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These crockpot sloppy joes are everything you want in a weeknight dinner: rich, saucy, savory, a little sweet, and ridiculously easy. The beef gets simmered low and slow in a thick, tangy tomato sauce with just enough sweetness to make it kid-friendly, but enough depth from Worcestershire, mustard, garlic, and smoked paprika to make it taste like way more effort than it was!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Why You’ll Love This Family Dinner Recipe
- These sloppy joes are one of those classic family dinners that you can either meal prep or get in the slow cooker over your lunch break (perfect if you’re working from home!) I love serving them for back-to-school nights when everyone is tired, hungry, and approximately 12 minutes away from a meltdown!
- They’re made with three types of tomato sauce, yellow mustard, brown sugar, spices, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce for that sweet-tangy-savory taste we’re all familiar with. But even with that list, they’re still made from pantry ingredients. You can also make them with a mix of ground beef, ground turkey, and even chopped mushrooms for a lighter, healthier option. My recipe works because it’s flexible while at the same time delivering consistent flavors.
- If you’ve never made them, homemade sloppy joes are so much better than canned. Mine at least have a much richer, fresher flavor — and allow you to control the sweetness, salt, and spice levels. Not to mention they won’t have any unnecessary additives and preservatives.
Back-to-School Dinner Tip
Make the filling on Sunday, then use it all week in different ways: classic sloppy joe sandwiches, over baked potatoes, in quesadillas, over rice bowls, or stuffed into slider buns for an easy lunchbox-adjacent dinner!
What I Learned Testing This Recipe
- Toasting the buns either in the toaster or under the broiler for a minute or two will help stop the sloppy joes turning soggy before you’ve finished eating them.
- You can easily add extra veggies for the kids: I usually finely grate in 1 carrot or zucchini. Squeeze excess moisture from zucchini first so the sauce stays thick!
- Depending on the size of your buns, I usually find ½ to ¾ cup of filling is the right amount to make a proper Sloppy Joe stuffed with filling but which also won’t fall apart. But really, it depends on how sloppy you want them!
Ingredients
Lean ground beef, ground turkey or a mixture – Classic sloppy joes are made with all beef, but for a healthier version, use lean ground beef, ground turkey, or half beef and half finely chopped mushrooms. The mushrooms disappear into the sauce and add great savory flavor.
Onion, bell pepper and garlic – These vegetables provide a slightly sweet, but mostly savory flavor base for the sloppy joes. You won’t really taste them, but you’d know something was missing if you left them out!
Ketchup – Tomato ketchup takes these sloppy joes over the edge adding sweetness, tang and a lovely spice layer to compliment the ground spices. It’s essential to that diner-style sweet-savory-tangy flavor.
Tomato sauce and tomato paste – You need to use both here for a nice rich sauce, the tomato sauce forming the liquid backbone, and the paste adding a more concentrated tomato flavor.
Brown sugar or maple syrup – I’ve tested both to add sweetness to sloppy joes, and you can’t taste the difference so use whichever is on hand!
Worcestershire sauce – This adds richness and savory depth to the sauce. Use a gluten-free version if needed!
Yellow mustard – Proper American mustard is what you want here, but you can sub Dijon for a milder sauce. Don’t use English mustard as it is way too hot to balance with the other ingredients.
Apple cider vinegar – This adds essential tang to the sloppy joes as well as a mild fruitiness alongside the different tomato sauces.
Smoked paprika and chili powder – These added spices boost the flavor alongside the ketchup. Use a little less chili powder if you’re cooking for small children or sensitive to heat.
Salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes – An essential trio of seasonings to keep things nice and balanced. Again, reduce the amount of crushed pepper if you’re sensitive to heat or cooking for very small children!
Serving & Storage Suggestions
I love this filling with burger buns, brioche buns, or whole wheat buns, they all taste great. Then I usually bring sliced pickles, shredded cheddar and coleslaw to the table for everyone to build their own bun. Ruffle cut potato chips, sweet potato fries, corn on the cob, or even just some roasted veggies or chopped fruit on the side make it a family meal!
Also, try the filling as a topping for baked potatoes with plenty of grated cheese, for loaded nachos or as a simple rice bowl topping.
For meal prep, the sloppy joe filling keeps beautifully in the fridge for 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. It reheats beautifully in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve not tried it but you should have good results using the sauté function to cook the meat and vegetables, then pressure cooking for 5 minutes on high with a quick release. Then, if the mixture is still too loose, return to the sauté function to cook uncovered to reduce the amount of liquid. If you give it a go, do let me know how you get on!
Yes — if you’ve got one of those jumbo Crockpots so it all fits!
Yes! Simply use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce and use gluten-free buns. Also if you’re not using Heinz ketchup, check your brand is gluten-free also.
They’re already naturally dairy free, just make sure your buns and any add-ins are compliant!
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
Equipment
- 6-quart slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef ground turkey, or a mix
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper finely diced, optional but great
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups ketchup
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
For Serving
- Burger buns brioche buns, or whole wheat buns
- Pickles
- Shredded cheddar
- Coleslaw
Instructions
- To brown the meat, add the ground beef to a large skillet (or inside the slow cooker if you have a sear-and-stew model) over medium-high heat. Cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned. Drain off any excess grease if needed.
- Stir in onion and bell pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, just until slightly softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the beef mixture to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the ketchup, tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir really well so that everything is combined.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours, until the mixture is thick, rich, and flavorful.
- Taste, and if needed add a little more salt for savoriness, vinegar for tang, or brown sugar for sweetness. If the mixture is too loose, cook uncovered on high for 15 to 20 minutes to thicken to your desired consistency.
- Spoon onto toasted buns and serve warm with your choice of toppings.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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