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I have to admit, sloppy joes always take me back to school lunch days — but this version is way better than anything from a cafeteria tray. My keto sloppy joes are sweet, saucy, smoky, and totally satisfying… all without any sugar. I tested the recipe on my kids and a few picky eaters (you know the type), and they all cleaned their plates. It’s one of those dinners that feels nostalgic, but actually tastes amazing. Make them with me!
Why You Need My Keto Sloppy Joes Recipe
- Tastes like the real deal – Thanks to Besti Brown, it has that deep, sweet brown sugar flavor that gives regular sloppy joes their signature taste — and honestly, it reminds me a lot of my keto pork chops (in the best way!).
- Thick and saucy – I tweaked the ingredients until the meat was perfectly saucy without being watery — thick enough to pile high on a bun and not fall apart.
- Simple Ingredients – Nothing fancy here — just everyday staples you probably already have. No obscure sauces or specialty items required.
- Fast and easy – These low carb sloppy joes come together in one pan and about 20 minutes. On busy nights, this is one of my favorite go-to keto dinners.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my healthy sloppy joes recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Ground beef – I usually make these with ground beef, but ground pork or ground turkey work great too if that’s what you have. Just use whatever you like best — I’ve tried them all and they still turn out delicious.
- Sugar-Free Ketchup – I like to make my own to keep the ingredients super clean, but store-bought works too! Just double-check the label — you’ll want one that’s sugar-free and has 2g net carbs or less per serving.
- Besti Brown Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – I really recommend using Besti Brown here — it has that rich brown sugar flavor and blends so smoothly into the sauce. I’ve tested other brown or golden sweeteners, and honestly, they just don’t melt in the same way or taste as deep. If you have to use something else, go for a powdered sweetener to keep the texture right, but just know it won’t have quite the same flavor. You can always check my keto sweetener guide if you need help picking one.
- Yellow Mustard – I add a splash of yellow mustard for a little tang to balance the sweetness — it gives the sauce that classic sloppy joe flavor. If you don’t have any, Dijon or spicy brown mustard will work too, just know they’ll add a bit more bite.
- Spices – I used garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder to give the keto sloppy joes a smoky, savory kick. You can swap chili powder for paprika or add cayenne for heat.
- Sea Salt
- Water
VARIATION: Want it chunkier?
If you like your sloppy joes with more texture, try adding some diced tomatoes and bell peppers when you cook the beef. It gives the sauce a heartier feel and adds a little extra flavor and color to every bite.
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How To Make Keto Sloppy Joes
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Brown the beef. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Season it with a little salt and cook, breaking it apart as you go, until it’s nicely browned.
- Make the sauce. Stir in the ketchup, a splash of water, sweetener, mustard, and all the spices.
- Simmer & thicken. Let it bubble for a bit, then turn the heat down and let it simmer until the sauce thickens up. Enjoy your keto sloppy joes on bun or in a lettuce wrap!
My Recipe Tips
- Make the buns first (if you’re using them). If you’re making my keto buns, start with those since they take the longest. I’ve made the mistake of timing it wrong and ended up with cold meat and warm buns — not ideal. 😅
- Nonstick skillet = less mess. I love using this nonstick fry pan for this recipe. It makes cleanup easy and the beef browns evenly without sticking.
- I recommend using a meat chopper. This one breaks up the beef perfectly so you don’t end up with a mix of big chunks and tiny bits — just the even, crumbled texture you want in a sloppy joe.
- Don’t rush the simmering step! Letting the sauce reduce a bit helps it cling to the meat better and keeps it from being too runny.
- I always give the sloppy joe mixture a taste at the end. If it’s not sweet enough, I just add a little more Besti Brown and stir until it melts in. If it’s too sweet, a splash of mustard helps balance it out. It’s all about finding the flavor that works for you!
- Double the batch for meal prep. These reheat so well. I often double it and use the leftovers in lettuce wraps, over roasted veggies, or even stuffed into keto cabbage rolls.
Serving Ideas
Wondering what to serve with this keto sloppy joe recipe? Here are some of my favorite sides to round out the meal:
- Buns – I used my keto hot dog buns shaped like burgers for this, but my keto hamburger buns work just as well if you want that classic look.
- Salads – I usually serve these with my keto coleslaw — it’s great on the side or piled right on top. Cauliflower potato salad also makes a super easy, refreshing match.
- Starches – Cauliflower mac and cheese adds a creamy contrast to the smoky meat, but sometimes I go full burger mode with rutabaga fries or mashed cauliflower instead.
- Veggies – Air fryer brussels sprouts add the perfect crispy contrast, and if I have extra sauce, I love soaking it up with a side of sauteed cabbage.
Keto Sloppy Joes
By
My keto sloppy joes are saucy, sweet, and super easy to make — all the flavor you love, without the sugar or carbs.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Optional step: If you want the buns pictured, make this keto hot dog bun recipe in burger shapes. (Do this first as it takes the longest.)
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Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef. Season with salt. Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, for 8-10 minutes, until browned.
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Stir in sugar-free ketchup, water, Besti Brown Sweetener, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder.
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Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until thickened. Adjust sweetener to taste if desired.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 lb beef, or 1/4 entire recipe
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you avoid soggy buns, get that perfect saucy texture, and make dinner even easier (and tastier) the next day.
- Store: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge — they’ll stay good for 2–3 days.
- Meal prep: This is one of those recipes that gets even better the next day. I like to make a full batch (or double it!) and keep extras in the fridge or freezer for easy meals later.
- Reheat: Warm in the microwave or a hot skillet until heated through.
- Freeze: Let it cool, then stash it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. I thaw it in the fridge overnight when I’m ready to use it.
- Note on nutrition info: I use my homemade sugar-free ketchup in these keto sloppy joes, which has just 2g net carbs per serving. If you’re using a different brand, the carb count might vary a bit.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Keto Freezer Meal System!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Keto Sloppy Joes
86 Comments
Jan
0The BESTI Brown Keto Sweetener has been out of stock for a bit. Is there something else I can use to make this recipe?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jan, Besti Brown is now in stock with limited quantities available.
Gina
0EXCELLENT! I can always gauge a recipe by how my family responds to it. Two thumbs up!
I did use SWERVE brown sugar (still 2 tbls). Also, I use 2 lbs. of ground beef but there’s enough sauce from the 1lb recipe. I don’t have to double it.
Emily Garrett
0Does the recipe account for the roll or is it just the amount of Ketchup that is making the carbs that high?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Emily, This recipe is just for the sloppy joe filling, it does not include the nutrition from keto burger buns. Yes, the carb count comes mostly from the ketchup. Tomatoes are naturally sweet, so even sugar-free ketchup will have carbs.
Melanie
0This is such a good recipe! I use an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce (no sugar in the brand I use) instead of sugar free ketchup. It tastes almost like ketchup and it’s less expensive, and lets me save my ketchup for hot dogs and burgers. The Besti Brown Sweetener, which I bought specifically to use for this recipe is perfect for it. It smells and tastes just like real brown sugar. The sloppy joes taste so yummy!
Debby
0I did not care for it. Too much brown sugar.i followed recipe to a T. Ended up adding more ketchup, mustard and onion powder. I wint make again. Ty
Phyllis Dufrene
0Love love love. By far the best Keto sloppy joe recipe I have cooked to date. Delish.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Debby, Sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as expected. Feel free to scale back or omit the brown sweetener if the recipe was too sweet.
Phyllis Dufrene
0Debbie. I’m wondering what kind of SF ketchup you used. I made sloppy Joe’s one time and used Heinz SF and it tasted awful, way too sweet. Most ketchups put artificial sweeteners, like Sucralose, in it. I now use a keto ketchup and it comes out great.
Larry
0This recipe was delicious. I didn’t change one thing with this other then I used ground turkey. I can’t wait to make it again.
Teri
0How would it be without ketchup? What would be a good substitute that would give it some sweetness but more savory than sweet? ALSO tomatoey?
Melanie
0I used an 8 ounce can of Hunts Tomato Sauce in my batch and it tastes almost like ketchup right out of the can. The ingredients just show tomato paste, water, salt , onion powder, garlic powder, and red pepper.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Teri, I don’t recommend skipping the ketchup in this recipe. The ketchup provides a lot of flavor to this recipe. If you don’t have sugar-free ketchup on hand, you can try using a small amount of tomato paste and water, or canned tomato sauce. Just double-check the canned tomatoes don’t have any added sugars.
Teri
0Thanks. I am not a cook so would you be able to recommend quantities of tomato paste/sauce? Appreciate it
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Teri, Here is a recipe for Sugar-Free Ketchup. It will include the amounts you are looking for, even if just wanting to use tomato paste. This will just take a few minutes to whip up, then you can add it to your Sloppy Joes recipe.
Eileen J Turner
0I enjoyed this recipe very much. It was delicious. My husband even commented to me, “Is this really sugar-free?” I also made the keto fathead rolls. What a great combination. Give it a try!
Elaine
0This was the first time trying a Keto/low carb sloppy joe recipe. It is super good. I used Swerve brown sugar as that is what I had. I used Heinz sugar free catsup. Thank you for the receipe that I will me making for many years to come.
Melanie
0Delicious!! Me and my hubby both loved it!
Melanie Adair
0This is so good! It really nails the flavor of sloppy joes. I ladled it over a cheddar almond flour chaffle, and it was so satisfying!
Rayna Jenkins
0I haven’t had a sloppy joe in years. Stumbled across this recipe & sure glad I did. My husband, who is not keto loved it as much as I did. Told me to keep the recipe around for future dinners! Thanks for sharing.
Whitney
0I tweaked this recipe a little to make it vegan and used canned crushed tomatoes instead of ketchup- it was STILL delicious so I can’t imagine how much better the unmodified recipe is! Yummm.
Coralie
0Really good!!!! I added onions, bacon bits. The buns are also good.
Thanks for the recipe
Wanda
0Sloppy Joes is one of those recipes I totally forget about! This recipe looks so flavourful and delicious, yum!
Renee
0So many amazing keto options available now! Sloppy Joes are just too good to give up!
Angela
0This is a great recipe. I love that with just a little tweaking a regular recipe can be low carb!
Stephanie
0Yum! I haven’t had a sloppy joe in so long. It was definitely time to introduce them to my boys and they loved it!
Cindy
0This was so delicious. I made it today! It was approved by my entire family! I am adding it to the rotation! YUMMMM