Vegan Sloppy Joes

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!