Easy Homemade Crock Pot Sloppy Joes

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Crock Pot Sloppy Joes are a classic comfort food made even easier with slow cooking. The seasoned ground beef simmers in a rich, slight sweet, and tangy sauce that deepens in flavor the longer it cooks. It’s a hands-off dinner that’s perfect for the whole family to enjoy; spoon the flavorful sloppy Joe meat mixture onto soft buns, and dinner is done. 

Do you want even more homemade sloppy joe recipes? I have got so many but a few of my family’s favorite and most requested ones are Gumbo Soup Sloppy Joes, Cheez Whiz Sloppy Joes, and Big Mac Sloppy Joes.

A crockpot with a wooden spoon and the sloppy Joe meat mixture.

Crock Pot Sloppy Joes

One of your childhood favorites made even easier in the crock pot! I was always skeptical of sloppy joes in the crock pot because the stove top has always been good enough – so why the longer cook time?

Let me tell you, the depth of flavor that the longer cook time gives the sloppy Joe meat is so good. With the added brown sugar, the meat caramelizes in the crock pot and all the flavors just deepen and infuse together. 

A sloppy Joe in a hamburger bun

This crock pot sloppy Joe recipe begins with 2 pounds of ground beef, onion, and bell pepper, and then it simmer in a homemade sloppy Joe sauce with barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and smoked paprika – which really elevates the flavors. 

So ditch the canned stuff and make crock pot sloppy joes for those busy weeknights when you need something ready to eat at dinnertime. I also love this recipe when feeding a large crowd because you can easily make a double batch, and let it simmer/warm in the crock pot for serving. 

A sloppy Joe with a bite taken out of it.

Ingredients Needed

  1. Lean Ground Beef : I use 93/7 ground beef. You can use your preferred ground beef percentage, but I would recommend a leaner one so the sloppy joe meat does not turn out really greasy. This sloppy joes recipe calls for 2 pounds of ground beef. 
  2. Onion : I use a vidalia sweet onion but feel free to use a white onion or yellow onion. 
  3. Green Bell Pepper
  4. Ketchup
  5. Barbecue Sauce : Use your favorite BBQ sauce. I love the Kinders brand barbecue sauce; I usually use the hickory brown sugar bbq sauce or original. 
  6. Light Brown Sugar
  7. Yellow Mustard
  8. Chili Powder
  9. Smoked Paprika : Smoked paprika provides the best flavor but regular paprika can be used if needed. 
  10. Garlic Powder
Ingredients

How To Make The Best Sloppy Joes In The Crockpot (Printable Recipe Card)

In a large skillet pan, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef and onion until the beef is browned. Drain any excess grease from the pan. 

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Add the ground beef mixture to the crock pot. Stir in the ketchup, barbecue sauce, light brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder until everything is combined well. 

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Cover and cook on LOW heat for 4-5 hours. 

Serve with a slotted spoon on toasted buns of your choice. Enjoy!

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How To Store & Reheat Leftover Sloppy Joe Meat

Any leftover sloppy joe meat should be stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, microwave in 60-second intervals, stirring between until thoroughly heated. 

To freeze, place in a freezer-safe container or Ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. 

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Substitutions & Ingredients Notes

  • Ground Beef : You can use lean ground beef or a higher fat ground beef. You can also mix and match and use 1 pound ground beef + 1 pound ground turkey or ground veal. My family prefers this recipe with ground beef so that is what I have always used. 
  • Onion : A sweet onion, yellow, or white onion can all be used. 
  • Green Bell Pepper : Could also use a red, yellow, or orange bell pepper. 
  • Ketchup : Any ketchup works, you can even use a spicy ketchup if you want some added spice in the meat sauce. 
  • BBQ Sauce : Use your favorite barbecue sauce as the flavor really shines through. I love the Kinders brand or the Sweet Baby Rays brand. Choose between classic, a sweeter sauce, or a spicy bbq sauce depending on preference. 
Inside of the crock pot with the cooked sloppy Joe meat mixture.

Serving Suggestions For Homemade Sloppy Joes

Serve the sloppy Joe meat mixture with a slotted spoon, and spoon it onto softened and warmed hamburger buns of your choice. You can choose regular hamburger buns, Hawaiian buns, potato buns, brioche, etc. Lots of options. I also highly recommend toasting the buns for serving; this will help the buns not get soggy and the toasted bread adds another layer of flavor and texture to sloppy joes. 

My family loves to put classic Lay’s potato chips inside sloppy joes. Try it, it’s so good! Other options are a slice of cheese as well – even better, add the slice of cheese when toasting the buns to melt it. 

Great side dish options for sloppy joes are potato salad, your favorite pasta salad (we love Ranch Pasta Salad), tater tots, or frozen potato wedges or french fries. A sweeter Jello side dish, like this Pear Jello Recipe, is always a good option that kids LOVE. 

A sloppy Joe sandwich in a soft bun with potato chips on the side of the plate.

More Sloppy Joe Recipes To Try

A crockpot with a wooden spoon and the sloppy Joe meat mixture.
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Crock Pot Sloppy Joes


Author Jessica – Together as Family
Course Crock Pot, Dinner
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings 8
Crock Pot Sloppy Joes are a classic comfort food made even easier with slow cooking. The seasoned ground beef simmers in a rich, slight sweet, and tangy sauce that deepens in flavor the longer it cooks. It's a hands-off dinner that's perfect for the whole family to enjoy; spoon the flavorful sloppy Joe meat mixture onto soft buns, and dinner is done. 

Equipment

Crock Pot
Ground Meat Chopper

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds ground beef (I use 93/7)
  • 1 sweet onion OR yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 green bell pepper finely diced
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 8 hamburger buns of choice

Instructions

  • In a large skillet pan, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef, onion, green bell pepper, and kosher salt until the beef is browned. Drain any excess grease from the pan. 
    2 pounds ground beef, 1 sweet onion OR yellow onion, 1 green bell pepper, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • Add the ground beef mixture to the crock pot. Stir in the ketchup, barbecue sauce, light brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder until everything is combined well. 
    1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Cover and cook on LOW heat for 4-5 hours. 
  • Serve with a slotted spoon on toasted hamburger buns of your choice. Enjoy!
    * Spread softened butter on both sides of the buns and broil for several minutes in the oven, or you can toast them in a skillet pan or griddle on the stove top.
    8 hamburger buns of choice

Notes

Ground Beef : You can use lean ground beef or a higher fat ground beef. You can also mix and match and use 1 pound ground beef + 1 pound ground turkey or ground veal. My family prefers this recipe with ground beef so that is what I have always used.
Onion : A sweet onion, yellow, or white onion can all be used. I prefer using a sweet vidalia onion.
Green Bell Pepper : Could also use a red, yellow, or orange bell pepper.
BBQ Sauce : Use your favorite barbecue sauce as the flavor really shines through. I love the Kinders brand or the Sweet Baby Rays brand. Choose between classic, a sweeter sauce, or a spicy bbq sauce depending on preference.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 1008mg | Potassium: 587mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 691IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg
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