Mouthwatering, delicious vegan sloppy joes are the perfect addition to your vegan sandwich collection! Look no further to satisfy your craving for comfort food, with a healthy, vegan twist.
Juicy, messy, but oh so delicious, sloppy joes have been a welcome classic that has both satisfied and brought many smiles to generations of hungry crowds.
Who can say no to the savory goodness of a warm, toasted sandwich? To update this old-fashioned dish, I gave it a makeover to make it a whole lot healthier and happier.
All without losing its yummy sloppy joe charm.
What I love the most about this vegetarian sloppy joe recipe is that not only is it a fantastic option for a quick and healthy meal, but it is also incredibly easy to make.
Another great thing about this meal is that it’s a creative way of thinking about vegan sandwiches.
Too often they can be thought of as bland or dry, but not so with these vegetarian sloppy joes! No one should have to experience a sandwich rut, so spice up your menu with the best vegan sloppy joe you’ll ever have!
If you are looking for more vegan sandwich recipes, make sure to check my Mediterranean vegan bagels, pearl couscous salad, vegan BLT tempeh sandwich and vegan pulled jackfruit sandwich. that are all part of my best vegan sandwiches collection.
Why This Recipe Works
These vegan sloppy joes are:
- 100% plant-based
- quick (30 minutes from scratch!)
- smoky
- savory
- rich
- satisfying
- filling
- easy
- naturally sweetened
- nutritious
- comforting
- budget-friendly
- freezable
- meal prep friendly
What are Vegan Sloppy Joes Made Of?
By replacing the typical ground beef with my favorite tempeh vegan meat recipe, this vegan sloppy joe recipe becomes an instant success.
Just like seitan is great for vegan buffalo wings, tempeh makes a great ground beef substitute for vegans thanks to its texture and soaking abilities.
It absorbs flavor and has the perfect amount of crumble and chewiness that makes it is as close as you can get to the real thing.
Marinara sauce, smoked paprika and a handful of other ingredients paired with the very nutritious, fiber and protein-rich tempeh create a tantalizing smoky, rich, savory flavor.
Serve this medley of goodness on your favorite toasted bun and enjoy the very best tempeh sloppy joe.
Here is the list of ingredients you’ll need for these vegan sloppy joes:
- onion
- bell pepper
- jalapeño
- garlic
- scallions
- tempeh
- marinara sauce
- apple cider vinegar
- maple syrup mustard
- smoked paprika
- garlic powder
- hamburger buns
- lettuce
How to Make Vegan Sloppy Joes
To make this vegan sloppy joe recipe you will first need this tempeh vegan meat recipe.
Start off by heating olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ½ cup of diced onion and 1 cup of diced bell pepper.
Let this mixture sautée for about one to two minutes.
Next add jalapeño, garlic and scallions and cook for another minute.
Finally, add your crumbled tempeh, water, marinara sauce, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, smoked paprika and garlic powder.
Cook for another 10 minutes, or until the water is mostly absorbed. Stir occasionally and enjoy the fragrance.
Season to your liking with salt and pepper.
Grab your favorite type of bun, toast it, and serve it with hot sloppy joe filling. Top with lettuce, sliced onions and jalapeños for an extra kick of spiciness. Enjoy!
How to Serve Vegan Sloppy Joes
Traditional sloppy joes are served in a toasted burger bun. I recommend adding sliced onions, lettuce and jalapeños.
Other options include sliced pickles, coleslaw or a slice of vegan cheddar.
You can also serve these vegan sloppy joes open faced on a slice of bread.
What sides to serve with vegetarian sloppy joes? Here are some vegan-friendly ideas:
Cook’s Tips
- To make the recipe even quicker, use a grinder to grind tempeh instead of crumbling it with your fingers.
- If there are any leftovers, they will keep well in the fridge for up to three days.
- Freeze this vegan sloppy joe filling for up to three months in your freezer.
- Perfect for batch cooking. Make a larger batch and freeze what you don’t eat for an even quicker meal in the future.
- To reheat, microwave or warm slowly on the stove. All you need to do is add a little water to restore the consistency.
- For more creative recipe ideas check these 20 best tempeh recipes.
Recipe Variations
- Instead of eating vegetarian sloppy joes two days in a row, throw the filling in my favorite slow cooker vegan chili recipe.
- Cut down on jalapeño to make your sloppy joes less spicy.
- Use whole grain, gluten-free hamburger buns, ciabatta rolls or sliced bread as an alternative to normal buns.
- You can skip sliced raw onions if they taste too overpowering to you.
Make sure to check the recipe video and the vegan sloppy joes recipe below for instructions. If you can’t see the video, disable your AdBlock by clicking on the AdBlock button and selecting Don’t run on this page.
If you like this recipe, please give it a 5-star rating! That means a lot to me!
Make sure to check my ultimate guide on how to cook tempeh that I put together and discover more delicious ways to cook tempeh!
Perfect Vegan Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- ½ jalapeño finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 sprigs scallions chopped
- 7 oz tempeh crumbled
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 ½ cup marinara sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the vegan sloppy joes:
- 4 hamburger buns toasted
- 1 red onion sliced
- ½ jalapeño sliced, optional
- 8 lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Heat olive oil a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and bell pepper and sautée for one or two minutes, then add jalapeño, garlic and scallions. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Add crumbled tempeh, water, marinara sauce, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, smoked paprika and garlic powder. Let cook for 10 more minutes or until water is mostly adsorbed, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the sloppy joes filling over toasted hamburger buns with lettuce, sliced onions and jalapeño for extra spiciness.
Notes
Cook’s Tips
- To make the recipe even quicker, use a grinder to grind tempeh instead of crumbling it with your fingers.
- If there are any leftovers, they will keep well in the fridge for up to three days.
- Freeze this vegan sloppy joe filling for up to three months in your freezer.
- Perfect for batch cooking. Make a larger batch and freeze what you don’t eat for an even quicker meal in the future.
- To reheat, microwave or warm slowly on the stove. All you need to do is add a little water to restore the consistency.
- For more creative recipe ideas check these 20 best tempeh recipes.
Recipe Variations
- Instead of eating vegetarian sloppy joes two days in a row, throw the filling in my favorite slow cooker vegan chili recipe.
- Cut down on jalapeño to make your sloppy joes less spicy.
- Use whole grain, gluten-free hamburger buns, ciabatta rolls or sliced bread as an alternative to normal buns.
- You can skip sliced raw onions if they taste too overpowering to you.
Tamara
Monday 15th of November 2021
Great recipe. Love the sight nuttiness from the tempeh.
Elena Szeliga
Monday 15th of November 2021
@Tamara, I'm so happy you enjoyed them! Thank for your feedback!
Katrina
Sunday 17th of October 2021
These were great and filling. A great use of Tempeh. I added extra mustard to mine. I would recommend!
Elena Szeliga
Sunday 17th of October 2021
Thanks so much for your feedback, Katrina! :)
Natalie
Monday 12th of August 2019
Can't believe this sloppy joes is vegan. Looks so good. So delicious. I never tried vegan version so now I definitely must give it a go. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Elena Szeliga
Wednesday 14th of August 2019
You'll love it, Natalie! Thanks so much!
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
Monday 12th of August 2019
These sloppy joes look absolutely delicious. I never would have realized they were vegan just by looking at the photos. I'll definitely have to give these a try.
Elena Szeliga
Monday 12th of August 2019
Thank you, Claire! They were so good, you won't regret it ;)
Sharon
Monday 12th of August 2019
What a wonderful recipe to have on hand for visitors who are vegan, or just watching their meat consumption.
Elena Szeliga
Monday 12th of August 2019
Thank you, Sharon!