This sloppy joe sauce will 100% become your new favorite! I have a big thing for these sandwiches and spent years perfecting this recipe. Yes, judge me all you want for dedicating so much time to something as silly as ground beef sandwiches, but I'll never regret it!
The sauce is sweet, but not too sweet. Tangy, but not too tangy. And the ingredient that makes all the difference? Canned green chiles! If sloppy joes are your thing, I'm confident you won't be disappointed here. 🙂
Like I said above, this is a recipe I've tweaked and perfected for a long time. It's perfect for my tastes and is even more perfect when served with a side of some of the best coleslaw or homemade french fries!
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📋 Why This Recipe Works
The tricky part about sloppy joe sauce is balancing the flavors. It should be sweet and tangy but still let the flavor of the meat shine through. This recipe has a perfect blend of those sweet and tangy notes and an additional depth of flavor created by adding diced green chiles and Worcestershire sauce for a perfectly balanced taste.
🔪 How To Make The Recipe
Step 1.) Choose Your Meat
This sloppy joe sauce works well with both ground beef and turkey. I'm not a huge fan of ground chicken, so I've never tried it, but if you do and it turns out well, let me know!
Step 2.) Make the Sauce
The sauce includes brown sugar, chili powder, mustard, onion, vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, and my secret ingredient, diced green chilies.
After you brown the meat just add all the sauce ingredients to the pan and let simmer!
Step 3.) Simmer WELL
The longer you can simmer the sauce, the better! I'm usually making these because I'm in a time crunch and need something quick, but if you have the time, let it simmer away to let all the flavors develop and meld together. Or use the slow cooker method below.
Step 4.) Assemble!
Sloppy joes are typically served on hamburger buns, but can be served on just about any kind of bread. See my serving suggestions below to make these even more delicious than they are.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Toast Them Buns: Brush buns with melted butter and place face up under the broiler for just a minute (watch closely!). The toasted, buttered buns hold the sloppy joe sauce better and add texture and flavor.
- Fat Content Matters: Ground beef and Turkey come in many different forms and fat contents. If the meat is too lean the end result will be tough and too fatty the sandwiches might be greasy. I've found that 85/15 ground beef (85% meat, 15% fat) and 90/10 ground turkey are perfect!
👪 Cooking For a Crowd
Sloppy joes make a great meal for any size crowd because they are budget-friendly and super easy to make.
The best way to make them for a crowd is using the slow cooker method talked about in the FAQs. For more fun, create a sloppy joe bar using the topping suggestions below.
Need To Know How Much To Make?
When cooking for a crowd, it can be hard to figure out how much food to purchase-- especially meat!
This recipe makes six good-sized sandwiches. So, if you need to make sloppy joes for 50, you'll need to multiply the recipe by 8 and buy 8 pounds of ground meat.
One good rule of thumb is is to estimate about 2 and a half ounces of raw meat per person when dealing with ground meat.
🍽 Serving and Topping Suggestions
Want to make this recipe super special? Make a sloppy joe bar! It's the perfect way to dress up these basic sandwiches and makes a fun and easy dinner for a crowd. Here are some of my favorite toppings:
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Dill pickle chips
- Yellow Pepper rings
- Crispy bacon slices
- French-fried onions (like those you put on green bean casserole)
- Sliced Cheese- cheddar, pepper jack, muenster, American
- Sour Cream
- Potato Chips or Fritos
💭 FAQs
Sloppy Joes originated in Sioux City, Iowa by a cook named Joe in the 1930's. Loose-meat sandwiches were a popular staple at casual lunch-counter restaurants and were known to be sloppy and messy to eat. Albeit, super tasty! (Wikipedia)
Can You Make This Recipe In an Instant Pot?
Yes! Turn the Instant Pot on saute mode and prepare the recipe as written below. When it comes time to simmer the sauce, add ½ cup water, lock the Instant Pot lid in place making sure the venting valve is sealed, and set to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
When the cooking time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then carefully turn the venting valve to release the remaining pressure.
When the pressure pin drops, remove the lid and stir. If the sauce is thin, you can turn on saute mode and allow the sauce to simmer until thickened to your liking.
Can You Make This Recipe In a Crock-Pot?
If you'd like to make this recipe in the slow cooker, brown the meat with the onion, drain off the fat, and stir with the remaining sloppy joe sauce ingredients in the slow cooker.
Cook on high for at least an hour or low for 2 hours. It can be left in there longer if you'd like.
What's the Difference Between Manwich and Sloppy Joes?
Manwich is the marketed version of sloppy joe sauce that you can find in the grocery store. It's meant to make Sloppy Joes easy to make, but the truth is that they are easy to make even without a can of sauce!
Can I make this Keto/Low Carb?
I've made this recipe using monk fruit sweetener and low carb ketchup with good results. Use the same amount of ketchup and sweeten to taste with your sweetener of choice.
How can I make this recipe spicier?
Substitute a can of diced jalapeños in place of the canned green chiles.
🥘 Leftover Ideas
Don't feel like you have to be bound to a hamburger bun! This recipe can be used for many things. The sauce is slightly sweet and is similar to a BBQ sauce.
It's great served over a baked potato or even used as a topping for "Nachos." Or make a "Sloppy Dog" and top a hot dog with it like you would a chili dog.
📖 Recipe
The Best Sloppy Joe Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey see notes
- 4 ounces canned diced green chiles
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoon Worchestershire Sauce
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add hamburger and onion, cooking and crumbling the meat until no longer pink.
- Remove meat from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels or bags to drain off the excess fat.
- Once drained, put the meat back into the skillet and add all remaining ingredients. Stir until combined and let simmer 10-15 minutes or until slighlty thickened.
- Serve on toasted hamburger buns with a slice of cheese if you'd like.
Chef's Notes:
- Choosing Meat: I've found that 85/15 ground beef (85% meat, 15% fat) and 90/10 ground turkey is perfect to keep the meat tender and avoid greasiness.
- Simmer as long as you'd like: Simmering the meat in the sauce allows the meat to cook down and the flavors of the sauce to meld. I typically am making sloppy joes because I need something quick, but always enjoy them more when I let the sauce simmer 30 minutes on low. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little bit of water to loosen it up.
- Toast The Buns: Toasted, buttered buns hold the sloppy joe sauce better and add texture and flavor. Brush the buns with melted butter and place them face up under the broiler for just a minute (watch closely!)
I made this last night and it turned out great! The chiles added a bit of kick but not too much! My husband put some leftovers with white rice today for lunch.
So tasty and so easy. This is so perfect for a weeknight dinner or cooking for a crowd, excited to add it to our favorites!