Vegan Sloppy Joe Recipe with Roasted Portobello Mushrooms (2024)

Medically reviewed by Abbey Sharp, Registered Dietitian (RD), BASc.

This vegan Sloppy Joe recipe with Roasted Portobello Mushrooms is a healthy alternative to everyone’s favourite childhood comfort food.

I don’t know about your childhood comfort staples but for me, it was all about sloppy joes. I think my love affair with sloppy joes started with my mother’s love for stress-free weeknight dinners (hello MANWICH), and only grew with the crazy cafeteria lady from Billy Madison (c’mon, I know you know that scene). But fast forward to today, and I’m still totally enamoured by sloppy joes.

I mean who doesn’t like the idea of tucking into a massive sloppy sandwich filled with saucy meaty sweet-savoury goodness? Now, you all know I’m not strictly plant-based, but I do try to incorporate a few meatless meals into my diet every week. And if it means I can still indulge in my favourite comfort foods, then SIGN ME UP. Say hello to this AH-MAZ-ING vegan sloppy joe recipe – aka your new plant-based staple meal.

Why This Recipe Works

This vegan sloppy joe recipe is perfect for anyone who is trying to eat a little more plant-based but doesn’t want to sacrifice their favs (I hear ya!). Here are a few more reasons why this recipe is a total winner!

• Plant-based
• High protein (24 grams per serving)
• High fibre (10 grams per serving)
• Veggie packed
• Family friendly
• Comforting and nostalgic AF

Key Ingredients

Veggie Ground “Meat” – Instead of the traditional ground beef, we are using some veggie ground “meat” as a substitute to make this vegan sloppy joe. I personally love to use the Yves veggie ground round, but you can use whatever imitation veggie meat you can find at your local grocery store.

Mushrooms – We are using two kinds of mushrooms to make these vegan sloppy joes and that includes – cremini and portobello. The portobello mushroom caps will serve as a sort of bun for the filling, while the cremini mushroom adds an amazing texture to the sloppy joe mixture.

Veggies – When I make my recipes plant-based, I make sure to do it right by loading up on veggies! In this case, we are adding carrots, red pepper, and onion to the sloppy joe filling.

Sauce – No good sloppy joe is made without a delicious sweet tomatoey sauce. To achieve this we combine maple syrup, HP sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and red wine vinegar. So. Fricking. Delish.

How to Make This Recipe

Step 1: Pulse cremini mushrooms in a food processor to reach a ground meat consistency.

Step 2: Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add in the onion, and carrots, and cook until the onion and carrots has softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the mushrooms, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic and saute until softened, about 4 minutes.

Step 3: Stir in the tomato paste and stir until fragrant, then add in the HP sauce, tomato sauce, red wine vinegar and maple syrup. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5-7 minutes.

Step 4: Right before serving, stir in the veggie meat and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Step 5: Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Brush the mushroom caps with olive oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the caps on a baking tray and broil until it soft, about 5-7 minutes, turning once half way through.

Step 6: When ready to serve, place the mushroom cap top side down on the bottom bun. Fill the cavity with lots of the sloppy joe mix then finish with the top bun. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

Okay so there are a few different ways to make this vegan sloppy joe recipe.

One: Use just mushrooms, but I prefer to mix mushrooms into meat so they don’t just fall apart.

Two: Go the bean route (i.e. lentils), which is awesome, but doesn’t really have the same texture as meat.

Three: Use veggie ground meat (which is arguably the best option out all three).

So if for whatever reason you can’t find any veggie ground meat are your local grocery store, these vegan sloppy joes are super flexible as you can substitute either mushrooms or lentils for the “meat” instead.

Recipe FAQs

More Recipes You Might Like

If you are into these vegan sloppy joes, then you are definitely going to want to check out these sandwich and wrap recipes on the blog!

• Everything Bagel Sandwich with Avocado
• Avocado Chickpea Salad Sandwich
• Moroccan Chickpea Salad Wrap
• Collard Green Wraps (3 Ways!)

I want to know – what are some of your childhood favourite recipes? Let me know in the comments!