Need a quick meal that everyone will love? Turkey Sloppy Joes are a healthier twist on a classic and packed with flavor!

Ground turkey is simmered in a zesty homemade sloppy joe sauce and heaped onto buns for a great weeknight dinner. (Bonus: this meal is ready in about 30 minutes)!

Turkey Sloppy Joes are Quick and Easy

  • Ground turkey is a change from our usual beef sloppy joes, and turkey has less fat and calories but this recipe still packs big flavor.
  • Such a quick and easy recipe to cook –   it’s on the table in under 30 minutes!
  • It’s ideal for a crowd. Make a double batch (or more) and let everyone add their own toppings.

ingredients to make Turkey Sloppy Joes

What’s in Turkey Sloppy Joes?

GROUND TURKEY Ground turkey is lean, delicious, and loaded with protein. It’s easy to substitute any kind of ground meat in this recipe. Or use finely chopped roast turkey leftover from that holiday meal!

SLOPPY JOE SAUCE Homemade Sloppy Joe sauce is delicious and zesty.

A tomato sauce base is boosted with Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and seasonings. If you’d like a little heat, add some dried chili flakes.

VEGETABLES Green pepper, onion, and garlic are the basics add flavor to this recipe. Fresh garlic and onion can be subbed with garlic powder and onion powder if needed.

Add Some Crunch! Sloppy joes are great topped with cilantro lime coleslaw, classic coleslaw, or plain shredded cabbage mix on top for some crunch and zest (and a side of fries of course).

Variations

  • Use ground chicken or beef with this recipe instead, if desired. Lentils are great in sloppy joes too.
  • Stir in a can of Rotel tomatoes, or add in a few jalapenos or chilies for some extra zest!
  • Change up the toppings, try French fried onions, diced onion, chopped fresh cilantro or cheddar cheese.

ingredients in pan to make Turkey Sloppy Joes

How to Make Turkey Sloppy Joes

  1. Brown the ground turkey with onion and garlic. Add green pepper
  2. Stir in sauce ingredients (per the recipe below) and cook until thickened.
  3. Spoon onto hamburger buns with coleslaw and/or other favorite toppings.

PRO TIP: Before topping with the sloppy joe mixture, spread hamburger buns with garlic butter and toast in the oven at 250°F for about 5-10 minutes, or under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.

cooking Turkey Sloppy Joes ingredients

Crockpot Turkey Sloppy Joes

Did you know you can make Sloppy Joes in a slow cooker? Perfect to keep warm for parties or to come home to after practice! (This is best in a small slow cooker).

  1. Brown the turkey with chopped onion and garlic in a skillet until no pink remains (this can be done 48 hours in advance).
  2. Add all other ingredients (found in the recipe below)
  3. Cook on low 6-7 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Serve over hamburger buns, dinner rolls, or even garlic bread, with coleslaw topping if desired.

open faced Turkey Sloppy Joes on a platter

Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Leftovers taste just as good (or better!).

To Freeze Sloppy Joes: Cooled and ladle it into a zippered freezer bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. For the best flavor enjoy within four months.

Favorite Ground Turkey Recipes

Did you enjoy this Turkey Sloppy Joe recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!

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Turkey Sloppy Joes

Ground turkey simmered in a zesty homemade sloppy joe sauce.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4
Author Holly Nilsson
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Ingredients  

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • hamburger buns and coleslaw for serving

Sauce

  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Instructions 

  • Combine turkey, onion, and garlic in large skillet. Cook over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain if needed.
  • Add green pepper and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Add sauce ingredients, stir, and simmer uncovered until thickened, about 5-6 minutes.
  • Spoon over hamburger buns and add coleslaw if desired.

Notes

*Nutrition information does not include bun or toppings
If the ground turkey has a lot of liquid, drain before adding sauce ingredients.
To save time, chop the bell pepper and measure sauce ingredients while the turkey is browning.
To cook in a slow cooker, brown the turkey per the recipe and add along with all sauce ingredients to a 4qt slow cooker. Cook on low 6-7 hours or high 3-4 hours.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze in freezer bags for up to four months.
5 from 34 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 194 | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 570mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 633IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  3. Made this last night following the recipe exactly. It was a huge hit with my husband. He even asked for the leftovers at lunchtime today. This one is a keeper.5 stars

    Reply

  4. Loved this, my old recipe called for a cup of ketchup, way too much sugar. This one is healthier with ground turkey. I only subbed celery for pepper, personal taste, and chopped up a jalapeño to give it a kick.5 stars

    Reply

  5. Hi Holly,
    I made these sloppy Joe’s for us Saturday and didn’t end up using the apple cider vinegar and used the cider vinegar that you called for in your recipe. I made them in the slow cooker. They were amazing!!!!! Thank you so very very much!!! Stephanie:)5 stars

    Reply

  6. Can you substitute the cider vinegar for apple cider vinegar? I am making this recipe tomorrow and was curious as I haven’t made sloppy joes from scratch yet. Thank you as these sloppy Joe’s look very delicious.
    Stephanie:)

    Reply

    1. Apple cider vinegar is often a little sweeter than cider vinegar but it should be fine to swap into this recipe. We’d love to hear how it turns out for you!

      Reply

  7. Thank you for the *fast, super easy* recipe Holly! Our family of 4 enjoyed it very much. I added a little more chili powder, as did another reviewer. Will put it in my regular rotation.5 stars

    Reply

  8. These were delicious – I added a little more chili powder because we like it a little spicy. Served with buns and smoky cheddar. Perfect dinner

    Reply

  9. I’m on a strict anti inflammation diet and reduced lean proteins per my doctor. So I’m always looking at ingredients. The ingredients look safe except brown sugar…thinking of substituting apple sauce. Of course, it is only 1 TBLSP so nothing should happen. We can’t wait to make this recipe. I’ll let you know our “opinion”. Smiles.

    Reply