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Vegan Sloppy Joes

Sharon Palmer

This healthy recipe for Vegan Sloppy Joes is something you and your whole family can feel really good about eating any night of the week. In this recipe, I use black beans as my protein of choice in a classic, flavorful Sloppy Joes recipe. Black beans are packed with not only 10% of your daily protein needs per serving, they contain other beneficial nutrients like fiber, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and phytochemicals, namely anthocyanins—the same health-protective compounds found in blueberries. And the tomatoes in this recipe gives you a lycopene antioxidant boost.

To top it all off, these Sloppy Joes are much lighter in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol (no cholesterol!) compared to traditional meat-rich Sloppy Joes recipes. Plus, this is a super easy, budget-friendly, family-friendly recipe you can get on the table in 20 minutes featuring items from your pantry! You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free buns, too.

Beyond nutrition, I love this classic Vegan Sloppy Joes recipe, because it is bursting with flavor, compliments of the rich sauce filled with tomatoes, spices, onions, bell pepper, vinegar, molasses, and—of course, the black beans.

What to serve with sloppy joes?

I like to serve it on toasted whole grain buns, but it’s also good on rustic whole grain toast, pasta, or simmered whole grains, such as quinoa, brown rice, or sorghum. You can also swap out black beans for a different type of canned pulse in this recipe, such as lentils, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, or pinto beans. And don’t forget those sloppy joes toppings: avocado, cilantro, green onions, plant-based cheese, and more! What goes with sloppy joes? I really like to accompany sloppy joes with a crisp salad or slaw for a balanced meal. It’s great warmed up the next day, too. This recipe will soon be one of your favorite classic meals in your household.

Watch Sharon make this recipe in her Instagram Live Plant-Based Cooking Show here.

Here’s all it take to make these easy, delicious Vegan Sloppy Joes!
Enjoying this recipe at home!
Try serving this recipe with a good cabbage slaw.
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Vegan Sloppy Joes


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  • Author: The Plant-Powered Dietitian
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings  1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This classic Vegan Sloppy Joes recipe is so healthy and easy—based on a few pantry ingredients, including canned beans, you can get this budget-friendly, family-friendly meal on the table in 20 minutes.


Ingredients

Scale

Sloppy Joes Filling:

Buns, Toppings:

  • 6 small whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted
  • Toppings of your choice (optional): i.e., cilantro, parsley, pickles, green onions, sauerkraut, avocado, shredded plant-based cheese, plant-based sour cream, plant-based ranch dressing, cashew cream

Instructions

  1. To Make Sloppy Joes Filling: Heat olive oil in a skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion, bell pepper, and garlic for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, and red chili flakes and sauté for another minute.
  3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans, molasses (or maple syrup), and vinegar to the mixture.
  4. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the mixture is thickened.
  5. While the Sloppy Joes filling is cooking, toast the whole wheat buns until golden brown. Prepare toppings, as desired.
  6. To assemble, pour about 2/3 cup sloppy joe mixture over each bun. Garnish with toppings as desired.
  7. Makes 6 servings (about 2/3 cup Sloppy Joes filling + 1 bun + toppings as desired each)

Notes

May substitute another type of pulse for black beans, such as kidney, pinto, lentils, or chickpeas. May serve over cooked whole grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, farro, or sorghum instead of the bun.

To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free buns.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Entree
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 301
  • Sugar: 11 g
  • Sodium: 263 mg
  • Fat: 4.5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 54 g
  • Fiber: 10 g
  • Protein: 13 g

To look for other easy, plant-based sandwich recipes, check out some of my favorites:

Chipotle Black Bean Burger
Vegan BLTA Sandwich
Double Chickpea Vegetable Pitas
Farro and White Bean Veggie Burgers
Easy Zucchini Tomato Sandwich
Sriracha Sesame Breakfast Tofu Sandwich
Open Face Beet Fennel Sandwich
Toasted Chickpea Sea-Salad Sandwiches

Learn about the health benefits of black beans at The Plant-Powered Dietitian.

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2 thoughts on “Vegan Sloppy Joes

  1. We’ve been making Sloppy Toes (made with tofu) in our house for years. I use well-drained extra firm tofu or a tofu texture hack of freezing the tofu then nuking it in the microwave on high for 5mins for a ‘meaty’ texture. Then cook with my homemade bbq sauce. Ten minutes from fridge to table.

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