Name: Vegan Sloppy Joes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients: 1 8oz (~220g) Block Extra Firm Tofu (Pressed); 1 cup (100g) Walnuts (Finely Chopped); 1 Pack (8oz/226g) Brown Button Mushrooms (Finely Chopped)*; 1 15oz (425g) Can Brown Lentils (Drained)*; 2 Tbsp Olive Oil; 1 Onion (Finely Chopped); 1 Tbsp Crushed Garlic; 1 tsp Paprika; 1 tsp Cumin; 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper; 1 tsp Oregano; 1 tsp Dried Basil; 2 Medium Stalks Celery (Chopped); 1 Medium to Large Red Bell Pepper (Finely Chopped); 1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce; 1 cup (240ml) Marinara Sauce*; 1/2 cup (130g) Tomato Paste; 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar; 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper; Salt (To Taste); Hamburger Buns; Sliced Avocado; Ground Black Pepper; Fresh Basil Leaves

These vegan Sloppy Joes are packed with the most amazing homemade vegan mince and make a simple, hearty, satisfying and delicious comfort food meal.

These vegan Sloppy Joes are so tasty. Messy, but tasty!

Ever since we made our vegan bolognese we’ve been using it in all sorts of things with just a few changes each time. Making some Sloppy Joes was on the agenda the moment we mastered a really good homemade vegan mince.

Every time we make the vegan bolognese for a new purpose, like when it was used in our vegan lasagna recipe and now used in this recipe, we change the recipe ever so slightly to more perfectly fit whatever it’s being used in.

This one adds some red pepper and celery chopped up really finely for the most perfect sauce for a Sloppy Joe!

And topped with some sliced avocado and a sprinkle of black pepper and some fresh basil, in a hamburger bun of course, the flavors and textures are just perfect.

It’s also really quick and easy so makes a perfect weeknight meal!

How to make Vegan Sloppy Joes

Start off by pressing your tofu. This is ideal if you use a tofu press, which is a magic little machine for pressing tofu and a great investment if you eat tofu regularly.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a tofu press, you can place the block of tofu onto a plate, with another plate on top of it and then place something heavy on top, like a heavy pot.

Let it press for around 20 minutes, and then drain the water off.

Strictly speaking you don’t ‘have to’ press your tofu in this recipe. You use a firm block of tofu already, but pressing it helps to keep the veggie mince from being too wet.

You want it to be a sloppy mince consistency, but not wet. And since you have to prepare the other veggies anyway, you might as well press the tofu while you do that

While the tofu is pressing, add walnuts to the food processor and process into crumbles. Add to a mixing bowl. Add sliced mushrooms to the food processor and process until finely chopped. Add it to the mixing bowl with the walnuts. Drain a can of lentils and add it to the mixing bowl.

Chop your other veggies for the bolognese, like onion, red pepper and celery.

By this time your tofu should be ready to go, and just mash it with a fork and then add the mashed tofu to the mixing bowl and mix it all together.

Add some chopped onion and crushed garlic to a pot with some olive oil and sauté until the onions are softened.

Add some paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano and dried basil along with the chopped red pepper and celery and sauté to soften the veggies slightly and toast the spices.

Then add in the walnut, mushroom, lentil and tofu mix along with some soy sauce, marinara sauce and tomato paste and fry until you have a mince consistency.

Add some coconut sugar (for flavor balance), black pepper and salt to taste.

Serve on fresh or toasted hamburger buns with some sliced avocado, black pepper and fresh basil.

Pro tips for making homemade Sloppy Joes

The ideal consistency for your Sloppy Joe mince is more dry than a bolognese. So you want to let it cook off a bit so that it’s a nice sloppy mince consistency, but not so saucy that it’ll just slide off your bun.

Toasted buns are great for this, but so are fresh buns (as long as they’re really fresh), so whatever is your preference. Personally I like it both ways, toasted or fresh.

If you’re toasting your buns, then put them in the oven under the grill while you’re making the mince so that when it’s ready your buns are perfectly toasted.

The Sloppy Joe sauce is gluten-free if you use a gluten-free soy sauce, so if you have a good option for gluten-free buns then this can be gluten-free too.

I think this meal is ideal to serve as is, but if you are wanting to serve something on the side, then some baked potato fries could be great, or just a delicious green salad on the side would be great too.

You will love these vegan Sloppy Joes! They are:

Hearty
Filling and Satisfying
Comfort Food
Easy
Savory

Leftover Sloppy Joe sauce lasts a few days in the fridge so you can keep this meal going for a few days very enjoyably!

More delicious vegan recipes!

So let us know what you think of these Vegan Sloppy Joes in the comments and please rate the recipe too. Thanks so much.

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