Your family will love this moist, flavorful gluten free sloppy joes recipe! It is full of delicious flavor. It makes an incredible meal in under 30 minutes. It is great for busy weeknights, making ahead, and freezing!
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You can also use this yummy sloppy Joe filling to stuff baked potatoes or make a Sloppy Joe Pie!
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!
Thank you soooo much! I’m making it for the second time,(this time with ground turkey).
Linda F., Blog comment
I’ll never use store-bought again! Homemade is so much better, and I can regulate the
amount and type of sugar. Love it!
Allergen Information:
This homemade sloppy Joe meat is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, oat-free, and egg-free.
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!
You can see all of the good stuff inside this Sloppy Joe recipe in this picture. If you like vegetables, feel free to add more! These are the best homemade gluten free Sloppy Joes!
Use my homemade Gluten Free Hamburger Buns! They are so fluffy and easy to make. This sloppy joes recipe is perfect for freezing as a freezer meal.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Ground Meat – See below for a list of ground meat types that work in this recipe.
- Ketchup – You can read more to see Is Ketchup Gluten Free and to ensure you have a gluten free brand.
- Vegetables like onion and bell pepper.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Double-check the ingredient label to ensure your brand is gluten free. I use Lea & Perrins brand.
- Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar – Either works well to add that traditional sweetness to the sauce.
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!
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- Ground Turkey
- Ground Beef is 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.
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 Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Add the light cooking oil, ground meat, onions, and diced bell pepper to a large frying pan or cast-iron skillet. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the meat is browned.
👀 Sandi Says: 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.
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!
You may also love this Gluten Free Cheeseburger Pasta recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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 softening them in the microwave oven before adding the sloppy Joe meat.
Sloppy Joe’s taste like meat with a slightly sweet tomato sauce. There are chunks of onion and pepper to add even more flavor.
This sloppy Joe meat mixture will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store it in an airtight container.
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.
Although Manwich is not certified gluten free, the company states that they use no gluten ingredients in their sloppy joe sauce.
More Gluten Free Dinner Recipes to Try:
- Cheesy Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- Easy Chicken Legs with Vegetables
- Crazy Good Mexican Meatloaf Burgers
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
The Best Gluten Free Sloppy Joes Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- In a small bowl, add 1 1/2 cups ketchup, 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and whisk to blend them together.
- In a skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 cup diced onion, and 1/2 cup diced yellow pepper. Cook over medium heat. Stir frequently.
- When the onion becomes soft, add 1 pound ground meat 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.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- This recipe can use ground beef, pork, chicken, or turkey. The ground chicken and turkey will make this dinner recipe lower in fat and calories.
- This recipe is easy to make double check the label to ensure the Worcestershire sauce is gluten free.
- You can use coconut sugar or brown sugar; both work well to sweeten the meat sauce slightly.
- This meat dish will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutritional 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.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
This post was updated from an older 2018 post with new photos and better recipe directions.
This is a recipe my mom loves and asked for a copy of since it doesn’t give her heartburn like other sloppy joe recipes. We LOVE it and have made it more times than we can count. Thank you for sharing this recipe. We usually just use regular sugar since that’s what we have. We’ve tried it with orange peppers too. Definitely a favorite that brings back memories of childhood family parties.
I am so thrilled your mom loves this recipe…heartburn is rough so I am really glad your mom doesn’t get this with my recipe!
Thank you! I love the idea of adding veggies to the meat mixture, I will make this tomorrow for dinner.
You are very welcome. This is a recipe I use the veggies in the back of my refrigerator…adding helps us avoid wasting food.
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!
Thank you so much, Linda :-). I agree this recipe is so much better than anything you would buy in the store!