This Crock Pot Sloppy Joes recipe is super easy to make. It takes just 10 minutes of prep before the crock pot takes over for some of the best sandwiches you’ll ever have.
If you want even more easy sloppy joe recipes, try my ground chicken sloppy joes or my sloppy joe sandwich sliders.
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Why this Crock Pot Sloppy Joe Recipe is a Keeper
I love this recipe because it’s a quick and easy meal that also happens to be super delicious. You will definitely want to add this one to your stash of easy meal prep recipes.
- Easy Ingredients: Slow cooker sloppy joe recipes use 10 common ingredients you often have on hand.
- Family Favorite: Everyone in your family will love this sloppy joe recipe.
- Adaptable: Sloppy joes are made with meat, but with a few simple swaps you can make this meat free.
- Great for Meal Prep: This old fashioned sloppy joe recipe is perfect for making in bulk and enjoying throughout the week. Double the recipe and freeze half for later. Then you can eat sloppy joes any time you need a quick dinner.
- Can Feed a Crowd: It is easy to double this recipe to feed a large group, making it perfect for gatherings.
- Great for Leftovers: The leftover sloppy joe mixture tastes just as good, if not better. Everyone loves sloppy joes.
Are Sloppy Joes and Wimpies the Same Thing?
Yes! Sloppy joes and wimpies are the same thing, they just have different names depending on where you are from. But it is an easy way to get dinner on the table.
Ingredient Notes for this Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes Recipe
You will need just a few super simple ingredients to make sloppy joes in the crock pot. They’re all easy to find at the store, but you may even have some of the ingredients in your kitchen already.
- Ground Beef: Use a lean blend of ground beef for this recipe so that you don’t get much unnecessary grease when you brown the ground beef and onion together.
- Green Bell Pepper: An onion and bell peppers are a great way to add some veggies into these sloppy joe sandwiches.
- White Vinegar: A little vinegar adds just a bit of an acidic touch.
- All Purpose Seasoning: Using an All Purpose Seasoning add the perfect amount of seasoning to these sloppy joe’s.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Prep Ahead Suggestions To Make Crock Pot Sloppy Joes
When you prepare a recipe ahead of time, it can help save you time and kitchen space when it comes to making everything for dinner!
- Make Ahead: Make homemade crock pot joes in advance and reheat when you are ready.
- Assemble: Cook the beef and mix everything together in the crock pot so all you have to do is plug it in and turn it on. Store in the fridge until you’re ready.
Special Equipment Needed for the Best Sloppy Joes
Sometimes you need a specific piece of equipment to make a recipe just right. In this case, all you need is a crock pot! This recipe makes a perfect sandwich.
- Slow Cooker: A crock pot or slow cooker cooks sloppy joe sauce low and slow so that all the flavors can come together.
Pro Tip for Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe
Skip the bun and ladle on fries and top with cheese.
How to Make Crockpot Sloppy Joes
This slow cooker recipe comes together in just 3 quick and easy steps. These wimpies are so good, you’ll be making them all the time! Let us know if you made this recipe and tell us if you like this recipe.
These are the basic steps for making Crock Pot Sloppy Joes. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions and nutritional information.
1. Brown Ground Beef with Onion and Pepper
Brown the meat and onions and peppers in a large skillet over medium high heat. Use a spoon to crumble the beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain off excess fat and transfer cooked beef to slow cooker.
2. Add Remaining Ingredients and Slow Cook the Ground Beef Mixture
Add ketchup, celery seed, dry mustard, white vinegar, sugar and All Purpose Seasoning, and stir until combined. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or high for 2 hours.
3. Assemble Sandwiches
Spoon a generous amount of sloppy joe meat mixture on hamburger buns to serve.
How to Store, Reheat and Use Leftovers of this Slow Cooker Recipe
- Storing: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat leftover meat in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
- Using Leftovers: Serve on top of Air Fryer Tater Tots or as sloppy joe Chili Cheese Dogs.
Variations and Substitutions to Make Sloppy Joes
This sloppy joes from scratch are so versatile! Try taking them to the next level by experimenting with flavors, or trying this with different ingredients.
- Add Heat: For a spicy kick, add a teaspoon of chili powder or a few dashes of hot sauce to these easy sloppy joes.
- Toppings: Add your favorite toppings, such as shredded cheese, chopped onions, or pickles.
- Different Ground Meat: Try using ground turkey or chicken to make chicken sloppy joes or ground turkey sloppy joes.
- Extra Sauce: If you like a juicy sandwich, make extra sauce for the cooked ground beef, Even make a double batch.
Easy Crock Pot Sloppy Joes Recipe FAQs
East sloppy joes with Corn Ribs with Garlic Butter, Beet Salad with Feta or Ramen Mac and Cheese.
Yes! Use meatless crumbles or textured vegetable protein instead of beef.
Yes! Use as many veggies as you’d like to make the best sloppy joes for you.
Expert Tips for Making This Crock Pot Recipe
- Toasted Buns: Toast the buns for a crispy exterior and a warm, soft interior.
- Flavors: Adjust the sweetness, acidity, and spice levels to your liking! You can also try different flavors by adding different ingredients such as tomato sauce, brown sugar or Worcestershire sauce fot this recipe for sloppy joes.
- Lean Beef: Use a lean ground beef to reduce the amount of grease.
Crock Pot Sloppy Joes
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground beef
- 1 Green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 Onion, chopped
- ¾ cup Ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Celery seed
- 2 teaspoons Dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon White vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- ½ teaspoon All Purpose Seasoning
- 6 Brioche sandwich buns
Instructions
- Brown beef with onions and peppers in a large skillet over medium high heat. Use a spoon to crumble the beef.
- Drain off excess fat and transfer mixture to slow cooker.
- Add remaining ingredients, stir until combined, cover and cook on low for 3 hours or high for 2 hours.
- To serve, spoon a generous amount of meat on each sandwich bun.
Christina’s Notes
- Toasted Buns: Toast the buns for a crispy exterior and a warm, soft interior.
- Flavors: Adjust the sweetness, acidity, and spice levels to your liking! You can also try different flavors by adding different ingredients such as tomato sauce, brown sugar or Worcestershire sauce.
- Lean Beef: Use a lean ground beef to reduce the amount of grease.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.