These Manwich Sloppy Joes are a quick and easy dinner made with seasoned ground beef simmered in classic Homemade Manwich sauce. A family-friendly meal perfect for busy weeknights!
Why You’ll Love Manwich Sloppy Joes!
Manwich Sloppy Joes are one of those meals that take me right back to childhood! Simple, saucy, and incredibly satisfying.
It’s the kind of dinner you can whip up on a hectic night without sacrificing flavor, and they always hit the spot. Whether you’re feeding a hungry family or just craving a classic comfort meal, this Main Dish Recipe brings big flavor with almost no effort.
If you love sloppy joes as much as my family, then you will love Pepperoni Pizza Sloppy Joes, Instant Pot Sloppy Joes, Texas Toast Sloppy Joes, Cajun Chicken Sloppy Joes and Big Mac Sloppy Joes.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef – We used lean ground beef
- Onion and Green Pepper – Dice into small pieces
- Minced Garlic – Learn How to Mince Fresh Garlic Cloves. Substitute with ½ tsp of garlic powder
- Ketchup – Learn How to Make Easy Homemade Ketchup Recipe
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Adds a light tangy brightness that balances and enhances flavors.
- Worcestershire Sauce – See Homemade Worcestershire Sauce Recipe
- Brown Sugar – If you are out, see The Best Brown Sugar Substitutes
- Dijon Mustard – You can also use yellow mustard
- Chili Powder – See The Best Chili Powder Substitute
- Hamburger Buns – Use your favorite buns
Scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe details.
How to Make Manwich Sloppy Joes
Step 1 – Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add in the ground beef, onions and bell peppers.
Step 2 – Sauté for 5-7 minutes, breaking up the beef as it browns, until the ground beef is no longer pink and the veggies are soft. Drain excess fat after cooking. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about a minute until you can start to smell the garlic.
Step 3 – Stir in the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, dijon mustard, chili powder, salt, black pepper and water.
Step 4 – Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium heat and cook for 10-12 minutes until the sauce thickens. Serve warm over the buns and enjoy!
Manwich Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Lean Ground Beef
- ½ Onion diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper diced into small pieces
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 2 cups Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ cup Water
- 8 Hamburger Buns
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Instructions
- Brown 2 pounds lean ground beef with ½ diced onion and 1 green bell pepper diced into small pieces in a large skillet over medium high heat. Drain off any excess grease.
- Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in 2 cups ketchup, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ½ cup water.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 10-12 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Serve warm over the buns and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Cooking Sloppy Joes – Watch the mixture closely while you’re simmering the mixture and add in more water as needed so that it does not burn.
- Preparing Vegetables – I prefer the green bell pepper and onions diced into small pieces so that they blend well into the sauce when cooking.
- Hamburger Buns – Toast your buns for extra flavor and sturdiness.
- Change Meat – For a lighter variation, substitute the ground beef and make it with ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Spicy Sloppy Joes – Add jalapeños or a dash of hot sauce to the meat mixture.
- Add Extra Veggies – Add diced carrots or mushrooms for more texture.
- Make it Cheesy – Add a slice of cheddar or melt shredded cheese on top.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Recommendations
This Homemade Sloppy Joes is the perfect weeknight meal! We love to serve with a side of Air Fryer Broccoli, Baked French Fries, Baked Mac and Cheese or a green salad.
You can even serve this made from scratch mixture over Microwave Baked Potatoes or Fritos topped with shredded cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Brown the meat first, then cook on LOW for 2–3 hours. If you are feeding a crowd, this is a great option to keep the sloppy joes warm.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Yes! Once the mixture has cooled, place in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More Easy Sloppy Joe Recipes
We love to hear from you! If you make Manwich Sloppy Joes Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Very good, used less mustard (not a favorite flavor).
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Barbara! Using less mustard is a great way to adjust the flavor to your preference.
I have made this and it tastes better than the name brand stuff!!!
I love hearing that! I’m so glad you enjoyed the homemade version. Thanks for sharing!
Love Manwich!
It’s such a classic! I hope you love this homemade version, too!
I might try this one… looks similar to a recipe I made in the late 90s!
I hope you give it a try! I love when a recipe brings back memories of an old favorite. Hope you enjoy it!
An old-time favorite of mine
It’s such a classic! I’m so glad it’s one of your favorites!
Love this recipe. Am trying to cook from scratch instead of buying packaged foods.
I’m so glad you love it! Cooking from scratch can be so rewarding, and I’m happy this recipe has been helpful!
Absolutely worth skipping the canned stuff and just as easy!
One of my favorites and the most requested meal. I follow this recipe all except green peppers. I honestly want to try with green peppers but my one picky eater might object. I might have to make two seperate! Thanls for the easy delicious recipe my whole family loves!
I’m so glad it’s a family favorite! Making a small batch with green peppers sounds like a great way to try it. Thanks so much for sharing!
I loved sloppy Joe’s when I was a kid , who knew you could make it in so many different ways. Thank you for sharing
You’re so welcome! Sloppy Joes are such a classic, and I love all the different ways you can make them!
I definitely want to try this. Thanks for sharing.
So much better than canned! Made with gr. beef, but also with gr pork sausage and gr turkey. All were delicious. Can build sandwiches in so many different ways! Thank you
I love hearing this! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it with different meats. Thanks for sharing!
We love this recipe! Making it with homemade ketchup and using homemade bread and homemade mayo….a definite crowd pleaser here
I’m so glad you love it! Homemade ketchup, bread, and mayo sound amazing with this. Thanks for sharing!
I always liked the Manwich sauce in the can because that’s the way my mom used to make it but there’s nothing like homemade sauce so I’m eager to try this recipe to see how much it tastes like the canned version.
I hope you love it! There’s something special about the flavors we grew up with, but homemade is always fun to try. Let me know what you think!
Yum. Love sloppy joes
Me too! They’re such an easy and delicious family favorite. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Haven’t tried this yet, just saved it though. Family loves sloppy joes so looking forward to your version perhaps this weekend.
love love love this receipe
I’m so glad you love it! Thanks so much for letting me know!
I made this using ground turkey & it was really great!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Ground turkey sounds like a great substitution. Thanks for sharing!
We love sloppy joes! Looks yummy!
Awesome recipe. Very easy to make and great tasting.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Easy and delicious is always a win. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe is an absolute must for school nights! We love it.
I love hearing that! Easy school night dinners are always a win. I’m so glad your family loves it!
Since I live alone, I decrease the serving size, but OMG, I love me some Sloppy Joes.
This recipe was so easy to follow and I had all the ingredients in my house already. Super easy to make and follow this recipe. My neighbor enjoyed it also.
The kids love this!
My kids like this, even back for seconds
Mindi – That’s great! Thanks for leaving a comment.
Yes, yes, yes! This has been delicious this summer. It’s easy, fun to make and the kids loved it! I will definitely be adding into rotation
it makes a mess when i tried it but it is good.
Just like my mom made 50 years ago. She did add 2 tbl of sweet pickle relish. Always a favorite meal sandwich.
I’m so glad you loved it and it brought back memories of your childhood!
sloppy joes are delicious and so easy to make, something different
Susan – Thank you! We love them too!
This is a excellent recipeI am a die hard manwich lover,but this is even better. Thanks for the revipie
That’s such a compliment! I’m so glad you loved it. Thanks so much for trying the recipe!
I haven’t tried this one yet, but I have it on my list of things I want to make it looks yummy !
Let me know what you think once you try it!
I haven’t tried this one yet, but I have it on my list of things I want to make it looks delicious!
Let me know once you try it! Hope you enjoy.
Every recipe I try from you are delicious and easy to prepare. Keep them coming
Thank you! It means a lot that you make so many recipes!
Very good !
Connie – Thanks so much!
I have these on the menu this week. I have used your recipe before and know it is yummy! So much better than out of the can. Thanks for sharing!
This was an easy week night meal for my family
Gena – I’m so glad to hear this. Thanks for leaving a comment.
The grandkids came for dinner, this was the best idea to serve them. They loved the sloppy joes, I did cut back on the chili powder, but when I make for just us, I will use the full amount. Thank you for this recipe.
I make this recipe for my grandkids on the weekend visits. Quick easy and delicious. Can go wrong with this one. Thank you!
Linda – So happy to hear even the grandkids love it!
Yum!! Kids loved it & so did we!! ??
I cooked this on Tuesday and my grandsons asked me to cook it again on Thursday it is very good
I love hearing that! If your grandsons asked for it again that soon, I’d call that a win. Thanks so much for sharing!
Such a simple recipe, and my kids loved it! I loved that it was made from things I already had on hand. It tasted way better than the canned stuff. Will make again!
I’m so glad your family loved it! I love recipes that use simple ingredients you already have on hand. Thanks so much for sharing!
So tasty!
We LOVE This recipe! Also, the fact I can control the ingredients and it’s not so much processed!
Easy enough the teen “cook” can do it!
That’s great! Love that!
These homemade sloppy joes are SO much better than the canned version!
Wahoo! I’m so glad they were a hit!
I haven’t had sloppy Joe’s since my kids were living at home. I definitely have to make this recipe. I am super excited to try this.
Paula – It is so easy! Let me know how it turns out.
One of my husband’s favorite meals!! Will make these from scratch as you outlined above instead of the mix from packets. Thanks again!
Love sloppy Joes! So quick, easy and delicious!
This recipe is delicious!
Thank you so much!
Looking forward to trying these. Hubby loves sloppy joes and I make big batches and freeze meals for later date.
That’s a great idea! We love freezer cooking!
I used to eat sloppy joes with the canned Manwich sauce a lot growing up and this is a definite upgrade! The green bell peppers are key for some reason! The only change I made was used a little less ketchup and instead a big squeeze of tomato paste. Otherwise so great as is!
So glad you enjoyed! Once you make homemade, it is hard to go back to canned!
We make manwichies sloppy joy about one a week, a staple in our houe – Love them Easy,Spmeasy!
Easy peasy dinner for busy weeknights!
Thanks! We love it for busy nights!
I will definitely be trying this recipe. I’ve tried a lot of your recipes and have yet to be disappointed.
That means a lot! Thanks for leaving a comment.
This sauce is great. I added extra onion and garlic. So happy to not need to buy a can product
Joan – Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Delicious Recipe! Love that I can use pantry ingredients to make a childhood favorite recipe. My entire family loved it.
Great job