Vegan Sloppy Joes

This is another family favorite at our house and we always double the batch so we have plenty of leftovers. I had to write to tell you I have been craving these for a week and decided tonight was going to be the night. My husband started the lentils while I was on my way home from work. I got home only to realize we were out of bell peppers (which I swear we had one lone pepper left) and a quarter of an onion (what kind of vegetarians run out of onion?). I begrudgingly improvised and added zucchini at my husbands suggestion. Then I absent mindedly threw in a jar of marinara instead of the puree we usually use. I was sure dinner was ruined. It was not. It was still delicious! This recipe is really failproof! I still prefer the recipe as written, but it was great to satisfy the craving with a couple substitutions!

Made this fir dinner tonight and it was amazing! My husband and I were vegetarian for 4 years before our return to meat eating. This reminded me of why I loved our old way of eating. Because we aren’t vegan, I was able to use regular Worcestershire sauce and I did top it with smoked cheddar.

IT. WAS. FANTASTIC! The sauce is the closest I have come to the flavour I remember from my mom’s homemade recipe.
My husband even said he prefers this over the meat version!
Win win!

This will definitely become part of our usual meal rotation!

I’m not vegan , more “plant forward” but this recipe does not disappoint, the flavor just jumps out at you and the texture of the lentils is perfect !! I added some df cheddar cheese (violife) onion, tomato, and classic potato chips. ALL the nostalgia!

We had this for dinner tonight. I did use some lefter lentils I steamed in my pressure cooker. I also doubled the seasoning. Used a 20 ounce jar of tomato puree. Used jarred red bell pepper, what I had. This recipe is delicious. I put out sliced pickles, chopped onion, and mustard, since some in reviewers enjoyed theirs this way, let family build their own. Big hit!
Thank you,
Trina

My husband loved this dish. I liked it too and I liked that it only took 1/2 hour to make. Next time I make it though I am going to cut down on the amount of lentils. I prefer a more tomato-type sauce for Sloppy Joes. For me, the recipe was a bit too heavy on the lentil side. I didn’t have smoked paprika but I did have some liquid smoke and this gave it a nice BBQ flavor.

I absolutely loved this recipe. We put the filling on brioche burger buns from the local bakery and perhaps we reached heaven. It was flavorful, filling, and fun. What more I could ask for?

This recipe is in our regular rotation now! We put it in whole grain pitas and top with sautéed onions. Delicious!

It was delicious. Thank you!

I made the Sloppy Joe using extra garlic, roasted red peppers, tomato sauce canned from the garden, and a couple of tablespoons of cider vinegar. It was DELICIOUS. I had mine on brown rice and my husband had it on sourdough bread. A quick meal to make!

I made this with Beyond Burger and liked it a lot, served on toast with shredded cheese. Next time I’ll make it with lentils.

All the adults in the family enjoyed this recipe and it was very easy to make. The kids thought it was too spicy, so next time I will forgo the chili powder totally and reduce the cumin. Thanks for creating a healthy recipe that is fast for weeknights!!

Wow was this soo good!! I have tried multiple veggie sloppy joes recipes in the past and always been disappointed. This was a great hit. Did a double batch half French lentils half red lentils. I added some celery seeds because my moms sloppy joes always had a little celery. Served open faced with red onions tomatoes and spicy pickled peppers – yum!!!

We love this recipe, I made it again tonight! I have a half vegetarian, half meat eater family (super fun) and EVERYONE loves these sloppy joes! I constantly go to your website for inspiration so thank you for sharing so many awesome ideas!

I compared three different Lentil Sloppy Joe recipes and this was the easiest, using ingredients I already had on hand. I have been trying to get more lentils in my diet and thought I wasn’t a fan but this recipe changed my mind! Both my husband and I loved it. I used red lentils, added 2 Tbsp tomato paste for richness and regular paprika and a tiny dash of liquid smoke as a substitute for smoked paprika. As per another comment I topped with dill pickle and mustard. Thanks you so much for the delicious recipes!

So yummy! I didn’t change a thing — used red lentils, and the upper end of the recommended spices. Loved it.

My family and friends are obsessed with these sloppy joes and ask me to make it all the time. I always follow the recipe exactly and season to taste. I have surprised so many meat-eaters who end up loving this recipe and going back for seconds. We particularly love to eat it with dill pickles as a topping. Thanks for the great recipe!

I didn’t have high expectations for this recipe but it was incredible! It also made a lot, perfect for freezing the extra and having later!

So tasty and easy!

I cannot tell you how much I love this recipe! It tastes even better than how I remember the Sloppy Joe’s of my childhood. I substitute tvp for the lentils, and add a quarter tsp of liquid smoke.

Absolutely delicious. The smoked paprika is a must add because it gives it that lovely smokey taste.

My family loves this recipe. Even my meat eater husband is a fan! I do make it a one pot meal though, which simplifies it a bit. I add the lentils & liquid right to the pot & it’s turned out perfect every time! Sometimes I’ll also add soy crumbles or chickpeas, too, depending on what type of lentil I use. Always delicious!

I’ve made this several times now – it’s quick and easy, yields a big batch with plenty of leftovers, and is a fun and different way to eat lentils. And most importantly, it’s delicious! The only substitutions I make are using regular brown sugar, regular Worcestershire sauce, and adding a couple slices of cheese to the warm toasted buns before adding the toppings (I’m not vegan).

Super delicious! Only things we changed were 1. used the whole bell pepper and 2. used 1 Tbs. of honey instead of coconut sugar because it’s what we had on hand. Came out super flavorful and just the right mix of savory, sweet, and spiced. Will definitely be making again! :)

Made these tonight and ate them open face. The only things different I had to do were that I didn’t have a can of tomato sauce, but I had just roasted a bunch of plum tomatoes from my garden yesterday and I used that as my sauce. Also, right at the end, I added a splash of sriracha sauce for the kick and it was utterly amazing. This will be going into heavy rotation in my house. It was enjoyed by all, even the pickiest eater.

I love this recipe and make it regularly, always adding in extra veggies! Ways I modify it include:
– vegetarian crumbles instead of lentils
– blended canned tomatoes instead of tomato sauce
– add approx half cup shredded carrot
– add 2 stalks diced celery
– add splash of liquid smoke

I made the lentil sloppy joes for dinner tonight. We started out eating them as burgers, they were a little too messy for us and ended up eating them as open faces sandwiches.
Recipe was very flavourful and very quick and easy. Definitely going into my repeat recipe file. Tonight we had yam fries with them but would definitely work as part of a Mexican meal, on top of a salad, Buddha bowl. Endless possibilities, can’t wait to experiment!

I have loved all of your recipes that I have made. Thank you!!

Made this tonight and it was AMAZING!! I don’t cook as often as I’d like – I’m a night nurse and am chronically tired – but this was super easy to make and exceeded my expectations on flavor and ease of cooking!! 10/10 would make again!!

I made these for my vegan daughter and son in law and they loved them!! Thank you so much for your amazing vegan recipes! You never disappoint our family meals!

I have tried other recipes but this is the best! I have modified it a bit by adding double the seasoning and Worcestershire and a 6oz can of tomato paste. But it’s good as the recipe is, I just adjusted to my families test.

Just made this for dinner tonight and I can tell that it’s going to be a favorite! I used a whole red bell pepper instead of half, added a few extra cloves of garlic and a bit more cumin, and threw in some cayenne pepper because I like spice, but it would have been excellent without the changes. Had it on a toasted bun topped with red onion, some vegan pepperjack shreds and guacamole. Absolutely wonderful and super easy to make, thanks so much!

I made the Sloppy Joes yesterday and wow, my husband & I loved all the flavors! It was filling, fun to eat and a keeper recipe that will be on rotation for sure. I love leftovers, tonight will have them again, cook once, eat twice!

My daughter turned vegetarian at 13 (despite hating most vegetables) and this recipe basically kept her alive. In the years since she has expanded her palette but this one is still her favorite. It’s in our regular rotation.

I like to use both red and green pepper, leave out the coconut sugar, and add a bit of BBQ sauce at the end. Avocado slices or guac on the sandwich are a must.

I love this recipe, i added chopped ginger. about 1 tsp. Instead of tomato sauce I used 1. 5 5.5 oz can of v8, and 3 tsp of ketchup. I used raw cane sugar instead of coconut sugar. They came out really tasty. I’m definitely going to cook them again. The one cup of red lentils made quite a bit of sloppy joes. I cooked the lentils in 1/2 cup veggie broth and 1 1/2 cup water.

Very good, caramelized the other half the onion and served with pickles. As good as any sloppy joe recipe I’ve tried.

Super easy recipe that’s adaptable. My toddler son loves it. We eat it on rice or pasta, as well as plain. One batch lasts us a few meals (2 people). Thank you!

I am not a huge fan of sloppy joes and maybe that is because the sauce always came out of a can, but these are wonderful! I am oil free and made them without the oil and used the green lentils. Wonderful and easy to make! I will most definitely make these again!

I stuck to the lower limits with the spices and high limit with the sugar cause I like things mildly spicy. I used gluten-free bread, toasted because that was all I could find. They came out great, though, and nice and sloppy. I put a slice of Swiss cheese and a few pickles on it, too. I made the chili powder recipe to ensure it was gluten-free and mild to my liking. I did the lentils in the Instant Pot first, then followed the recipe using the Instant Pot Lentils.

So good!! I took some recommendations from other reviewers and served it on sweet potato toast with avocado on top. I didn’t have coconut sugar so I used brown sugar, which turned out fine. Next time I’ll be kicking up the spice level and adding pickled red onions on top! So easy and great for meal prepping.

A favourite in our household! On burger buns, in wraps, on its own – SO good. Easy and filling. LOVE it with pickles and a little vegan mayo.

This is one of my favorite recipes! I love to make this and freeze individual portions flat in baggies for later. To me- it’s like a taste of summer. So when I am pawing through my freezer months later, it’s a happy dance. This recipe is spot on! I have made it exactly to the recipe. Other times I’ve incorporated some ingredients from an old stand-by recipe from years ago, like a little brown sugar or a little ketchup in place of some of the tomato sauce… but it’s a great recipe just the way it’s written! This recipe makes me happy inside and out.

This recipe is delicious and our bellies thank you.

Can this recipe be frozen prior to cooking?

Really tasty and quick! We added 3x the Worcestershire in the recipe

Text exchange between my friend James and me:

James: Good morning. Wonder if you could jog my memory. What is the website for the lentil-based Sloppy Joes?

Me: Minimalist Baker. That’s funny. I was just thinking yesterday that it’s time for those again.

James: They are so delicious.

Me: And easy.
Me: And quick.

James: And inexpensive.
James: And flavorful.

Me: Yup! All of the above.
Me: Oh! And satisfying.

James: LOL

Me: I often comment on her recipes. Perhaps we should send our text thread as a comment.

And so, we did! Thanks for the joyful yumminess! Or is it the yummy joy?

I made this today for the family and it turned out delicious! We have been eating mainly plant-based for about 2 months and it hasn’t been easy. This recipe was amazingly simple and quick!! My husband said it tasted just like Sloppy Joes and my 5 and 4 year olds ate it with no complaining – that’s a huge feat! Thank you so much for this recipe!

Delicious!

Before you try to add your own “twist” to this recipe, follow it as written. You won’t be disappointed.

These were so delicious! And so quick and easy to make. I followed the recipe with the exception on non-vegan worcestershire sauce. The whole family loved them, even my 6 year old picky eater (who ate two servings and was still asking for more). I have made lentil sloppy Joe’s from another recipe before, but this recipe is a whole new level of deliciousness. Will absolutely add these into our regular rotation.

I made this last night for dinner. It was awesome! I didn’t have any vegan Worcestershire sauce so i used BBQ sauce instead and left out the sugar i also used about 1/3 of the tomato sauce. Turned out great, will definitely make again.

Love it!!!! I used red lentils with vegetable broth. So much protein low fat goodness. For sure making this weekly .
Thank you so much for you great delicious recipes

This was really tasty! My son has started eating more plant based meals so I try new vegetarian recipes so he’ll come visit more often! Lol. I followed the recipe exactly and we all enjoyed it.

Oh man, that was good. I had a half can of tomato paste I was looking to use up, so I went in search of a lentil sloppy joe recipe. I saw the comment about tomato paste tasting more “raw”, so I made sure to cook it a long while. My few tweaks: I used both brown and red lentils (two thirds brown, one third red) I wanted a little bit of the mush, and a little bit of texture, and I cooked them in broth.
I used a whole onion, but I slowly caramelized it first. A lot more than a pinch of smoked paprika, and about a tablespoon of molasses (its high in iron, and added a sweet richness) gave me the flavors I was looking for.

I eat “flexibly vegan”, and my omnivore boyfriend seems to like everything I cook. He really enjoyed this one! We served it over a baked potato, and it was the perfect hearty meal for this unseasonably cold weather!

This recipe is DELICIOUS! The ONLY thing I will change next time is to use a little less cumin (only because I don’t really like the taste of cumin….although a little is fine). Healthy and so tasty!! Delicious plant based meal….and a healthier version of a childhood favorite.

Very good and easy. Merci beaucoup!!

I used tomato paste instead of tomato sauce and added veggie broth to it, and boiled my beans in 95 veggie broth. I don’t like the sauce very much so I added all the seasonings to taste and just add BBQ sauce until it tastes right to me. It’s a vibe. I give it four stars because without the BBQ sauce I don’t like how it tastes very much.

i am obsessed with this recipe! i use green lentils because i prefer the heartier texture, and i used balsamic vinegar instead of vegan worcestershire & chipotle powder instead of smoked paprika. i love to serve it on top of baked sweet potato with sliced avocado, salsa, and cilantro. so good!

This is GREAT! I did adjust the seasonings UP, and it’s just perfect. I will be doing these at least every other week. I used your Instant Pot lentil recipe to cook my lentils. So, there would be NO dinner without you tonight!

I make about two-three recipes a week from this blog. I absolutely loved this meal! It was delicious and filling! Thank you!

Just made this…sooo good! We used green lentils, added ground mustard, used liquid aminos instead of worcestershire and a little cayenne pepper. Boyfriend who swears on ground meat and manwich loved it!

Yummmmy! It hit the spot. Had the sweetness I remember as a kid and a wonderful flavour. I will make this time and time again. Quick 15 minute meal if you take a shortcut and used canned lentils.

Added in some tofu grounds and carrots to bulk up the recipe. This one is so good!

I’ve made this twice. The first time I used broth & it turned out just fine. The second time I used water and herbamare & it was so much more delicious. I guess that’s the magic of extra salt.

These sloppy joes were super sloppy! We ended up using our buns to scoop it up off the plate because it wouldn’t stay in the sandwich. But it was super delicious and we will definitely be making it again!! :) We didn’t change anything in the recipe, but we did add Chao cheese and avocado .

I subbed tomato paste + water for the tomato sauce, and I think this recipe wasn’t tomato-y enough. It was good – my non-vegan hubby acknowledged that it was better than he expected, but we added some extra ketchup on the top of the sandwich to try to make it a little more thick & tomato colored.

Love the addition of red bell pepper + onion, I think I would add 1 full bell pepper next time too!

This was really delicious. Thank you for the recipe.

Love your recipes! I first found this website when searching for a cinnamon recipe for my vegan daughter; found The World’s Easiest Cinnamon Rolls. Dana is not lying when she calls them “Holy friggin’ delicious”!
These Sloppy Joes did not disappoint – super flavorful and easy! We’ll keep coming back for more healthy and delicious recipes as we try to improve our diets. Thank you so much Dana!

I have never been mislead by minimalist baker. These were no exception. My husband loved them and we decided they will be in the rotation from now on. I added a little liquid smoke and doubled the Worcestershire sauce. We toasted the buns and ate like a couple of happy summer camp kids.

So… As what I, a midwesterner (vegan for 12 years) would call “sloppy joes” , this is WAY off the mark. The cumin and chilli powder send this in a COMPLETE different direction. That’s why I gave it 3 stars. HOWEVER, if you want nacho topping or taco filling, I give it 5 stars! I tried to live it as sandwich filling, but realizing I had tortilla chips, I chucked the rest of my Sammie and made a plate of nachos, complete with Daiya shreds, jalapenos and salsa. Twas DELICIOUS!!

Made this and I really enjoyed how easy this recipe was. I have been spending a lot of time in the evenings and Sunday’s trying to cook your wonderful recipes. Sometimes I am frustrated because it takes me so much more time than the suggested time. This recipe was a delicious relief. One note, I felt like it was missing something, so I looked on the back of my husband’s Manwich can. I first added a little ACV, and then after tasting I added a little yellow mustard and it completed the dish. Thank you MB team for getting me through this life style change. I am looking for more easy quick recipes like this one.

I make this on food prep Sundays so I can eat it all week in tacos, salads, over baked potatoes etc. Now I have to make double because my meat lovers hog it up! Delicious and healthy – my favorite!

I love this recipe! We started doing Meatless Mondays at our house and this is the most requested recipe, even when it’s not Monday. I love reading other suggestions/tweaks but even as is, this recipe is perfect. Thank you!

My family loves this recipe! I add Montreal seasoning for extra flavor.

Super yummy! I used a whole bell pepper and actually threw in a small anaheim pepper for a little kick. Finished off with some liquid smoke too ^.^

is the calorie total per 1 serving include the bun?

So, good! I diced tomatoes to add the extra flavor and I can’t stop eating this!!!! The best!

This recipe was awesome! Great flavors! It is a definitely make-again. Can’t wait to devour the leftovers.

As a lifelong sloppy joe-er, this recipe has satisfied my Joe cravings many times. Today, I used Bulgar wheat instead of lentils and A1 instead of Worcestershire. Along with the bell pepper and onion, I added a TJ’s Mirepoix mix (celery, carrot, onion) and some sautéed jalapeño and I think it’s my favorite version yet! Also, pita pockets are my new favorite sloppy joe transportation device! I love yellow mustard and pickles on mine, but popular toppings in our house also include a slice of cheese And some fried onions. :)

I had most, but not all the ingredients and it was AMAZING!!!!!! No lie!!!! I usually don’t comment, but this is extraordinary!!!! I’m not a vegan or even a vegetarian but open to try new recipes (I’m not even big on being in the kitchen but the quarantine has changed that ;-D). It didn’t take long and wasn’t hard. TOTALLY RECOMMEND!!!! I almost lost a finger eating it…if I had all the ingredients, I KNOW I would have!!

My husband and I are in love with this recipe. It is a big hit for our weekly rotation of vegan dinners. For a little modification, I will add some liquid smoke for more depth to the flavor, especially when I don’t have Worcestershire sauce on hand. Along with maple syrup as a substitute for coconut sugar. It has turned out amazing every time. Thank you!

We liked them, but only after adding A LOT of ketchup to make the sauce sloppy joe-ier. We added pickles and mustard to ours because we saw it in a suggestion and loved it!

So delicious!! I highly recommend. I made my own vegan Worcestershire as I couldn’t find it in the grocery store near me. I added an extra tablespoon of Worcestershire and a tablespoon of yellow mustard. Served it on a toasted hamburger bun with raw onions. Incredible!

My favorite I always double the recipe and triple the spices. I also add Whole Foods ancho chili powder and sautéed jalapeño. And trader joe whole wheat buns since we don’t eat enriched flour over here thanks to 50 percent of the population having the MTHFR gene so no fake folic for us 😅. I’m also pregnant so this recipe is great for added folate!

Super simple and quick to make. I didn’t have to pre-soak my lentils and they cooked int he time recommended in this recipe. These sloppy joes have a really deliscious flavor profile. My only tweak – I didn’t have chili powder so I used Aleppo pepper and Harissa, I subbed splenda for coconut sugar, and I used regular Worsterchire. This was a hit!

Wow. I’ve tried the black bean burgers and now the lentil sloppy joes and both have been amazing and full of flavor. I’m currently trying to lose weight so I cut the oil and just gave the pan a light spray of oil so that the onions and peppers wouldn’t stick. The taste was absolutely phenomenal and I have been eating this over a big potato every day for lunch! Thank you for your thoughtful and delicious recipes. You have made switching to a plant based diet a much easier task.

This is delish and it a big hit in our house. Husband and 2yr old approved! I will be adding it to our recipe list. Thank you! 😊

Forgot to mention: i dumped water and lentils together and turned on heat, set timer for 23 minutes. still needed to let them simmer at low for 4-5 minutes beyond. So i’m doubtful about 18 minutes time. i never presoak lentils, btw. if that is your usual, maybe it works?

Yum. I wanted a burger and fries for dinner, but didn’t have the energy to do all the steps for a veggie burger. this was just right, little fuss. needed to add more sugar but i added tomato paste not tomato sauce, that may have been a difference. i also did add tiny cubed carrots in with onions and peppers to up the veg content and b/c carrots add a bit of sweetness.

My favourite when non-vegan people come over, always a home-run and great conversations and memories are guaranteed. High in fibre and deliciousness!
My “modifications”: I cook French lentils (or Puy-Lentils, both of them are green lentils and stay a bit chewier than brown lentils for example) for three minutes or so in the instant pot, so I don’t have to hover over a pot. I like to add quick pickled red onion as a topping for some funk. I prefer to make it in a big pot with a heavy bottom as my cast iron tends to lend a metallic taste to acidic foods such as tomatoes.
Thank you for the memories built around this dish, Dana!

These vegan sloppy joes are a staple in our house. I have made this recipe several times over and love it just a little more each time. My favorite toppings are yellow mustard (just trust me on this one!), pickles or jalepenos if I’m feeling spicy and a slice of vegan cheddar cheese on toasted buns. Mmm mmm good!

This recipe is incredible! HUGE hit at our house. Normally I have to adjust up on spices, but this one was perfect.

For us, the lentils didn’t cook in 18 minutes (maybe they needed to be soaked first?), so I had to let them simmer a little longer. No biggie at all.

Thanks so much for this new staple!

I added some chopped mushrooms to the recipe, sautéed with the onion, garlic, and pepper. They add nice texture. My favorite buns are homemade using the King Arthur flour recipe for hamburger potato buns but 50:50 whole wheat and bread flour.

We bought lots of lentils at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and I was looking for ways to use them. This was perfect. I am going to eat this for lunch for the next few days. YUM! Very easy to make, which is always a help.

Followed one of the other suggestions in the comments to add dill pickles and wow. So good. I’m definitely going to be making this many, many more times.

Made this tonight, so good! Will make again.

One of my weekly go-to recipes now! Perfect for crowds and my family could eat it every day if I let them lol. Tastes like a vegan Manwich, which I grew up eating, so is super nostalgic too. 😉 Dill pickles are a delicious addition with the raw onion slices too. Love your site, thank you!

I loved this mix aside from I probably would not have added the additional sugar. Very easy and would definitely make again with just that one change. Thanks for posting healthy recipes that don’t take all evening to make!!

These were amazing! Made these for three carnivores and everyone was raving about the sauce- such a delicious healthy recipe thank you!

Guys this is so good. I didn’t have worcestire sauce so I subbed it out for soy sauce/bbq sauce mixture. I didn’t have coconut sugar so I used some agave maple syrup. Put some cheese slices in the sandwich to melt (I’m vegetarian haha) and it was a wrap. Currently trying not to devour the leftovers. I just had to review this, thank you!

These are delicious! I usually make sloppy bean/joes from a recipe using kidneys beans from Nikki&David Goldbeck’s American Wholefoods Cuisine, copyright 1983 (yep, dating myself!). I liked these just as much–I did add a touch of spicy mustard and a splash of apple cider vinegar at the end, though, and I don’t have/use Worcestershire sauce, even the vegan type–I just don’t like the flavor it brings. I love your recipes…every one I’ve made is a winner!

Thank you for the recipe! I do like lentils and this sounded good and had to give it a whirl. My wife was hesitant but when she tried it she said she would eat this again and for no meat was very good. To me I will be using this recipe as it is a home run. Great flavor and healthy ingredients I used double the garlic as it cooked off. Wow Thank you for this recipe it is enjoyable.

Best sloppy joes recipe ever!!!

Your serving size is off… It serves ME! Fabulous recipe!!

This is another tasty recipe! It is so quick, easy & flavorful! My hubby & I like it spicy, so we added some jalapeno’s for garnish- yum! Thanks!

This recipe is SOOO dang delicious! I’ve made it to a T once before. I didn’t have enough tomato sauce this time, so I made some with tomato paste and vegetable broth and a few spices (garlic, salt and onion powder) and I also added some coco aminos for a sweeter savory flavor. I cooked the lentils about 5 more minutes to make them softer because last time I felt like they were a little chewy, and I like it softer. It turned out wonderfully both times! This might be my favorite way to eat lentils! Toddler and omnivorous husband approved!!

Delicious. Only changes I made were to sub a block of tempeh, crumbled, for the lentils and increase the smoked paprika to 1/2 teaspoon.

6 months ago a female colleague of mine (we both work on voice over/animation) said I absolutely had to try your Sloppy Joe, she sent me the link, yesterday I suddenly remembered and oh my, it was delicious, I served it with naanbread and some melted spinach and a big spoon of corn curry, my wife kept making these strange noises and murmuring “Restaurant food baby, absolutely restaurant food,” haha we were both in food heaven, thank you for your inspiring recipes, warm greetings from Westerlo Belgium, Frank & Nada

Wonderful! Tastes just like the sloppy joes from the highschool cafeteria. I’ve tried these both vegan as written and again using a pound of ground beef instead of the lentils, and both versions were excellent! I used the upper amounts of sugar and spices and added a little extra worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper, and it was tangy and delicious. I subbed grated zucchini for the bell pepper, as I’m allergic. Served with snipped chives on a homemade, keto burger bun. Thanks for taking me to way-back land. I thought I’d never have a sloppy joe again after high school.

We loved this! So easy and delicious. Will definitely be making again.

Sauce is where it’s at. I wasn’t convinced but simmering really brought it all together. TY.

Excellent recipe. Fast, filling, delicious, and makes a lot.
Used crushed tomatoes instead of sauce… looked just like sauce to me! Through in a minced jalapeño that was looking lonely in the veggie bin by itself. I think the leftover lentils would be great on pasta, on toast, or even nachos- yum!

I made this with Boca veggie crumbles and it was delicious! The sauce is where it’s at- I can see how it’d be great with lentils too. My 8 year old helped cook, and everyone in my family loved this meal. It reminded me of my childhood, and will be in my regular meal rotation now.

Love this recipe. so simple and sooooo delicious

I just tried this recipe: I used all unsalted vegetable stock rather than water to cook the lentils because once I’ve opened a carton I like to use it up as soon as possible; I also used both red and green bell pepper and used the rest of them for another recipe, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly as written. This is delicious! I will probably get 5 days or more of meal-prep lunches from this since I will be eating it in a wrap rather than on a bun. I love that there is very little sugar in it and it fits within my low-sodium (mostly plant-based) diet.

This recipe was great! We are looking to minimize meat in our diets and this gave us the perfect sloppy joe experience and flavor. I used brown sugar instead of coconut and no paprika (didn’t have any) and the flavor was great.
I’m planning on modifying the seasonings to make some ‘taco meat’ for tacos next time.

This always comes out perfectly! I made it multiple times and also gave the recipe to other people who loved it. I do not use Worcestershire sauce and chili powder, but find that it has a lot of flavour without it. I serve it with bread, tortilla’s, naan or even rice, everything goes well with it!

Love this recipe and make it frequently! Even my son, who is a meat-and-potatoes person, enjoys it.

My husband and I have been wanting to eat a more plant based diet. I joined FOK on Facebook and someone posted this recipe. My husband loves sloppy joes so I was super curious how this would go over. He absolutely loved it! As did I! I didn’t go full out vegan with it because cheese is a weakness in our house and I’m not versed enough to make vegan versions of some of our favorite dairy items yet. We ate these on onion rolls from a local grocery store with mayo, shredded cheese and a cheddar sauce. I didn’t go strictly by the recipe because I’m not a good recipe follower. I cooked my lentils longer but they were still a little al dente so I mashed them a bit to adjust texture and it worked well. It had a very meaty texture to it and we thoroughly enjoyed these. Thanks so much for the excellent recipe! Can’t wait to try some others on the site!

I was amazingly delicious. Tastes better than a normal sloopy joe. Thank you!!!

This is keeper! It was delicious and filling. I had it on a gluten free roll the first night. For lunch the next day I added non-dairy shredded cheese.
Wonderful recipe and easy to make.
JoAnn

Made this recipe tonight, so yummy!

This was awesome! My brother and SIL are vegan so I’ve been trying to expand my vegan cooking knowledge. Thought the recipe was great- I added some soy sauce and some balsamic just for some saltier, deeper notes. Overall, delish!

Wow! Both my husband and toddler loved this recipe!! The flavor is on point. It reminds me of my childhood, too. Or the lunch lady from Billy Madison…

Anyways, this recipe is a perfect example of how creative you can be with traditional meat recipes and not eat overly processed foods. We will make this often. Thanks again!

I’ve made this twice now, and it’s come out perfectly and been a big hit both times. The second time I added a little chipotle in adobo sauce that I had leftover from another recipe, which punched up the smokiness and heat nicely. I’ve served these with sliced cheese, fresh onions, and pickle chips. Tastes great on Hawaiian rolls if you’re making sliders!

This recipe was delicious!! I doubled it so we would have leftovers for later in the week. I used one can of tomatoes sauce and one jar of pizza sauce. I also didn’t use any sugar because I had about 1/3c of homemade caramelized onions left from the weekend, and onions are so sweet once they cook down you don’t need sugar :) and I did sub Bragg’s Amino acids for the Worcester sauce since it has anchovies.

My son (who is vegan) LOVED them, and my husband who is a carnivore loved them too. Thank you for a wonderful recipe and I definitely will keep in the rotation.

Love this recipe! I doubled it, and now have a few containers in the freezer for leftovers this week. My veggie broth was unsalted so I made sure to salt the water to give the lentils extra flavor, and I made a quick DIY Worcestershire with 1tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1tbsp soy sauce, and extra spices. I also added a package of Lightlife Smart Ground crumbles for the last five minutes of cooking. Found the TJ’s buns, and topped with fresh kale, sliced onion, and a cashew lime crema I had left over from taco night.

Great recipe. My husband, the carnivore, liked it too! I used brown sugar and I mashed some of the lentils which resulted in a thicker “meat mixture”. I did make the mistake of adding too much red pepper…(I thought it needed a bit of heat)…..next time I might add more cumin instead of red pepper flakes. I will make this again for sure!! Thank you for a delicious Friday night in Lent dinner recipe!

I was really craving comfort food that was easy and this was perfect! So delicious! Thank you ?

I haven’t had a sloppy Joe for at least 40 years because of the meat. This recipe is outstanding! Even my meat loving husband wants me to make it again. And it is quick and easy! The only change I made was substituting molasses for the sugar.

Ugh these are soooo addicting!! I’ve been vegan for 8 years now and this is the first sloppy joe recipe that has been a success! My husband loved them and he’s picky with his liking of sloppy joes, my 1 year old also devoured Hers! I omitted the Worcestershire sauce as it’s a tad too much for our toddler. I served this on your easy vegan rolls (drooling just thinking of my just eaten dinner) lol added some vegan mayo, corn and red cabbage! Definitely making this a regular for dinners and summer lunches :)

I’ve made these multiple times for my family and we love them. I add in a teaspoon of cayenne powder for some extra zip and they’re fantastic. The half water half vegetable broth is worth the extra step too.

This recipe was delicious! My husband and I are trying to cut back on our meat consumption and I didn’t even miss it in this meal! Usually when I have a vegetarian meal I never feel satisfied afterwards and find myself hungry not long after. But I’m completely full after this meal and don’t even feel bloated like I normally do after a meal with meat.
I followed most of the recipe with a few exceptions. I doubled all the seasoning suggestions and “Worcestershire” sauce, used a whole bell pepper, and 5 cloves of garlic. This was super flavorful and delicious!
Thank you for the recipe! It’ll be added to oor rotation for sure!

Wow! This recipe is amazing!! I’m trying to go plant based & love the challenges of all your flavorful recipes. My husband, the meat eater, now needs to go plant based after gallbladder surgery per doctors orders. He tasted this recipe for vegan sloppy joes & he thought it was very good!!!! I mashed the lentils and added chopped mushrooms to make it “meaty-er”. He could not tell there was no meat in it. A sneaky way to get veggies & no meat protein. I served it with Cole slaw using homemade low fat avocado ranch dressing & whole grain buns. Great job!! Keep those recipes coming!!! Patti. ♥️

Wow! Super delicious!!! We put it on a pretzel bun from Wegmans and had a side of homemade sweet potato fries!

I made this for a Super Bowl party. It is so full of flavor and didn’t take much longer than opening that can of processed sauce from the store. I will make this a million times more to add to bowls, baked potatoes, pizza, everything! Thanks for another winner, Dana!

I was struck with the urge to have sloppy joes, did a vegan search, and found your recipe. I had everything on hand, so I gave it a go. I love my beef sloppy joes, but I will tell you, these did the trick! I thought they were delicious! I am going to take some with me to have for lunch at work. Thank you! I can see making these quite regularly and having them over a baked potato as well as in a bun.

So incredibly delicious! This has been a staple for me & my husband for about 6 months now & we are impressed by it every single time.
I have a ton of extra chia powder on hand at the moment, so decided to add some as an extra binding/thickening agent & it worked wonderfully. I added about 2 tbsp when I added the lentils to the sauce & it was perfect! You could probably even add 3 tbsps to make it even thicker & it’d be great.

Also – I didn’t have Worcestershire sauce so my substitute was a 1 Tbs mix of apple cider vinegar, soy sauce and hot sauce

Amazingly easy, healthy and most of all delicious! I cooked my lentils in the instant pot first and transferred to pan but now that I think about it this recipe could probably all be done in the instant pot. I also undercooked the vegetables for extra nutrition and crunchiness. This one will go in the regular rotation. I actually like way better than regular burgers or sloppy joes.

This was delicious! We are not vegan but are trying to eat more plant based. My husband said he is happy to have this meal anytime and doesn’t miss the traditional sloppy joes!

I made this and just used the ingredients and steps as listed. it turned out really great! keep in mind they are very sloppy Joe’s so a little hard to eat without making a mess but very tasty.

Flavours are awesome and it’s a super quick meal to make!

I thought this was delicious! My kids complained it was too spicy even though I only used less than a teaspoon of chili powder. I tried to balance it with a little more sweetness (splash of maple syrup), but i think that made it too sweet for my husband. Can’t please them all! Next time I might separate and make spicy and not spicy pots. Served it with roasted potatoes, peas, and kale salad with white cheddar and figs. Yum.

Oh so good! Quick, easy, and health meal! I highly recommend!

I made this recipe for my family (who are not vegan) about 6 months ago for dinner, and I got great feedback. The best compliment in the world was when my little brother requested I make the recipe for his birthday dinner today! We had a great celebration with the family and he loved it. Amazing recipe

This was delicious! I made it with French green lentils I had previously cooked and frozen, so it came together really quickly! I used regular sugar instead of coconut sugar, and it seemed to work just the same.

Amazing recipe. This will definitely be a new staple for dinner! I used maple syrup instead of coconut sugar and a spicy marinara sauce instead of tomato sauce. I also added chopped carrot, mushrooms, and a full red pepper for some more veggies. On my toasted bun I added melted chao ‘cheese’, sliced onion, and some ketchup and honey mustard. Turned out amazing.

I grew up eating sloppy joes, and I haven’t had them since becoming a vegetarian over 10 years ago. This recipe has blown my socks off.. It brings back the childhood memory of the comfort meal on cool fall/ winter nights AND is more delicious the the meat version. Thank you for creating and sharing this! It will be a new staple in our house for sure.

I’ve been craving something hot and comforting, and this totally did the trick. I did max measurements of everything and ended up needing an extra glug of worchestershire and a few pinches of salt (because I somehow managed to buy salt-free tomato sauce). I also added a small jalapeno because I had a spare one floating around.

I ate it out of a coffee mug because I was fresh out of therapy and felt like a ratty, wet towel. I bet it’d be awesome on a baked sweet potato with pickled jalapenos or maybe on a toasted slice of fresh sourdough with an egg on top!