These slow cooker sloppy joes are made with ground beef, tomato sauce, brown sugar and spices, all cooked to savory perfection. An easy crock pot meal that’s kid friendly and perfect for serving a crowd.
Once you’ve tried homemade sloppy joes, you’ll never go back to the kind that comes in a can. This slow cooker sloppy joe recipe takes just 10 minutes to assemble. Let your meat simmer all day long, then serve on buns for a meal that the kids will love.
I don’t think there’s a better feeling than sitting down with classic comfort food like these slow cooker sloppy joes. Not only are they simple to make, but you can easily double the recipe and have leftovers. It’s one of my favorite meals and I know my family will agree.
HOW DO YOU MAKE SLOW COOKER SLOPPY JOES?
These crock pot sloppy joes are extremely easy and quick to throw together. They’re made with ground beef, tomato sauce, brown sugar, and spices, cooked to a savory perfection in the crock pot. The simmering really draws out the flavor and makes the meat super tender. I guarantee these will be a family favorite!
I suggest using a leaner beef such as 90% lean ground beef, in your crock pot sloppy joes. It’s still got a lot of flavor, but without all the grease. Ground turkey can be used instead of beef but make sure you use 93% lean ground turkey and not the 99% lean turkey breast.
If you want to mix up this dish and make it your own, you can add other ingredients such as bell peppers, herbs, bacon or sriracha. It’s also popular to add a slice of cheese to your sloppy joe sandwich – we typically use cheddar cheese. Make sure to use a sturdy hamburger bun and toast it before serving so that your bread won’t get soggy under all that saucy meat.
WHERE DID THE SLOPPY JOE COME FROM?
It’s not quite certain exactly who created the sloppy joe, but the creation is largely attributed to a cook name Joe. He added some tomato sauce to some loose meat he had and thus the sloppy joe was born. However, there’s also two other versions of the story. One story says sloppy joes were created in Havana at a saloon, and the other says it was in Florida at a famous bar.
WHAT IS THE ORIGINAL SLOPPY JOE RECIPE?
The original sloppy joe recipe hasn’t changed much over the years. It’s such a basic and easy mixture that there wasn’t much to switch around. However, the original mixture includes ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, sugar, salt, and pepper.
With school starting back up, I’ve really been making sure I have some recipes planned that the whole family will happily eat. However, they have to be easy and something I can toss together in just minutes. I love crock pot sloppy joes because I can literally dump it and go–the perfect dinner for a busy night.
MORE SLOW COOKER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
- Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes Video
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1/2 cup onion finely diced
- 2 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 hamburger buns
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
- Place the ground beef in the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 6-8 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula.
- Add the onion and cook for an addition 4-5 minutes.
- Place the beef and onion mixture in the slow cooker along with the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Stir to combine the ingredients.
- Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 6 hours.
- Spoon the meat onto the hamburger buns then serve.
Amanda Kaye Morris says
So should I drain the grease from hamburger or not???
Sara says
Yes, drain any excess grease. When I use 90% lean beef I find there’s not really any grease remaining.
Mark says
I substitute ground turkey for the ground beef. This recipe is absolutely delicious. It’s easy and I’m going to make it for a large party next week.
Diane Hudson HARRIS says
I want to double or triple the batch of Sloppy Joes. How does the cooking time change?
Heading for a big picnic – looks like a life saver! THANKS
Sara says
Just make sure to use a large crockpot, at least 6 quart, if the crock pot is big enough the cooking time shouldn’t change. If you have a smaller slow cooker, then add one hour to the cook time.
Charlotte says
Very yummy! I used bison meat, browned it with onion AND garlic, and added a little HP sauce! Crowd pleaser for sure!
Lisa says
Life hack if mornings are hectic: Use the removable stoneware liner of the slow cooker to cook the meat and onions in the microwave. Then put the meat filled liner in the base, add the sauce, cover and cook. I even do this the night before and store the liner in the fridge covered until morning.
K says
Does the cook time change if changing the servings from 6 to 8? Thanks.
Sara says
No the cook time stays the same!
Danielle says
These look so yummy! We love sloppy joes!
Debbie says
School has just started here and my kids would love to come home to these sloppy Joes!
Travel Quest says
This is so mouthwatering I was thinking of making this tonight. Friday dinner with family is always fun esp. when we do it at home.
Danielle says
We are using our slow cooker loads at the moment and this looks like something new for us to try.
Shannon Gurnee says
I’ve been loving using my crockpot lately and am on the lookout for more recipes! This one sounds like a yummy one!
Suzanne Melton says
We do a monthly roleplaying game in our house – a dish such as this would be a big hit for the players. This looks like a yummy recipe.
Princess Quinn says
Wow, this is such a nice meal and mouth watering meal to try. Honestly, I like how easy it is to prepare. I am sure my friends and loved ones will like it.
What Corinne Did says
I had never heard of sloppy joes before but it looks so so good! The whole burger looks so tasty! I am hungry now!
Becca Wilson says
Sloppy joes are one of our favorite meals. I will definitely have to give this slow cooker version a try.
Merrideth @ Build and Bite says
This looks fantastic! My mom used to make sloppy joes all the time when I was little, but it’s been years! I’m not a fan of canned meat though, so I’ll have to give this homemade version a try. Thanks for sharing!
Flyingkids says
This looks very delicious. Nice shots you have there.
Maria Magdalena says
I don’t have a slow cooker, but I think I have to buy one! This looks very delicious.
Gemille Sleweon says
Cool recipe. I would love to try to make a vegan alternative for myself.
Tara Pittman says
I need to start using my slow cooker more. This is a dish that I know my boys would like.
Ricky says
Sloppy joes are my ultimate comfort food! I’ve loved sloppy joes since I was a kid. These look amazing.