These Paleo sloppy joes are classic comfort food made without the junk! The sauce is date sweetened to make it Whole30, and it’s quick and easy enough for weeknight dinners. Family approved and makes great leftovers, too! Serve on paleo rolls or on sweet potato “buns”!
Guys, we’re all in for a treat with this one! Who doesn’t love a good sloppy Joe?
Whether you put in on a grain free bun or sweet potato bun, it’s Paleo comfort food ALL THE WAY.
It all starts with the sauce, of course. Since I wanted to really replicate that sloppy joe flavor we all remember from childhood, I got the pickiest eater I could on board to test this one – Adam, AKA my husband.
Just my husband who is the pickiest eater in the house? Anyone else with me here?
What You Need to Make Paleo Sloppy Joes
To make this super-important sauce Whole30 friendly, I used date paste to sweeten it just enough.
You can also use date syrup for a Whole30 option, or maple syrup for paleo.
To balance out the sweetness of the dates, I used raw apple cider vinegar, mustard, tomato paste and sauce, and plenty of yummy spices!
Here’s everything you’ll need to make these sloppy joes:
- date paste or maple syrup
- tomato paste
- tomato sauce,
- apple cider vinegar
- coconut aminos
- mustard
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- smoked paprika
- ground beef
- olive oil
- green bell pepper
- red bell pepper
- Onion and garlic
- sea salt and black pepper
- paleo rolls or sweet potato buns
How to Make Sweet Potato Buns {for Whole30}
You can easily roast up some sweet potato “buns” in the oven in the time it takes to prepare the sloppy Joe mixture. This is a great Whole30 option!
If you don’t need to make this recipe Whole30, you can always use your favorite gluten free buns or make my one bowl hamburger buns.
Use sweet potatoes that are wide in the center so you can cut them into large 3/4″ rounds. I scrub the sweet potatoes for this instead of peeling.
Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle all over with olive oil or avocado oil, then sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you like.
Bake at 425° F for about 20 minutes or until softened and the outsides are starting to caramelize.
I hope you’re ready for an easy dinner that’s you’ll want on repeat in your house!
Grab your ingredients and your favorite skillet because it’s time for dinner – let’s go!
Paleo Sloppy Joes {Whole30 Option}
Paleo Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes {Whole30}
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 15 oz can tomato sauce no salt added
- 3 Tablespoons date paste or syrup OR 2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
Beef mixture:
- 1 lb grass fed ground beef
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 small green bell pepper diced
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
-
In a large bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
-
Heat a large skillet over medium-hight heat and add the oil. Crumble in the beef and sprinkle all over with sea salt and pepper, then stir gently. Add the onions, peppers and garlic and cook until the meat is browned and veggies are softened, then remove from heat. I prefer not to drain liquid/fat but you can do this now if you prefer.
-
Add all of the sauce to the skillet and stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until it begins to bubble, then lower the heat and allow to gently simmer, stirring occasionally (careful not to burn) for 10 minutes or so, then remove from heat.
-
You can also serve the sloppy joes with oven baked sweet potato "buns" or baked sweet potatoes, on gluten free or paleo hamburger buns, or over veggie noodles, spaghetti squash or grain free pasta. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
For sweet potato "buns", use sweet potatoes that are wide in the center so you can cut them into large 3/4" rounds. I scrub the sweet potatoes for this instead of peeling.
Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle all over with olive oil or avocado oil, then sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you like.
Bake at 425° F for about 20 minutes or until softened and the outsides are starting to caramelize.
Nutrition
Want More Paleo and Whole30 dinner ideas? Try One of These!
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
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Favorite comfort food would have to be… mac n’ cheese or nachos or chicken soup! But I also love sloppy joes, and I love that you used dates to sweeten it. Those are such amazing powerhouses of sweetness. 🙂
I’ve never, ever eaten sloppy joes before and every time I look at recipes, I do get turned off by the “junk” that goes into them. However, these look and sound so clean and delicious -and stuffed into sweet potatoes… pass me a plate already! Saving this for when I need quick and easy comfort food!
I think you’ll love it 🙂
These were AWESOME! Best, healthy, fantastic. Sweetened with Dates?!! never would have thought of that. Have been trying to be sugar free, so thank you. Just a great recipe. Everyone in the family loved it.
So happy you enjoyed!
Hi all! I am running through this recipe and wondering why you have both an onion and onion powder? Is this a mistake, do you just like immense onion flavor, or is there reasoning behind this? Thanks in advance for the explanation
Hi! Do I need to use dates? I don’t have a food processor or a vitamix.
Thank you!
To keep it Whole30 and give it some sweetness dates are required, however I’m sure it would still be good without, and if you aren’t concerned with keeping it Whole30 you can use 1-2 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup instead.
if sweetening with honey or maple sugar do I still need the apple cider vinegar?
Yup 🙂
Made this tonight. Delicious!! So happy to have fund your website. I’ve made 3 of your recipes this week. All have been easy and so good.
So happy you enjoyed this and the other recipes – woohoo!
Hey Michele, these look delicious! Just wondering, does the calorie count include the sweet potato or is that just the sloppy joe meat? Thanks!
Hi! It’s both – hope you enjoy!
This recipe is great! Husband eats his over regular baked potatoes, and I eat mine on sweet potatoes!
We love this recipe 🙂
Great recipe that will be enjoyed by the whole family! I’m going to make the sauce ahead of time and keep somein the refrigerator and freezer some. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Hope you all enjoy!
Had zero flavor. Def needs more seasoning
Can you brief me on what coconut aminos are and what purpose do they serve in this recipe? Where can I find them?
No complaints from the four of us. Everyone would eat it again. We top all sloppys with mustard, so maybe next time I’ll add more into the recipe. Great over potatoes.
Delicious recipe!!! Thank you so much, my picky husband&kids Loved it! They got seconds. 🙌🏼
I’ve made this recipe before but it’s written by someone else…? Do you share recipes with anyone else?
Very tasty – left out the beef and it still has great flavor. Perfect to bring to work for lunches. Will make again!
These were SO good!!
I love the sloppy joe stuffed sweet potato recipe! Such a great meal for weeknights. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
These are wonderful! Made them a couple weeks ago and making again tonight. Thank you for another fabulous recipe!
very good. even my husband how is a picky eater loved it.
This is delicious as is! Wondering if I could sub ground turkey when I’m trying to reduce red meat consumption?
Made with the addition of a jalapeno (seeded) and it’s been perfection!
I have been trying to avoid going to the store amid Coronavirus concerns and don’t have dates, but I have date paste in the freezer that I used in your chipotle turkey meatloaf recipe. Do you think I could sub 1/4 cup date paste for the 3 soaked dates in this recipe? Thanks!
This recipe is completely delicious. My seriously picky boys love it! And ask for seconds! Which is completely unheard of! Definitely make it. And double it! You won’t be sorry!
OK, what the??? I have had this recipe for so long, and never tried it. I think because of the blender. But I got an Instant Pot Ace Blender which is amazing…and SO IS THIS RECIPE. I cannot believe how much it reminded me of being a child and having sloppy joe’s when my parents went out to dinner and us kids stayed home. If you have not made this yet what are you waiting for??? It is the BEST sloppy joe recipe out there. Make it! I might be making it again tomorrow…
This is my new fave go-to meal. I was in the middle of my whole 30 program and was looking for a new recipe. I’ve tried your other recipes in the past and LOVED them. I switched to ground turkey as I had eaten red meat the day before. It was great. I used baby potatoes as the bottom base. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! Waaaaay better than traditional Sloppy Joes.
SO FREAKING GOOD! We made this to freeze in preparation for an upcoming camping trip. Seriously, so awesome. Thank you for sharing!
OH MY GOSH SOOOOO GOOD!!!
So good!! My husband and I ate this on baked potatoes and we were both 😍 we kept scooping a little bit more onto our plates because we couldn’t get enough! I used a tomato sauce I had made earlier in the week but I’m sure a canned one would be just as delicious!
This Sloppy Joe recipe is delicious and tastes even better than the real deal. I made the paleo hamburger buns (also incredible) and spooned the filling on those. Traditional and SLOPPY!!! Just what the boys wanted…including dad. Rave reviews by all. Will definitely make again!
For a short-cut I used homemade paleo ketchup (no need for spices or sweetner) in place of the tomato mixture. Served over smashed cauliflower, so good. Really appreciate your recipes.
I enjoyed so much the sloppy joe sweet potato recipe. I made it dozen times and even thought about making the sauce and freezing it so I’d have it on hand. However I can’t find that recipe with the fresh dates soaked in hot water and then blend everything together before putting on the meat. Do you still offer that recipe somewhere?
I’m so bummed you changed the original recipe. It was a family favorite. My bad for not printing it out I guess.
Is there still a link to your original recipe with the dates in the sauce that is made in the blender? This is my kids favorite recipe in the world!
Delicious, no peppers in fridge, added carrots, celery and sweet potato!
Just made it tonight for dinner and it was delicious. I actually skipped the sweetener and it still turned out very good! Thanks for sharing!
SO GOOD!! I will absolutely be making this again! I love it top on the slices of roasted sweet potato. YUM YUM YUM!
I made these tonight. It was delicious! I will make a double batch next time.
This recipe was great! I added riced cauliflower and chicken liver for extra nutritional value. I served them with your Paleo Hamburger Buns. My family loved it!
I have had this recipe saved in my Pinterest account for a couple of years because it is one of our favorites and I don’t want to print out recipes anymore, but I evidently have not made it for a while because you switched up and now say to use date paste. The old instruction called for us to soak dates in hot water and then process them for a while in the food processor.
Would it be possible for you to have those instructions included, also, so that I don’t have to make a boatload of date paste when I really only use it for this recipe?
Thanks!
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Really delish! I added about 1/4 ts of Liquid Smoke to this already yummy recipe. 😋
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A little too much tomato flavor but my husband LOVED it.
I love a great sauce served with bread.
I just made this recipe today and the meal turned out amazing. The recipe was very easy to follow and I liked that you added some helpful tips.
This recipe is excellent ! It reminds me of the poblano soup at one my favorite restaurants. Thank you so much for sharing it ! 🙂
OMG SO delicious!!! Luckily I had a package of the Mexican queso from Costco, YUM!!! After painstakingly peeling the peppers I googled it and discovered
canned green chilies ARE poblano peppers!! I can throw this together now in literally 15 minutes!!! I’m quite sure the fresh will taste a bit better, but for the easy and quick version, use I will use canned!!
These are wonderful! My family loved it!
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Hello!
Did you change this recipe? I’ve been making it for several years and this last time I noticed some things had changed and it wasn’t as thick and flavorful as it used to be. Or am I going crazy?
The author of this article does not seem to be responding to comments anymore. I commented in May of 2022 about a change in the recipe (it changed from us making the date paste from soaking dates in hot water to using date paste). She has not responded. For me, that was the only major difference that I found.
Not very helpful for you. sorry.
Did you change this recipe?
I have made this recipe many times over the last couple of years. Always make a double-batch but cut the syrup in half. I also caramelize peppers and onions for a good 40 minutes, adding back some of the sugars. Great comfort food.
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Wasn’t a big fan. Tasted like tomato sauce
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So darn good!!! Love this recipe, thank you!!
Was making your previous version of this recipe, but this new updated one is even better!
Excellent sloppy Joe recipe, and healthy. I use honey for the sweetener.
Your prep time says 10 min and cook time is 20 min but total time is 1 hour 30. Am I missing something?
Love it.
Do you think it would work to dump everything in a crockpot? If so, how long would you say to cook it?
This was great! Everyone loved it!
I learned something new from your blog. Thanks! Solar
Yes, it has been updated. I first made this recipe Jan 2022 – added a post to FB pg. Looking at my printed recipe copy and the ingredients are not the same. Think I’ll compare the two and make necessary adjustments to create a new version.