Chips
- French Fries
- Broccoli Salad with Bacon
- Macaroni or Potato Salad
- Piled on Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Cornbread
- Baked Beans
- Coleslaw
- Baked Mac and Cheese
Storing leftovers
Refrigerator
Allow the dish to cool completely, and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezer
Store in a ziplock bag or airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months!
Reheating your leftover Sloppy Joes
Reheat in a skillet or saucepan over medium low heat until warmed through, about 3-5 minutes. If reheating from frozen, thaw first before reheating for best results.
Made this recipe? I'd love to hear from you!
If you make my Old Fashioned Sloppy Joe Recipe, please be sure to leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Lastly, if you make the recipe and love it, please tag me on Instagram! I love to see your photos!
Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes Recipe (Great Grandma's)
Ingredients
- 1 lb 80/20 ground beef*
- 1 small onion, chopped fine
- 1 medium green pepper, chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Instructions
- Sauté onions and pepper in 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. 2. Move onions and peppers to outer edge of pan and increase heat to medium-high. Spread ground beef out in center of pan in an even layer and cook, undisturbed, for 5 minutes, or until meat begins to brown. 3. Season beef with salt and pepper, and flip over. Continue to cook, breaking meat apart into small pieces as you go with a wooden spoon or spatula, until meat is cooked through and no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. 4. Reduce heat to medium-low and add in ketchup, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce and sugar. Cook 2-3 minutes until flavors are melded. Serve on burger buns, brioche buns or potato rolls.
*Notes/Substitutions:
The same portion of lean ground beef or bison could replace the 80/20 ground beef.
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Rita F. says
I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for the recipe!
Tom F says
This was so good! My guest devoured it. One of the best sloppy Joe recipes I've ever made and easy too.
Sharon Farnell says
Thanks, Tom!
Timothy S says
An amazing recipe, my kids loved it. looks like i be making it again soon!
Susan says
Made this but doubled the onion and green pepper, also added chopped celery because why not. OMG, loved by all who ate it. This is a keeper recipe. Thank you for sharing it.
Sharon Farnell says
So happy you loved the recipe, Susan! Thanks for stopping by to review!
Jamie Forster says
I made this and my boyfriend thought it was delicious! I made a few changes to fit my dietary needs because I have soy & dairy allergies. I omitted the onions/peppers (I didn't have any lol) & instead of Worcestershire sauce, I used No-Soy sauce. I used 80/20 beef but I think I should have drained it because it was kinda soupy... ? so I added some nutritional yeast and then some potato flakes to thicken it up. Otherwise, it was very good. I think next time I'll leave out the sugar for me it was a tad sweet but that could've been because of my subtraction and addition of other ingredients. A keeper! Thanks for the great recipe. ?
Sharon Farnell says
Hi Jamie, I am so happy you and your boyfriend enjoyed the recipe, and that you were able to adapt the recipe to your dietary needs 🙂
Ashley says
The best Sloppy Joes we have ever had. We added maybe a tsp of w-sauce extra, but was perfect. My boys ate it up.
Sharon Farnell says
Thanks, Ashley! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Marcy says
Have you tried brown sugar instead of white ?
Sharon Farnell says
I have not, but I'm sure it would work if you are a fan of brown sugar flavor!
Lorraine A Keleman says
Made these for the kickoff to football today! Instead of sugar I used honey from our apiary and we LOVED them!!! Will definitely be making these again!
Sharon Farnell says
Awesome! So happy you all enjoyed the recipe!
Rebbecca P. says
Just like my dad used to make it. Idk why I haven’t made it sooner. So easy and tastes much better than canned sloppy Joe mix. Thank you for sharing.
Sharon Farnell says
Thanks! So happy you enjoyed it!
Denise Koper says
I used 90% lean meat and drained it and I used a half of a big red bell pepper instead of green as they bother my stomach, otherwise I used a half of a sweet onion and followed the recipe for the rest except I didn’t use any sugar as I feel red bell peppers have some sweetness to them and it was excellent!!! Oh yes I did add some garlic powder. Great recipe and so fast so it’s my go to for sloppy Joe’s from now on, so much better than any store bought!!
Sharon Farnell says
Thank you! So happy you enjoyed the recipe! I have made it with red bell pepper myself and I love it!
Pam says
This was awesome !! I felt it needed something else so I added 2 pkgs of sloppy joe mix into 3 pounds hamburger was delicious
Ann says
Good and recipe. So much better then can or packaged sloppy joe mix.
Sharon Farnell says
Thanks Ann! So glad you enjoyed it!