Vegan Mushroom-Tempeh Sloppy Joes are a healthy, plant-based version of traditional sloppy joes. They are oil-free and sugar-free!

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I'm going to tell you a secret: I think I've had maybe one sloppy joe in my life. Obviously, it was before I went vegan. But still. I find it VERY funny that I decided to make a sloppy joe recipe for this blog.

I don't crave sloppy joes. Or have a particular affinity for them. I do realize that YOU might crave them. Or YOU might be missing them because you're trying to eat a bit healthier.

I get it. I have cravings too. Most of the time, I find a plant-based food that I love and forget all about whatever craving I might have.

Maybe this recipe can be the answer to a craving for you. Or maybe it can just be a fun new recipe like it was for me.

These Vegan Mushroom-Tempeh Sloppy Joes started out as a way for me to use up some random ingredients I had. I had a can of tomatoes and some rolls that I used for other recipes. I didn't know what to do with them, but I did some flavor brainstorming and landed on sloppy joes.

Sloppy joes are unique because they are a savory food, but they're actually pretty sweet. Most recipes have lots of ketchup and sugar to flavor the meat.

Besides using a meat-alternative, I knew that I wanted to make the other ingredients healthier. Lots of store-bought ketchup uses high fructose corn syrup or sugar. And all the sloppy joe recipes I looked at added even more sugar to the recipe. YIKES.

So my goal with these sloppy joes was to develop a recipe that has the amazing flavor of regular sloppy joes but is a dish you can feel good about eating.

I have to say, I'm pretty proud with the final product! The ingredients are simple, but they come together to make a delicious dish.

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Vegan Mushroom-Tempeh Sloppy Joe Ingredients

• Tempeh: Tempeh is a block of fermented soybeans. Don't let the definition scare you, when crumble it into pieces, it takes on the texture of ground beef.
• Mushrooms: You can omit the mushrooms if you want, for a more traditional texture, but I love the umami flavor they add!
• Red Onion: Chopped onion adds extra texture and flavor.
• Tomatoes: We're using tomatoes in place of ketchup. They have basically the same flavor and tomatoes without the additives are much healthier! I used canned tomatoes because that's what I had, but feel free to use fresh tomatoes.
• Date Syrup: Many sloppy joe recipes call for brown sugar, which isn't the healthiest choice. I used date syrup to give the recipe healthy sweetness. Date syrup has fiber and vitamins that sugar doesn't have. If you don't have any date syrup on hand, feel free to use maple syrup.
• Garlic Powder: For a kick of garlic spice!
• Liquid Smoke: Liquid smoke adds that smoky flavor that is characteristic of meat.
• Dijon Mustard: Mustard gives the sloppy joes a tang. Ketchup typically has vinegar, but since we're not using real ketchup, the mustard adds the vinegary taste.
• Red Pepper Flakes: For just a hint of spice.
• Salt & Pepper: Add these to your personal taste.

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How to make Vegan Mushroom-Tempeh Sloppy Joes

Once you have all the ingredients, these sloppy joes are easy to make.

Crumble the tempeh, chop the onion and mushrooms (and tomatoes too if you're using fresh).

Then add all the ingredients to a skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and all the ingredients are thoroughly warmed.

Serve with a plant-based bun or wrapped in lettuce. Pair with corn on the cobb and garlic parsley aioli. Enjoy!

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Recipe Prayer

Thank you God for comfort food made healthy! Amen.

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Related Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like my Spicy Vegan Black Bean Burger recipe.

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Tried this recipe?

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