Here’s a really easy sloppy joe recipe 3 ingredients with ketchup that is homemade! Your whole family will enjoy this comfort meal and I bet you never realized just how easy they were to make from scratch! Use just 3 basic ingredients for a tangy yet sweet meal!

Easy Sloppy Joe Recipe 3 Ingredients
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We love easy Sloppy Joes in our house! We created an easy sloppy joe recipe using just 3 things + the meat. I know you already have 2 in the door of your refrigerator. Here is where our experimenting began and why you will never buy the can again after making them this way. (affiliate links present)

Easy Sloppy Joe Recipe 3 Ingredients

After several trials and “more of this” and “less of that”, we came up with a simple sloppy joe recipe. Instead of using Manwich we used just these 3 ingredients. You have what you need in your fridge and cupboard right now and I guarantee you’ll never buy that can again after this!

Years ago this was created, out of need because I hadn’t gone to the store to buy my regular sauce. Fast forward 10 years and my family will NOT let me buy it premade from the store ever again. Seriously, it is way better. Your husband kids are going to love this one, I guarantee it!

A jar of mustard sits on a wooden surface next to a metal spoon and a small jar with a cork stopper. The mustard is smooth and yellow in color, perfect for an easy sloppy joe recipe with just 3 ingredients. A sprig of green herbs is partially visible in the corner.

Homemade Sloppy Joes Ingredients

  • Ground beef can be sauteed on the stovetop
  • Mustard just the yellow variety is the zing
  • Ketchup is the main base for the sauce
  • Brown Sugar gives it that sweetness
  • Hamburger buns for serving

Variations

We make this often. After a while you can also start integrating small diced bits of vegetables inside too. Hidden veggies are great when they’re non the wiser. Finely chopped bell peppers and onions totally work. I have drained a can of corn before and thrown that in too and my girls thought that was “so fun”.

Want to make these spicy?? An easy way is to use half ground spicy Jimmy dean sausage with the beef for a kick, or use just the one for a lot of heat!!

As far as the protein goes you can use your fave. I prefer 80/20 beef that has been ground but I have actually used 1/2 lb. of spicy ground sausage with 1/2 beef for a meat mixture before and it was insanely great!! Red pepper flakes can add heat too. For leaner and a healthy option go with ground chicken or turkey if you like.

Tweaks that can be made with this could be adding pinches of seasonings like garlic powder, salt and pepper if you like. Like I said sometimes we like a slice of cheese on top like you see in the top photo so it melts. Lastly if you ran out of ketchup you could swap in tomato sauce instead (though ketchup is better).

A white bowl, showcasing the nuances of light vs dark brown sugar, rests elegantly on a pristine white background.

I am all about easy recipes because we both work full time and let’s face it, we don’t have time to spend an hour in the kitchen. Plus this meal tastes fabulous!! If you have little ones it is all about fun at meal time too right? When your kids are excited about what is on their plate there’s a better chance they’ll try it.

Easy 3 Ingredient Sloppy Joes with Ketchup

First you’re going to want to cook your ground beef, or ground turkey, and diced onions if you want them. You don’t want really really lean, 80/20 is better if you ask me. It has a lot more flavor overall and to be honest I usually do not drain the fat, it tastes better with it.

If you make these on the stove then use the same large pan with a large lip to make it all. With Instant Pot sloppy joes set to saute for browing initial step.

Ground crockpot beef sits invitingly in a bowl, surrounded by salt, pepper shakers, and freshly chopped onions on a pristine white surface.

If I am serving it for a large crowd I will make Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes because it is just big enough and small enough where the juices really get soaked up by the ground beef. You just cook it all beforehand and then transfer it into your slow cooker to sit on warm.

Then your batch will be ready for meals all day long. If you like diced bell pepper you could add them when cooking your ground beef too, totally up to you. I have a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here is a quick rundown so you get the jist.

How do you make sloppy joes from scratch?

  1. It is easier than you think. You just brown the ground sausage or beef and then fold in the sauce until perfect.
  2. Cook the ground beef or turkey in a large skillet over medium high heat. I buy whichever is on sale at the time.
  3. Pour in diced onions if you’d like, then drain some of the juices off.
  4. Add the mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar. 
  5. Mix well and taste.
    • Add more ketchup if you want it wetter or mustard if you like it more tangy.
    • Increase brown sugar if you like yours sweeter.
  6. Allow to simmer once combined for 5 minutes, covered, to soak up all the juices and mixture so it’s nice and yummy!

Turn heat off. Put on buns and serve. You could put a slice of cheese on top if you like, or sliced pickles is sometimes a fave too. An easy dinner that takes about 20 minutes flat that we all love. Loose meat sandwiches are seriously the bomb y’all!

ground beef

How to Serve Loose Meat Sandwiches

It creates a yummy tangy sweet meat mix to put on any bun and if you drain the meat (sometimes I even put the meat in a strainer and run hot water on top to make it extra healthy). You will want to cook the meat first, then add the above ingredients and continue to cook on low so it simmers a bit and really gets that flavor into the meat before plating.

Once you try these easy homemade sloppy joes you’ll be hooked and you should will want to try our sloppy joe casserole. If you love this easy sloppy joe recipe you should try these 5 ingredient crockpot chili. It is to die for and so EASY!

Is Manwich the best way to make sloppy joes?

We don’t think so. You can mix 3 ingredients together to make a sweet and savory sauce you just mix with ground meat. This way you can adjust it as you like and even make it spicy with some red pepper flakes if you wanted to.

What is a sloppy Jane?

This new term is something similar to Joes except using homemade ingredients for the sauce, similar to this one, and diced vegetables. Adding diced onions, bell peppers and tomatoes into the mix creates a fresh healthier version of his popular Old Fashioned loose meat sandwich recipe.

What are the ingredients in sloppy joe?

That depends. If you are using a can of Manwich then you would just need that and browned meat really. From there you could include diced onions and/or bell peppers. Homemade you’d need ketchup, mustard and brown sugar for the sauce.

Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe

I used to just add some minced dehydrated onions but now I add fresh onions and they soften up nicely so my kids don’t mind them in it either. Taste along the way to see if you want it a bit sweeter or tangier (more sugar or mustard to taste). You can even cook the meat, add the ingredients and mix it up.

Throw it in a crockpot if you are heading out for a few hours and the juices really get soaked up by the meat and it is just fantastic. Just put it on low while you are gone and slap it on buns when you get back.

Close-up of a cheesy sloppy joe sandwich on a wooden board, with some filling spilling out and onion rings in the background, showcasing an easy sloppy joe recipe made with just 3 ingredients.
5 from 6 votes

Easy Sloppy Joe Recipe 3 Ingredients

By The Typical Mom
Easy sloppy joe recipe 3 ingredients that is homemade. Your whole family will enjoy this comfort meal and I bet you never realized just how easy they were to make from scratch! Use just 3 basic ingredients for a tangy yet sweet meal! 
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 6 minutes
Total: 21 minutes
Servings: 5
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Equipment

  • 1 pan

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/8 cup mustard
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 onion, diced, optional

Instructions 

  • Cook the ground beef or turkey (I buy whichever is on sale at the time) + diced onions, drain some of the juices off, and then add the mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar. 
  •  Mix well and taste. Add more ketchup if you want it wetter or mustard if you like it more tangy. Increase brown sugar if you like yours sweeter.
  • Allow to simmer once combined for 5 minutes, covered, to soak up all the juices and mixture so it's nice and yummy!
  • Turn heat off. Put on buns and serve.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz, Calories: 297kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 459mg, Potassium: 382mg, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 185IU, Vitamin C: 2.3mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!
easy sloppy joe recipe
easy sloppy joe recipe

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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5 from 6 votes

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13 Comments

  1. thanks for sharing soooo delicious! thanks to whoever shared about the vinegar omg yummy ๐Ÿ˜‹ exactly my tastes but i was scared cause im an awful cook but i got brave at the end & it so paid off! most delicious thanks everyone!

  2. I’m shocked at how good this is for being so simple. I just made a big batch, some to freeze. This by far is one of the best recipes I have found on line.

  3. Let me just say that I didn’t have any sloppy joe mix for dinner this evening, so I went searching and came across this recipe. Let me tell you…100% delicious!!

  4. Tried this last night my teenagers and friend’s loved it asked when I’ll make it again

  5. I mixed everything up, put it in the crockpot, and went on about doing other things. It was ready whenever the family wanted some!

  6. Add 1 tbs vinegar and you have the exact recipe my mom used for many years. Adds a little zing.

    1. We really enjoyed! Brought back memories of my childhood! Reminded me of school sloppy Joeโ€™s !