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Simple Sloppy Joe’s is a great recipe made with simple ingredients found in your pantry for a quick dinner the whole family can enjoy, and made in less than 25 minutes!
Quick dinners are essential in my house. Some of my favorites that I will make on repeat are sheet pan sausage and veggies, fun pizza sliders (great for Fridays), and bean and rice enchiladas! I also have a ton of quick recipes that are super budget-friendly dinners and your family will love.

🔍 Quick Look: Simple Sloppy Joe’s
- ⏰ Ready In: 20 minutes
- 🛒 Recipe Ingredients: Ground beef and pantry ingredients
- 🍽️ Servings: 4
- 👩🍳 Difficulty: Easy
- 🧊 Make-Ahead Friendly: Freezer Friendly, Stores for 5 days in fridge
- 📍Before You Make This: Make sure to have brown sugar or coconut sugar on hand
- 💙 Try my 9 Best Minimal-Step Ground Turkey Recipes → https://www.juliapacheco.com/new-and-delicious-ways-to-use-ground-turkey/
Keep dinner simple with these 5 recipes that are made in just 10 minutes and will fill you up! Save time and money with these fantastic meals.
Slow cooker baked potatoes and ramen noodle salad would go great with these homemade sloppy joes, but I am a sucker for my creamy coleslaw for fresh and tangy flavor!
Why you’ll love this recipe…

I love making dinner quickly with these simple sloppy joes, and with only 4 ingredients needed! You will love these because:
- They come together in less than 25 minutes.
- All the ingredients can be found in your pantry.
- Super budget-friendly.
- Absolutely delicious!
Make more delicious dinners like this using ground beef. Ground beef and veggie skillet and beef and rice casserole are fantastic, and of course, beef tacos are perfect for your next Taco Tuesday night!
Made With Love,
Key Ingredients:
- Ketchup: Using ketchup is a great way to add flavor and get the right consistency for saucy sloppy joes.
- Brown sugar: Adding brown sugar to the lean meat mixture is a powerful way to add a little sweetness and savory and get a traditional sloppy joe flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
I just made your sloppy joe’s and they were a huge hit with my family! They were so tasty and so quick and easy to make. Thanks so much for a great recipe. Can’t wait to try more.
– Aimee
How to Make Simple Sloppy Joe’s:



- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and cook the meat until it is heated through.
- Remove any grease in the pan and turn the heat to low.
- Stir in the brown sugar, mustard, and ketchup let cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve in hamburger buns.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tip
Add diced onions when cooking the meat for added flavor.
Storage Instructions:
Fridge: Add any leftovers to an airtight container and then place the container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Freezer: Place the cooked meat into a freezer-safe container and store it in the fridge for up to 2 months.
Recipe FAQs
Sloppy Joes are a made-up sandwich on a hamburger bun, whereas Manwich is just a store-bought version of sloppy joe meat in a can.
The only true difference is the meat used. Sloppy Joe’s uses ground beef, and in Sloppy Jane’s, you will use ground turkey for a healthier, leaner option, but still as tasty.
The basis of a sloppy Joe recipe is ground beef and a tomato base, normally using ketchup or tomato soup. Then you can add seasoning and spices as you like.
More beef recipes:
Oven Baked
John Wayne Casserole
Oven Baked
Mini Sheet Pan Meat Loaf
Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches
If you liked this Sloppy Joe’s recipe, make sure to tag me on Instagram @julia.pacheco.cooking and let us know how much you liked the recipe!

Simple Sloppy Joe’s
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ⅛ cup brown sugar
- ⅛ cup yellow mustard
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 4-5 hamburger buns
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and cook the meat until it is heated through.
- Remove any grease in the pan and turn the heat to low.
- Stir in the brown sugar, mustard, and ketchup let cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve in hamburger buns.
Notes
- Use brown sugar for the best sweet and savory flavor.
- Add diced onion with the meat for more flavor.
- Sneak in some finely diced celery for a way to add a vegetable.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.










I love this recipe. So much better than the canned version. It’s also good mixed into pasta as well.
We love this recipe
This is so tasty and so easy to make
This is always a staple in our home
How much is a serving?
These Sloppy Joe’s are so simple and fast to make! Everyone loves them and IF there are any leftovers it taste even better the next day. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
I just made your sloppy joe’s and they were a huge hit with my family! They were so tasty and so quick and easy to make. Thanks so much for a great recipe. Can’t wait to try more.
Made this for dinner tonight. Added 1/2 a finely diced yellow onion in with the ground beef as well as some salt and pepper. It was really good and super quick and easy. Hubby and I both liked it. If your kids aren’t as picky as mine, they will probably like it too lol.