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Home Recipes Meal Recipes

Homemade Gluten Free Sloppy Joes

Published: Mar 17, 2022 by Sandi Gaertner · 12 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links

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You are going to love this moist flavorful meat sandwiched in a fluffy gluten free bun. This is the best gluten free sloppy joes recipe because it has so much flavor. It makes an incredible meal in under 30 minutes.

a sloppy joe on a gluten free bun on a platter with fries.
Jump to:
  • What Kind Of Meat Is Best For Sloppy Joes?
  • Vegetable Mix-In Ideas:
  • Step By Step Recipe Instructions:
  • Recipe FAQ:
  • More Gluten Free Dinner Recipes to Try:
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

Do you know what I love about this recipe? It helps to break away from the old stereotypical school cafeteria food. Did you grow up with that goopy meat on a hamburger bun at your school? Ick! This sloppy joe recipe is a FAR cry above that old cafeteria yuck!

If you love sloppy Joes, why not try this delicious kid-friendly Gluten Free Baked Ziti Casserole recipe too. Looking for the perfect sides to serve with Sloppy Joes? I have 31 incredible Sloppy Joe side dish ideas for you!

What Kind Of Meat Is Best For Sloppy Joes?

The beauty of this sloppy joe recipe is you can use many kinds of meats, or even vegetarian or vegan meat substitutes for this recipe! The secret is in the sauce! Which is your favorite? Use that one!

  • Ground Turkey
  • Ground Beef unstuffed and super easy to make.
  • Ground Chicken
  • Ground Pork - Also check out these delicious gluten free ground pork recipes.
  • Meatless Crumbles - I love using Impossible meat and other vegan meat crumbles in this recipe to cut back on our meat consumption.

For this recipe, I usually use ground beef or ground turkey. You get the awesomeness of grandma's sloppy joe sauce recipe...and it tastes amazing!

A pot filled with sloppy joe meat, onion, and pepper. A wooden spoon is sticking out of the pot.

You can see in this picture all of the good stuff inside this sloppy joe recipe. If you like vegetables, feel free to add more in! These are the best homemade gluten free Sloppy Joes!

Use my homemade Gluten Free Hamburger Buns! They are so fluffy and easy to make.

Vegetable Mix-In Ideas:

  • Carrots
  • Peas
  • Broccoli (yeah, I am weird but it tastes good!)
  • Winter squash like butternut or acorn squash

Step By Step Recipe Instructions:

Browning onion, ground beef, and peppers in a skillet.

Step 1: Add the light cooking oil, ground meat, onions, and diced bell pepper to a pan or cast-iron skillet. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the meat is browned.

TIP: You can drain the hot grease into a paper cup or container. Do not dump hamburger meat grease into the sink as it can really clog pipes.

Step 2: Add the ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk with a wire whisk to blend them together.

You can read more to see Is Ketchup Gluten Free to make sure you get the right brand.

sloppy joe meat in a skillet.

Step 3: When the meat is browned, add all of the sauce ingredients and mix well to coat all of the meat.

Step 4: Simmer for 10 minutes so the flavors seep into the meat. This gluten free sloppy joe meat gets even better the next day as the flavors seep into the meat overnight in the refrigerator!

A wooden spoon putting sloppy joe meat onto a gluten free bun.

Recipe FAQ:

What gluten free bread is best to use for sloppy Joe's?

In this gluten free recipe, I used rolls made by Shar. There are a lot of fabulous gluten free hamburger bun brands out there now. Even Trader Joe's has them! My family also likes Franz Bakery, Udi's, and Canyon Bakehouse buns. I recommend putting them in the microwave oven to soften them before adding the sloppy Joe meat.

What do sloppy Joe's taste like?

Sloppy Joe's taste like meat with a slightly sweet tomato sauce. There are chunks of onion and pepper to add even more flavor.

Are sloppy Joe's healthy?

Sloppy Joe's are healthy, but you can make them even more healthy by using low-fat ground meat like chicken or turkey.

How long will sloppy Joe's keep?

This sloppy Joe meat mixture will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store it in an air-tight container.

Can you freeze this sloppy Joe's meat?

You can definitely freeze this sloppy Joe's meat mixture. Freeze in a zipper bag or freezer-safe container. To thaw, put in the refrigerator, or thaw in the microwave if you need it quicker.

Is Manwich Gluten Free?

Although Manwich is not certified gluten free, the company states that they use no gluten ingredients in their sloppy joe sauce.

This post was updated from an older 2018 post with new photos and better recipe directions.

More Gluten Free Dinner Recipes to Try:

  • Cheesy Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
  • Easy Chicken Legs with Vegetables
  • Crazy Good Mexican Meatloaf Burgers
  • A salisbury steak topped with mushroom gravy on top of mashed potatoes.
    Homestyle Gluten Free Salisbury Steak
  • an alfredo zucchini casserole on a table
    Cheesy Lasagna Alfredo With Zucchini Noodles
  • Pesto Grilled Alaska Halibut Steak Recipe
  • a meatloaf burger on a cutting board with a knife stabbing into it
    Easy Taco Meatloaf Burgers

📖 Recipe

a sloppy joe on a gluten free bun on a platter with fries.

The Best Gluten Free Sloppy Joes Recipe

Sandi Gaertner
An easy sloppy joe recipe that works with ground turkey or beef.
5 from 15 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 25 minutes mins
Course Meal Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 306 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ground meat * see note
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 ½ cups ketchup
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • ½ cup yellow pepper
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce * see note
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, add the sauce ingredients and whisk to blend them together.
  • In a pan, add oil, onion, and pepper. Cook over medium heat. Stir frequently.
  • When the onion becomes soft, add either ground turkey or ground beef to the pan.
  • Cook until the meat is browned.
  • Add sauce, lower heat to low and simmer with the sauce for 5 minutes.
  • Serve on a gluten free bun.

Video

Notes

  1. You can use ground beef, pork, chicken, or turkey in this recipe. The ground chicken and turkey will make this dinner recipe lower fat and calories.
  2. This recipe is easy to make, double-check the label to ensure the Worcestershire sauce is gluten free.
  3. You can use coconut sugar or brown sugar, both work well to slightly sweeten the meat sauce.
  4. This meat dish will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 306kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 14gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 1019mgPotassium: 462mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 333IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @FearlessDining or tag #FearlessDining!

Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Linda Faye

    October 12, 2022 at 11:55 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you soooo much! I'm making it for the second time,(this time with ground turkey). I'll never use store-bought again! Homemade is so much better, and I can regulate the amount and type of sugar. Love it!

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      October 13, 2022 at 2:35 pm

      Thank you so much, Linda :-). I agree this recipe is so much better than anything you would buy in the store!

      Reply
  2. Veena Azmanov

    January 24, 2018 at 4:54 am

    5 stars
    I love sloppy jose and this ground meat in this sounds so yum. Can't believe this is gluten free... ! Saving for later. yum!

    Reply
    • Sandig45

      January 24, 2018 at 10:52 am

      Thank you so much Veena 🙂

      Reply
  3. Helen of Fuss Free Flavours

    January 24, 2018 at 2:00 am

    5 stars
    This is one of those recipes that sounds at first like it shouldn't work, but everything about it ends in a tasty and moreish easy to make dish. Just perfect for a comfort food sofa meal on a cold winter night.

    Reply
    • Sandig45

      January 24, 2018 at 10:53 am

      Exactly Helen...even my picky kid loves it 🙂

      Reply
  4. Brian Jones

    January 24, 2018 at 12:40 am

    5 stars
    Every time I see a Sloppy Joe recipe on line I think 'I must try those' and never get round to it... They are something we didn't grow up with in the UK and I am intrigued.

    Reply
    • Sandig45

      January 24, 2018 at 10:53 am

      It is a fun way to change up hamburgers 🙂

      Reply
  5. Darlene @ Dip Recipe Creations

    January 23, 2018 at 9:28 pm

    5 stars
    I love your idea of adding veggies into this or in my case, it would be "sneaking" them in. This looks tasty and so much better than cafeteria food!

    Reply
    • Sandig45

      January 24, 2018 at 10:53 am

      LOL, I can hide some veggies, the broccoli was a bit tough though 🙂

      Reply
  6. Jillian

    January 23, 2018 at 9:01 pm

    5 stars
    How can something so sloppy be so yummy?!

    Reply
    • Sandig45

      January 23, 2018 at 9:02 pm

      LOL, that is a great quote! Thank you so much Jillian 🙂

      Reply

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