Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes Recipe – Mom’s Classic Homemade Sauce
This old fashioned sloppy joes recipe comes straight from my mom’s recipe box — savory ground beef in a tangy homemade sauce, ready in one skillet in under 30 minutes. No packaged mix needed!
What you’ll love about this recipe:
Ingredients You’ll Need for Homemade Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes
(Please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements and instructions. You can print it on your home printer and put it in your favorite recipes binder!)
- Lean or extra lean ground beef – The hearty base of the sloppy joes, providing rich flavor.
- Diced onion (optional) – Adds a touch of sweetness and depth (it can be omitted if picky eaters in your family don’t like onions).
- Olive oil (if using a cast iron skillet) – Helps prevent sticking and adds a little extra flavor.
- Ketchup ( Our family says it must be Heinz for the best flavor!) – The key ingredient for a classic tangy-sweet sauce.
- White sugar – Balances the acidity and enhances the overall sweetness.
- White vinegar – Adds a bit of zippy tang to the sauce.
- Yellow mustard – Brings a subtle tang and a little sharpness to the mix.
- Worcestershire sauce – Deepens the flavor with a rich, savory umami kick.
- Hamburger buns – The classic “vessel” for holding all the delicious, saucy goodness. However, we’ve also used flour tortillas, or served sloppy joes over sweet potatoes, too.
Classic Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes Recipe
It’s ok to be sloppy with this classic old fashioned sloppy joes recipe! Browned ground beef smothered in the easiest and tastiest homemade sloppy joe sauce and nestled in a pillowy soft bun makes this recipe a 5 star fan favorite dinner idea! This old school loose meat sandwich recipe from my Mom’s recipe box can be made in minutes in one skillet with simple, common ingredients from your kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 medium sized onion, diced (or it can be omitted if your big brother really detests onions!)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (if using a cast iron skillet)
- 1/2 cup ketchup (Although brands aren’t usually a big deal at our house, ketchup is the exception. It must be Heinz!)
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
- 6 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Peel and dice the onion.
- If using a cast iron skillet, add the olive oil and preheat the medium sized skillet until the an onion piece sizzles when put in the pan.
- Add the diced onions and hamburger to the preheated pan and saute until the onions are translucent and the hamberger is no longer pink (about 5 minutes).
- Drain the extra grease off the meat by pushing all the meat to one side of the pan and tilting the pan down the other side until the grease runs to one side. Use a spoon or ladle and remove all the grease that pools in the pan and place it in a bowl or can to dispose of in the garbage later. (Never pour grease down the sink!)
- To the meat mixture in the pan, add the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, mustard and worchestershire sauce. Stir until all combined and the mixture is simmering hot.
- Serve the hot sloppy joe mixture by dividing up the sloppy joe meat and put in a hamburger bun.
Step by step instructions for Mom’s Recipe for Homemade Sloppy Joes
Start by browning your ground beef in a skillet, along with the diced onion if you’re using it, until it’s cooked through and no longer pink. Drain off any extra grease, then it’s time for the fun part — the sauce! Stir in the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce right into the beef, and let it all simmer together until it’s thick, saucy, and smells like something Mom used to make.
Honestly, I’ve made this recipe so many times I could do it with my eyes closed — I just dump the sauce ingredients in by feel these days instead of measuring! But if you’re making it for the first time, the printable recipe card below has the exact amounts to get you started.
Spoon it warm onto a soft hamburger bun, and dinner is done.
1.Saute hamburger and onions until the beef is browned and onions transluscent. 
2.Add all the sloppy joe sauce ingredients into the skillet of cooked hamburger. 
3.Stir the ingredients together and simmer for a few minutes.
Where did this old fashioned sloppy joe recipe come from?
This sloppy joe recipe came directly from my Mom’s recipe box. She made this for our family many, many times when I was growing up. And, it was one of the first recipes I made on my own!
What do you serve with sloppy joes?
Since sloppy joes are often a quick meal solution, the quickest side dish to serve with them is potato chips. (Yum!) You can also add a slice of your favorite kind of cheese and sliced pickles if you like both or either of those things.
Here are some other side dish options to serve with sloppy joes:
- Potato salad
- Scalloped potatoes
- Smashed potatoes (the recipe to these is found below the easy meatloaf recipe!)
- Crock pot baked beans
- Cheesy potatoes with frozen hash browns
- Orange fluff salad
Other Loose Meat Sandwich Recipes
- Tuna melt in the oven
- We love this amazing pulled pork recipe for the crock pot
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This sounds delicious! And just like I had growing up!
Hi, Rita Joy! My Mom used to make sloppy joe’s, when I was a child. Her recipe also, included Campbell’s abc soup, I don’t know why, but so good! It is such a comfort food.
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