Root Beer Sloppy Joes

Root Beer Sloppy Joes are a quick, easy kid friendly dinner. Tasty sandwiches slathered in tangy sweet homemade BBQ sauce, topped with crispy fried onions!

We’re back with another mouthwatering Sloppy Joes Recipe to add to your weeknight dinner rotation! The whole family will love this sweet bbq sauce upgrade to Ultimate Sloppy Joes.

ROOT BEER SLOPPY JOES

This is a delicious, family friendly dinner recipe that you (and the kids) won’t be able to get enough of! The sweet and tangy BBQ sauce is so good you’ll want extra on the side to dunk your Joes in. Plus it’s made completely from scratch, with no ketchup, so you can feel good about the kids gobbling it up.

If you’ve never had a soda pop BBQ sauce, these Root Beer Sloppy Joes are about to rock your world! The root beer gives a warm caramel flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. Combined with the savory onions, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce, you get a perfectly balanced mild barbecue Sandwich Recipe the whole family will love.

The homemade Root Beer BBQ Sauce is the best part of these delicious sandwiches! It is easy to make and has so much flavor. That being said, it does take about 45 minutes to prepare so be sure to give yourself the extra time. You can use it as soon as it is done cooking, nice and hot. 

If you know you won’t have extra time to make the BBQ sauce and Root Beer Sloppy Joes at the same time, make the sauce the night before. Or if you are really busy at dinner time (who hasn’t been there), make these Root Beer Sloppy Joes in the slow cooker. You don’t even have to prep the sauce ahead. Simply dump all the ingredients over the browned meat, stir, and dinner is ready when you get home.

Sweet and savory flavors of Root Beer Sloppy Joes go perfectly with sweet potatoes, so serve them with Sweet Potato Fries. For a backyard barbecue style dinner, serve these Root Beer BBQ Sloppy Joes with Coleslaw and Mac and Cheese. Then treat everyone to root beer floats for a fun summery dessert!

MORE DELICIOUS SLOPPY JOES RECIPES

Ultimate Sloppy Joes

Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

Bacon, Beer and Cheese Sloppy Joes

Chicken Bacon Ranch Sloppy Joes

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VARIATIONS ON ROOT BEER SLOPPY JOES

• Pork: Root Beer BBQ Sauce tastes amazing with pork, so substitute 1 pound ground pork for the ground beef. You can also use ground chicken or turkey too.
• Wraps: Hamburger buns aren’t the only way to serve these delicious BBQ Sloppy Joes. Serve them in flour tortillas or lettuce wraps.
• Onions: If you have a little extra time, swap out the canned French’s Fried Onions with these easy homemade Crispy Onion Strings!
• Barbecue Sauce: You can substitute bottled barbecue sauce if you need to. Replace the 1 cup Root Beer BBQ sauce with 1 cup store bought BBQ sauce and 1/2 cup root beer.
• Spicy: If you want Spicy Root Beer BBQ Sloppy Joes, add a can of hot diced green chiles, 1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce, or 1/4 cup of your favorite hot sauce.

Slow Cooker Root Beer Sloppy Joes

• • Brown the ground beef, onions, and bell peppers with salt and pepper in a large skillet until no longer pink.
  • Drain beef and veggie mixture and add to the slow cooker.
  • Add the remaining ingredients, except buns and fried onions, to the crockpot and stir well.
  • If you have not made it ahead, add all the ingredients from Root Beer Barbecue Sauce along with beef broth, tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce.
  • Secure lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
  • For a thicker sauce, cook uncovered on high for an additional 30 minutes.

MORE FUN FAMILY FAVORITE RECIPES

Big Mac Sloppy Joes (w/ Secret Sauce!)

Super Crispy Chicken Tenders

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

Cheesy Taco Pasta

HOW TO STORE ROOT BEER SLOPPY JOES

• Serve: Serve Root Beer Sloppy Joes warm and keep at room temperature for no more than 2 hours.
• Store: Place Root Beer Sloppy Joe mixture, without fried onions or buns, in an airtight container and refrigerator up to 4 days.
• Freeze: Cool the meat mixture completely before freezing Root Beer BBQ Sloppy Joes in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

5 from 3 votes

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Root Beer Sloppy Joes

Root Beer Sloppy Joes are a quick, easy kid friendly dinner. Tasty sandwiches slathered in tangy sweet homemade BBQ sauce, topped with crispy fried onions!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword Root Beer Sloppy Joes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 530 kcal

Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef , 85/15
• 1 yellow onion , diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper , chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes , drained
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup Root Beer BBQ Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup French's Fried Onions
• 6 brioche buns , toasted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. In a large skillet add the beef, onions, green bell peppers, salt and pepper, cooking well, breaking it apart but leaving some chunks for 5-6 minutes.

2. Add in the canned diced tomatoes, beef broth, bbq sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, cooking until the sauce starts to evaporate and the mixture becomes "sloppy", about 5-6 minutes.

3. Spoon the mixture onto the brioche buns and top with French's Fried Onions.

Nutrition Facts

Root Beer Sloppy Joes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 530 Calories from Fat 216

% Daily Value*

Fat 24g37%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Cholesterol 77mg26%

Sodium 1429mg62%

Potassium 717mg20%

Carbohydrates 50g17%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 22g24%

Protein 27g54%

Vitamin A 224IU4%

Vitamin C 17mg21%

Calcium 138mg14%

Iron 5mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.