Quick and Easy BBQ Sloppy Joes Recipe (2024)

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Skip the canned sloppy joes and make this easy and hearty BBQ Sloppy Joes Recipe. Not only will you save money but it tastes better than anything at the grocery store!

Everyone loves BBQ Sloppy Joes Recipe.

Sloppy joes are a family favorite at our house, and this BBQ sloppy joes recipe is no different. Let me state though – We are not a fan of canned sloppy joes, we love homemade sloppy joes.

You miss out on so much flavor and it is actually cheaper to just make it yourself. I love this BBQ sloppy joes recipebecause they are easy to make and they are very frugal.

This recipe cost me just $4 to make for my family of 6. Now this is an older post that I’m updating. I refigured the cost and for my family of 10 now I can make it for about $8.

Due to the size of my family, I just simply doubled the recipe. I have some serious eaters in our family now. But still…. $8 for 10 people. That is super awesome!

You are going to save money and get a better dinner too. This is definitely a win for Mom!

Ok let’s talk about how to make this quick and easy dinner idea. It is seriously a game changer!

Equipment you need:

• cast iron – I love using cast iron because the food cooks so evenly. Plus, cast iron holds up really well.
• Ground beef Separator – This is optional but helps to get the ground beef to that perfect consistency. We love ours and use it frequently.
• Cheese grater – Grab one of these larger ones and see how easy it is. We prefer to do this instead of buying the bags of shredded. Not only does it melt better but it tastes better too.

Ingredients:

• Ground beef or ground turkey (you could mix them too!)
• Onion finely chopped – I like to use a food processor. Try freezing chopped onions to make dinner time even quicker.
• Red pepper finely chopped
• salt and pepper
• BBQ Sauce – Any kind will do but we love this easy homemade barbecue sauce recipe.
• Ketchup
• Water (or vinegar)
• Hamburger buns and cheese or onions to serve with

How to make homemade sloppy joes with bbq sauce:

1. First, brown the ground beef until no longer pink. This is when the Ground beef Separator comes in so handy.

2. Second, add the onions and seasonings to the ground beef.

3. Next, add the BBQ sauce, ketchup and water. Stir together the sloppy joe mixture.

4. Finally, let simmer for 5-10 minutes so the flavors can combine. Enjoy! Serve on hamburger buns with cheese.

The results.

My pickiest child gobbled her sandwich up in no time and said it was the best dinner ever! I say that means this is going on our regular menu now!

What to serve with barbecue sloppy joes?

• the Best Coleslaw Recipe
• Lazy Day Crock Pot Baked Beans
• Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
• Corn on the Cob

These are just a few ideas that we love. Check out What to Serve with Sloppy Joes for more easy side dishes for sloppy joes.

More tips:

• BBQ Sauce – You can add in any BBQ sauce you have in your pantry for a different flavor – Honey BBQ, Mesquite Smoke, and the list goes on. You can try it with different sauces for the same great sandwich with a different twist.
  
• Veggies – If you don’t like onions and red peppers, you should still try to put them in. I use a small food chopper and they are so small no one even knows they are in there. However, you still get all that delicious flavor.
  
• Other meat – Use ground turkey to save even more money. My family never notices when I use this because the sauce is so amazing.
  
• Slow Cooker – Try making this in the crock pot and come home to dinner ready to enjoy. This is perfect when you need to feed a crowd for a party or if you just want a day off from cooking. You just need to brown the meat and then toss everything else in. The crock pot will do the rest.
  
• Freeze the leftovers – This recipe is freezer friendly.Make a double batch next time you cook dinner. Then freeze the left overs. All you have to do (on a busy night) is heat it up and serve on buns. From freezer to table, you can have these on the dinner in 10 minutes without even thinking about it.
  
• Make it a Freezer meal – Another way to utilize the freezer is to brown the beef and let them cool. Then toss the meet and all the ingredients into a freezer bag and freeze. Then you can toss it into a crock pot (from frozen) and let it cook all day for a super easy Crock pot freezer meal.

Make this easy recipe tonight!

Print the best bbq sloppy joes recipe below:

More sloppy joes recipes to try:

• Pepperoni Pizza Sloppy Joes
• Sloppy Joes Recipe – Only 3 Ingredients
• Ultimate Sloppy Joes Recipe
• Best Sloppy Joes
• Homemade Sloppy Joes
• Texas Toast Sloppy Joes Recipe
• Easy Crock Pot Sloppy Joes Recipe
• Bacon Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes Recipe
• Easy Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes