These easy Vegan Sloppy Joes put a plant-based spin on a childhood classic! Ready in less than 30 minutes, both kids and adults can’t get enough of this meaty and comforting weeknight dinner.
Looking for more vegan family dinner ideas? Try my Vegan Baked Ziti, Cheesy Broccoli Rice Vegan Casserole, One Pot Vegan Pasta, and Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
Could you also not contain your excitement when you saw sloppy joes on the cafeteria menu at school? They were one of my all-time favorite childhood meals. Perfectly messy with crave-worthy flavors, I couldn’t get enough.
Craving this childhood classic led me to create these best-ever Vegan Sloppy Joes. Meaty, filling, and perfectly seasoned, they may be even better than the version I ate as a kid!
This lentil sloppy joe recipe is made with a hearty lentil and vegan ground beef filling that’s seasoned with simple smoky-savory spices, while a touch of maple syrup adds an irresistible sweetness. Bonus: They only take 30 minutes to put together, so I know you’ll love making them for simple family-friendly weeknight dinners!
Why you’ll love these vegan lentil sloppy joes
- So nostalgic – Just because the days of cafeteria sloppy joes are behind us doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in this classic childhood meal. The homemade version is even better thanks to incredible vegan ingredients!
- Ready in 30 minutes – They take only 30 minutes to whip up from start to finish, making this a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
- Packed with protein – A can of lentils and a package of vegan ground beef jam pack these sandwiches with approximately 40 grams of plant-based protein. They always hit the spot!
- Versatile – Depending on your preferences, you can use all lentils, all vegan beef, or even soy curls/mushrooms/walnuts!
How to make vegan sloppy joes
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Cook the vegan beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it’s browned. Add in the diced onion and cook until it’s soft and translucent. Next, add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Stir the lentils, chili powder, smoked paprika, tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and maple syrup into the vegan beef mixture. Cook for a few minutes to let the flavors mingle and turn down the heat if it’s boiling too much.
Taste the sloppy joe mixture and adjust the flavors as needed. Add salt to balance the flavors, add hot sauce for more heat, or maple syrup for a sweeter filling.
Serve the vegan sloppy joes in buns with or without toppings and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
You can replace the Beyond Meat with another store-bought vegan ground beef, like Impossible or Gardein. You can also use TVP or chopped soy curls rehydrated in vegetable broth or vegan chicken broth.
Want to skip the “meat” entirely? Make the sloppy joe mixture with 3 cans of lentils or cook 1 cup of dried green lentils and add them to the pan after sautéing the onion and garlic. A mixture of lentils, walnuts and mushrooms could work too.
Yes, you can sauté a diced green bell pepper, a red bell pepper, sliced mushrooms, or a jalapeno pepper with the onions and garlic to give the sandwiches a little more flavor and texture.
This is a fuss-free dinner you can truly just scoop into huge hamburger buns or hoagie rolls and enjoy! But if you’re looking to take them up a notch, top the sloppy joes with tangy toppings, like a scoop of my Vegan Coleslaw, pickle slices and pickled red onions.
For a well-rounded and kid-friendly dinner, pair the sloppy joes with a side of vegan macaroni salad, potato salad, vegan mac and cheese, french fries, and broccoli salad.
The leftover sloppy joe mixture will last for 4 to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend letting the mixture cool to room temperature before storing.
They also freeze very well! Pack the lentil and “beef” filling into freezer-friendly containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Let the leftovers thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave until warmed through.
Vegan Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 12 ounces vegan ground beef I used Beyond
- 1 small onion diced small
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 15 ounce can lentils drained and rinsed*
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 15 ounce canned tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 6 buns
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the vegan beef and cook until brown, using a wooden spoon to break it up into small chunks.
- Add the diced onion and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Now add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the lentils, chili powder, smoked paprika, tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and maple syrup. Stir everything together well to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Lower the heat if it's boiling too much.
- Taste; add salt as desired, as well as hot sauce if you want it spicy, or more maple syrup for a sweeter sloppy joe mixture.
- Serve on buns immediately.
Notes
- All lentils – If using all lentils, use either 3 cans, drained and rinsed, or cook 1 cup of green lentils, drain and add after you saute the onion and garlic.
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Other plant based meats – You can use TVP that has been soaked, soy curls chopped small, or any other plant based meat you like. A mixture of mushrooms, walnuts and lentils is good as well!
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Leftovers will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. This also freezes very well.
- Nutritional information does not include buns or rolls, since they vary.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first published in June 2018 and has been updated in 2024 with a slightly changed recipe and improvements.
Hi Nora!
I would love to make this recipe except I don’t have maple syrup. Anything you would recommend to substitute?
Thank you,
Tara
You could just leave it out or use sugar, brown sugar or agave in it’s place. Thanks!
As I read all the reviews and comments, I highly anticipate trying this recipe. The only problem is I can not locate the recipe on this page. I’ll read it over again… I’m not finding step by step instructions nor a list of ingredients needed.
If you scroll down to the bottom of the post there is a recipe card with ingredient list and instructions. Hope that helps.
Wonderful comfort food. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
I have a can of low sodium lentils (15 oz.). Can I just use the can in place of the uncooked lentils?
Sure!
I made this tonight for dinner and my husband and I both loved it. I used 2 1/2 Tblsp. of the chili powder and we liked that amount. Definitely a keeper recipe. I just found your website today and have already tried two recipe (the pumpkin scones). Both were great!! I look forward to trying out more of your recipes! Thanks for your time and work creating them.
Yay! Thank you for the feedback Lorna! I really appreciate it.
This was more delicious than I was expecting. My SO and I thought 3 tablespoons chili powder was a lot so I used 2. Upon eating, we both looked at each other and said 3 would’ve been fine. We enjoyed the leftovers the next night (with a little extra chili powder added) even more!
I’m so glad you and your son enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for letting me know.
Loved! Loved! Loved it!!!! This was so good!!! Thank you for this recipe! It hit the spot and my family ALL ate it! 🙂
Just ate them! I used a little less chili powder but overall they were delicious and flavorful. Definitely would make them again!
Just wanted to add that, somehow, I bet this could be tweaked to make a lentil “meat loaf?” Adding perhaps just some whole grain, dried/toasted bread crumbs to soak up more of the liquid? Will leave that idea to you experts. Maybe you already have a vegan “meat loaf” recipe?
It probably could, but it would be a whole new recipe. Perhaps some breadcrumbs? I do have two meatloafs: The Best Vegan Meatloaf and Lentil Loaf, both of which are fabulous in my opinion. 🙂
OH thanks! I will definitely check those out!
Your vegan meatloaf is the best!! I have made it several times and definitely a favorite of mine!!
This is a keeper! Delicious.
Thank you so much!
Just made this today and had to change a few things (out of necessity, for needing to use some things.) Instead of green, bell pepper I used about 3/4 of an orange bell pepper and then I had an opened jar of pimentos (the smallest of the sweet peppers) which I wanted to get rid of, so threw that in also. I think the recipe would be better, as written, I just didn’t have a green pepper on hand. I also included a pinch of cumin, cause I like a taco type flavor, and that adds it. Next, I’m doing whole foods right now and watching the salt, so instead of maple syrup I used date sugar (which is just dried, pulverized dates, so still a “whole food”) and added only a tiny pinch (literally) of pink salt. (Next time won’t add any, cause my sugar free ketchup has salt in it, as did the tomato sauce I used, and the yellow mustard, so no need). I think those are all the changes I made this time, and it was pretty darn good! Going forward I want to make it with green peppers, use a little less date sugar, a bit less chili powder (my nose started running!) and sub half the smoked paprika for regular. Really, this is an EXCELLENT recipe, as is, I just am not a super spicy person, so want to tone it down just slightly. I really appreciate this recipe, though, cause it gives me a very nice base from which to work and I think my next batch will be just right! Also, pimentos really do work as a sub for some of the bell pepper, if anyone wants to try. ? Oh, also, start to finish, chopping up everything myself, getting all the spices together, then washing everything (pots and pans, and putting them away) this took me more like 2 hours, but I’m kind of slow and, thankfully, I’ll have lots of left overs in the freezer! (I’m the only one eating it.)
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So happy we tried this recipe! It is excellent, we are tired of eating meat that doesn’t taste like it used to…….
I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you.
Dear Nora,
Just made this. Amazing!! I am not a fan of chili powder so I used McCormick taco seasoning instead. Will be making again and again!!
That’s wonderful, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Any suggestions for making this in a crockpot? Just put it all in the pot together? More water? Less water? I want to make this for a potluck!
I’ve never tried it in a crock pot! I think the same amount of water would be fine, but I don’t really know how long it would take, sorry! Maybe I’ll experiment one day.
Thanks for your reply! I’ll try it out and let you know!
An alternative to adding the cooked lentils to the sauce:
1) soak the dry lentils in hot water for 3-4 hours. Process in food processor til almost smooth. Put in a bowl. Add a little salt and a little baking powder.
2) Pan- or deep-fry small spoonfuls of this batter til medium-brown. Put all the fried pieces in a bowl, break them up somewhat, add to the sauce, cover and simmer til the sauce is absorbed. You may need to add more liquid to the sauce.
My husband and I loved the flavor! We used whole wheat pita bread. I am going to try it on a baked potato next time. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
These were absolutely AMAZING! My non-Vegan husband loved it too. Even my 3 year old son was licking his plate clean!
We loved the flavor of these. Any suggestions on how to make this in the instant pot?
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! To make it in the Instant Pot, I would first cook the lentils in the IP (6-8 minutes). Drain them, and set aside. Then using the Instant Pot saute feature, I’d cook the rest of the dish, so not using pressure, but just the saute feature. It may be possible to make it all at once using pressure, I’m not sure! It would be fun to play around with.
I made this last night. Amazing and easy to make! Some vegan recipes are hit and miss but I’m 2 for 2 so far with noracooks.com. I am definitely going to try all the recipes Nora posts!
Thanks Nora for creating easy delicous recipes!
Thanks so much Lindsay! I’m glad you liked these, and I hope you find many more to enjoy! 🙂 I LOVE creating easy delicious recipes, so you are welcome!
Just had your sloppy Joes. It was delicious. Even the meat eaters in my home.loved it.
Yay! Thanks for sharing.
These were great! I was looking for a meatless sloppy joe recipe to use up a green pepper from my veggie share. I should have doubled the recipe, now I’m making it again. Thanks for the recipe
So glad you like the sloppy joes Stephanie! I know, these go fast in our house too!
This was really good! Tasted like a sloppy joe… we didn’t miss the meat.
I’m so glad! Thanks for sharing Christine. 🙂
I made these tonight and they are so perfectly rich and delicious! I like them much better than the meat version. It’s also very easy and fun to make. Thanks for bringing us this recipe!
Oh goody! Thanks so much for sharing, glad you guys enjoyed them!
Made these and they were so good. Had with coleslaw. Will definitely be making again. Thanks for the recipe. Totally complaint for my wfpb no oil way of eating.
Great idea with the coleslaw! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Nora! One meat item I really miss is sloppy joes! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks
Oh great! These are so good, I think you’ll love them.