Vegan Sloppy Joes

Vegan sloppy joes are a delicious sandwich packed with flavor, protein, and spice. They’re easy to make, 100% plant-based, and sure to be a hit whenever you serve them.

Sloppy joes are a sandwich that’s both tasty and fun. They’re messy to eat, but that’s kind of the point of them! They’re traditionally a meat-heavy food, but they’re absolutely delicious when made vegan. 

This is an easy recipe that will leave your entire house smelling fantastic. The aroma of garlic, chili powder, paprika, and tomatoes simmering away is almost as nice as getting to eat these sandwiches. By the time they’re done cooking, you’ll want to dive right in. 

Serve these plant-based sloppy joes on a nice bun with some of your favorite sides (I recommend slow cooker sweet potatoes, vegan collard greens, and Southern fried okra), and you’ve got an unforgettable meal.

Ingredients Needed

This vegan sloppy joes recipe calls for a lot of ingredients, but most of them are things you likely have in your fridge or pantry. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the exact quantities. 

• Beyond meat – You can use other brands of ground meat substitute, but I prefer Beyond for this recipe.
• Oil
• Yellow onion
• Green bell pepper
• Ground cumin
• Chili powder
• Paprika
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Mustard – You can use the condiment or dry ground mustard. 
• Tomato paste
• Tomato sauce 

How to Make Vegan Sloppy Joes

This is a fairly easy and quick meal to make. Plus, you only have to use one pan! 

• Sauté the veggies. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Lower the burner to medium low and sauté the veggies for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. 
• Cook the meat. Turn the burner up to medium high and add the Beyond meat. Crumble the meat and brown on both sides for 8 minutes.
• Add the dry seasonings. Add the salt, pepper, chili powder, and paprika to the mixture, and stir to combine.
• Add the wet seasonings. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and mustard to the sloppy joes, and stir well.
• Simmer. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Taste the sloppy joes, adjust the seasonings if necessary, and you’re ready to serve them up! 

Tips for Success

Use these tips to make sure that your vegan sloppy joes are fantastic each time. 

• Be patient. This is a quick meal to make, but it’s still tempting to try and speed it up. Be sure to sauté the veggies on low heat for a decent amount of time, so that they cook all the way through without browning much. And simmer the sloppy joes on low heat so that they develop a strong flavor without burning or losing their liquid.
• Get some brown on the meat. Even though you want to start and finish this plant-based sloppy joes recipe at a low temperature, make sure you bump up the heat in the middle. Cook the Beyond meat at a higher temperature to ensure some browning. That will add a lot of flavor to your dish.
• Serve on good, toasted buns. A sandwich is only as good as the bread that it’s on, so make sure that you serve these vegan sloppy joes on buns or rolls that you really like. Toast the buns to keep them from getting soggy when you put the mixture on the bread.

How to Store and Reheat Leftover Sloppy Joes 

You can store these sloppy joes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, or over the stove on low heat. 

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

Vegan sloppy joes are a great recipe to freeze. They’ll last in the freezer for 6 months in an airtight container. It’s best to thaw them in the fridge before reheating them, but if you’re in a hurry you can thaw them in the microwave or on the stove.