Healthy Homemade Sloppy Joes Sauce

Healthy Homemade Sloppy Joes Sauce is a quick and hearty comfort food without the sketchy ingredients. Serve it over a baked sweet potato for a gluten-free and Paleo friendly meal!

I have been making homemade sloppy joes for years. It is a hearty, kid-friendly dinner that comes together in a snap. It is also great reheated, and it freezes well, so it is a great make-ahead meal for those busy weeknights. I usually make a big double batch and freeze half of it for a future meal.

My original recipe included store bought ketchup and BBQ sauce, both of which contain some sketchy ingredients and a ton of sugar. I cleaned up my recipe by borrowing some of the ingredients that I use in my Paleo Ketchup recipe,

as well as my Homemade Paleo Worcestershire Sauce.

If you are new to Paleo ingredients, you may wonder about coconut aminos. It is often used as a replacement for soy sauce and has an earthy flavor.

Many ancestral diets recommend avoiding soy, although some allow tamari, which is a wheat-free fermented soy sauce. You can use whichever option works with your diet.  I recommend using half as much soy sauce or tamari as coconut aminos since their flavors are more intense. I would also reduce the salt since coconut aminos is much less salty than soy sauce and tamari.

I love homemade sloppy joe sauce served over baked sweet potatoes!

You could also serve it over baked white potatoes, or even zoodles, for a lower carb option. Of course, if you are not eating wheat-free you could always serve this over a bun or even an English muffin (I do that for my kids sometimes).

Feel free to increase or reduce the amount of maple syrup you use in this recipe. I like a bit of sweetness in my sloppy joe sauce, but it is not a critical ingredient.

Enjoy!