Easy Gluten-Free Sloppy Joes (Dairy-Free)

What are Sloppy Joes?

For those who haven’t tried it before, a sloppy joe is basically a sandwich made with a meat filling consisting of ground beef, onions, tomato sauce, and other seasonings.

This tasty meat mixture is then served on a hamburger bun and can be enjoyed alone, or accompanied with coleslaw or salad.

Are Sloppy Joes Gluten-Free?

The burger buns used in traditional sloppy joes are often made with wheat flour (which contains gluten) and hence are not usually safe for Celiacs or those with gluten intolerances.

However, today, we’ll be making a gluten-free and dairy-free version of this classic recipe, so let’s dig in!

Why This Recipe Works:

• Simple Ingredients: The main sauce ingredients required for this easy sloppy joe recipe are easily accessible at the local grocery stores (nothing fancy required!).
• Easy to Make: Preparing the homemade sloppy joe sauce is very simple and it comes together easily. Then serve it with a storebought or homemade gluten-free burger bun and violà! An easy dinner for the whole family is ready!
• Totally Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free: The best thing is that these delicious sloppy joes are 100% gluten-free and dairy-free, which means that even those with Celiac disease or gluten or dairy intolerances, or those simply on a gluten-free diet can enjoy it without issues!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required for this gluten-free sloppy joes recipe.

(For exact measurements, please scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.)

4. Add Water

Pour in water, stir and cook the ground beef for another 10 minutes under the lid.

5. Assemble Sloppy Joes

Cut the gluten-free hamburger buns into halves. If desired, you can toast the cut ends of the buns.

Top with a few tablespoons of the sloppy joe filling. Cover the minced meat with the other half of the bun and serve the burgers immediately.

6. Serve and Enjoy

You can serve the gluten-free sloppy joes with potato chips, french fries, coleslaw or salad. It’s an easy meal that the whole family will love!

Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:

• Use Slider Buns: If you prefer to make a smaller version of these sloppy joes, you can use slider buns instead.
• Use Ground Meat of Choice: I used lean ground beef, but you can easily use ground chicken, ground pork or ground turkey if you prefer.
• Make it Vegan: If you want to make vegan sloppy joes, you can either replace the ground beef with ground vegan meat or cooked red lentils instead.
• Prepare a Big Batch: You may double or triple the recipe to make a bigger batch and then store it in the fridge (before reheating on busy weeknights).

Recipe FAQs:

Homemade Gluten-Free Buns to Bake:

• Soft, Fluffy Hamburger Buns (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Homemade Slider Buns (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Low Carb Buns (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Gluten-Free Beef Recipes You’ll Love:

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Gluten-Free Sloppy Joes (Dairy-Free)

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Felicia Lim
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Savory and flavorful, these gluten-free sloppy joes make a delicious and tasty meal. Totally dairy-free too!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 gluten-free burger buns
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup water or broth

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Instructions

1. Cook Ground Beef: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat up the olive oil and sauté the ground beef for 10 minutes, stirring with a spatula. Once the ground beef is browned, Turn the heat up low.
2. Add Veggies: Add chopped peppers, onions and garlic. Stir and fry for another 5 minutes.
3. Add Spices and Condiments: Add the salt, ground paprika, granulated garlic, ground cumin, sugar, tomato paste and Dijon mustard, stir and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add Water: Pour in water, stir and cook the ground beef for another 10 minutes under the lid.
5. Assemble Sloppy Joes: The gluten-free burger buns should be cut into halves. If desired, you can toast the cut ends of the buns. Top with a few tablespoons of seasoned ground beef. Cover the minced meat with the other half of the bun and serve the burgers immediately.
6. Serve and Enjoy: You can serve the gluten-free sloppy joes with french fries, coleslaw or salad.

Notes

Olive Oil: I used extra virgin olive oil, but you can also use other vegetable oils (such as sunflower oil, canola oil, avocado oil etc). You can also use dairy-free butter (vegan butter) if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use regular butter instead.

Ground Beef: I used ground beef, but you can easily use ground chicken, ground pork or ground turkey if you prefer.

Burger Buns: I used gluten-free burger buns to keep this sloppy joes recipe gluten-free (you can either buy storebought buns, or make your own gluten-free burger buns!). However, if you are not Celiac or gluten-intolerant, go ahead and use regular burger buns instead.

Bell Pepper: I used green bell peppers, but red or yellow bell peppers will work just as well.

Sugar: I used light brown sugar for sweetening, but you can also use white sugar, cane sugar, dark brown sugar, or coconut sugar.

Tomato Paste: Tomato paste adds the characteristic flavor of tomato to these sloppy joes. Alternatively, you may use tomato sauce or ketchup instead.

Onion: Feel free to use yellow onions, white onions or red onions if you prefer.

Garlic: I like the flavor that fresh garlic lends to these sloppy joes, so make sure to add it in.

Mustard: I used Dijon mustard, but you can use any other type of mustard that you have on hand.

Ground Paprika: I like adding a bit of ground paprika for some extra kick of heat. You may also use ground cayenne pepper or ground chili flakes if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not a fan of heat, go ahead and leave it out completely.

Granulated Garlic: You can either use granulated garlic, dried minced garlic, or garlic powder.

Ground Cumin: Ground cumin really adds a nice punch of flavor so make sure to add it in!

Water: I used filtered water to add liquid, but you can also use vegetable broth or beef broth if you prefer.

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American