This simple homemade recipe for keto sloppy joes is made with unsweetened ketchup. Ready in 20 minutes, it's the perfect meal to serve on busy weeknights.
Ground beef is easy. It's always there in convenient vacuum-sealed packages that last for quite a while, readily available and affordable. It's easy when you shape it into Asian meatballs or broiled hamburgers or when you make Korean ground beef. It's especially easy in this recipe, where you simply cook it in a pan with a few other ingredients, then pile it on a plate or on cloud bread and serve.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Ground beef: I use lean ground beef (85% lean and 15% fat).
- Onion and garlic: It's OK to use jarred minced garlic, although freshly minced tastes better.
- Unsweetened ketchup: I get it at Whole Foods or on Amazon.
- Balsamic vinegar: Just a little, as it's very flavorful but also very potent.
- Sweetener: This is optional. I use stevia to equal 1 tablespoon of a granulated sweetener (or honey/maple syrup).
Variations
- You can use different fats to cook beef, such as ghee, olive oil, or tallow.
- Add spices. Good candidates that I tried and liked include smoked paprika, ground cumin, and dried thyme. You can add ½ to 1 teaspoon of each additional spice.
- Stir in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. You can add it when you add the ketchup.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Cook the beef and onion in butter with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook it briefly.
Add the remaining ingredients - ketchup, balsamic vinegar, and (if using) sweetener. Lower the heat and cook the mixture for just five more minutes. That's it! Dinner is served.
The entire family loved it! So easy and delicious. Thank you so much. Will definitely make again!
Ann
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The entire family loved it! So easy and delicious. Thank you so much. Will definitely make again!Recipe Tips
- While you definitely want the ground beef to be fully cooked, you don't want it overcooked because then it turns dry and mealy instead of juicy. So, in the first step of cooking the beef with the onions, you should only cook it until it's no longer raw - it's OK if it's still slightly pink. It will cook further during the next stages.
- If you use a nonstick skillet or a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, there's no need to add any fat to the pan. The meat will release fat as it cooks.
- It's important to use aged balsamic vinegar. A young vinegar will be too acidic.
Recipe FAQs
I don't recommend that. 85/15 is the leanest you should go. Any leaner than that will cause the meat to be too dry.
I don't drain it. The fat is so flavorful, and if you use lean ground beef, there isn't so much rendered fat that it needs to be drained.
Yes. The dish will be slightly sweeter, and the nutrition info will change.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them covered in the microwave at 50% power. This is one of those dishes that actually tastes better the next day.
Yes. Divide them into servings and freeze them in freezer-safe containers. Thaw them as needed overnight in the fridge or reheat them in the microwave if your container is microwave-safe.
Serving Suggestions
There are a few options for serving this saucy dish:
- Instead of hamburger buns, I often serve this dish in bowls with spoons, just as I serve no-bean chili and pumpkin chili.
- Another option is to serve it on a bed of cauliflower rice, mashed cauliflower, or sautéed spinach.
- You can also use cloud bread or 90-second bread as a keto bun. As I update this recipe in 2025 (I started making it in 2018), you can buy commercial keto hamburger buns and use those if you'd like.
Recipe Card
Keto Sloppy Joes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound lean ground beef - 85/15
- 1 small onion - chopped; 4 ounces
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic - minced
- ½ cup unsweetened ketchup
- ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon stevia glycerite - optional, equals 1 tablespoon of sugar
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the beef, onions, salt, and pepper.
- Cook, breaking up the beef into small pieces, until the beef is no longer raw and the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. There's no need to drain the mixture, but feel free to drain it if you wish.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 more minute.
- Stir in the ketchup, balsamic vinegar, and sweetener.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, for 5 more minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- While you definitely want ground beef to be fully cooked, you don't want it overcooked because then it turns dry and mealy instead of juicy. So, in the first step of cooking the beef with the onions, you should only cook it until it's no longer raw - it's OK if it's still slightly pink. It will cook further during the following stages.
- This is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them covered in the microwave at 50% power.
- You can also divide the leftovers into servings and freeze them in freezer-safe containers. Thaw them as needed overnight in the fridge or reheat them in the microwave if your container is microwave-safe.
Nutrition per Serving
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Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Ann says
The entire family loved it! So easy and delicious. Thank you so much. Will definitely make again!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Wonderful, Ann! I'm so glad this was a success. Thank you very much for the review.
Chris says
Pretty good recipe. I added chili powder, Italian seasoning, and cumin and replaced the balsamic vinegar with a tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
FYI, Walmart carries keto hamburger buns, and two brands of no-sugar-added ketchup are also available.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked this recipe, Chris. Thanks for the info!