Name: Sloppy Joe Sliders
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1½ pounds ground beef (80/20); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 large bell pepper ((any color, chopped)); 1 large yellow onion ((chopped)); 1 cup ketchup; ⅓ cup water; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoons garlic ((minced)); 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 tablespoon prepared stone-ground or yellow mustard; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon soy sauce; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon ground black pepper; 12 ounce package Hawaiian rolls; 8 ounces cheddar cheese ((grated)); (optional garnish) sliced dill pickles or bread and butter pickles, sesame seeds.

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Sloppy Joe Sliders are bold, sweet, and savory. Deliciously messy sloppy joe meat piled onto sweet Hawaiian rolls with lots of melted cheese then baked - oh yeah! A party favorite and perfect game-day snack or eat them for dinner! Easy to prepare and make ahead. Are you ready to make them?

sliders served on a gray platter and topped with pickles.

Why You'll ❤️ These

"One of my favorite childhood meals was sloppy joes. There is just something about all the flavors - and I think the name "sloppy joe" made it acceptable to be messy!" 🙂

Dinner or Party

These are the perfect recipe for dinner or party food. Easy to prepare, make ahead and assemble when ready! They're always the first thing to get gobbled up!

Love sloppy joes? Try this Instant Pot Sloppy Joes recipe or my Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes version. 🙂

Quick

Any recipe that I can make quickly is going to be a favorite. You'll have these sliders ready in 35 minutes to serve your hungry family and friends!

🥘 What You'll Need

Here are the ingredients and equipment you will need to make these sloppy joe sliders:

Ingredients

Ground Beef - use an 80/20 blend for the best cost! You can purchase a leaner blend for less fat!
Olive oil
Bell pepper - any color pepper will be fine; choose your favorite.
Yellow onion
Ketchup
Water
Brown sugar - use regular brown sugar or a brown sugar substitute.
Garlic - minced garlic, either fresh or jarred for ease!
Tomato paste
Stone-ground mustard
Chili powder
Smoked paprika
Soy sauce
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Hawaiian rolls
Cheddar cheese - shred your own or purchase pre-shredded cheese.
Optional garnish - sliced dill pickles or bread and butter pickles, fresh onion, coleslaw, sesame seeds.

Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions!

Equipment

Equipment and tools needed to make this recipe:

4-Quart Stock Pot
Cutting Board - for dicing and slicing.
Chef Knife
Serrated Knife - to cut Hawaiian rolls horizontally.
Measuring Cups
Measure Spoons
Instant Read Thermometer
Large Serving Spoon - to saute ingredients and portion sloppy joe mixture onto Hawaiian rolls.
Large Baking Sheet
Spatula - for serving.

🔪 How To Make It

Here are the step-by-step instructions for making sloppy joe sliders:

Prep

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

In a 4-quart stockpot, brown your ground beef on medium heat until fully cooked. Drain the fat and return to the stove.

Add Vegetables

Add olive oil and saute peppers and onions with the ground beef until the vegetables are soft.

Add remaining ingredients

Add all the ingredients (except cheese and Hawaiian rolls) on the list and stir until well mixed together.

Cover the stockpot and bring to a simmer

Simmer for 15 minutes, remove from heat and adjust your seasonings to your taste preference.

Prepare the Rolls

Slice your Hawaiian rolls horizontally to make two halves. Set the bottom half onto a foil-lined greased cookie sheet.

Spread your sloppy joe mixture evenly on the bottom half, and then cover with your shredded cheese.

Place the top back onto the sliders.

Bake and Serve!

Bake your sliders at 375 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Cut your sliders into 12 portions and serve!

🥗 How To Serve

Garnish the sliders with a skewer of sliced dill pickles or bread and butter.

For a full meal, serve sloppy joe sliders with Dill Pickle Slaw, Italian Pasta Salad, or this Layered Salad recipe.

📖 Variations

Here are a few ways you can vary or make substitutions to this recipe:

There are so many variations you can make to this recipe. Keep in mind you can use any ground protein of your choice! Some suggestions would be ground venison, turkey, chicken, or even lamb!
You can use regular brown sugar or a brown sugar substitute.
Ketchup has many different flavors depending on which brand you use. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Use Tamari or coconut aminos as a substitute for soy sauce. This will make this recipe gluten-free! You can also use Worcestershire sauce in place of soy too.
Were you looking to cut carbs and keep keto? Serve this up over chaffles or any other of your favorite alternatives!
Morning star beef alternative crumbles could also be used if you're looking to make this vegan! Just exchange the cheese for vegan cheese or omit it from the recipe. Delicious!
Before putting these in the oven, melt butter, add a dash of garlic salt and a dash of onion powder, and stir. Brush the tops of the Hawaiian rolls, sprinkle sesame seeds on the tops, and then bake. It adds extra flavor and is so tasty!

💭 Top Tips

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled for larger parties.
Turn this into a crockpot recipe. Brown your ground beef first, drain the fat, then add all ingredients into a crockpot, stir, set on low for 4 hours, and serve!
Adjust any seasoning to your taste.
Make-ahead tip. Prep all the ingredients ahead of time. You can also make the sloppy joe mixture up to 4 days ahead of time. YOu can even freeze it if needed!

❓FAQs

How to store it

Easily store the leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

How to freeze it

You can also easily freeze the leftovers. Store in an air-tight container and freeze in portion-ready amounts for easy reheating. Freeze for up to 6 months.

How to reheat it

You can quickly reheat the leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop. Ensure your leftovers are completely thawed from the freezer before heating for the best results. You can pull it from the freezer 1-2 days ahead and put it in the fridge to thaw.

What goes good on Sloppy Joe Sliders?

There are so many things that are good on sloppy joe sliders. Get creative! Some favorites are dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, potato salad, and coleslaw. Add some crunch with your favorite potato chips or tater tots, baked beans, or even macaroni and cheese!

Are Manwich and Sloppy Joes the same thing?

Manwich is found at your local grocery store and is a liquid pre-mix that you can add to ground beef to make sloppy joes. Sloppy joes homemade is also very easy and has fantastic flavor! I highly suggest making them homemade, and you will not be disappointed!

If you tried this recipe, let me know! I'd love for you to come back and give the recipe a 5 star rating and leave a review in the comments! 🙂 Let's stay connected, so please follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! Subscribe to my newsletter to get healthy fresh recipe ideas every week!

✔️ More Ground Beef Recipes

If you are looking for more delicious ground beef recipes, check these out:

Sloppy Joe Sliders