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    Home » Recipes » Sandwich

    Homemade Manwich (Sloppy Joes)

    Published: Apr 16, 2024 by Fox Valley Foodie · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Homemade Sloppy Joes - Better than Manwich

    Homemade Manwich Sloppy Joes are not only easy to throw together, the rich zesty flavor is better than store-bought!

    Ever since developing this recipe, I have never purchased another can of Manwich. This easy meal is effortless to make, and I always seem to have the simple ingredients on hand, since they are mostly pantry staples.

    Homemade Sloppy Joes on sesame seed bun.

    The classic sloppy Joe, as we know it today, is mostly associated with Manwich, but it was actually born from Loose Meat Sandwiches, popular in Iowa. It is said that a cook, appropriately named "Joe", added tomato sauce to a loose meat sandwich, and a new classic was born!

    This homemade sloppy Joes recipe recreates much of what I love about Manwich, while taking these classic sandwiches to the next level! The sauce bursts with a deeper, richer, flavor that I absolutely love! Most importantly, you probably have all of the ingredients for it already in your kitchen!

    Plus, let's be honest, we all feel a bit lazy dumping Manwich from a can and calling it dinner. If you make my homemade Manwich recipe, not only is it a great recipe, but you get the satisfaction of making classic sloppy Joes from scratch!

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    • Lean ground beef - The best beef for making sloppy Joes is 90/10 ground beef in my opinion. 80/20 is great for making burgers, but it is a little greasier than I prefer for sloppy joes.
    • Onion 
    • Green pepper - Red bell peppers are a sweeter substitute.
    • Fresh garlic - You can substitute 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
    • Ketchup - BBQ sauce can be used to take the flavor in a different direction, like my BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joes.
    • Cider vinegar
    • Worcestershire sauce
    • Brown sugar
    • Dijon mustard - Any brown mustard is a good substitution. You can even use Yellow mustard or ground mustard if needed.
    • Paprika - Smoked paprika is a great substitution for a deeper flavor.
    • Cayenne pepper - You can substitute chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes.
    • Salt
    • Buns - Simple hamburger buns are the classic choice, but you can upgrade to toasted Pretzel buns or brioche buns for a gourmet twist.

    For comparison, here is the difference between my homemade Manwich above, and the ingredients you'll find in store-bought Manwich below.

    Canned Manwich Ingredients: Tomato puree (Water & Tomato Paste), High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Sugar, Carrot Fiber, Guar Gum, Spices, Xanthan Gum, Dried Garlic, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid.

    I don't know about you, but my homemade ingredient list using real ingredients looks a lot more appetizing!

    Bowl of sloppy Joe meat and buns.

    How to make Homemade Sloppy Joes

    I find it is best to make this in a deep-sided skillet like a saute pan your sloppy Joes. You can use nonstick or stainless, but if given the choice I would recommend using stainless because you will get more flavorful fond building up on the bottom of the pan that will incorporate into the sauce.

    To begin, we are going to brown the ground beef in the skillet set over medium high heat until it is well browned and crumbled.

    Once the ground meat has browned, all of the remaining homemade Manwich ingredients can be added and simmered together for 25 minutes. They are ready to serve when the liquid has reduced into a thick and sloppy sauce.

    Serve the meat mixture on hamburger buns with your favorite sloppy Joe fillings, alongside potato chips, French fries, thick-cut steak fries, or baked beans.

    Serving tip: Sloppy Joes are perfect for serving a crowd, and the easiest vessel to use when serving a crowd is your slow cooker. These sloppy Joes can be made in advance and kept warm in the slow cooker, just follow the recipe as written and pour into a crockpot for serving.

    Homemade Sloppy Joes on bun shown close up.

    Storing Leftovers

    This homemade Manwich recipe can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to one week in an airtight container. Leftover sloppy Joe meat can be reheated in the microwave until warmed through.

    Close up Sloppy Joes

    Homemade Sloppy Joes - Better than Manwich

    Homemade Sloppy Joes are not only easy to throw together, the rich zesty flavor is better than Manwich!
    4.94 from 16 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 339kcal
    Author: Fox Valley Foodie

    Equipment

    • Large skillet

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds extra lean ground beef
    • ½ onion (diced)
    • 1 green pepper (small diced)
    • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 1 ¼ cup ketchup
    • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
    • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoons dijon mustard
    • ½ teaspoon paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • fresh ground black pepper to taste
    • 8 hamburger buns for serving

    Instructions

    • Add ground beef and onions to a large skillet set over medium high heat and cook until beef is browned.
    • Add all remaining ingredients (except for buns) and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until beef is crumbly and liquid has formed a thick sauce.
    • Serve on a toasted bun.

    Notes

    Note: The longer the mixture cooks, the thicker it will get. You want the sloppy joes to be thick enough to stand up on a wooden spoon so they don't ooze out of the hamburger bun.
     
     

    Nutritional Information

    Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 1235mg | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 337IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 5mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it Today!Mention @FoxValleyFoodie or tag #foxvalleyfoodie!

    This recipe was originally published April 8, 2020.

    More Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipes

    • BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joes
      BBQ Ground Chicken Sloppy Joes
    • Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
      Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
    • Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
      Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
    • How to Make Sausage Pizza Sloppy Joes
      Sausage Pizza Sloppy Joes

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susie

      January 31, 2022 at 11:55 am

      I guess you never tried Manwich which is different from manwish. Manwich is delicious, that is the reason most of us are on here looking how to make it ourselves from scratch.

      Reply
    2. MICHELLE WEST

      November 25, 2020 at 6:38 am

      My husband and I despise manwish, so being from Nebraska we have always done the loose meat sammy's!!! This sounds like just the right Sloppy for us with a slight sub for the green pepper! TIA👊

      Reply
    3. C. Williams

      April 14, 2020 at 9:04 pm

      5 stars
      Loved it, way better than the old Manwich store bought mix.

      Reply
    4. Pam E

      April 11, 2020 at 7:51 pm

      5 stars
      NEVER BUYING MANWICH AGAIN!!!!!
      I made this sloppy Joe recipe tonight and followed the recipe exactly. OMG!! I don't normally like sloppy Joe's but this was amazing! I ate two sandwiches and my husband is heading to the kitchen for a fourth sandwich!
      Thank uou for sharing this recipe. I also love your Classic Chicken Salad recipe. VERY good!

      Reply
    5. Teresa Doyle

      April 09, 2020 at 10:39 am

      These sound amazing. My husband, our son and I all hunt so we have plenty of deer burger for making this. Plus, Sloppy Joes have always been my son’s favourite so I will pass this recipe on to him too. TFS, I can’t wait To try it.

      Reply
    6. Marie

      April 08, 2020 at 3:31 pm

      Sloppy Joes were always a staple in our house since I was A kid, My mom would Take Jetcup, brown sugar, little mustard, Cidervingar and A Good bbq sauce.We never had a cam of manswich ever..It was always homemade. For birthday party's or a good summer bbq party..It was so good with homemade potatoes salad .and chips Yummy!!!.

      Reply
    7. Susan Manthei

      April 03, 2020 at 10:57 am

      I only made half of the recipe and got 6 sandwiches. Totally different from my usual recipe and loved it. Used celery since I didn't have a green pepper.

      Reply
    8. Joycelyn

      March 18, 2020 at 12:49 pm

      Gosh that's an awful lot of ketchup. Not being much of a lover of ketchup, is that amount really necessary or will a much smaller amount mixed with something else not so sweet suffice?
      Thank you

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        March 18, 2020 at 12:58 pm

        If you don't like ketchup you can try using tomato sauce instead or a blend of both.

        Reply
    9. Vehh

      October 20, 2019 at 12:58 am

      4 stars
      Great i tried this and my kids and husband loves it! Of course i added some extra spices melted some mozzarella cheese and toasted my buns but I had no complaints and nothing extra either. Thank you so much your a life saver

      Reply
    10. Deb Black

      April 22, 2019 at 3:55 pm

      5 stars
      Exactly the way I make mine, but I also add a tsp of horseradish. Have you tried doing this before? Great recipes!

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        April 23, 2019 at 8:54 am

        That sounds like a wonderful addition, I will have to try that.

        Reply
    11. Lynn Donnelly

      April 19, 2019 at 5:55 pm

      Can this sloppy Joe recipe be canned?

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        April 19, 2019 at 7:37 pm

        It hasn't been tested for longterm storage, so I do not recommend it.

        Reply
        • Connie Citriniti

          September 03, 2019 at 10:01 pm

          I am sure you could freeze some of it once it has been prepared. Nice easy meal...just defrost and serve when you need a quick dinner.

          Reply
    12. Teena

      February 27, 2019 at 6:25 pm

      These are amazing! The only difference I made was instead of green pepper I put in a small can of diced green chilis. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
    13. hil

      December 15, 2018 at 5:56 am

      Hey,

      Great post! I really like and appreciate your blog post.Really looking forward to reading more. Keep writing.
      Really helpful artical.

      Thank…

      Reply
    14. dalphine wilson

      December 14, 2018 at 2:29 pm

      Thank you for this recipe. Tastier than I expected. This will be in the weely dinner rotation!

      Reply
    15. Brenda

      November 18, 2018 at 6:10 pm

      5 stars
      This is the best sloppy Joe recipe! I quit eating sloppy Joes a very long time ago because I didn’t like any of the can stuff. My best friend told me to try making my own. I’m so happy I found your recipe.. Thank you so much!

      Reply
    16. Heather

      August 31, 2018 at 11:22 am

      Do you use apple cider vinegar?

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        August 31, 2018 at 4:22 pm

        Yes, that is correct.

        Reply
      • Lillian

        July 22, 2019 at 6:25 pm

        5 stars
        Delicious! My sloppy joe is similar. I use left over Spaghetti sauce instead of Ketchup. It has ground turkey, onion, mushrooms tomato sauce, garlic, and spices. Now, thanks to you I add mustard, a little cayenne and Worchester (from comments) - of course, brown sugar. Husband can’t stop saying yum as he asks for seconds.

        Reply
    17. jeff

      August 31, 2018 at 6:07 am

      Since I left the USA, I have been wanting to make some sloppy Joes!!! and Yes I use to doctor up a can of manwich before.

      I will make these, add a slice of cheese and some canned sliced jalapeno.

      Reply
    18. Clifford streckenbach

      July 27, 2018 at 11:00 am

      Good stuff man 😂😀😃😁

      Reply
    19. Debra Pryor

      April 30, 2018 at 9:08 am

      5 stars
      Wow! No more cans of manwhich EVER

      Reply
    20. Heather

      June 29, 2017 at 12:35 am

      5 stars
      My boyfriend and I absolutely loved these! I'll definitely be making them often. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    Newer Comments »
    4.94 from 16 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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