Sloppy joes are as American as they come. With tender ground beef with sweet-tangy tomato sauce in a soft bun, they’re delicious and easy to prepare. It’s no wonder they’re a household favorite for many.
You might focus on the simplest version – just a can of Manwich and some ground beef. Sloppy joes made like this can be incredibly nostalgic, as many of us grew up with these simple yet comforting hot treats.
Or, you might make one from scratch, using ingredients like onions, ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. The homemade version takes longer to prepare, but also tastes better and allows you to control the quality and flavor of the finished meal.
That brings us to the topic at hand: what to serve with sloppy joes. There are plenty of classic sloppy joe sides, including coleslaw, French fries, and mac and cheese, along with more creative ones like carrot salad or a spinach souffle. Each type of side can also be varied, giving you many ways to create a delicious meal.
The best side will be partly influenced by your sloppy joes. For example, if you’re using high quality ground beef, plus your own herbs and spices, you’re likely to want a more refined side. If you’re going with a simple recipe or the Manwich version, coleslaw or fries might do the trick.
What To Serve With Sloppy Joes (12 Sides To Try)
Coleslaw
Coleslaw is one of the most commonly served sides for sloppy joes. That makes sense, as the crunch of your coleslaw perfectly contrasts the mushiness of the sloppy joe. Plus, coleslaw dressing often has a distinct tang, giving you a flavor contrast as well.
There are even health benefits to serving coleslaw, given that it’s packed with nutrients and fiber. The fiber is especially important, as you don’t get much fiber with sloppy joes themselves (and fiber makes a huge difference to digestion).
You can stick with regular coleslaw here or you can mix things up. For example, you might try an Asian-inspired coleslaw for an interesting flavor contrast or add some extra ingredients like walnuts or chopped apples. Why not try a brand new recipe?
Tangy Vinegar Coleslaw
This Tangy Vinegar Coleslaw is bright, vibrant, and easy to enjoy. It’s also a little unusual in that there isn’t any mayo in the recipe at all. The dressing mostly focuses on apple cider vinegar, plus various seasoning ingredients.
Plus, because there’s no mayo, this is a vegan friendly coleslaw. The lack of creaminess can even be an advantage, as this gives the coleslaw an even more distinct contrast to the taste and texture of sloppy joes.
The recipe does contain 1/3 cup of sugar, which might be too much for some. However, multiple reviewers simply cut the sugar content down, creating a tangy coleslaw that’s healthier and just as delicious.
French Fries
Because sloppy joes are so, well, sloppy, you’ll often want a starchy side to soak up any excess sauce. French fries are a great choice, as you can even use them to scoop up a little of the meat and sauce. They’re also delicious.
The crispness of French fries means you still get a texture contrast between the sloppy joe meat and your side. These don’t even need to be deep fried. You can easily make a healthier version in the oven or the air fryer.
The only downside is that you already have carbs from the sloppy joe buns, making this a carb laden meal. You might want to serve a small side salad or something similar to compensate for this.
Mashed Potato Fries
These Mashed Potato Fries are fascinating. They live up to their name, in that they’ve been made using mashed potatoes, which isn’t normally how fries are made. The approach works surprisingly well, giving you fries that are soft on the inside and deliciously crispy on the outside.
Using mashed potatoes also allows you to make more flavorful fries. For example, the original version of the recipe mixes parmesan cheese, parsley, and ground pepper in with the potatoes.
The author also talks about other ingredients you can use, such as garlic powder, chili flakes, or chicken powder. You could also experience with herbs and spices, to create a flavor profile that’s unique to you.
Hot Dogs
Here’s another option – add more protein to the mix. The easiest way is to slice up the hot dog and mix it in with the ground beef and sloppy joe sauce.
Some people take a different approach, where they use a hot dog bun instead of a hamburger bun (this is perfect if you have leftover sloppy joe mix, but not more hamburger buns). By adding the sloppy joe mix and hotdog to the roll, you get something that looks like a chili dog, but has its own distinct flavor profile.
Delicious Air Fryer Hot Dogs
These Delicious Air Fryer Hot Dogs showcase yet another use for air fryers. The recipe allows you to cook hot dogs in just five minutes and they turn out perfectly every time.
Using the air fryer clears up space on your stovetop too, making your whole dinner much more straightforward. Just be sure to slit the hot dogs, so they don’t burst while you’re cooking them.
Mac And Cheese
Creamy, cheesy, and comforting – how can you go wrong with mac and cheese? It works as a delicious side for almost any meal you can imagine, including sloppy joes.
There isn’t much texture contrast here, as both dishes are soft and somewhat mushy. However, the mac’s cheesiness perfectly complements the sloppy joes’ savory tomato flavor (honestly, cheese goes with pretty much everything, doesn’t it?).
This combo also pairs two rich comfort foods—a match made in heaven. Some people even serve the mac and cheese in their burger rather than separately.
Southern Baked Mac And Cheese
Baking mac and cheese is the best way to make it more exciting. This Southern Baked Mac and Cheese is a stunning example of that style and should be just as tasty and comforting as it looks.
This is a great recipe if you struggle with mac and cheese, as the recipe creator includes some secrets for making it as creamy as possible. But, don’t worry, this mac and cheese isn’t just about creaminess. There are some fantastic flavor ingredients in the mix too.
Is this a healthy dish? Not at all! Then again, mac and cheese never is. It’s a comfort dish through and through, so why not go all out with it?
Tater Tots
On the topic of comforting and not-so-healthy foods, we have tater tots (or any type of hash brown, for that matter). The idea is similar to French fries in that you have a carb-laden side that can sop up any extra liquid. You can even dip the tater tots directly into the meat.
Alternatively, you can try a swap and use tater tots instead of a hamburger bun. You might even layer the tater tots and sloppy joe meat in a casserole dish. Doing so gives you a great combination of textures without doubling up on the carbs.
Loaded Tater Tots
If plain tater tots aren’t doing it, what about these Loaded Tater Tots? These are made using regular tater tots, which are then topped with cheese, bacon, green onions, sour cream, and ranch dressing.
The extra flavors mean these tater tots would be stunning when dipped into your sloppy joes. You could even add a few of them to your burger.
Of course, those toppings are completely customizable. You could even add a little sloppy joe sauce to make the tater tots even more stunning.
Potato Chips
Potato chips follow a similar principle to tater tots and French fries. However, they’re more appealing in some ways, as their rigidity allows you to scoop up sloppy joe meat and sauce easily.
The crunch and saltiness of the potato chips are also exceptional next to the sloppy joes. After all, sloppy joes have an interesting sweet-savory flavor profile, while potato chips are very salty.
Crispy Garlic Parmesan Squash Chips
Why stop with potato chips when you can try something like these Crispy Garlic Parmesan Squash Chips? These truly are made from thin slices of yellow squash.
The slices are then seasoned and dipped into a breadcrumb and cheese coating, then baked. These steps create a flavorful treat that still has the crunch of potato chips. Plus, because these are baked rather than fried, they’re surprisingly healthy.
Baked Beans
Baked beans are an interesting choice, as they offer similar flavors and textures to your sloppy joes. This is a nice alternative to all the contrasts we’ve discussed so far.
The beans also add protein and fiber. The protein isn’t so relevant, as you get plenty of protein from the ground beef. But, the fiber certainly matters. In fact, if you’re not serving beans with sloppy joes, you should look for another side with fiber, like a salad.
While baked beans work well with sloppy joes, this combo isn’t for everyone. Some will find the flavors too intense and look for a simpler side instead.
Old Fashioned Baked Beans
These Old Fashioned Baked Beans are savory, smoky, and rich – everything you could want from a delicious dish of beans. It’s also an entirely from scratch recipe, where you start with dried navy beans and build from there.
Sure, making baked beans from scratch this way requires effort and planning. You also end up with a much tastier meal. Plus, you can tweak the ingredients to create your desired flavor profile.
Pickles
For something simple, what about pickles? They offer a fantastic contrasting tang and a little crunch to your meal.
This time, you’re likely to serve the pickles in your sloppy joe, much like adding sliced pickles to a regular burger. The approach works well with most types of pickled vegetables, too, including pickled onions, beets, and even jalapenos.
Crispy And Crunchy Fried Pickles
These Crispy and Crunchy Fried Pickles combine two ideas into one, giving you delicious sliced pickles that are reminiscent of fries. The combination of features makes these fried pickles just as good served inside your sloppy joe or alongside it.
The recipe here relies on deep frying, which makes the pickles as crispy and delicious as possible. But, you can make a healthier version by oven baking or air frying the sliced pickles.
Carrot Salad
Carrot salad follows the same idea as coleslaw, giving you an exciting texture contrast, plus fiber and plenty of nutrients. It’s also perfect if you want the veggies, but aren’t a coleslaw fan.
This can also be a very simple salad. Often, you’re just looking at grated carrot, a dressing, plus a few extra ingredients. You could even just use a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. That’s all you need, as carrots have plenty of delicious flavor on their own.
Carrot Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing
Here’s a tasty recipe to try out. This Carrot Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing uses mayo, dijon mustard, and honey, making it creamier than many carrot salads. That works well, giving the salad some of the cooling properties of coleslaw.
Beyond the carrots and dressing, diced shallots, chopped parsley, and sunflower seeds are used to boost the flavor and texture of the salad. This combo mightn’t sound like much, but the ingredients are all you need to create an exciting salad.
Roasted Vegetables
Roast veggies are a fantastic alternative to salads, especially in the colder months. Roasted root vegetables are especially good, as they have the same starchiness you find with tater tots and fries.
You can roast other types of vegetables as well, including cruciferous vegetables, squash, bell peppers, and onions. Any combination of these will be excellent alongside sloppy joes – so go with your favorites.
Maple Roasted Root Vegetables
These Maple Roasted Root Vegetables are a step above regular roast vegetables. They use maple syrup to add extra sweetness, but this isn’t the only feature of the recipe.
There’s also olive oil, apple cider vinegar, pecans, and thyme. The apple cider vinegar is crucial, as it provides a delightful contrasting tanginess.
You don’t need to stick with the pictured vegetables either. You could use your own favorite root vegetables or even completely different vegetables. The side will be delicious in all cases.
Potato Salad
Like coleslaw, potato salad is a classic American side dish. It is served in countless situations, including picnics, BBQs, and summer dinners. It’s also easy to prepare, which takes the pressure off at dinner time. Plus, many families already have one go-to recipe they make regularly.
Ideally, your potato salad should have some tangy notes, as these contrast the sweet and savory flavors of your sloppy joes. The classic creamy potato salad also offers contrasting coolness and creaminess.
You can also experiment with herbed potato salads, which offer complex flavors from fresh herbs. Some of these even skip the creamy dressing entirely. They might use a vinaigrette-based dressing instead – offering even more tanginess.
German Potato Salad
This German Potato Salad is the perfect introduction to no-mayo potato salads. It relies on a tangy vinegar, honey, and dijon dressing, plus delicious red potatoes and bacon.
The salad is also traditionally served warm, rather than cold, which gives the flavors a chance to truly shine. The warmth makes this a comforting salad and a perfect complement to your sloppy joes.
Fruit Salad
Let’s end the conversation with something completely different – fruit salad. This could be served as dessert after your sloppy joes or even as a side dish to eat along with them.
Much of the appeal is the contrast, as the sweetness and acidity of fruit salad stands apart from the rich savory flavors of your sloppy joes. Fruit salad also helps to make your meal lighter, while many other sides are heavy instead.
This choice works best in the summer, especially if you’re eating outside. You might even serve potato salad or another classic summer side at the same time.
Watermelon Fruit Salad With Lime Mint Dressing
Bored of regular fruit salads? If so, this Watermelon Fruit Salad With Lime Mint Dressing could be perfect. It’s delightfully pink, due to a combination of strawberries, raspberries, and cherries. Mint, lime juice, and lime zest provide the perfect flavor contrast and bring the salad to life.
The recipe’s simplicity makes it easy to prepare at home. The author also provides plenty of tips and tricks to help you along the way. There are even details about how to choose the best watermelon and ways to mix the salad up.
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