Crock Pot Sloppy Joes are an easy family dinner made with ground beef, onion, red bell pepper, and a homemade sweet and tangy sloppy joe sauce. The beef mixture cooks low and slow until everything is hot, saucy, and ready to pile onto soft buns.
I love making sloppy joes in the Crock Pot when I need an easy dinner that can feed everyone without a lot of work. I can get everything into the slow cooker earlier in the day, and by dinnertime all I need to do is set out the buns and let everyone make their own sandwich.
Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Beef: Three pounds of ground beef make this a hearty batch of sloppy joes that’s perfect for feeding a family or crowd. Brown and drain the beef before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Onion: Finely chopped onion adds savory flavor and cooks into the sloppy joe mixture.
- Red Bell Pepper: Finely chopped red bell pepper adds a little sweetness and texture without making the sloppy joes spicy.
- Ketchup: Ketchup creates the tomato base for the homemade sloppy joe sauce and gives it a sweet and tangy flavor.
- Brown Sugar: A small amount of brown sugar adds sweetness and balances the tangy ingredients in the sauce.
- Yellow Mustard: Yellow mustard adds a little tang and gives the sauce that classic sloppy joe flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds a deeper savory flavor to the beef and sauce.
- Garlic Powder & Onion Powder: These simple seasonings add extra savory flavor throughout the sloppy joe mixture.
- Salt & Black Pepper: Season the beef and help bring all the flavors together.
- Smoked Paprika: Adds a subtle smoky flavor that pairs well with the beef and homemade sauce.
- Buns or Rolls: Use your favorite soft buns or rolls for serving the warm sloppy joe filling.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
How to Make Sloppy Joe’s
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into crumbles, until no longer pink. Drain off the excess grease and transfer the cooked beef to the slow cooker.
- Add the finely chopped onion and red bell pepper to the slow cooker with the beef.
- Add the ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
- Stir until everything is well combined and the ground beef is evenly coated with the sauce.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4–6 hours or HIGH for 2–3 hours.
- When the cooking time is complete, stir the sloppy joe mixture well.
- Spoon the warm sloppy joe filling onto buns or rolls and serve.
Tips I Found Helpful
- Drain the ground beef well. After browning, remove the excess grease before adding the beef to the slow cooker so the sloppy joe mixture doesn’t become greasy.
- Chop the onion and bell pepper finely. Smaller pieces soften nicely during cooking and blend better into the sauce.
- Don’t skip browning the beef. Cooking the ground beef before it goes into the slow cooker gives it a better texture and lets you drain away the excess fat.
- Keep the lid closed while cooking. There’s no need to stir the sloppy joes throughout the cooking time. Keeping the lid on helps the slow cooker maintain a steady temperature.
- Give everything a good stir before serving. This redistributes the sauce and makes sure the beef is evenly coated.
- If the sloppy joes seem too thin, leave the lid off for a short time at the end. This allows some of the excess moisture to evaporate and the sauce to thicken.
- Keep them warm for a party. Once they’re finished cooking, use the slow cooker’s Warm setting for serving.
- Give the mixture an occasional stir so it stays evenly saucy.
- Toast the buns if you like a sturdier sandwich. This can help keep the bun from getting soggy once you pile on the saucy beef.
Frequently Asked Questions
More Slow Cooker Recipes I Love
Crock Pot Sloppy Joes
Crock Pot Sloppy Joes are an easy family dinner made with ground beef, onion, red bell pepper, and a homemade sweet and tangy sloppy joe sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Buns or rolls for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into crumbles, until no longer pink. Drain off the excess grease and transfer the cooked beef to the slow cooker.
Add the finely chopped onion and red bell pepper to the slow cooker with the beef.
Add the ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
Stir until everything is well combined and the ground beef is evenly coated with the sauce.
Cover and cook on LOW for 4–6 hours or HIGH for 2–3 hours.
When the cooking time is complete, stir the sloppy joe mixture well.
Spoon the warm sloppy joe filling onto buns or rolls and serve.
Notes
Brown and drain the ground beef before adding it to the slow cooker to prevent the sloppy joe mixture from becoming greasy.
Finely chop the onion and red bell pepper so they soften and blend into the sauce as they cook.
There is no need to stir during cooking. Keep the slow cooker covered and give everything a good stir before serving.
If the sloppy joe mixture is thinner than you prefer, remove the lid near the end of cooking and allow some of the excess moisture to evaporate.
For parties or gatherings, keep the finished sloppy joes on the Warm setting until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 366Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 447mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 32g
