These slow cooker sloppy joes are cooked low and slow resulting in perfectly tender beef and a super flavorful tomato sauce.

Throwing a little extra ease into a weeknight favorite! All hail the slow cooker and all the magic its working today.
I know, sloppy joes are generally considered one of those dinners that you really can’t mess up since it’s typically made in minutes on the stovetop, but I’m here you tell you that while that’s delicious, you’re missing out on a better way.
Slow cooking sloppy joe sauce not only tenderizes the ground beef SO much but it also gives the sauce time to build tons of incredible flavor.

And it gives YOU time to do whatever the heck you want cause dinner’s basically making itself for you tonight.
This recipe also doubles or triples very easily so don’t be afraid to make extra for leftovers or for the freezer!
These Sloppy Joes feature…
- Tender ground beef
- A flavorful ketchup-based sauce with sweet brown sugar, Worcestershire, and spices
- Only minutes to prep and the slow cooker does most of the work

Making the Sloppy Joes
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Ground beef
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Brown sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Tomato paste
- Ketchup
- Paprika
- Chili powder
- Buns
Storing and Freezing Sauce
This sauce stores well in refrigerator up to 6 days and reheats great either on stovetop or in microwave.
To freeze sauce, allow to cool completely, store in a freezer-safe container, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw sauce completely in refrigerator and reheat before serving.

Tips for Perfect Sloppy Joes
- Brown ground beef and onion – this breaks up the ground beef into bite-sized pieces and infuses it with onion flavor.
- Use ketchup as sauce base – ketchup serves as a great base with its smooth texture and sweet vinegar-y flavor.
- Use brown sugar to sweeten – brown sugar softens the acidity from the tomatoes and gives the sauce a subtle sweetness.
- Cook sloppy joes on either low or high – if you’ve got extra time, I highly recommend cooking the sauce on low 3-4 hours for the best flavor. You can also cook it on high 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on these sloppy joes.
- Make it spicy – used smoked paprika or add your favorite hot sauce to taste for a spicy version.
- Use a different meat – try using ground turkey, chicken, or pork in place of the beef.
- Add a slaw or pickles – top sandwiches with a creamy slaw or dill pickle slices for an extra-loaded sandwich.
Stovetop Version
You can easily convert this recipe to a stovetop version instead of slow cooker! It won’t have quite as much flavor, but it will still be delicious.
Follow step 1 of browning the ground beef, drain grease, and add remaining ingredients to pan. Allow sloppy joe sauce to simmer over medium heat 5-10 minutes until sauce is reduced and thickened.

I never would have thought that sloppy joes could be a top-tier dinner, but here we are. The beef is SO incredibly tender and absolutely smothered in all that incredible brown sugar tomato sauce.
You’ve got a new dinner favorite staring ya straight in the face.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

More slow cooker dinner favorites!
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
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Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Buns for serving
Instructions
- Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion and season with salt and pepper. Brown over medium-high heat, breaking up beef until no longer pink. Drain grease from pan and discard.
- Combine ground beef/onions, garlic, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, tomato paste, ketchup, paprika, and chili powder in a slow cooker.
- Cook sloppy joes on low heat 3-4 hours or on high 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste if needed and serve warm over buns. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 10/3/24.
Theresa Wright says
I am glad I found a sloppy joe recipe without ketchup in it. Just not a fan of it. I may adjust the amount of sugar I don’t like them to sweet.
bob ayers says
Add some whole grain dijon mustard for an extra boost!
Jeromie says
Rainy morning and was thinking on a pot roast or something of that nature. However, its been years since I have had a sloppy joe and never cooked in a slow cooker. I caught myself going back to your sloppy joe recipe over and over again. You changed my mind. Haha. Putting on shoes and goung shopping. Although its not traditional, im thinking on a couple mushrooms mixed in. Thank you.