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This is a simple dinner idea. Sloppy Joes Recipe has only 3 ingredients and there are no excuses to not try this family friendly dinner idea that everyone will love.

Close up image a sloppy joes on a hamburger bun with a side of pickles.
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This 3 ingredient Sloppy Joe recipe taste so much better than the can sloppy joe mix. The best part it is so easy to make and delicious too. You probably already have most of the ingredients to make this easy stovetop recipe for the best sloppy joe recipe.

My family loves this meal. We will often plan on eating this for lunch on the weekend. It is so easy to put together and we have a homecooked meal for lunch in between our basketball games.

Why This Recipe Works

In under 30 minutes, you can have this quick, easy classic dinner idea that your family will love. You can probably cook this in 20 minutes. The sloppy joe mixture is really easy to modify for what you have on hand and so versatile.

We have even added a tiny bit of Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder to the ground beef mixture. You can try using chili powder, red pepper flakes, bbq sauce, olive oil or whatever you prefer.

It really is such a great recipe and we all love sloppy joe meat. It never gets old and we enjoy this recipe so much. Try toasted buns next time to make a delicious sandwich. It is really good!

Ingredients

Close up image of ingredients for sloppy joes with hamburger buns on a platter. Yellow mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, ground beef

Besides ground beef, you only need three ingredients to make this delicious Sloppy Joes recipe.

Yep! That is all you need to make a fast sloppy joes for your family. What makes it even better is one of my kids does not like the traditional sloppy joes, but loves this recipe!

Once you make this, you won’t ever buy that store bought stuff again. This has so much more flavor than the canned sloppy joes. For the full recipe, scroll to see recipe card.

How to Make Sloppy Joes

  • Step 1 – Brown the ground beef in a large skillet on medium heat until no longer pink. You can use ground turkey too. Once browned, drain the excess grease from the beef. I like to season with salt and pepper while the beef is cooking.
  • Step 2 – Add in brown sugar, mustard, and ketchup. Stir to combine.
Close up image a cooked hamburger meat in a cast iron skillet ketchup, mustard and brown sugar.
  • Step 3 – Reduce the heat and allow the meat mixture to simmer on low for about 5 minutes to combine the flavors.
Close up image of sloppy joes in a cast iron pan.
  • Step 4 – Serve on hamburger buns and with your favorite sides.

Recipe Tips

  • Make Ahead – The prep time is very easy on this recipe, but you can prepare ahead of to save even more time.
  • Ground Beef – Before mixing in the sauces makes sure to drain the meat to remove any grease.
  • Simmer – Allow the mixture to simmer on low to combine the ingredients.
Close up image a sloppy joes on a bun with pickles on the side.

Can I Double The Recipe?

Yes, this is a great recipe to make a double or triple batch and freeze the left overs. It does not take anymore work to make extra. We love to cook once and eat twice or more. This is such a huge help during busy weeks.

It really isn’t any extra work to double the recipe and you have a super easy dinner for another night. I try to do this as much as possible and keep a few quick meals in the freezer.

Close up image of sloppy joes on a bun.

Serving Suggestions

Here are a few of my favorite side dishes for sloppy joes.

It’s really good served with Grilled Corn on the Cob and Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries. These are both so easy and really delicious side dishes. Just keep it simple. This meal can easily be ready with hardly any work at all.

Try adding green bell pepper or onion to the ground beef while cooking. Onion and green pepper really give it an amazing flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Store Leftovers

Store the leftovers in an airtight container and place in the fridge. Leftovers will stay great for up to 4 days.

Can I Freeze Sloppy Joe Sauce?

You can freeze the sloppy joe sauce in a freezer bag. We also like to freeze them in silicone cupcake pans, Then pop them out and place in a freezer bag. Now you can have a lunch or dinner for 1 in no time. This is such an easy dinner idea, but when you freeze them it makes it an even faster dinner idea.

How to Reheat

When you are ready to reheat, place in a crockpot or in a pan for an even faster dinner idea. Try sloppy joe recipe slow cooker version and come home to dinner ready to enjoy. This is great for reheating what you put in the freezer and makes dinner so simple. If you have a smaller portion, just thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat in the microwave.

Close up image of sloppy joes on a bun.

Try these other Sloppy Joes

We love to hear from you. If you make this homemade sloppy joe sauce recipe, please leave us a comment or star review.

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Sloppy Joes Recipe

4.94 from 609 votes
This Sloppy Joes is so easy to make and taste way better than sloppy joes in a can. How to make sloppy joes with ketchup and just two more ingredients.
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 6
Cuisine American
Course Main Course
Calories 354

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Brown the ground beef in a skillet.
  • Once browned, drain.
  • Add in brown sugar, mustard, and ketchup. Stir to combine.
  • Allow it to simmer on low for about 5 minutes to combine the flavors.
  • Serve on buns and with your favorite sides.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

3 ingredients, that is all you need to make a fast sloppy joes for your family. You are going to love this recipe!

Nutrition Facts

Calories 354kcal, Carbohydrates 31g, Protein 17g, Fat 16g, Saturated Fat 6g, Cholesterol 53mg, Sodium 507mg, Potassium 334mg, Fiber 1g, Sugar 11g, Vitamin A 105IU, Vitamin C 1.4mg, Calcium 98mg, Iron 3.1mg

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Carrie. Welcome to Eating on a Dime!

I’m on a mission to help you cook delicious meals without busting your budget. Together we are going to cook real food… for real families!

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Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Now my husband no longer wants to buy manwich. Since he has gout from time to time I use ground turkey instead and add minced garlic and some Worcestershire.

  2. 5 stars
    Shockingly good for just three ingredients — I’ve made sloppy Joes with a dozen or more! I might add some chopped carrots next time to sneak in a vegetable.

    Just one thought — many recipe sites now have a print button which provides a page that’s easy to copy and paste, and also a link at the top to jump to the recipe. That makes things easier and it’s more likely I’ll follow and subscribe when those are there.

    Thanks for a great shortcut recipe!

    ETA You do have a jump to recipe button! On my device it puts the recipe over to the far right and is tough to see but thanks!

  3. 5 stars
    Shockingly good for just three ingredients — I’ve made sloppy Joes with a dozen or more! I might add some chopped carrots next time to sneak in a vegetable.

    Just one thought — many recipe sites now have a print button which provides a page that’s easy to copy and paste, and also a link at the top to jump to the recipe. That makes things easier and it’s more likely I’ll follow and subscribe when those are there.

    Thanks for a great shortcut recipe!

  4. 5 stars
    This is just what I was looking for, sometimes simple is best! I doubt that many kids would reject this.

    I just slightly modified this recipe for adult tastes by frying the meat in a tbsp of butter along with a 1/4 cup of finely diced red, green peppers and onion total. Drained off the majority of grease before adding the ketchup, mustard and sugar. Delicious and so easy!

  5. 5 stars
    This is, by far, the BEST sloppy joe recipe I’ve ever had! I fixed this tonight and my husband said it was better than any store bought sauce. I completely agree! I haven’t ever been a big fan of canned sloppy joe sauce. There’s always been something I didn’t quite like. But I haven’t figured it out yet. Now, I don’t have to. I’m a complete convert to this is the ONLY sauce I’ll fix when we’re wanting sloppy joes. Thanks for such an incredible recipe!

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