This sloppy joe recipe is made with ground beef, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic simmered in a sauce of ketchup, yellow mustard, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce, then piled onto toasted buns.

It’s sweet, tangy, and savory all at once, and it’s ready in about 25 minutes.

It’s a weeknight dinner the whole family eats, a great game day sandwich, and an easy one to double for a crowd.

I serve it with chips and pickles or a scoop of slaw, and if you need more ground beef ideas, these ground beef crockpot recipes are worth a look.

If you’re into easy ground beef dinners and family favorites, these are worth bookmarking too:

Sloppy Joe Recipe with Ketchup, Mustard, Brown Sugar and Worcestershire

Ingredients You’ll Need

Use 85/15 ground beef for the best flavor without a pool of grease.

Plain yellow mustard gives the classic tang, and Worcestershire is what adds that deep, savory backbone.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb (680 g) ground beef, 85/15
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water or beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 hamburger buns, toasted
Butter for toasting buns, plus pickles and sliced cheese for serving (optional)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the ground beef and break it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon or meat chopper.
Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until browned with no pink remaining.
Small crumbles matter here, since big chunks make the filling fall out of the bun.
Tilt the pan and spoon off most of the fat, leaving about a tablespoon behind.
That little bit of fat carries flavor into the vegetables.
Too much grease, though, and the sauce won’t cling to the meat.
Add the onion and green pepper to the beef and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Dicing the vegetables small helps them melt into the sauce (my kids never notice the pepper this way).
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to deepen the flavor.
Add the ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, vinegar, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
Stir until everything is evenly mixed and the beef is coated.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low.
Simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick enough to hold on a spoon.
If it gets too thick, add a splash of water.
Taste and adjust, since some people like it sweeter (more brown sugar) and some tangier (more mustard or vinegar).
While the filling simmers, butter the cut sides of the buns.
Toast them in a skillet or under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until golden.
Toasting creates a barrier so the bun doesn’t go soggy the second the sauce hits it.
Spoon a generous 1/2 cup of the sloppy joe mixture onto each bottom bun.
Add a slice of cheese while the filling is hot if you want it melted, and top with pickles.
Cover with the top bun.
Serve right away with plenty of napkins and enjoy!

Important Recipe Notes

Brown the beef properly. Let the beef sit in the pan for a minute before stirring so it gets some browned bits. Those add a lot of flavor to the finished sauce.
Drain the fat. Leaving all the grease in makes the filling oily and stops the sauce from coating the meat. Spoon most of it off.
Simmer until thick. This is what separates great sloppy joes from soupy ones. The sauce should cling to the meat, not run off the spoon.
Balance sweet and tangy. Ketchup and brown sugar bring sweetness, mustard and vinegar bring tang. Taste at the end and adjust one or the other to suit your family.

Toast the buns. It’s an extra two minutes, but soft untoasted buns fall apart fast under a saucy filling.
Make it in the slow cooker. Brown the beef and vegetables first, then add everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. Leave the lid off for the last 30 minutes to thicken.
Feeding a crowd. This recipe doubles easily in a large Dutch oven. Keep the finished filling warm in a slow cooker on the low setting and let everyone build their own sandwiches.
Storage. Keep the cooled filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove with a splash of water.
Freezing. Freeze the filling flat in freezer bags for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm in a skillet.

How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe

Serving:

Serve the sloppy joes hot on toasted buns with pickles, a slice of cheddar, or a scoop of coleslaw right on top.

Potato chips, fries, or corn on the cob make easy sides. For kids, slider buns are a little easier to manage.

Storage:

Store the filling and buns separately so the bread doesn’t go soggy. The meat keeps for up to 4 days in a sealed container in the fridge, and it actually tastes better on day two. Reheat in a skillet or the microwave, stirring halfway.

Customization:

Swap the beef for ground turkey or chicken for a lighter version, adding an extra teaspoon of Worcestershire for flavor. Add a pinch of cayenne or a diced jalapeno if you like some heat.

The leftover filling is also great over baked potatoes, rice, or as a topping for nachos.