These easy low carb Sloppy Joes are a great weeknight dinner for the whole family. You can mix them up in little time and can eat them with these cheesy low carb waffles as bread! An easy and fun low carb family dinner!
You might also love these low carb stuffed pizza burgers!
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I know this might sound strange but I have never had a Sloppy Joe. It’s not something my mom made or that I remember ever eating. However, it has always looked good to me and thought my son would love it. So I made my low carb Sloppy Joes for my family and I placed them on top of my low carb cheese waffles. Delicious! This goes on my go-to quick dinner list.
Other Tasty low carb ground beef recipes
Ground beef is inexpensive and very versatile so I use it a lot. Here are few of my favorite ground beef recipes:
- low carb meatballs: you can use breadcrumbs or parmesan cheese instead of breadcrumbs – Mongolian beef meatballs, meatball stroganoff, gyro flavored meatballs and Middle Eastern meatballs
- stuff vegetables with it: such as mushrooms, peppers, portobellos, zucchini or eggplant
- use on salads – crumble, brown and add steak seasoning for a burger like topping – Big Mac salad, bacon blue cheese burger salad, taco Cobb salad
- meatloaf – Mexican chili meatloaf, meatloaf stuffed portobellos
- make it into bagels or crackers (yes bagels & crackers) – gyro bagel burgers and gyro meat crackers (I like that gyro taste!)
- of course burgers: cheddar stuffed taco burgers, burgers with mushrooms & gruyere, cheese stuffed pizza burgers
Low carbs Sloppy Joes taste great right from the pan!
Are sloppy joes low carb?
Obviously I have made this recipe low carb so yes they can be low carb. However traditional sloppy joes are not because they can use ketchup or tomato sauce and brown sugar which are high in carbs. And then there is the bun which you serve it on.
So all you have to do is tackle those 3 obstacles and you have a low carb Sloppy Joe sandwich! I used tomato paste which is very concentrated and Swerve brown sugar which is a new product for me and I love it!
To make Sloppy Joes low carb, use sugar substitutes for the brown sugar and tomato paste instead of ketchup or tomato sauce.
Low carb sloppy Joe recipe
This is a simple recipe you can make in under 20 minutes. You start by browning the meat and peppers. Meanwhile mix the rest of the ingredients to make the sauce. Once the meat is no longer pink, pour over the sauce and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. That’s it!
I like to eat my Sloppy Joes on 1 cheese waffle instead of two. I think 2 might be pushing the sloppy aspect. 🙂
Can you eat sloppy joes without bread?
Of course you can. These taste delicious as is. You can also eat them on some cauliflower rice or with zucchini noodles. However I highly suggest these low carb savory waffles pictured below.
I use them as hamburger buns too. You can find the low carb waffle recipe in this post and it’s only requires a few ingredients such as eggs, cauliflower and cheese. A set of two small waffles has 1.6g net carbs so they make great buns! I only use 1 though and eat this with a fork. They are not called Sloppy Joes for nothing. 🙂
I use these simple cheese waffles instead of buns.
I hope you like these low carb Sloppy Joes and that they become a family favorite for you because they are so easy to make. If you are looking for a non-low carb recipe, check out my friend Arlene’s Crock Pot Sloppy Joes.
The nutritional information for 1 serving of the meat is:
239 cals / 14g fat / 5.5g carbs / 1.1g fiber / 21.1g protein = 4.4g net carbs
The nutrition for 2 waffles (1 bun) is:
165 cals / 12.3g fat / 2g carbs / 0.4g fiber / 11.8g protein = 1.6g net carbs
Easy Low Carb Sloppy Joes with Waffle Bread
These easy low carb sloppy joes are a great weeknight dinner for the whole family. You can mix them up in little time and can eat them with these cheesy low carb waffles as bread! An easy and fun low carb family dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon mustard dijon
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 cup peppers, diced
- 7 tablespoons paste
- 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Swerve brown sugar**
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
Instructions
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In a large saute pan, add the oil, peppers and ground beef. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if you wish.
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While that is browning, mix together the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
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Once the meat is no longer pink, pour over sauce and let simmer for 10 minutes until the peppers are completely soft and the sauce has thickened.
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While the mixture is simmering, make your low carb cheese waffle buns (recipe here) and set aside.
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Top 1 waffle with the meat mixture and serve.
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***NOTE *** I used Swerve brown sugar. It has zero net carbs according to it's packaging so I did not include it in the calculations. They state on the package " The ingredients in Swerve do no affect blood sugar so the carbohydrates it contains are considered non-impact." The nutritional information states 1 teaspoon has 0 cals but 4g carbs all of which are made from erythritol which is a sugar alcohol and doesn't effect blood sugar.
April
I have swerve regular and monkfruit, but not swerve brown sugar. Would it mess the flavor up too much if I used one of these instead?
Denise
Hi April, no it won’t be a problem. It should be just fine. Hope you enjoy them!
GG
Made as written. We found this a bit sweet. I also added 1/4 cup beef broth to thin. ( Why do people give stars for how things look?)
Denise
Hi GG, thanks for coming back and sharing your experience and tips. Sorry it was too sweet for you.
Jani Chayut
Can’t wait to make this. Can you clarify what kind of peppers? Green, red, other? Also, what would be the weight equivalent? I can jam a lot or a little in 1 cup, depending on how small it is chopped. Is that the before chopping or after measure?
Is it ok to roast them first?
Thanks in advance!
Denise
Hi Jani, I used mini colored bell peppers. They were red, orange and yellow. I do not have the weight equivalent but I did chop them first and then measured them if that helps. Also I don’t see why you couldn’t roast them first. You eventually want them cooked down and not crunchy. Good luck and I hope you like them!
Tanya
Making this tonight. My kids love sloppy joes on mini buns!! What kind of vinegar did you use? White or Apple cider?
Denise
Tanya, I used apple cider vinegar but you can use white as well. Enjoy!
Jennifer T Tammy
My daycare kids would love that – the perfect kid-friendly comfort food!
Denise
My son loved it!
Jagruti Dhanecha
What a cosy, hearty and filling meal for the cold weather, a beautiful combination. Sloppy joe and waffles!
Denise
Thanks Jagruti!
Jyothi (Jo)
Sloppy Joe and waffles – I’d say the best thing ever put together! It’s such a hearty and filling meal that I can eat any time of the day.
Denise
Thanks for stopping by Jo!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
Yum!! I have never heard of sloppy joes on waffles but I like it!! Love how quick and easy it is too.
Denise
Hi Sam, the waffles are my sub for bread….they are chewy and savory and work well with this!
Sharon
With this thick and hearty meal I’m sure I will not miss the carbs. This looks delicious!
lauren
Waffle bread sounds like so much fun! This is such a great low carb take on a quick dinner classic. Makes me want one right now!
Denise
I hope you give them a try Lauren!
Charity
Pairing sloppy joes with waffle bread is such a fun idea! Looks like a great recipe to make for game day tv watching!
Denise
Yes!
Dominique | Perchance to Cook
Oh. My. Goodess. GF cheese waffle bread?! I have never had this before but it sounds unreal delicious! And with chili on top?! I can’t even. NEED to try this.
Denise
HI Dominique, we really liked it.
Corina Blum
I always think sloppy joes look so tempting and delicious and I love the way these are served on the low carb waffle bread. I think it would make such a tasty dinner.
Denise
I have to say it was pretty tasty to us! Thanks for stopping by Corina.
Gloria
Sloppy Joes are one of those FUN meals that the whole family loves. What a great idea serving this on cheese waffles. Two fun things to eat in one delicious meal.
Denise
Thanks Gloria…we liked them!
Patti
Chicken and waffles and now Sloppy Joes. What a great flavor and texture combination. I love reading about new ideas.
Denise
I’ll makes some for you some time Patti!
Anna
such a great idea to serve them on waffles! I would never think of that! Great and cozy meal for a whole family!
Denise
Thanks Anna, It’s a good low carb dinner that my whole family will eat and not realize it’s low carb! 🙂