For your Friday night dinner I bring you: The Best Sloppy Joe Recipe ever! This is another one of those recipes that I grew up with. Tangy, sweet and perfect for summer nights.
Okay, okay, I know it’s not even spring yet, but a girl can dream right? And in all honesty, it’s great any time of year. 🙂
Best Sloppy Joe Recipe:
- 2# hamburger
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
I make sure to use an organic brand of ketchup and mustard, and use raw cane sugar instead of brown. Growing up we always added the worchestershire sauce, but I don’t add it anymore.
Thaw your hamburger ahead of time and put all ingredients into a skillet.
Turn your heat to medium and cook. Stir frequently so the hamburger doesn’t fry up in chunks. Once the hamburger is cooked through, I like to put the lid on the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.
If you are a crock pot fan, this recipe can work there as well. Just be sure to mix the meat in with the other ingredients really well. Cook in your crock pot on medium for 5-6 hours.
Seriously guys, these are the best sloppy joes ever! They will beat any canned mix you could buy at the store. I hope you can try them and tell me what you think. 🙂
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- 2# hamburger
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 1½ tablespoons vinegar
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Thaw your hamburger ahead of time and put all ingredients into a skillet.
- Turn your heat to medium and cook. Stir frequently so the hamburger doesn't fry up in chunks.
- Once the hamburger is cooked through, I like to put the lid on the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.
If you are a crock pot fan, this recipe can work there as well. Just be sure to mix the meat in with the other ingredients really well. Cook in your crock pot on medium for 5-6 hours.
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Hey a jar of man of manwhich will do and be better.
Stop trying to reinvent the wheel
I don’t usually reply to comments, but that was one of the most pointless, ignorant, and thoughtless ones I have ever read. The fact that you can’t even think of a single reason why someone would rather make their own food is pathetic. I can’t even begin to fathom the type of world you think you’re living in.
Plus, if people didn’t try to reinvent the wheel, wheels would still only be made of stone. What kind of daft person advocates against improvement or progress?
The only message you got accross in that statement is that you are very insecure with yourself, and you have to insult others to feel better.
Can you please tell me how many servings your recipe makes? or how many people you feed with it?
It should make 6-8 servings. But that will all depend on how hungry every one is. Jason and I alone tend to eat it all in in two meals 🙂
7 Nice sized servings! Yummy!
Exactly i agree! Why be here looking at recipes which means home cooked anyways? I’ve made both canned products and couple home made recipes.the recipes were always much better than canned by far as this one is.just depends on how you like it to taste which is your preference but in no way gives you right to berate anyone who prefers a different and imo better tasting recipe. Keep cooking trying homemade!
How do you think Hunt’s makes theirs? In a factory! With people that pick their nose and don’t wash their hands after they go to the bathroom. Trust me. I used to be a factory worker and it put a whole new perspective on EVERYTHING I buy. Home made is way better and don’t taste like tin.
That’s just nasty! I definitely prefer homemade 🙂
Sorry for the gross vision but I’ve seen it all.lol I made socks and seen what was done to them so I just wonder what people do to our food :/
Reinvent the wheel? Homemade was the original way. The canned sauces are reinventing the wheel. When they thought “What can we add to this so it last for years on the shelf and no one has to go through the trouble of actually making a home cooked meal?” LOL
Rob- If you don’t agree with making homemade recipes like this one, why are you reading this recipe or even visiting this blog in the first place? Grow up and mind your own business if all you have the desire to do is be rude to others?
Kendra, this recipe is wonderful. My family and I just cooked it and my kitchen now smells delicious! Keep up the good work! 🙂 and thank you!
Kendra, this is the exact recipe my neighbor gave me some 35 years ago! I have never bought Manwich since my first year of marriage! So easy and as you said, the best!
That is amazing! I have no idea how my mother got the recipe, but like I said, it was a big favorite growing up. (and now!) 🙂
Thanks!! This looks great and since I didn’t grow up with Sloppy Joes (hard to believe, right?!) I pinned it and will try it again real soon.
This is pretty much what I grew up on too! So yummy. I use venison, chicken, turkey or lean beef. Always turns out great.
yes! venison is also amazing in it!
I love making my own version. It’s similar to this, but I also throw a bunch of veggies (carrots, green peppers, celery, etc.) in there. I put it in the food processor so the kids don’t even realize they’re getting them.
I’ve heard a lot of moms do this 🙂 sneaky sneaky! My mom never did simply because we all loved veggies. I think each one of us had one we would rather not eat, but I think we still ate them.
I might do this for my husband. He is picky with his veggies. Lol
This looks so delicious! …and healthier than the canned version. Yay! Thank you!
Love this recipe!!! Thanks so much!!
Is that 2lbs of hamburger that is needed?
yes
I tried this last night and it was delicious. I added some red and yellow bell pepper. I’ll definitely be making it again–thanks for posting!
Do you use white vinegar or apple cider? Excited to try this tonight! Thanks.
Apple cider 🙂 Enjoy!
I might sound stupid but do I cook off the meat before I throw it in the crockpot or just mix everything together raw in the crockpot?
You can put everything together with the meat still raw.
You can also stretch out the recipe a bit by using approximately equal amounts (not by weight, but by the volume – never measure, just eyeball it) Brown rice and meat. Cheaper and it stretches to feed a big family.
Made this for dinner tonight, and it was a winner! Thanks Kendra.
This was wonderful! I halved the recipe and I added garlic and onion powder. Quick, easy and for me very common ingredients that are always in my kitchen.
Thank you!! Looking forward to making it tomorrow to eat during the football games.
Oooh! Enjoy!
Thank-you for the great recipe…my husband loves it…3rd time making it and it’s a keeper 🙂
Hi! I’m making this now and mine looks so much saucier than yours. I followed the recipe exactly. What could I have done wrong?
It smells delicious!!!!!!
It is possible that mine got a little dry due to cooking a little longer. Another reason could be the meat/fat content. I wouldn’t worry too much, sloppy joes are supposed to be saucy 🙂
I don’t like regular mustard much so I’m using dijon mustard as we speak and hoping it turns out tasting ok! Guess will let u know!
This is very good. Sloppy Joe’s are a good way to stretch a meal. I was completely out of vinegar and opted to use a Tblsp of pickle juice. Does the same thing. I also sneaked in some shredded carrots and finely diced celery. Love sneaking in vegetables. Although at first I thought it was a little sweet, the longer it simmered the sweetness seemed to disappear a little. Thank you for a keeper.
Glad you like it Terri!
I just made these and maybe I went wrong somewhere but I don’t like the taste at all. All I can taste is the fat from the meat. Was there a step missing where the fat would have been drained off?
Hi Savanah,
I’m sorry you didn’t like the taste. I cook with mostly lean meat and rarely need to drain off the grease. I’m wondering if the meat wasn’t a bit old since one shouldn’t ever be able to taste the fat. If you know your hamburger is more fatty that 80:20 you may want to brown your hamburger and drain off the grease before adding the other ingredients.
And, it’s not impossible that you would dislike the taste regardless. What is a winner for one person may not be for another.
I made this last night and we loved it. Great taste, my husband wanted 2nds and 3rds.
I made this tonight and it was fabulous! I was looking on pinterest for a different recipe. I had been using a 3 ingredient sloppy Joe which consisted of ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar. It was good, but it wasn’t great. I will be using this from now on. It got the families approval and we all know how important that is. I started making our meals from scratch a couple of years ago when me and my son started to get sick to our stomachs easily. There is so much junk in processed foods that it’s just down right scary. Thanks for such a delicious recipe!
From scratch seems to be the best for our family as well 🙂 Glad you enjoyed this!
This looks delicious!! Thank you Kendra! I’ll make it for the kids tomorrow at lunch. 😊
Oops, I misspelled the link to my blog above … 🙉
I hope they enjoy!
Just doubled this recipe for a tail gate. Rave reviews and will make again.
Adding this to my pintrest board!!
I will definitely have to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t made this yet but it looks dry does it turn out more saucier than this ?
Not really. But it isn’t dry.
I made it and I loved it and so did the wife and kids! I’m really glad I made it
Best sloppy joes EVER!!! Have always used Manwich until a friend served this recipe. Will never buy canned sauce again!!!
I love this recipe and make it aaaaaalllll the time. I also add a little bit of rice if it looks too sloppy. My family loves it…Thank you!
Turned out great much better then the sloppy Joe from a can!!
Love this recipe! I don’t like canned manwich because of all the preservatives and bell peppers added. Will definitely make thus again! Thank you for sharing!
What kind of vinegar? Apple cider, white?
Apple cider vinegar is best, although my husband used balsamic the other night and it was pretty good as well.
Made this for a fundraiser at work. Everyone raved about it and it was completely gone before the late people coming in got any! Always used Not so sloppy jar. No more this is way cheaper and better. I added garlic powder and a bit more brown sugar. Love it!!!
Made this yesterday for a group and everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing. I grew up on them, but never learned how mom made them. This tastes just like hers.
I made this last night and it was so good. I hadn’t known any better and had been using Manwhich but had no idea what I was missing out on by making them myself. We liked Sloppy Joes before but now we love them.
Thanks!
This is very similar to my family recipe, try adding a tsp chili powder & a can of campbells chicken gumbo soup
I have never made sloppy joes from scratch but I will now. Your recipe sounds delicious. Sloppy Joe’s and french fries are good weeknight meal sometimes. So glad you share with us at Merry Monday. Hope to see you again next week. Happy New Year.
My family enjoys sloppy joes all year so I will be trying this recipe soon. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
Just made this tonight! I found you on Pinterest. It was so tasty. Thank you!!