These turkey sloppy joes are a simple and delicious weeknight dinner that everyone will love. They’re made with lean ground turkey, a perfect homemade sloppy Joe sauce, and piled high on a toasted bun.

The Best Turkey Sloppy Joes

If you’re a lover of Sloppy Joes then you are going to love these ground turkey sloppy joes!

These flavorful sandwiches are similar to the traditional version but they’re made with ground turkey instead of ground beef. The homemade sweet and tangy sloppy Joe sauce pulls everything together for the perfect saucy bite.

These sloppy joes are easy to make, easy to customize, and a quick weeknight dinner meal that I know the whole family will love!

Watch How to Make This Recipe

Recipe Ingredients

Ground Turkey: I prefer to use regular ground turkey instead of ground turkey breast for this recipe but you could really use either! If you want to keep this recipe on the leaner side then go with ground turkey breast.

Onion and Garlic: you’ll need a bit of fresh garlic and onion for the sloppy joe mixture.

Green Bell Pepper: my mom always added green bell pepper to our sloppy joe’s so that’s what we’re doing here, too!

Sloppy Joe Sauce: this recipe uses a homemade (yet simple!) sloppy Joe sauce. The sauce is made from a combination of tomato paste, dark brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and a little crushed red pepper flakes for heat.

Brioche Buns – these are my favorite buns to use for this recipe. They’re soft, buttery, and just perfect.

Unsalted Butter – just a bit to toast the buns.

Ingredient Substitutions

Brown Sugar – if needed, you can swap the brown sugar in this recipe for coconut sugar instead.
Ground Beef – don’t want to use ground beef? swap it for ground turkey instead!
Green Bell Pepper – any bell pepper will work here. Use what you’ve got!

Helpful Kitchen Tools

How to Make Sloppy Joes with Turkey

Step One: Add all of the sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined. Set aside.

Step Two: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the avocado oil and then add the ground turkey. Brown the ground turkey until no longer pink, breaking it up as it cooks.

Step Three: Once the meat has browned add the diced onion, garlic, and bell pepper to the skillet along with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes until the onion is tender and translucent.

Step Four: Next, lower the heat to low and pour in the sloppy Joe sauce. Stir until well combined and let simmer on low for 10-12 minutes. The sauce should thicken a bit as a it simmers.

Step Five: While the sauce is simmering toast the buns. Heat a large skillet or griddle of over medium heat. Add the butter and swirl or push around until melted. Place the buns, cut side down, and toast for 30 seconds until golden brown.

Step Six: Top the toasted brioche buns with the sloppy Joe mixture, pickles, and pickled onions. Serve and enjoy!

How to Serve

There are so many different ways to serve your sloppy joe’s. Here are a few of my favorite topping ideas that you can add to your sandwich:

pickled onions
shredded or sliced cheddar cheese
homemade coleslaw
pickles
sliced white onion
fresh or pickled jalapeños

How to Make Sloppy Joes in the Slow Cooker

Yes! Pull out your slow cooker and make these sloppy joe’s even easier to make. Here’s how:

Brown the ground turkey and veggies on the stovetop.
Transfer the ground turkey mixture to the base of your slow cooker.
Pour the sauce over the ground meat and then stir until well combined.
Cover the mixture and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours.
Toast your buns, pile them with the sloppy Joe mixture, and enjoy!

Recipe Variations

Use ground beef – you can easily swap the ground turkey for ground beef if you prefer. If you do use ground beef, I recommend using leaner variety of ground beef like 93/7.
Change how you serve it – don’t want to use buns? you can swap them for a baked potato instead!
Keep it gluten free – use your favorite gluten free buns if you would like to keep these sandwiches gluten free.
Add a few extra veggies – if you want to sneak some extra veggies into this recipe, go for it! add finely diced carrot, zucchini, or mushrooms if you like.

Make Ahead Tips

Chop the veggies – diced the onion, bell pepper, and even garlic a day in advance before you make the recipe.
Make the sauce – whisk up a batch of the sloppy joe sauce and store it in an air-tight container in the fridge until ready to use.
Make a double batch – save yourself some time later and make a double batch of sloppy Joe! Save half of the mixture and freeze it for later.

Can You Freeze Sloppy Joes?

Yes! You absolutely can freeze this turkey sloppy Joe mixture! Just let the sloppy Joe come to a complete cool and then transfer to an air-tight storage container or freezer safe storage bag. Freeze the mixture for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to use, transfer the mixture to the fridge and let it thaw completely. You can reheat the sloppy Joe on stovetop or in the microwave.

How to Store and Reheat

Store the sloppy Joe in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat on the stovetop in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave for 45 seconds at a time until heated through.

More Delicious Recipes

I hope you give these Ground Turkey Sloppy Joe’s a try! They are so easy to make and delicious! If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below.

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