These wholesome, healthy sloppy joes totally rule! Thick, rich, and ultra-delicious, our Vegan BBQ Lentil Sloppy Joes are absolutely irresistible! Tasty and nutritious lentils are bathed in a sweet, smoky, and tangy BBQ sauce, then topped with an amazing Sweet and Tangy Vinegar Slaw that will have the whole family running to the table for seconds.
Whole Food Plant Based, plant based, vegan, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi, Ameera here!
Mom and I have been playing around with WFPB sloppy joe recipes for the past few weeks. We kept tweaking the recipe until one day, we were like – everyone has a sloppy joe recipe, so let’s just take this to the next level and make it a BBQ sloppy joe recipe! AND boy are we glad we did. A few additional delicious tweaks, and we were off to the races! Dad scarfed them down like he hadn’t eaten in a month. LOL
BBQ Goodness
Who doesn’t love a good BBQ sandwich? Everyone does, right? I know we sure do. BBQ hits all the must haves of sweet, tangy, smoky, and just down right yummy! We knew our Sweet and Tangy Vinegar Coleslaw would be perfect on this deliciousness! Ohhh yah, it was a match made in heaven! Totally in love!
This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.
Instant Pot vs Stove Top
We get a lot of questions about using the instant pot for our recipes. Our original hope was to use the instant pot for the entire recipe. In other words, using the sauté function for the veggies, then adding the remaining ingredients (adjusting the water/broth amounts accordingly); although the instant pot results were good, we felt that using the stove top method yielded a far superior sloppy joe overall.
Check out the notes section of the recipe for more information about the instant pot versus stove top cooking methods.
I’ll let Mom tell you more about these tasty Vegan BBQ Lentil Sloppy Joes!
Hi! Robin here.
Charlotte had called via Facetime when we were making this dish. She is always super curious and wants to know everything about everything. She is always inquiring “What are you doing Amti?” (Lebanese for “aunt”) “What are you doing Noni?” (Italian for “grandma”). When we showed her that we were making sloppy joes. She was very interested in them so we plan to make Chris, Katie, and Charlotte our newly minted BBQ Lentil Sloppy Joes with Sweet and Tangy Vinegar Coleslaw when we visit them. 🙂
We love sharing our tasty creations with them!
If you are looking for a great sloppy joe recipe, then this one will do the trick. It’s everything you could ever want, filling, satisfying, and delicious too!
If you try it, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
Products Used:
- Ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven or similar large stock pot or skillet with a tight-fitting lid
Vegan BBQ Lentil Sloppy Joes
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 45 Minutes
- Total Time: 55 Minutes
- Yield: 4-5 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Description
These wholesome, healthy sloppy joes totally rule! Thick, rich, and ultra-delicious, our Vegan BBQ Lentil Sloppy Joes are absolutely irresistible! Tasty and nutritious lentils are bathed in a sweet, smoky, and tangy BBQ sauce, then topped with an amazing Sweet and Tangy Vinegar Slaw that will have the whole family running to the table for seconds.
Whole Food Plant Based, plant based, vegan, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Ingredients
Dry Lentils Ingredients:
- ¾ cup dry small brown lentils, picked through and rinsed *
- 1 cup water
- 2 cup vegetable broth*
- 3 Tablespoons tomato sauce
Sloppy Joes Ingredients:
- 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
- 1 green bell pepper, small dice
- 1 celery rib, small dice
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon tamari *
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon organic maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon molasses
Sloppy Joes Seasonings/Spices:
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoon dried minced onions
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried ground mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Other Optional Ingredients:
- Buns or wraps
- Sweet and Tangy Vinegar Coleslaw
Instructions
- Cook the lentils on the stove top or in an instant pot until tender. See notes for lentil cooking instructions.
- In the meantime, measure out all the dry spices into a small bowl, mix well. Set aside.
- In a large ceramic/enamel-lined Dutch oven, skillet, or similar stock pot, add the onion, green bell pepper and celery; sauté over medium heat. Place the lid on the pot until they begin to softened, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add a tablespoon or so of water or broth if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, add the dry spices (sweet paprika, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, ground mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, dried minced onion flakes, black pepper and sea salt), sauté to release their fragrance, about 30 seconds to one minute.
- Then add the water, tamari, liquid smoke, tomato sauce, molasses, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and cooked lentils; bring to boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture is thick.
- Serve immediately as a sandwich or wrap. Especially delicious with the Sweet and Tangy Vinegar Coleslaw.
Notes
*Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.
*Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.
*Lentils: This recipe calls for 2 cups cooked lentils. You can use canned lentils (drained and rinsed) or use the stovetop method or instant pot method for cooking the dry lentils. Cooking Times: Cooking times will vary based upon the lentils selected. Any lentil will work, except red lentils in this recipe. Small brown also known as Pardina lentils work best for this recipe, but green lentils will also yield great results. We used Palouse Brand small brown lentils.
*Cooked Lentils: If using already cooked lentils, then skip Step 1 and go immediately to Step 2 and add the cooked lentils in Step 5.
For the lentil stove top instructions, use a medium-sized stock pot, then add 1 cup water, 2 cups vegetable broth, and 3 Tablespoons tomato sauce, stir to combine. Then add ¾ cup dry lentils, stir to combine, bring to a boil, place the lid on the pot, then lower to a simmer (low boil) cook for about 25 to 40 minutes, largely dependent upon the lentils selected until the lentils are tender. Then drain and discard the liquid, set aside.
For the lentil instant pot instructions, add 1 cup water, 2 cups vegetable broth, and 3 Tablespoons tomato sauce to the instant pot, stir to combine. Then add 3/4 cup dry lentils, stir to combine. Place the instant pot lid on, secure and lock into place, set the vent to close. Then set the instant pot to manual high pressure for 14 minutes (or use timing based upon lentils used for this recipe), when done, do a quick release. Then drain and discard liquid, set aside. Note: We get a lot of questions about using the instant pot for the entire dish. We tried using the sauté function for the veggies, then adding the remaining ingredients (water/veggie broth – liquid total 1 ½ cups), but the overall texture and flavor was just not the same as the stove top. The stove top method was superior to the instant pot method for the overall end result of the BBQ base.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Servings: 4 to 5
*Storage: Refrigerate, use within 5 days. Freezes well.
This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.
My taste buds are still doing the happy dance! This may be my favorite dish of yours. Coleslaw was great too—I make a salad dressing with miso and tahini, but never thought to add all the other stuff like celery seed and make it into cole slaw. But the sloppy joes! The depth of flavor was amazing. Now I will have no difficulty having my husband eat lentils. He raved about this! To think years ago I was happy eating Manwich and ground beef! But that was then and this is now—and your recipes make me now so healthy and… Read more »
Hi there Ellen 🙂 WOO HOO! We are so so thrilled that you enjoyed this dish and your taste buds are doing the happy dance! We have the recipe on repeat at our house lol. And we are SUPER glad that your husband enjoyed the lentils in these sloppy joes; it’s so exciting to hear! We’re so sorry to hear that a pizza recipe you tried from another cookbook didn’t fit the ticket, we know what that is like, and we are so happy that this recipe past the test! We love hearing that you are enjoying our recipes and… Read more »
This is a delicious recipe, and I know it will be our go-to sloppy Joe after tonight. I can’t stop sampling it! (Good thing I doubled the recipe right out of the gate.) Really delicious flavor and the perfect texture for sandwiches. I didn’t have tomato sauce in the pantry, so I blended up a can of fire roasted tomatoes and added a bit of ketchup to thicken. Made a nice stand-in. Thanks for your recipes and stories!
Hi there Dorothy 🙂
Yaaaayyyy!!! We are beyond thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe. Glad that you were able to make the recipe work with what you had on hand – sounds great! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback and taking the time to write, we truly appreciate it!
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Didn’t thicken ?
Hi there Joan 🙂
Can you be more specific? Are you saying that your dish didn’t thicken? We’ve had tons of wonderful feedback on this dish, and no one has mentioned that it didn’t thicken. Would love to help trouble shoot this with you. Can you share with us how you cooked the lentils?
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
I have made this twice now. My family loves it! After the first time, my 20 year old son asked, “Is this going to be in the summer rotation?”. Of course, I said yes. I will be making this all year long. So yummy! Thanks for great recipes!
Hi there Frances 🙂
Yaaayyy!! We are so glad that you and your family love this recipe and thrilled that you’ll be adding it to your regular rotation! Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback and taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Delicious! My 2 and 4 year old ate 1.5 sandwiches each. Made of magic I think.
Hi there Lindsay 🙂
Woo Hoo! We are so thrilled to hear that you and your little ones enjoyed these Vegan Sloppy Joes! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback! We truly appreciate.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
OMG!!! This is amazing! ❤️❤️❤️
Hi there Cicora 🙂
Yaaayy!!! Thank you so much! So thrilled to hear you enjoyed it!
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Can’t wait to try these, what kind of buns do you guys use?
Hi there Jennie 🙂
We are so thrilled you’ll be giving this recipe a try, hope you enjoy them as much as we do. As for the buns, they are for TP, so they are WFPB but not gluten free. The buns are Food For Life Brand.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
YUM!!! This was for meal prep this week. Made the slaw as well for sandwiches, it was fantastic. Taking it for lunch with a baked sweet potato and then as ‘nachos’. I also prepped spice packets so that i can make it quicker, I love a little more heat so I added 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne. Thanks for the great recipe, it gets better the longer it sits.
Hi there Pauline 🙂
WOO HOO!!! We are so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed these sloppy joes with the slaw! Totally LOVE that you are making it a potato topper and topping nachos too – such great delicious ideas! Prepping the spice packets is such a fabulous idea too! Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback and ideas, we truly appreciate it!
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Great recipe!
Hi there Rya 🙂
Thank you so much!
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
The wrap version of a sloppy joe is neat. What type and brand of wrap did you choose for the photos here?
Hi there Autumn 🙂
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. The wrap we used were Siete Almond Flour Tortillas.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Is the liquid smoke necessary? I try to stay away from using it as much as possible. Is there a substitute that I can use for it?
Hi there Florencia 🙂
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. The liquid smoke adds another layer of smoky-dimension that we enjoy. This recipe already calls for smoked paprika; however, we wouldn’t recommend increasing the smoked paprika to create smokier flavor as sometimes too much smoked paprika can create a bitter spice flavor. You can omit the liquid smoke taste the flavors and adjust the spices if preferred/needed.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
I made this for the first time today and my plant based daughter and I loved it! I was even nice and shared the love with my meat eating son and husband and made it for them with ground turkey. Success all around!!
Hi there Amy M. 🙂
Wooo hoo!!!! We are so thrilled that you and your daughter enjoyed this recipe and that you were able to adapt it to fit your husband and son’s preferences! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback and for taking the time to write!
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Sooo freaking delicious. Perfect blend of flavors and textures. I LOVE THIS RECIPE SO MUCH!!! Already planning when I will make it again and double the recipe. Thank you for your hard work creating this perfection.
Hi there Lauren 🙂
Yaaayyy!!! We are so thrilled to hear that you love this recipe. Thank you so much for your kind words, for sharing your awesome feedback, and for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Just made this last night and it was a big hit! It will definitely be put into our rotation, I love that it’s freezable (I’ll have to take your word for it as there is nothing left to freeze this time). Next time I’ll try your coleslaw recipe, it looks delicious- I had some pickled cabbage to use up so we topped the wraps off with that along with some micro-greens.
Hi there Jana 🙂
Woo Hoo!!! We are so excited that this recipe was a big hit. Hope you enjoy the coleslaw as a tasty addition to this dish. We appreciate you sharing your awesome feedback and for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Winner, winner whole food dinner!! Also made the coleslaw to go with it and that was good too! Looking forward to having it all again for lunch tomorrow. Even the husband liked it! That’s a win!
Hi there Sandra 🙂
Yaaaay!!! We are SUPER thrilled that you and your husband enjoyed this dish. Love that you added the coleslaw on top too – Woot! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your fantastic feedback!
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
So today, I took some of the sloppy joe mixture out of the freezer and topped baked potatoes with it. Totally scrumptious!!! And a super fast and easy meal!
Ooooo, we love the idea of using it as a baked potato topper! Yum! Thank you so much for sharing this awesome quick meal idea 😀
This was absolutely scrumptious! It will definitely be a staple in my home.
Hi there Gail 🙂
Woo hoo!!! We are SO glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, and it will be a staple in your home. We appreciate you sharing your awesome feedback and for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
We loved it, but way too spicy!! I don’t know if our chili powder is just spicier or if it is meant like this. Did not thicken very well, but we fixed this. We will make this next time but less spicy…
Hi there Allysha 🙂 We are glad that you loved this dish, but we are sorry to hear that it was too spicy. There isn’t any seasoning that would make it hot. When we make this dish it is very mild. It sounds like perhaps you have a medium to hot chili powder, as that is the only thing we can think of that would create a spicy dish. Also, we aren’t sure what would have caused the recipe to not thicken, but glad you were able to adjust as needed. Thank you so much for your feedback and for… Read more »
Omg! These were deelish! My family and I are recently transitioning to Vegan and this was one of the first recipes I saved to try later and we just did today! It was so good my kids gave it a solid 8 and one if them ( my pickiest eater) gave it a 10?‼️
My picky husband even enjoyed it!
It was fun making everything from scratch and knowing that it is cleaner and healthier and that I get to control the salt content, that makes me happy!
Kuddos! Thanks for sharing❤️
Hi there Melisa 🙂
Yaaaay!!! We are so thrilled to hear that you, your kids, and husband enjoyed this recipe – * totally doing a happy dance over here!* We appreciate you sharing your awesome feedback and thank you so much for taking the time to write. Wishing you all the best on your vegan journey, and we are so glad that our recipe was a part of it *hugs*
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Made this tonight, and it turned out swell. If anyone else finds themselves without tomato sauce like I did, tomato paste mixed 1:1 with water makes a fine substitute. And as it turns out, 1 little can makes the perfect amount for what is called for so there’s no leftovers to mess with.?
Hi there Jessica 🙂
Woot woot!!! We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your adjustments and wonderful feedback! We truly appreciate you taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Oh my god, this is incredible. So delicious. The flavors are balanced so well. I’m not a huge fan of lentils most of the time, but they make so much sense in this dish as a meat alternative. This recipe will be added to my regular rotation! I tried the coleslaw as well and while I wasn’t the biggest fan of it by itself, it makes a great topping for this sandwich.
Hi there Lauren 🙂
Woo hoo! We are SUPER excited you enjoyed this recipe and will be added to your regular rotation. We appreciate you sharing your wonderful review. Thank you so much for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
This is really delicious! I made it today because I was craving comfort food. This was my first time making a lentil-based dish. It did not disappoint. Yes, it’s a bit different from hamburger-based sloppy Joes, but I felt very good about eating it, although I cheated by putting it on a hamburger bun. I cut back on the garlic and added a couple of tablespoons of bbq sauce. Delish!
Thanks for creating healthy and amazingly delicious dishes.
Hi there Janice 🙂
Yaaaayyy! We are so thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome review with us. We appreciate you taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Hi, is there a way to make this in a slowcooker? It sounds amazing
Hi there Grace 🙂
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. We haven’t tested this recipe with a slow cooker. If you give it a try, please let us know.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
This was soo good! My husband who use to be a meat and potato man has been getting slowly converting to vegan meals with me.. He raves about this meal and said it was better than “the meat version”
Hi there Ada 🙂
Yaaaayyy! We are so thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome review with us. We appreciate you taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Love all your recipes! Do you have or does anyone have a recommendation for really good gluten free buns? Thanks!
Hi there Janet,
Thank you for your question and we are thrilled that you are enjoying our recipes. We have never found a WFPB gluten free burger bun that is available for purchase at the stores. There are quite a few Gluten Free Burger Buns, but they all have sugar and oil. So sorry. We show are showing a WFPB burger bun because my Dad (this is Ameera) is not gluten free. I hope this helps.
-Ameera and Robin
This recipe is so tasty! I make it as a topping for carrot dogs. Works perfectly.
thank you both so much for all the love you put into your recipes
diane
Hi there Diane,
We apologize for the late response, this review got away from us. We are thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe as a topping for carrot dogs. Thank you for taking time to leave us a great review.
-Ameera and Robin
I love this recipe! I’ve been making it a couple times a month since I found it. The flavors are amazing! I will be trying the coleslaw recipe soon too.
Hi there Amy,
YAYYY!! We are thrilled that you love this recipe. Thank you so much for the awesome review.
-Ameera and Robin
I rarely leave reviews on recipes but I wanted to tell you how delicious this recipe is. I loved it so much and appreciate you sharing. 💗
Hi there Kirsten,
WOOO HOOOO!!! We are so happy that you enjoyed this recipe and thrilled that you decided to leave us a lovely review. Thank you so much! <3
-Ameera and Robin
Is there any good substitute for tomato sauce? I have very painful neuropathy in my feet. After keeping a food diary, I found that it’s food that makes the biggest difference for the pain level. So I cannot eat any fats/oil, salt, sugar, or tomato products.
Hi there LA Dory,
Thank you for your question. We are not really aware of a good substitute for tomato sauce. BBQ sauce is typically tomato based. We are so sorry that you experience painful neuropathy. Again, so sorry.
-Ameera and Robin
As a newly postpartum mama I appreciate this recipe because it’s not only delicious and packed with protein, but easy as well! My husband and I are big fans of this dish and it’s a staple in our home now! The flavor is 10/10 and the tangy coleslaw recipe with this is great as well!
Hi there Katerina,
YAYYYY!!! We are thrilled that you enjoy this recipe and that it is a staple in your home. Thank you for taking time to leave us a fantastic review. We appreciate it.
-Ameera and Robin
This was beyond delicious! My husband (who is not a lentil fan) absolutely loved it. Served it without the coleslaw; just open faced on sourdough bread. The only change was substituted honey for the molasses. Would definitely make again; it’s a true winner!
Hi there Donna,
YAYYYYY!!! We are thrilled that you and your husband enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for taking time to leave us an awesome review.
-Ameera and Robin
OMG! I hate sloppy joes…BUT this recipe is absolutely delicious. I was looking for something vegetarian to take down to the mens shelter to go with traditional SJ. The guys loved it. Even the beef eaters asked to try it after the vegetarians talked up a storm. I only made a triple batch with the coleslaw. In May, I will have to 5 times the recipe. Oh and the social workeer asked for a copy. SO GOOD! I am even going to make it for my family!!!
Hi there Kimberly,
YAYYYY!!! We are so happy that you made this recipe to take to the mens shelter and it was enjoyed. Totally made our day. Thank you so much for the lovely comment and your thoughtfulness by helping others in need is beautiful.
-Ameera and Robin