Sweet and tangy, just like the classic! These KETO SLOPPY JOES are just like the ones we grew up eating, made with tender beef in a simple, flavorful tomato sauce. This is one of those keto recipes that the whole family asks for!
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Sweet. Tangy. Easy. Quick. I am a total sucker for sloppy joes for all of those reasons!
I used to make sloppy joes with the can of sauce when my kids were real little, but awhile back I created a homemade sloppy joe sauce that my family absolutely loves. So, it was high time we turned it keto!
I kept the base of the recipe the same, since it’s pretty perfect aside from the sugar. This means that we have that classic sloppy joe flavor and don’t feel like we’re missing a thing.
What We Love About This Recipe:
When I say it tastes just like the classic version, I mean it! Sweet, tangy, rich, and flavorful – it’s got it all!
This is a favorite for us, because it’s so fast to make (20 minutes!) and everyone in the house absolutely loves it. The kids have no idea it’s low carb.
Plus, you can serve sloppy joes in a number of ways – check down below for some ideas!
Ingredients:
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Ground Beef – We always go for a nice, lean beef.
Vegetables – Onion, bell peppers, and garlic. Feel free to leave out the onions and peppers if your kids aren’t fans.
Ketchup – You’ll want to use sugar free ketchup. We like Heinz, since it tastes like what we grew up with.
Sweetener – We like to use Lakanto Golden Sweetener. It tastes like brown sugar. We use and love Lakanto so much that we teamed up with them to offer you a discount. Use our affiliate code THATLOWCARBLIFE for 20% off at Lakanto.com.
Mustard – Just plain old yellow mustard is perfect.
Vinegar – Use either apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar here.
Worcestershire Sauce – Hard to pronounce, but perfect for adding big flavor.
How to:
Brown the Beef – Add the beef to a large skillet and crumble it up as it cooks. We use lean beef and don’t bother to drain the fat, but go ahead and drain if needed.
Add the Veggies – Stir in the onion, pepper, and garlic while the beef is cooking and let them soften up.
Make the Sauce – Whisk together the ketchup, sweetener, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and some salt and pepper. The sauce should be thick, tangy, and sweet.
Simmer – Stir the sauce into the meat and let it simmer away for 10 minutes or so. This will let the flavors really soak into the meat and help the meat get nice and tender.
Hamburger Buns:
We have finally perfected our hamburger bun recipe and I’m so excited to share it with you.
This recipe is grain free, gluten free, sugar free…and they bake up just perfect. Sturdy enough to pick up, hearty enough that they’re filling and leave you satisfied, and the texture is just amazing.
Grab the recipe for our keto hamburger buns!
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Serving Suggestions:
These keto sloppy joes are absolutely delicious on a chaffle! Just whip up a couple of those and use them as a bun.
Sloppy Joes are also delicious served over a grilled hot dog. Just eat it all with a fork.
Serve over a pile of mashed cauliflower or cauliflower mac and cheese.
Use these keto sloppy joes as a dip and scoop it up with pork rinds, celery, or mini bell peppers.
If you’re not avoiding wheat, low carb tortillas are a great option for eating these sloppy joes!
What brand of ketchup is best for keto?
We use and love Heniz No Sugar Added Ketchup. It does use sucralose, so if you’re avoiding that you may want to try another brand.
We like Heinz because it tastes like what we all grew up with. I’m not concerned about the small amount of sucralose as I don’t often eat ketchup by the bucket. 😉
For a more ‘clean’ ketchup, try Primal Kitchen brand.
More family friendly keto recipes:
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
- Broccoli Cheese Casserole
- Baked Chicken Legs
- Keto Cheese Sauce
- Keto Chicken Casserole
Keto Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small bell pepper chopped
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup sugar free ketchup see notes
- 2 tablespoons golden sweetener see notes
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Add the ground beef, pepper, and onion to a large skillet over medium heat. Break the meat up as it cooks. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Once fully browned, drain the grease from the skillet.
- While the beef is cooking, add the ketchup, sweetener, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to a small bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked beef and stir well to combine. Continue cooking for 10 minutes over low heat.
- Serve hot as a sandwich using low carb buns or chaffles.
Tom says
This was good and easy to get together. I added several shakes of Tabasco sauce. So much better than the canned mix at the store.
Karly Campbell says
Sounds delicious with a little spice!
Dayna says
I make this recipe every other week it’s absolutely delicious and we love it! I remove the onions and peppers as they don’t digest well with me. My husband loves this dish!
Brent says
Not sure if you still check comments on this, but holy (radio edit) was this amazing!
Karly Campbell says
I’m so glad you liked these! Thanks, Brent!
Judy Wells says
I fixed this yesterday and it was a winner! I didn’t add the sweetener, for our tastes it was sweet enough without it. Thanks for all the awesome recipes.
Sofia L says
This was a HUGE hit with my hubby and our 21 yr old sons. The boys are really picky & they love sloppy joes.
I normally use the *canned* stuff so I wasn’t sure if they would like anything else.
Love this recipie. Making it for the second time today.
Thanks so much!
Karly Campbell says
So glad it was a hit!! 🙂
Jimmy says
Made these tonight, and they are spot on. Just put it over a slice of the Oroweat Keto bread and ate it with fork and knife. Even my wife, who has a really good sloppy joe recipe that has been handed down to her, said they were delicious. I followed the directions to the letter. I would definitely like to have these over a bun, but this surely did the trick and satisfied my craving.
Karly Campbell says
So glad you and your wife enjoyed the recipe, Jimmy!
julie riches says
could i have recipe for the buns for sloppy joes please
Karly Campbell says
Hi Julie! Still working on that recipe, but should have it on here before much longer. 🙂
Robert L says
I tried this for dinner last night after making a batch of Keto buns from another site. While the buns were cooling, I started preparing your Sloppy Joe recipe. When I got to the point of pouring the catsup mixture over the meat, pepper and onion mix, I realized that I still had a couple minced garlic cloves on my cutting board. I stirred the garlic into the meat before pouring the catsup mix and the dinner was well received by all..
Karly Campbell says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Robert!
Robert L says
I’m just curious, where was the garlic supposed to be added? I didn’t see it in the instructions..
Karly Campbell says
Oh, sorry about that! It gets added after the meat is cooked through, before draining the grease. We just cook for about 30 seconds or so. 🙂
Stefan Gronewold says
Love the American Kitchen and cooking! Thanks for the Recipes. I will try a lot of it.
Many Greetings, from Germany to you Karly.
Carol says
Looks delicious. Great recipe that I will make. And I am really looking forward to the buns recipe. Thanks Karly.
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Carol!