These Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes are the perfect way to feed a crowd because they can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance.  Ground beef and peppers are cooked in the Crock Pot in a quick zesty sauce for a family favorite meal that’s ready when you are!

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes on a sesame seed bun shown with a title with carrots in the background

Sloppy Joes has been a long time favorite around here, in fact, my husband requested them as his birthday dinner last month!  :)

For years I made the canned variety of sauce, not realizing how easy (and delicious) they are to make homemade.  A simple mixture of ground beef, onion, green pepper simmered in a quick sauce made of ingredients you likely already have on hand!

While you can make sloppy joes on the stove top fairly quickly, I love this crock pot version because I can prep everything as far as 24 hours in advance.  I find that the beef is more tender and the flavor is better if it’s simmered all day.  Not to mention, it’s perfect to come home to after soccer practice so we aren’t waiting for dinner.

Note:  For those of you that have asked about the chopper used in the video, you can find info on it here or get it on Amazon here!

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes served on a bun on a tray with chips

 If you are planning a party or gathering, these Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes are the perfect meal to serve. Not only does everyone love them, you can have everything prepped and ready long before your guests arrive. You can even turn them into these delicious sloppy joe sliders!

The day of my party, I just simple pop it in my crock pot and a few hours later a meal is ready when we are!  Once it’s cooked you can turn your slow cooker to warm and leave it for people to serve themselves as they’re ready to eat (and slider buns make a great addition to the table as well)!

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes served with carrots on a plate close up

I use a lean ground beef and drain it before adding it to the slow cooker however this recipe does work well with ground turkey (I sometimes add a beef boullion cube just to add a little bit more flavor if using turkey).

If you’re not familiar with chili sauce, it is delicious.  It is a zesty sauce (it’s not spicy) similar to ketchup but less sweet and has way more flavor.  I use it to top my meatloaf (mixed 50/50 with ketchup) or mixed 50/50 with barbecue sauce for the best rib sauce ever!

When cooking a single batch of this recipe, I use a 4 QT slow cooker however if you’re doubling it for a crowd, I’d recommend a 6QT slow cooker.  And if you’re taking this on a camping trip or would like to prepare ahead of time, you can put all ingredients in a plastic freezer bag or container until it is ready to cook.

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes served on a bun on a tray with chips
5 from 37 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

These Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes are the perfect way to feed a crowd because they can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. Ground beef and peppers are cooked in the Crock Pot in a quick zesty sauce for a family favorite meal that’s ready when you are!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients  

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • cup chili sauce
  • 1 ½ cups green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 cup celery chopped
  • 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons prepared mustard
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • rolls for serving

Instructions 

  • Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
  • Place beef in a 4 qt slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients (except rolls) and stir to combine.
  • Cook on low 6-7 hours or high 3-4 hours.
  • Serve over rolls or slider buns.

Notes

Nutrition information does not include rolls or buns.
5 from 37 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 192 | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 548mg | Potassium: 604mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 600IU | Vitamin C: 23.3mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dinner
Cuisine American

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Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes on a plate shown with a title
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes on a sesame seed bun shown with a title

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About the author

Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
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Comments

  1. Had a family get together as we cleaned out our childhood home. Wanted something easy quick and tasty when I came across your sloppy joe recipe. Fabulous!  Everyone loved them and wanted the recipe. Tastiest and most satisfying “joes” ever. 5 stars

  2. I was reluctant to get hooked on this recipe because there are SO many ingredients but it is worth it. The best sloppy joes you will ever make!

  3. I had family from out of town visiting and I wanted to make something in the crockpot that everyone would like. Came across your sloppy joe recipe. It was very delicious!! Thanks for sharing!

  4. OMG! WOW this is a wonderful recipe Holly!!! My husband and I have gave up Sloppy Joe’s for over a year now. Tried so many other recipe’s and they just never met our taste. Came across your website 2 weeks ago and tried one of your other recipe’s, ( Taco Tater Tot Casserole) my husband and I were very pleased with that dish. So when I found you had a Sloppy Joe recipe I just had to try it. We now have found the taste we have been looking for. There’s only the two of us but made the recipe exactly as shown. So glad I did, now we have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. We’ll never miss having Sloppy Joe’s again. Thank you Molly!

  5. I made this for a crowd, doubled the recipe. Everyone loved it! Has a little kick to it but super nice favor. Thanks for the recipe!5 stars

  6. I used to make chili with these ingredients a long time ago, i lost the recipe… so to try to do it again should i use a tomato paste or sauce ? I know i used diced tomatoes and i believe i added some garlic powed or onion powder.. maybe both lol along with beans of course . Does this sound about right to convert sloppy Joes to chili ? My kids like the sloppy joe taste with the added cozy feeling of a chili type !!! I dont remeber the measurements of them either . Do you have any thoughts.

    1. I’ve only made the recipe as written with tomato paste, to make a chili you’d want to add tomato sauce or pasta sauce (less tart). Let us know how it goes for you!!

  7. Best sloppy joes ever!!   Husband ate four and never eats more than two.  This is my new go to recipe for joes.  Changed one thing – used equal amounts of poblano and green pepper for the 1-1/2 cups.  Very good, gave it a little kick.  Thank you5 stars

  8. How many does this serve? Ditto on your Best Cole Slaw recipe. Your recipes don’t include number of servings.
    Thanks.

  9. I love this meal too!! So yummy & amazing delicious recipe. Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe.

  10. I made a modified version of this last night. Because I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand, I halved the recipe (only three of us). 1 lb hamburger browned, half onion chopped, 3/4 yellow pepper chopped, 1 cup catchup, a splash of apple cider vinegar, a splash of Worcestershire, dumped in some garlic powder and chili powder.

    Honestly, it didn’t need more than that. My daughter loved it. My husband came home late for work and gobbled down two sandwiches. I am making this again!

  11. This sounds delicious! I’m cooking for just my husband and myself so I would cut the recipe in half and was wondering if I would still cook it for 6 hrs on low.

  12. Delish! Hubby said please make this again! I didn’t have chile sauce so I just left it out and this was very tangy and flavorful!

  13. Can I use regular white vinegar ? I have everything else but the cider vinegar. Would love to get it started today. Thhanks

  14. I love not special foods for special occasions, my wife requested a pork pie instead of a birthday cake 8 years ago and it is a tradition that has stuck ever since ;) These sloppy Joes look awesome, They are nor something we see in Europe so gotta give them a try.