I love Sloppy Joes, it’s a dinner that I ate a lot growing up in Iowa. It is a common recipe, sometimes called a Maid Rite if you’re from the midwest, yet it varies widely from home to home.
At my house a Sloppy Joe is ground beef and onions with a savory and tangy sauce that has a hint of sweetness. Most of the ingredients are probably in the door of your fridge right now.
The best part is it all gets heaped onto a bun- super casual, super messy, and super tasty!

Make Homemade Sloppy Joes Your Own
Of course I think this recipe is perfect just the way it is. But, here are a few ideas to change it up to suit your taste buds:
- Lighten things up by using ground turkey instead of ground beef.
- Want just a hint of BBQ flavor? Reduce the ketchup to ¼ cup and add a ¼ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce.
- If you like spice you could add a few pinches of red pepper flakes with the onion and garlic.
- Sometime (always) I like to eat mine with hamburger dill chips…. it made my mouth water just to type that- HA!
- Melt a slice of provolone or american cheese over the top.

Homemade Sloppy Joes for Dinner
This is really a casual dinner… and a messy one, but I love it! We usually serve this diner style with tater tots, fries, or chips and some raw veggies with dip.
If you want to fancy it up a bit you could serve these delicious Parmesan Truffle Fries from Lauren at Hunger Thirst Play.
In the summer Sloppy Joes go great with a cold pasta salad, corn on the cob, and my chocolate cake for dessert.
Whatever you serve on the side just make sure to have A LOT of napkins!

Sloppy Joes + Pickles = True Love Forever
I decided to have lunch and a photo shoot at the same time! I couldn’t help it – as soon as I got the pickles out it was over!
Now this is how you eat a Sloppy Joe:

I hope you give my Homemade Sloppy Joe recipe a try in your kitchen!
Love, Susie
Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe

Homemade Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1½ lb ground beef
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 cup yellow onion finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ heaping cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the ground beef, crumbling, until cooked thru, about 7 minutes.
- Drain the fat off of the cooked beef and set aside.
- In the same skillet, over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and saute, until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the beef back to the onions and stir to combine.
- Over low heat add the worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir to distribute the sauce evenly.
- Pile high onto buns and serve. (we like brioche buns the best)
Notes:
If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.
Deborah Gulker
Best sloppy Joe recipe I have ever made. We loved it!
Susie Weinrich
High praise!! Thats great!
Mia
This one is a repeat in our rotation! Love it !
Susie
I’m so glad you love it! Thank you for commenting and rating!
Emily Bruno
This recipe is a keeper for sure!
Tawnie Kroll
I loved how tasty and easy these were to make, such a great weeknight dinner! Thank you!
John
So good….reminds me of growing up!
Susie
It is a nostalgic recipe for sure