Sink your teeth into the BEST gluten-free sloppy joe recipe without ketchup! Savory sweet with a bit of bold flavor, perfect for easy weeknight meals.
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We grew up eating Manwich sloppy joes piled into a big bready bun slathered in that delicious sloppy sauce as a weeknight dinner. An easy and tasty choice for my busy mom, along with these chicken muffins and easy teriyaki chicken.
As I got older and started cooking for myself, I wanted to make healthy sloppy joes made with real ingredients instead of canned sauce, and also easy to make.
These ground chicken sloppy joes are made in one pan and only take 20 minutes to pull together. Serve them up on gluten-free buns with a side of mint cabbage salad for a great meal on any occasion.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Gluten Free Sloppy Joe Recipe
- The Healthiest Sloppy Joe Sauce: Why We Skip the Ketchup and Refined Sugar
- Gluten Free Sloppy Joe Ingredients
- How to Make Sloppy Joes Gluten Free
- Expert Tips
- Healthy Options
- Gluten Free Sloppy Joe Mix FAQs
- Storage Tips
- Recipes to Pair With Sloppy Joes
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why You'll Love This Gluten Free Sloppy Joe Recipe
- This sloppy joe recipe is filled with hidden vegetables and is zesty, tangy, sweet and savory. It has the perfect texture and consistency.
- There is no brown sugar and no ketchup in the sloppy joe sauce.
- It's super versatile and can be made with a variety of ground meat like grass-fed and pasture-raised ground beef, ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Best of all it's served messy on purpose!
The Healthiest Sloppy Joe Sauce: Why We Skip the Ketchup and Refined Sugar
I build the sauce from pure tomato sauce, aromatics, and spices instead of bottled ketchup or added refined sugar. Slow-cooked onions, warm spices, and a touch of tang create that classic sloppy joe vibe without the syrupy aftertaste. The result is a clean, naturally gluten-free sauce with balanced sweetness from the tomatoes and spices, plus brightness from vinegar. It's big flavor with simple, whole-food ingredients.
Gluten Free Sloppy Joe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make gluten free sloppy joes:
- Onions can be sweet, yellow, red or shallots. I prefer to use sweet onions as they're fairly inexpensive, versatile and don't overpower the dish.
- Red peppers add a little color but a green bell pepper works as well.
- Ground turkey, chicken or beef all work well with this sloppy joe recipe. I always choose pasture-raised and/or grass fed when available.
- Cumin, smoked paprika and ground mustard make a great spice mix that compliments the sauce.
- Tomato sauce and tomato paste make the base of the sloppy joe sauce and replaces the need for ketchup.
- Apple cider vinegar adds a little tang.
- Hot sauce brings a little heat but not too much!
- Maple syrup or date paste adds a little sweetness which is more in keeping with the traditional Manwich Original Sloppy Joe Sauce. I tend to leave it out most of the time. It tastes great either way.
See recipe card below for all ingredients and quantities.
Gluten-Free Sloppy Joe Mix
Make a pantry jar so weeknight Sloppy Joes are as easy as browning the meat.
- Jar Mix (about 6 batches):
- 4 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoon ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoon garlic powder (swap for the fresh garlic in the recipe)
- Stir together and store airtight, labeled "Sloppy Joe Mix."
- Use per 1 lb ground meat:
- 1 tablespoon jar mix
- Fresh onion and fennel as written in the recipe
- Tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and broth as written
- Notes: Fresh garlic in the original recipe becomes garlic powder in the dry mix so it keeps well. Taste and adjust salt at the end.
How to Make Sloppy Joes Gluten Free
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Warm olive oil, add onion and red bell pepper. Sauté until softened, mixing often.
- Add garlic, ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground mustard and sea salt. Mix for 1 minute as spices become aromatic.
- Add the ground chicken and continue to cook, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon until no longer pink.
- Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, and maple syrup or date paste if using. Mix well and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until sauce has thickened. About 10-12 minutes.
Expert Tips
- To save time, prep your veggies in a food processor, pulsing a few times to coarsely chop for texture. Or pulse a little longer to mince the veggies so no one notices there's vegetables in the sloppy joes.
- Pick your choice of ground meat using ground beef, ground turkey or ground chicken. You could also use about 2 cups of cooked lentils in place of the meat to make vegetarian sloppy joes.
- Add extra hot sauce, sriracha or jalapeño to pump up the spicy heat. Or top with a sprinkle of chili pepper flakes.
Healthy Options
- Lettuce wraps: Spoon the filling into crisp romaine or butter-lettuce cups for a low-carb handheld.
- Mashed cauliflower topper: Serve over creamy mashed cauliflower for a cozy bowl.
- Bell pepper boats: Roast halved peppers, then fill with the mixture and fresh herbs.
- Baked sweet potatoes: Split roasted sweet potatoes and pile the filling on top.
- Zucchini boats: Roast hollowed zucchini halves, stuff, then broil to finish.
- Grain bowls: Add to a bowl with quinoa or brown rice, crunchy slaw, and quick-pickled onions.
- Sloppy Joe tacos: Warm cassava tortillas and load with sloppy joe filling, shredded lettuce, avocado, and a squeeze of lime.
Gluten Free Sloppy Joe Mix FAQs
In order to thicken your sloppy joes, continue to cook the mixture on low heat for a while longer. Tomatoes hold a lot of water, some brands of sauce have more than others. By leaving the sloppy joe mixture simmering, the water will eventually evaporate and the sauce will thicken.
The sloppy joe meat mixture is super flavorful and easy to use in different dishes. The obvious way is in a gluten-free bun but it also works well in tacos, on top of pizza or stuffed in a baked sweet potato. It can also be used as a protein in salad, over gluten-free pasta or rice, or in your favorite nacho recipe.
Many Manwich varieties don't list gluten ingredients, but the brand is not certified gluten-free, and formulations can change. If you rely on packaged sauce, check the current ingredient label and look for a gluten-free claim. When in doubt, a homemade sauce (like this one) is the safest route.
Storage Tips
- Refrigerator: The homemade gluten free sloppy joes can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 4 days.
- Freezer: This ground chicken sloppy joes recipe freezes well in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can also store in single portions for easy thawing and individual servings.
Recipes to Pair With Sloppy Joes
📖 Recipe
Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe (Gluten Free, No Ketchup)
Ingredients
Sauté mixture:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or ghee, coconut oil, avocado oil)
- 1 medium sweet onion small dice
- 1 red bell pepper or green pepper small dice
Spice mixture:
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Sauce:
- 1 pound (454 grams) pasture-raised lean ground turkey, chicken or beef
- 1 14-ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoons hot sauce
Optional:
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or date paste
- 6 gluten free buns
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Warm olive oil and add onion and red bell pepper. Sauté until softened, mixing often. About 4 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil (or ghee, coconut oil, avocado oil), 1 medium sweet onion, 1 red bell pepper or green pepper
- Add garlic, ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground mustard and sea salt. Continue to mix as garlic slightly browns and spices become aromatic. About 1 minute.2 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground mustard, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add the ground turkey, chicken or beef and continue to cook, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon until no longer pink. About 3 minutes.1 pound pasture-raised lean ground turkey, chicken or beef
- Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, and maple syrup or date paste if using. Mix well and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until sauce has thickened. About 10-12 minutes.1 14-ounce can tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoons hot sauce, 2 tablespoons maple syrup or date paste
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Notes
- The sauce will continue to thicken as it rests.
- Serve on a gluten-free bun, lettuce wrap, gf pasta, taco, pizza or in a stuffed sweet potato.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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