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Lentil Sloppy Joes are a delicious plant-based and veggie-packed take on a classic sloppy joe. This easy vegan recipe is ready in just 30 minutes and in one pot!
This recipe has been a staple of mine for quite some time!
While I’ve tried making sloppy joes with vegan beef crumbles, my favorite version has always been with lentils!
These vegan sloppy joes are also packed with onion, garlic, bell pepper, and carrots for a little extra veggie goodness.
And when I’m feeling a little fancy, I like to serve my sloppy joes with a French baguette, vegan coleslaw, and sweet potato fries!
Ingredients
You will need these simple ingredients to make vegan sloppy joes:
- Lentils are key to making plant-based sloppy joes! I tested this recipe with red and brown lentils; both taste great! Green lentils take a bit longer to cook but should also work. For a “meatier” sloppy joe, you could also use vegan ground beef crumbles or TVP.
- Onion and Garlic are major flavor boosters for sloppy joes. They also add some texture to the sauce.
- Red Bell Pepper and Carrots add flavor and texture but are optional if you want more of a classic sloppy joe. But if you want even more veggies, you could add finely chopped mushrooms!
- Sloppy Joe Sauce brings together the entire recipe! I use a combination of tomato sauce, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, and ground cumin for the sauce.
- Hamburger Buns or French Bread make for an extra tasty sandwich.
Please refer to the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and detailed instructions.
How to Make Lentil Sloppy Joes
Here’s a step-by-step guide to making the best vegan sloppy joes with lentils:
1. Cook lentils until tender and then drain.
2. Saute onion, garlic, carrot, and bell pepper.
3. Add sloppy joe sauce and simmer.
4. Add lentils and finish cooking!
Top Tips
Adjust the Sauciness! I like to cook an entire 14-oz package of dry lentils and then add them to the sauce. This way, I can add fewer lentils if I want a saucier (and I daresay sloppier) sloppy joe, and vice versa for a less saucy one.
Adjust the Spice! These sloppy joes aren’t too spicy, so if you’re looking for a little extra heat, double the amount of chili powder and add some hot sauce or chopped jalapeño.
Have Fun Serving! Get creative with how you serve your sloppy joes! You could top them with vegan coleslaw, add them to stuffed peppers, or pile them on potato nachos. Some BBQ tofu bites are also great alongside if you're having a cookout!
Storage
Sloppy Joes made with lentils typically last 4 to 5 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. For longer storage, freeze leftover sloppy joes for up to a month.
To reheat, microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, or gently heat them on the stovetop until warmed.
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📖 Recipe
Lentil Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
Lentils
- 1 ½ cups dry brown or red lentils see notes
- 3 ⅓ cups vegetable broth
Sloppy Joe Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 16 ounces tomato sauce two 8-oz cans
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
For Serving
- hamburger bun or baguette, lettuce wrap
Instructions
Cook the Lentils
- Rinse dry lentils with cold water and sort through them to remove any bad pieces.
- Bring the vegetable broth to a boil.
- Add the lentils and bring them to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer the lentils uncovered for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The lentils should be tender.
- Drain the lentils and place them in the bowl where you plan to store leftover sloppy joes.
Prepare the Sloppy Joes
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in the same pot you cooked the lentils in.
- Add chopped onions, garlic, pepper, carrot, and sauté for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened and starting to brown.
- Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar to the pan and stir to combine.
- Simmer the sloppy joe sauce for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in lentils and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Spoon over bread choice and enjoy!
Notes
- Dry Lentil to Cooked Lentil Conversion - In my experience, a cup of dry lentils yields about 2 ½ cups of cooked lentils. So, if you have precooked or canned lentils you will need 3 ½ cups.
- Adjust the Sauciness - I like to cook an entire 14-oz package of dry lentils and then add them to the sauce. This way, I can add fewer lentils if I want a saucier (and I daresay sloppier) sloppy joe, and vice versa for a less saucy one.
- Finely Chop Everything - To help the onion, garlic, carrot, and bell pepper blend seamlessly into the sauce but still give a little crunch, chop it very finely. If you don’t want any texture, use an immersion blender to make the sauce chunk-free, but still get all the flavors.
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