The Best and Easiest Vegan Sloppy Joes
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Smoky & savory Vegan Sloppy Joes, made with whole food plant ingredients and naturally sweetened. Only 30 minutes from start to finish, this is a tasty plant based meal that the whole family will love!
Meet one of my favorite vegan meals: the Best and Easiest Vegan Sloppy Joes!
When I went vegan 8 years ago, vegan sloppy joes were one of the meals I made most often. One of the first cookbooks I got was Veganomicon and the recipe I used was from that book. I still have that cookbook, it’s a great one, especially for vegan beginners!
What’s so great about Vegan Sloppy Joes?
- They are super inexpensive to make, with lentils as the base. You can find cheap lentils in the bulk section of your grocery store.
- Going along with the inexpensive bonus, they also use everyday ingredients you can buy at any grocery store and keep in your pantry for last minute meals.
- They are filling and SO satisfying!
- They are oil free, naturally sweetened and FULL of fiber and protein.
- Leftover sloppy joes keep really well in the fridge, and they can also be frozen!
- And best of all, they are so flavorful- rich, smoky, sweet and savory; the sauce will keep you coming back for more!
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How should I serve Vegan Sloppy Joes?
You can go the traditional route and serve sloppy joes on any kind of bun (just check the ingredients to ensure vegan). Either fill a burger bun, or serve open faced. I like the whole wheat buns from Trader Joes.
Or simply serve open faced on sprouted wheat bread, or gluten free bread if needed.
The mixture also tastes good served with a baked potato, or straight out of a bowl! Usually, we just use Ezekiel bread or whole wheat burger buns.
Sometimes, I like to add pickled red onion or sliced pickles. Yum!
FAST AND EASY TIP:
You can buy pre-packaged cooked lentils, or canned lentils to make this recipe even faster! If you do that, this meal will only take you 10-15 minutes to make, talk about fast food. You will need about 3 cups cooked lentils.
Want more easy & healthy vegan dinner recipes? Check out my eBook, Plant Based Family Dinners or any of these recipes:
Spaghetti and Easy Vegan Meatballs
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest for more easy, healthy and tasty plant based vegan recipes!
Recipe adapted from Veganomicon cookbook.
The Best and Easiest Vegan Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked green lentils
- 4 cups water
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped small
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- (1) 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup (or tomato paste)
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- For serving: whole grain hamburger buns
Instructions
- First, cook the lentils: In a medium pot with a lid, add the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 18-20 minutes or until tender. Drain excess liquid and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion, green bell pepper and garlic. Use a few tablespoons of water, or vegetable broth, to saute and prevent burning. Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes, using more water as needed.
- Now add the chili powder and smoked paprika, and stir to coat the vegetables for about 1 minute. Add a little water if it's too dry.
- Next, add the tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard and maple syrup. Stir until well incorporated. Add in the cooked lentils and stir. Season with salt to taste.
- Serve on burger buns with red onion slices if desired and enjoy! We also eat this open faced on sprouted wheat bread, over a baked potato or even just out of a bowl, it's so good!
Notes
- To make this meal faster and easier, you may use canned or packaged already cooked lentils. You will need about 3 cups cooked lentils.
- The sloppy joe mixture freezes well, simply fill freezer friendly containers, leaving a little room for expansion and freeze. Let defrost when ready to use, add to a pot and cook until warm.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Nutritional information is for the sloppy joe filling only.
Nutrition
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89 Comments on “The Best and Easiest Vegan Sloppy Joes”
Yum! This is the third lentil sloppy joe recipe that I’ve tried and definitely my favorite. It has the right balance of acid and sweet. Since I have two kiddos under 12, I cut the chili to 1/2 T and it was just right for their sensitive palettes. I also saved time and used two cans of lentils (drained and rinsed). I’ll be making this again for sure!
I’m so glad to hear you guys loved my sloppy joes, and will be making them again! Thank you for taking time to share your review!
This is my favorite recipe for vegan sloppy joes. I’ve made it more times than I can remember and it’s always delicious. I increase the seasoning a bit, and add a T of minced dried onion.
My son loves it too. I put it over sweet potatoes, or rice, or just on a whole grain roll. It’s also great in a wrap.
Anyway, thanks for the great recipes Nora! They never let me down. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your wonderful comments! I’m glad you are loving the recipe! I love all the ways you use the Sloppy Joes. Thank you for using my recipes, Kathleen!
Can I use brown lentils instead? Would it vary the cook time?
Yes, you could. They might take just a little longer to cook, but it should be fine.
This looks delicious! Is there a substitute for the mustard?
I don’t know of a substitution, but if simply dislike mustard you could leave it out.
Maybe a splash of vinegar ?
I put in almost a T mustard to reduce sodium
and left out syrup
still awesome delicious
Thanks Jeanie!
This was a great recipe, especially since I had all ingredients
in my pantry. I added Bulgar wheat when I realized 1 can of lentils would be insufficient. I simmered the bulgar in the sauce before adding lentils.
Delicious!
Hi Deanna. I’m so glad you loved the sloppy joes! Thank you for sharing!
Phenomenal!!! My adult son preferred these over the ones made with beef by his dad. So simple, tasty and delicious . This recipe completely satisfied my taste for a delicious sloppy joe! I used an Ezekiel pocket bread to serve it in
That’s so great to hear!
Delicious – very flavorful, and actually think these are better than the old beef version! Wonderful and easy.
Hi Nora,
could I cook this recipe in a slow cooker?
I’m sure you could, but I haven’t tried it. I’m not sure how long it will take, maybe 4 hours on high or 7-8 on low.
Thank you Nora! We stopped eating meat in May. I didn’t think I could ever do it, you have to change everything you’re use to at 50. Through trial and error we have stuck to it and now I won’t go back. These are to die for!! Thanks to your recipes. Absolutely the best!!! So flavorful and easy to make. I follow your recipes to a T. Yesterday for thanksgiving I made your “meat loaf”, vegan mashed potatoes, vegan gravy and green bean casserole. Everyone loved it, even those that still eat meat. Thank you for posting all these recipes. It’s so appreciated!!
Just made your recipe last night! made everything as you said, and I also added 1/2 lentils–a great way to sneak in a little more nutrition without the family staging a coup.
Added a small side of coleslaw.
Perfect! a keeper!
xo Eva
hi, can I use my slow cooker to make this recipe?
Probably but I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure.
So. Great. The first time I tried to make sloppy joes was with another blog’s recipe and my boyfriend was not impressed. He continued to be skeptical when I pulled out the lentils this time. But, like ALL your recipes, it was a hit. Thank you!
You’re so welcome! Thanks for the comment!
Thank you Nora for this fabulous recipe! It’s our favorite Sloppy Joe replacement since moving to a plant based lifestyle. I know I should eat more lentils, but we love it withBulgar Wheat instead.
I’m so glad you like it!
Can’t wait to make this Nora! Love your recipes! Question:,What brand of chili powder do you use? I know there can be different heat levels depending on the brand. I use Morton & Bassett, which has quite a bit of kick compared to say, McCormick chili
Powder. Just wondering if I should use the full 3 tablespoons.
Thank you so much! I use a variety of chili powders but try to get quality brands. You might want to use only 2 tablespoons to start if it’s really spicy, then add more in if you feel it needs it. Thank you!
Lentils can make me gassy…any suggestion on minimizing this?.⁰
I’ve heard soaking them before cooking can help!
I use Bulgar wheat instead of Lentil, so yummy
This is so easy and so delicious!! Definitely going into the rotation! I did think 2 tablespoons of chili powder was enough for myself and used 4 cups of canned lentils that I rinsed and drained. I have enough for leftovers and I can’t wait to eat it again!! Highly recommend this recipe!
Hello,
Do I need to presoak my lentils over night?
No, you do not.
I have a tomato allergy, so I used a red pepper sauce I make in place of the tomato sauce and ketchup. The spice ratio was exactly what I needed! The kids are happy once again. Lol
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks for the comment!
I haven’t made this yet but I was looking for a lentil sloppy joe because I think Lentils often are a good substitute for ground beef, the texture is similar to me. When I make sloppy joe’s I usually use left over’s the next morning by reheating the sloppy joe mixture and pouring it over torn up toast. When I served aboard an aircraft carrier years ago they had this slop they called SOS (you know) and it was sloppy joe over toast for breakfast, and I liked it and so I still eat it.
Soooo great!! I don’t even need to eat snacks because this comfort meal is so satisfying!
I added one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and swapped the lentils for sweet earth ground “beef”
Certainly worth it.
So glad it was good!
Can I use French Green lentils? That’s what my husband bought home from the store.
Sure, that works!