Vegan Sloppy Joes

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!

These turned out absolutely delicious!!! Had a side of fresh tator tots with our Sloppy Joe’s, and boy did we enjoy it! I did not have cumin or coconut sugar on hand, so I used some turmeric and good ol’ brown sugar, which worked out great. Always enjoy your recipes — sharing this one with all of my friends! Thank you!

I did this in my instant pot. 10 minutes under pressure and 10 minutes slow release. It’s very tasty and everyone liked it. Doubled the recipe too so I could freeze some for later. Thanks for the recipe!

This was amazing! I did add one extra spice about 2-3 tsp of steak seasoning like Montreal. Thank you for an amazing dinner!

Absolutely delicious. I used tomato paste, because it’s what I had on hand. I subbed vegetable stock to make up for the missing moisture that would have been in the tomato sauce.

The only thing I will say is I wish I would have cooked the lentils longer. Cooking them for 18 minutes wasn’t long enough to make them as soft as I would have liked them.

So delicious my partner and I make this frequently. I use wedges instead of hamburger buns and it turns out so well

My kids were hesitant because they had never had anything like it. My husband and I loved these though. I have never liked sloppy joes before (Ketchup is the one food that I hate) and I could eat a lot more of these. I used prepackaged lentils and made my own worchestershire sauce because my son has a soy intolerance. My kids warmed up to them by the end and will probably love them next time

Great recipe. I made exactly as written with the higher amount of spices (ie. 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tbsp sugar). Everyone in my family ate without complaint. Served on a bun for kids, and in a pita pocket for me. I served it with cooked zucchini and yellow squash that had just been sauteed in veggie broth. I found that as an alternative it was fantastic served on top of these vegetables. Will become one of my standby recipes for sure since it was so easy to make.

I just made this vegan lentil sloppy joes recipe and loved it! Sooo tasty. I’ve tried other recipes and missed the ketchup, but this was so rich and tangy with a touch of sweet ~ I was completely satisfied. Thank you!!

This was simple to make, easy clean up and produced good flavor. I had mine over gluten free rotini instead of on a bun and will also try it with rice. I had no GF Bread handy and did not miss it with this one. I followed the recipe using a plain organic can of tomato sauce and felt all the flavor was still there. I will use a little less sugar next time I make it (I opted for 1 1/2 Tbsp). That is just my preference. I am never disappointed with the recipes on this website. Sometimes I don’t like the combination of flavors but it is never because the recipe wasn’t spot on. This site is the main reason I have been able to succeed as a vegan (my 3 year anniversary coming up)! Thank you!

I enjoyed this recipe as it was but felt it needed more flavour so added more of everything except sugar and lentils and added Dijon mustard. Very filling. Because I am gluten-free I scooped it up with tortilla chips. Made enough to freeze. Thank you so much for posting this. I appreciate the effort it takes!

OMG these are delish! I only wished I had some vegan nacho cheese to pour over.
Thank you for this

Meh. Didn’t wow us. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special. Definitely not sloppy joe flavoring, more like a chili. These vegetarians will be looking elsewhere next time.

Another awesome recipe Dana! Well done and thank you. My family devoured this! My 3 year old said it was the “bestest dinner ever” and my 1 year old ate FAR more than I expected her to eat! Lentils and veggies… whooda thunk?

I literally never comment on online recipes, but this one… it was a huge hit! My 5 year old ate two and my seven year old ate THREE! I will definitely add this to the rotation.

So delicious! I make these all the time and my family loves them.

So delicious! My family loved these sloppy joes! Thank you

Wow! I thought these were good day one, but the flavors meld and it gets better after being in the fridge for a day or two! I followed the recipe, but didn’t have veg broth so I just used water for the lentils. I like cumin and I prefer more heat, so I upped the cumin and chili powder. Instead of traditional serving suggestions, I used corn tortilla chips. The little bit of added salt and the crunch from the chips made this somewhat addictive! I cook for one and decided to share this with a friend. They loved it as well! I’m not vegan, but have been incorporating more animal free dishes into my weekly rotations. This recipe is a keeper!

I made this over the Fourth, just five days ago. It was super easy, and it completely and utterly rocks. It’s just as tasty cold. My wife keeps asking me to make it again. I will. I see this being a staple for future lunches and dinners. I so do like vegan sloppy joes. I’d eat them again. I’d eat them with a hen. I’d eat them at my desk, in a car or in a bar. I’d eat them here, there or anywhere.

Perfect recipe for a carry-in! Super easy recipe to follow. I didn’t have green lentils on hand so I sub-ed with red lentils and chana dal (chickpeas split). That modification worked nicely. I also added some liquid smoke to the dish for an extra kick. 10/10 would make again!

Made these tonight with some added spice from cayenne and Louisiana hot sauce. Served in a pita pocket to help decrease the messiness from spillage. They were amazing!!!

The boyfriend and I really enjoyed this recipe. We don’t even like lentils all that much but loved everything about this. I used red lentils which worked just fine but turned out a bit mushy. I think next time i’ll try it with green or black lentils and I like the idea of adding in some back eyed peas or kidney beans! Flavor and everything was fantastic and super easy. I might even use the whole red pepper next time. My boyfriend doesn’t like onions but he’s okay with scallions so I chopped up the bottom white part of the scallions and used that instead. I also used onion salt instead of regular to get more of that onion flavor without actually having them in there! It worked out great and no complaints from him!

Can’t wait to have our leftovers tonight!

The first time I made this recipe I was full of excitement and anticipation with a touch of skepticism. I didn’t have any Coconut sugar so the only substitution I made was to use some morena sugar I had on hand. I wasn’t disappointed. This is great and packs a good flavourful punch. I made it again tonight although I cheated and used a can of organic lentils. In addition, this time I added half a red pepper and used 3 cloves of garlic. It was a little more saucey than I prefer and I used 2 tsp of masa harina to thicken it. Oh, and still no coconut sugar so I used demerara sugar. Once again I was delighted with the result. I was considering adding either a bay leaf of two or a little achiote, but, I didn’t want to stray too far in one go. This recipe is great as it is but it’s also a wonderful platform upon which to experiment. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I look forward to trying more of your creations.

So good! I used black lentils as I had some pre-cooked portions in my freezer. I didn’t defrost enough so ended up adding a bit of canned kidney beans I had on hand as well to thicken things up. Also added from fresh parsley and dill. I legit cannot stop thinking about how good this is, I ate it for lunch and will probably have again for dinner! Thanks for a fab recipe :D

This is so easy, quick, and good! Will be making this regularly for sure!

Made these for supper! Yum. They really were very quick and easy, plus full of flavor. I had a friend in college who used to make lentil sloppy joes for us–they called them “snobby joes”–so it brings back fond memories.

As closely resembles a sloppy joe as you’ll get and much healthier than the packaged stuff I remember eating as a kid. I increased chili powder, cumin, and salt and my husband requested I cook the lentils a bit longer next time and there will be a next time. My 2 yo even ate it!

I made this for my family who is vegan and a few non vegan people and it was a HIT! The depth of flavor was perfect and it was super simple to make. I added extra onion because… well more onion is never a bad decision lol. It also was great reheated the following day! If I were to do anything differently I would have cooked my lentils a little longer so they were a little more tender. I have absolutely loved every vegan recipe I have made by Minimalist Baker. One of my favorite things about her directions is how she explains what to add for sweetness, depth, smokiness, saltiness, ect. Love all the detail ?

I’ve made this recipe 3 times in 2 weeks , my family loves it. I increased the cumin and chili powder to 2 TBS . So good and filling and healthy.

It’s like eating a clean manwich! I was definitely surprised by how closely these tasted to the sloppy joes of my childhood. Delish and my husband even loved them. I omitted the oil and just cooked in a few tablespoons of oil instead.

This was excellent! My entire family enjoyed including the 8, 6, 3 and 1 year old. Only change I would make is to leave out the sugar.

This recipe is fantastic. I made this tonight and even my meat eating hubby approved! I made just a couple of changes: added a can of pink beans, 1/2 the lentils, sub light brown sugar for coconut sugar, squeeze of ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and played around with the spices like the recipe instructions suggested. We ate these on brioche burger buns. So yummy!!!

This has become one of our favorites at home! My meat loving husband does not miss the beef at all and regularly requests lentil based meals now (Ive made lentil shepherd’s pie, lentil stroganoff & lentil Swedish meatballs *drool*)
Thank you for this fantastic recipe!! Tonight will be the umpteenth time I’ve made these hehe ???

Super easy.
Served over baked potato.
I used molasses instead of sugar.
The lentils were pre-cooked from Trader Joe’s.
The “slop” was done before the potatoes, so I added a little veggie broth to keep it moist.
Yum!
Thanks for the recipe.

I made this today and everyone loved it!! We ate it on baked white sweet potatoes with shredded red cabbage and avocado on top and it was incredible!! Thank you for the delicious recipe.

I’ve made this recipe a couple of times and it is always delicious! Thank you for always providing us with such wonderful recipes! ?

I’ve made this twice, and it’s been a big hit. My picky kids devour it! I don’t have coconut sugar, so I use pure maple syrup. It tastes great as leftovers too!

Followed the recipe as written and it turned out amazing. I have never had an sloppy joe before but this exceeded all my expectations. Definitely seeing many more sloppy joe in my near future. Thank you for this great recipe :)

I’ve made this a few times… it’s so simple and yummy! A great way to sneak some veggies in for my toddler. Today I’m sick and needed something super simple. I already have some lentils in the fridge so I just dumped the tomato sauce and seasonings into a pan and added the lentils. It was extra easy and still yummy!!!

This recipe was so delicious that I cannot imagine meat ever being in sloppy joes again! Only change was added a bit more of the seasoning.

The perfect sloppy joe recipe!
I’m a smoked paprika nut, so I add a healthy tablespoon of that, but that’s my only alteration.

This is one of my favorite Minimalist Baker recipes. I make it all the time for myself, and for my family when they’re feeling open to a vegan meal. I was able to find a small bottle of vegan Worcestershire from Whole Foods and it’s lasted me through many uses of this recipe. It’s the perfect warm-you-up dinner and so fun! I’ve also made this in my college dorm and it was totally easy to prepare. Although the recipe doesn’t say anything about freezing the leftover lentil mixture, I’ve had success doing this in the past. It’s great for a healthier comfort food dinner!

I substituted the can of tomato sauce and coconut sugar with ketchup, and it turned out great!! Love this recipe.

These are wonderful! My husband and son love them. I have made them twice in the last 3 weeks. Great vegan comfort food!

This one is definitely a winner. Everyone in the family loved it and leftovers were great for a quick lunch. Thank you for another great recipe.

I made the Vegan Sloppy Joe’s except I replaced the oil with 2 Tbsp of Veg broth. The most exciting thing is my husband doesn’t eat vegan but he did tonight and he had two toasted Vegan Sloppy Joe’s. I am excited that there was enough left over for couple lunches for me tomorrow and Friday. This was very tasty. I used the Happy Herbivore Vegan Worcestershire Recipe from her light and lean book. I made up and have some of it left over for another day, I labeled my jar so I would not forget what it is in the refrig. Thanks for the great recipe!

Holy hell. THIS IS AMAZING. I am in love. Another staple, woo! I ended up making my own Worcestershire sauce: 6 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp tamari soy sauce, 2 tsp yellow mustard, 1/4 tsp ginger powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp of garlic powder, dash of cinnamon, 1 tbsp coconut sugar, dash of cayenne. I got the recipe for that from the Happy Herbivore. This recipe is so amazing though- I haven’t had sloppy joes in like 10 years and this is so good and is so healthy!! Thanks again for another kick A recipe, Dana!

I made this for a Super Bowl potluck and it was a big hit. I’m the type of person that likes to tinker with recipes and couldn’t find a way to modify this one because it was perfect as is. I just pulled some of the leftovers from the freezer a few weeks later and they kept really well in freezer safe Ziploc bags.

This a delicious recipe! I think I should have cooked the lentils a little longer but still very tasty! I added mushrooms and a bit of Harissa spice. Wish Hawaii had a Trader Joe’s! Thank you for all your amazing recipes! xox

This recipe has become a frequent to our dining table. It’s very satisfying and delicious. I’d like to share that adding ground roasted cumin (I pound pan-roasted cumin seeds on a mortar-pestle) at the end makes a significant enhancement to the taste and aroma. Note, that it’s different from store bought cumin powder. I also like to garnish it with some chopped shallots. Yumm!

My family really likes this! We make a double batch and freeze half of the filling for a future dinner. When we’re ready to eat it we thaw the lentil sloppy joe mix and then reheat it in a pot on the stove or in the microwave. So yummy, easy, and healthy!