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Crock Pot Sloppy Joes (+Video)

Skip the can with these homemade Crock Pot Sloppy Joes! Ground beef, tomato sauce and delicious seasonings make the best sloppy joes!

A HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOE RECIPE

Is there any food better than the food from our childhood? I bet all of us can name at least 5 foods that we ate as a kid that we will always love and remember. This is definitely one of them for me! Now, I don’t have any problem with good ole Manwich in a can. I like it. But Sloppy Joes are kinda like spaghetti sauce. Sometimes you want to make it up from scratch when you have time!

a sloppy Joe sandwich on a wood surface with French fries in the background.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Can Sloppy Joes be frozen?

Yes. The Sloppy Joe filling can be frozen. Place leftover filling in a freezer safe ziploc bag and remove as much air as possible. Flatten it out. Freeze for up to 3 months.

What goes with Sloppy Joes?

There are lots of options. Generally we eat them with a side French fries or potato chips. Other ideas included: baked beans, tater tots, potato salad, macaroni salad and macaroni and cheese.

How do you make Sloppy Joes on the stovetop?

The flavors really develop as this simmers gently in the crock pot but it can be made on the stovetop. Brown ground beef and onion in a large pot. Drain excess grease and return beef mixture to pot. Stir in the rest of the ingredients (omit the flour.) Bring mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes.

How did Sloppy Joes originate?

As with many American invented foods, we don’t really know for sure. We do know that loose meat sandwiches have been a staple in the Midwest for nearly 100 years. So a lot of folks seem to think that it was perhaps concocted in an Iowa diner. A man named Joe decided to add some tomato sauce to his loose meat sandwiches and the Sloppy Joe was born. Some think it was invented in a bar in Key West called “Sloppy Joes”. We may never know the exact origins but we sure are glad it’s here now!

How many Sloppy Joes can you get from a pound of meat?

In general, one pound of 80/20 ground beef should produce about eight standard Sloppy Joe sandwiches.

a hand holding up a Sloppy Joe sandwich over a plate of French fries with a glass of iced tea in the background.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • ground beef
  • onion
  • tomato sauce
  • ketchup
  • water
  • light brown sugar
  • all-purpose flour
  • chili powder
  • garlic powder
  • apple cider vinegar
  • yellow mustard
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper
ground beef, chili powder, apple cider vinegar, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, onion, garlic powder water, brown sugar.

HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT SLOPPY JOES:

In a large pan, brown ground beef with chopped onion. Crumble and cook until no longer pink. Drain excess grease.

ground beef and onion cooked in a large skillet.

Put cooked ground beef mixture into your slow cooker. Add in the rest of your ingredients (except cheese and hamburger buns, obviously.)

all ingredients added into a large, oval slow cooker.

Give it all a good stir. 

sloppy Joe mix in a black oval slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for about 4-6 hours.

a large spoon scooping up some sloppy Joe mix over a slow cooker.

Optional: When ready to serve, toast your hamburger buns. I usually just put a dab of butter in my cast iron skillet. Put the heat on medium. Then put in the buns. Put filling onto each of your buns and enjoy! Optional: Top with a slice of American cheese.

a hand holding a sloppy Joe over a slow cooker.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!

Originally posted: September 2012
Updated & republished: January 2023

Crock Pot Sloppy Joes recipe from The Country Cook.

Crock Pot Sloppy Joes (+Video)

Skip the can with these homemade Crock Pot Sloppy Joes! Ground beef, tomato sauce and delicious seasonings make these the easiest and best sloppy joes!
4.88 from 49 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a large pan, brown ground beef with chopped onion.
  • Cook and crumble until no longer pink. Drain excess grease.
  • Put ground beef mixture into your slow cooker.
  • Add in the rest of your ingredients (except hamburger buns and cheese)
  • Give it all a good stir.
  • Cover and cook on low for about 4-6 hours.
  • When ready to serve, place filling on buns. If you like, top with a slice of American cheese.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • To make this on the stove top, brown ground beef and onion in a large pot. Drain excess grease and return beef mixture to pot. Stir in the rest of the ingredients (omit the flour). Bring mixture to a boil (over medium high heat) Cover, reduce heat to medium low and allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes.
  • To Toast Buns – put a dab of butter in a cast iron skillet. Put the heat on medium.
    Then put in the buns and toast until golden brown.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 24g | Sodium: 782mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Recipe Rating




53 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is one of my favorites to make. I don’t like Manwich because of all the onions and peppers, so I love that with this recipe I can control what I put in. Instead of a whole onion, I buy the frozen chopped onions and just sprinkle in a few of them. In my slow cooker, I’ve found that 6 hours is too long, so last time I made it I only did 4.5 hours and that was plenty long.

  2. 5 stars
    My picky son loved this! I did as well. I had never done it in the crock pot and now I’ll continue to do so. I quote my kid “Since it’s called ‘Sloppy Joes’ I’m expected to be sloppy!”

  3. I have never really liked Sloopy Jo's but after making several of your recipes I decided to try it and I am completely in love with this one! I would recommend it to anyone!

  4. I am making this for 30-35 people in a week. How much would you recommend making for this amount of people? Also, I will be making it the day before our event. Is this still good if reheated?

    1. Hi Trisha, this recipe will serve 8-10 people. So you would probably want to at least triple it. You can cut back the ground beef to about 1 1/2 pounds instead of the 2 pounds. That should help cut back on the cost a little for making so much of it.

  5. I was curious how many servings this recipe makes? I am planning on making this for my husband's birthday!

    Thanks! Looks great 🙂

  6. Hi Ashley – this makes a good bit. I think it could easily serve 8-10 (depending on how generous your servings are 🙂 ~Brandie

  7. My favorite part about your website it the picture of all the ingredients you use. Mainly because I buy mostly store brand items also. I thing most store brand items make a great dinner!! This recipe, along with 6 other recipes, will be on my menu for this week!

  8. Just made this recipe today and OMG, DELICIOUS! Love your website and all your yummy recipes. I'm going to try out a few more in the next week and can't wait! 😀

  9. I made these for our pot luck Christmas lunch at work. I cooked my meat and mixed it all at the house, and then when I got to work, I just plugged it in and let it cook while I worked. EVERYONE on the floor was yelling out, "WHAT IT THAT I SMELL?! IT SMELLS SOOOOOO GOOD!" I got as many compliments of the taste as I did the smell. It was excellent! I'll never do a "can" sloppy joe ever again.

  10. My 5 yo breaks out in a really bad rash anytime I've made sloppy joe's using Manwich. I'll give this a try. What is the flour for? To thicken it up?

  11. What a great meal….especially with that melted cheese on top. YUUUUMMMM! I'm glad to see a picture of your hubby too….being a visual person, I like knowing what folks look like. What a gorgeous family you are! Thanks for sharing another family favorite…have a yummy day Friend. XO

  12. I'd put meat to thaw for Sloppy Joe's tonight; it's like you read my mind. Checking out your recipe now.
    Catherine Denton

  13. I'm going to make these this week! I think my husband, Mr. Picky-Eater, must have been in your family some how because he loves Kraft Cheese Singles!! He WILL NOT eat anything else…..and he puts it on every thing. In other words, he puts a Single on every single thing! : ) Love you and all your recipes!! Congrats on 10,000 likers/followers etc..

  14. Sloppy Joes are still a favorite of mine. I don't think I've ever met a person who was unfamiliar with Sloppy Joes. Great adaptation for the crockpot!