Keto Sloppy Joes
Published September 13, 2020 • Updated March 10, 2026
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I make these keto sloppy joes at least twice a month. The sauce is what sets them apart (tangy, slightly sweet, no sugar), and the whole skillet is on the table in under 30 minutes.
Low carb sloppy joes recipe
This is the ground beef skillet dinner I come back to more than any other. It’s messy, which is kind of the point. The whole thing comes together in one pan in about 25 minutes, and the sauce actually tastes like the original, not like tomato paste with ground beef floating in it. I’ve made this weekly for years and it’s still the dinner my kids request most.
The sauce is the whole recipe, really. I spent way too long getting the ratio right. Too much tomato puree and it goes flat. Too much sugar-free ketchup and it turns sharp. Two tablespoons of ketchup to half a cup of puree ended up being the number, and a small hit of monkfruit sweetener ties it together without adding any carbs. You won’t taste the sweetener directly, but leave it out and something is off.
The flavor hits that sweet spot between tangy and savory that makes the original so good. I use hot sauce instead of Worcestershire (which most classic recipes call for) because a tiny amount of heat cuts through the sweetness better. It’s not enough to make this spicy, just brighter.
The meat stays slightly pink before the sauce goes in. That’s on purpose. If you brown the beef all the way through first, it dries out during the simmer and you end up with crumbly, dry meat in a watery sauce. Cook it just until the pink starts to fade, then add everything else and let that 8-minute simmer do the work. I learned this the hard way after a few batches came out grainy.
Ground turkey works here too. One of my readers, Tamika, swapped it in and the sauce still came together thick. Ground pork is another option if you want more richness. I’d just let either one simmer a couple minutes longer since there’s less fat to carry the sauce along.
I usually serve these piled on my homemade buns, but chaffles give you something crispier underneath, and lettuce wraps keep the carbs even lower. I’ve also scooped the filling over cauliflower rice for a bowl-style dinner. My kids dip pork rinds straight into the skillet, which works better than it sounds.
If you love this kind of comfort food skillet dinner, my keto hamburger helper and keto skillet meatballs scratch the same itch. For something with a similar messy, loaded-up feel, try the keto Philly cheesesteak.
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil -
¼ cup finely chopped onion
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½ teaspoon salt
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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½ teaspoon chili powder
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1 pound ground beef
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½ teaspoon monk fruit blend sweetener (optional)
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½ cup tomato puree or tomato sauce
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2 tablespoons sugar-free ketchup
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½ cup water
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½ teaspoon hot sauce
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keto hamburger buns or use a lettuce wrap
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Heat the oil
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook the onions
Add onion and salt. Cook until onions have softened (about 5 minutes).
Cook the ground beef
Add ground beef and cook for about 1-2 minutes or until just pink.
Stir in the rest
Stir in garlic, pepper, chili powder, monkfruit, unsweetened ketchup, tomato puree, water and hot sauce.
Simmer down
Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the sloppy joe sauce has slightly thickened.
Add to buns & enjoy
Pour on top of a keto hamburger bun.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ground turkey instead of beef?
I've tested it both ways and the sauce carries the flavor regardless of the protein. Ground turkey works, ground pork works, even a mix. The one thing I'd adjust is the simmer time. Turkey releases less fat, so the sauce takes a minute or two longer to thicken. I usually give it an extra 2-3 minutes on the stove and it comes together just fine.
Can I serve this on a chaffle?
I've done this a few times and it's a solid option. The crunch of the chaffle holds up against the saucy filling better than a soft bun does. I make a basic cheddar chaffle (just egg and cheese), let it crisp for an extra 30 seconds, and load it up. The contrast between crispy waffle and warm filling is worth the extra step.
What sugar-free ketchup works best for the sauce?
I use Primal Kitchen Unsweetened Ketchup. It has no added sugar and just 1g carb per tablespoon. I've tried a few other brands and some have an artificial sweetener taste that throws off the sauce balance. Primal Kitchen has the cleanest tomato flavor, which matters here since the ketchup-to-puree ratio is doing most of the work.
Can I make the filling ahead of time?
This is one of my favorite things about the recipe. I double the batch almost every time and freeze half. The meat filling freezes well for up to a month. When I reheat it, I add a splash of water and let it simmer for a few minutes to get the sauce consistency back. Works perfectly for meal prep lunches.
What sides go well with this?
My usual rotation is a big green salad or roasted Brussels sprouts on weeknights. On weekends I'll pair it with keto shepherd's pie leftovers or a bowl of keto spaghetti if I'm feeding a crowd. Pork rinds on the side work too if you want something to scoop the filling with instead of a bun.
Does the monkfruit sweetener really matter?
I thought it was optional until I made a batch without it. Something was just off. The sauce leaned too acidic without that small touch of sweetness to balance the tomato and vinegar notes. It's only half a teaspoon and adds zero carbs, so I keep it in. One of my readers, Tara, tested multiple competing recipes and specifically called out the monkfruit as what makes this version taste like the real thing.
How many net carbs per serving?
The filling comes in at 4.7g net carbs per serving. That's without any bun, so add whatever your bun choice runs. My homemade buns add about 2g, Franz keto buns add 1g, and a lettuce wrap adds basically nothing. I keep my daily carbs around 20g and this fits comfortably into a full day of eating.
Made a double batch Sunday and the sauce is genuinely better by day three once the chili powder and tomato puree have had time to meld.
Day three is the sweet spot. The chili powder just needs time in that tomato puree, can't rush it.
Been making a double batch every Sunday for the past month, and the thing I didn't expect is how much better the sauce gets after a night in the fridge. The flavors pull together and I keep sneaking tastes straight from the container before it even makes it to lunch. I pull the ground beef just slightly under since it finishes during reheat. Day two is noticeably better. Four lunches locked in for the week, under 5g net carbs each.
Made this for a neighborhood cookout and three people asked where I bought the sauce, which is the best thing anyone could say about a recipe you made from scratch.
Ha, that's always the reaction. The sauce reads as more complicated than it is (it's mostly pantry stuff), which is the whole point.
Made a double batch Sunday and split into containers for the week. Sauce tightens up overnight in the fridge, so I splash a bit of water in when reheating and it loosens right back up. Worth knowing before that first leftover round.
Same, I almost always double it. The sauce concentrates overnight, second day tastes better.
Would this work in a slow cooker, or does the sauce need that stovetop simmer to thicken up? Trying to set it and leave for the afternoon.
Slow cooker works. Sauce stays looser though, no evaporation with the lid on. Pull the lid the last 30 minutes and it tightens up.
First time making keto sloppy joes and I kept second-guessing the sauce (no sugar at all?), but it came out with that tangy-sweet flavor I was hoping for. Ready in under 30 minutes on a weeknight, which I wasn't expecting. Do you think it reheats well, or should I make it fresh each time?
Reheats great. Add a small splash of water when you warm it up, the sauce thickens as it sits and that loosens it right back. I make double batches just for this.
Tip: if your sauce isn't thickening by the 8-minute mark, pull the lid off completely and bump to medium-high for the last few minutes. I kept getting watery sauce and couldn't figure out why. Turned out I had it half-covered, just trapping steam. Went fully uncovered and it actually clings to the meat instead of pooling at the bottom. Four stars because the recipe doesn't call this out, but now I've got it dialed in and I'm making this constantly.
That steam trap is exactly it. Fully uncovered the last few minutes is what I do too, just never spelled it out in the write-up. Adding a note.
Sloppy joes were what I thought I'd said goodbye to forever when I went keto. My mom made them every other week growing up and I just assumed, well, that was that. Made these Tuesday and the sauce genuinely stopped me (tangy, a little sweet, nothing artificial). Just relieved I get to keep this one. Served mine in a lettuce wrap which was fine, but I'm hunting for a decent low-carb bun because this sauce deserves better than lettuce.
Franz keto buns. 1g net carb and the sauce doesn't turn them to mush. That's what I reach for when lettuce isn't cutting it.
Used ground turkey instead of beef because that's all I had, and the sauce still came together thick and flavorful after the simmer. The chili powder and tomato puree carry it more than I expected. Might actually stick with turkey.
The beef here is pretty mild to begin with (the chili powder ratio and puree are the whole flavor). Turkey makes sense. Just lean a little longer on the simmer since there's less fat to help the sauce along.
I've tried four or five different keto sloppy joe recipes over the past couple years and they all had the same issue: the sauce either tasted like watered-down marinara or just ground beef swimming in ketchup. This one actually tastes like a sloppy joe. The monkfruit is subtle enough you don't notice it's there, but I left it out on batch two to test, and something was definitely off without it. The sauce tightens up after that 8-minute simmer in a way the others never did. This is the one I'm using from now on.
Yeah, leaving out the monkfruit was my first test too. Sauce just goes sharp without it. Half a teaspoon but you notice when it's gone.
I've tried at least four keto sloppy joe recipes over the past couple years, and most read as 'ground beef with tomato sauce' rather than the real thing. Tomato puree and sugar-free ketchup are what the others were missing, that balance of tang and slight sweetness. This is the one I'm keeping.
That ratio took me the longest to land. Too much puree and it goes flat, too much ketchup and it gets sharp. Two tablespoons ended up being the number.
Made these on a snow day with my kids hovering in the kitchen because whatever was simmering smelled incredible. My eight-year-old doesn't usually have opinions about dinner, but when the sauce was done and I let him taste it, he started lobbying hard for this to be a weekly thing. No complaint about the bun situation whatsoever. Adding this to the Tuesday rotation.
A kid who smells something simmering and starts lobbying for it on the weekly menu - that's the best review. Tuesday is a good slot for it.
Hello Annie,
Just wanted to say, subscribed to Ketofocus youtube channel and enjoy the recipes. By now I am sure all know that there are many brands of 0 carb keto breads and buns on the grocery shelves. Healthy life by Lewis bakery and others I use. I have also made them from Carb quick, Carbalose flour and the Victoria's kitchen flour blend using the bamboo fiber. One has to watch because doing all this baking from scratch using these ingredients can sometimes be costly! But it does help with weight loss. I am carb sensitive and if I go over 25 carbs I am out of ketosis. I try to keep between 10-15 a day. From 357 to 250 currently and dropping!
107 pounds down. This filling only runs 4.7g net carbs, so whatever bun you grab you're still well inside 25. Lettuce wrap if you're keeping it tight that day.
Keto hamburger buns were very easy and quick to make. This is a taste of my childhood. Brings back memories. . .
Sloppy joes every Friday growing up at my house too. That memory is exactly why I spent so long getting the sauce right.