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Lentil Sloppy Joes are the meatless sloppy joe recipe everyone can agree upon! Made in the crockpot, this recipe for vegan sloppy joes comes together with ease!
Looking for more lentil recipes? You will love Instant Pot Lentil Soup, Easy Lentil Tacos, and Lentil Meatballs.
The Easiest Vegan Sloppy Joe Recipe
When I told my husband Vegan Sloppy Joes were on the Menu, he was not excited. He loves my traditional Sloppy Joe recipe, but he was a bit hesitant to try out a Sloppy Joe made with lentils.
The verdict?! He ate 3!!! That is what we call success at our house!
Made with lentils and a rich and tangy sloppy joe sauce, these crockpot vegan sloppy joes have a hearty, meaty texture, while being high in plant protein and fiber. But more importantly, they are super delicious and couldn't be easier to make!
Ingredients at a Glance
- Lentils: For a hearty texture, use brown or green dry lentils, not red or yellow lentils.
- Onions + Peppers: A yellow onion and red bell pepper help to develop the traditional flavors you know and love in sloppy joes.
- Sloppy Joe Sauce: Made with tomato sauce, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and maple syrup, this vegan sloppy joe sauce is sweet, tangy, and tomato forward--just like Manwhich, but better! Replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos to keep this vegan sloppy joe recipe gluten-free as well!
- Vegetable Broth: Along with the sloppy joe sauce, you need a bit of thin liquid to cook and soften the lentils. For added flavor, this recipe calls for vegetable broth over using simply water.
How to Make Crockpot Lentil Sloppy Joes
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Combine. Slow Cook. Serve. No sautéing and no need to babysit. It doesn't get much easier than this recipe for Slow Cooker Lentil Sloppy Joes.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Lentil Sloppy Joes on whole wheat buns, gluten-free buns, or ditch the bun and serve the mixture over an Instant Pot Sweet Potato or Instant Pot Baked Potato. If you are not dairy-free or vegan, adding sliced cheddar is a nice touch as well.
∗Stovetop Lentil Sloppy Joes ∗
No time to make these vegan-friendly sloppy joes in the crockpot? Use the stove!
- In a large saucepan, sauté onions and peppers in 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil.
- Add the rinsed lentils and 3 cups vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and then simmer the lentils for 15-20 minutes, or until tender.
- Once the lentils are cooked, add the tomato sauce, minced garlic, tomato paste, maple syrup, soy sauce, and red wine vinegar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring often for the flavors to develop.
More Plant-Based Favorite Recipes
Looking for more affordable plant-based meals? Be sure to browse all my Cheap & Easy Vegan Dinner Recipes, or check out a few of our favorites below.
- Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chili
- Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
- Vegetarian Fajitas
- Easy Butternut Squash Curry
- Vegetarian Tikka Masala
If you enjoyed these lentil sloppy joes, I would love for you to leave a review and comment below.
Lentil Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried green or brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 (8 ounce can) tomato sauce
- 1 (6 ounce can) tomato paste
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 1 small red or yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Buns for serving
Instructions
- In the base of a large slow cooker, combine 1 cup lentils, 2 cups of vegetable broth, 8 ounces tomato sauce, 6 ounces tomato paste, 1 minced onion, 1 diced bell pepper, ½ tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and set to cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
- After slow cooking, stir the lentils into the sauce again. If needed, leave the lid off the slow cooker for 5 minutes to thicken up (I typically don't find this necessary).
- Serve serve the lentil sloppy joe mixture on buns or as desired.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally shared in 2018 and updated in 2024 with new photos.
Can you use your instant pot?
Hi Shelly! That is a great question and I have been meaning to try this recipe in the pressure cooker. Lentils need 10 minutes to cook on high pressure, but because this recipe is high in tomato products, it may get a burn notice if cooked directly in the inner pot. Definitely something to experiment with! I know for sure you can do pot in pot, but you may need to cut the recipe in half to fit inside an 8 cup oven safe dish. If you decide to try pot in pot, mix ingredients in oven safe dish and then pour in 1 cup water (or 1 1/2 cups if using 8 quart pressure cooker) in bottom of inner pot and then place trivet in pressure cooker. Cook on high for 10 minutes and do a natural release. Hope that helps!
Have you tried this in an instant pot yet? I'm curious to know how it turned out.
Hi Sheila! I have not tried this recipe in the Instant Pot, it would need a lot of extra liquid and the thick sauce may cause a burn notice. Personally, I don't think this is the best suited for cooking in the Instant pot. Sorry!
I have made this in the crock pot before and it turned out great! I tried it in the instant pot today but on the slow cooker setting and it just isn’t hot enough. I ended up needing to move it over to the crock pot after four hours on high. I didn’t do it as a pressure cooker but just wanted to say don’t use your instant pot as a crock pot for this one!
Hi Laura! I am happy you enjoyed the sloppy joes. Here are my directions for using your Instant Pot as a slow cooker, as the results are not the same, as you figured out. Low is like keep warm, and normal is like low on the instant pot slow cooker function.
What would be a good replacement for the beer in the recipe? I don't have any handy.... broth? water? Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Thanks Chrissy! Apple Juice or cider would be the best substitute for sloppy joes and cut back on sugar by a bit. But you can use broth just as well. Water is fine, but won't impart as much flavor 🙂
This is definitely one I'm going to try when I get a new slow-cooker! I love the idea of lentils and still get my protein! Plus it is very cost friendly! Fun too! Thanks for sharing with Saucy Saturdays!
Super cost friendly. I hope you love your new slow cooker!
I had no idea these were similar consistencies! These look delicious and I'm not a big sloppy joe fan but I may need to try these!
You do need to try these! My bet is you will love them!
Fantastic idea for easy dinner! I, too, have those "crazy afternoons" and this looks like a great vegan choice for the family. Who can say no to sloppy Joe, right?
No one can say no 🙂
I will definitely be giving these sloppy joes a try! I am looking for new way to cook with lentils because they are something my doctor has encouraged me to eat but I never seem to cook them right. These look amazing though so hopefully this can be a new go-to!
You must try this! It is about the best way to eat lentils out there (and add a bit of cheese to help too...)
We are a sloppy-joe eating family & it has always become our go-to meal on busy nights. I'd never had thought of using lentils instead of meat. I love lentils & I bet my family will too when I try this recipe. Looks delicious! Great post! 🙂
Thanks Tiffani. Lentils are not only good for you but good for the budget!