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If you love sloppy joes but don’t love the mess, these Sloppy Joe Biscuits are such a fun way to change up dinner. They have all that classic sloppy joe flavor, baked into little biscuit cups and topped with melty cheese. They are easy to make, great for busy weeknights, and always a hit with kids and adults alike.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This is a brilliant idea! We love sloppy joes, but don’t love how sloppy they are, lol. I think this is the perfect solution for us!” – April
“Just made these for lunch for my daughter and my fiance and I and OMG these are amazing. I think next time I’m going to add some corn! Your recipes are so delicious.” – Jessica
Why My Family Loves These Biscuits
I love this recipe because it takes a classic family dinner and makes it a little more fun. I first got the idea from my friend Lexi, whose family grew up making them. I also love that they keep all the flavor of sloppy joes, but they are much easier to serve and eat. The biscuit cups hold everything together, the cheese on top makes them extra good, and they come together fast with just a few simple ingredients. This is one of those easy dinners that feels a little different without making more work for me. And my husband and kids make them disappear so fast.
🩷 Erica
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground beef: I usually use ground beef for that classic sloppy joe flavor, and it cooks up quickly in a skillet.
- Onion: Finely chopped onion adds flavor and a little texture, but you can leave it out if you need a simpler version.
- Biscuit dough: Refrigerated biscuit dough makes this recipe quick and easy and bakes into perfect little biscuit cups.
- Sloppy joe sauce: You can use Homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce or canned sauce, depending on what you have on hand.
- Cheddar cheese: I like sharp cheddar best because it adds plenty of flavor and melts beautifully over the top.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
This recipe is easy to change up depending on what you have in the fridge.
- Swap the ground beef for ground turkey, shredded chicken, or even shredded pork.
- Add garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, or bell peppers for more flavor.
- Stir in corn if you want to make the filling a little heartier. One reader mentioned doing this next time, and it sounds like a great addition.
- Use mozzarella, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or even blue cheese instead of cheddar if you want to switch up the flavor.
- Use canned sloppy joe sauce for convenience or homemade sauce if you want to control the flavor a little more. Our Homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce uses condensed tomato soup, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and a little cayenne.
How to Make Sloppy Joe Biscuits
- Cook the filling – Brown the ground beef and onion in a large skillet until the beef is cooked through. Drain any excess grease, then stir in the sloppy joe sauce and let it simmer for a few minutes.
- Shape the biscuit cups – Grease a muffin tin, then press each biscuit into the muffin cups to form little bowls.
- Fill and bake – Spoon the sloppy joe mixture into each biscuit cup and bake until the biscuit edges are deep golden brown and cooked through.
- Top with cheese – As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle the tops with shredded cheddar cheese so it melts right over the hot filling.
- Let them rest briefly – Let the biscuit cups sit for a minute or two so they are easier to remove from the pan.
- Serve warm – Serve them hot for dinner, lunch, or even game day snacks.
Recipe Tips
- Grease the muffin tin well if you want the biscuit cups to come out cleanly. You can also use muffin liners for easier cleanup.
- Do not overfill the cups or the filling can bubble over as it bakes.
- Bake until the biscuit edges are a deep golden brown so the bottoms are fully cooked.
- Add the cheese right after baking so it melts quickly without overbaking the biscuits.
- Chop the onion finely so it blends right into the filling.
- Use sharp cheddar if you want more cheese flavor in every bite.
- Keep the filling thick so the biscuit cups stay neat and don’t get soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have a delicious Homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce on our Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe. It consists of condensed tomato soup, ketchup, yellow mustard, brown sugar, salt and pepper, and a little cayenne pepper.
Yes, I recommend greasing the muffin tin with cooking spray or butter so the biscuit cups release easily. Muffin liners also work if you want easier cleanup.
If you want to make a fancier or more “adult” version of this recipe you can stir in some different ingredients and spices to your sloppy joe meat for added flavor. Such as fresh garlic or garlic powder, onion powder, worcestershire sauce or even some bell pepper. Even without a sprinkle of extra spices, this sloppy joe biscuit bake is just as good as is with the sauce and shredded cheese.
They should freeze well once baked and cooled. A reader asked this in the comments, and while the original post does not give a full freezing method, I would cool them completely, wrap them well, and freeze in an airtight container. Then reheat in the oven or air fryer so the biscuit stays as crisp as possible.
Absolutely. Homemade Sauce works great here and gives you a little more control over the flavor.
Because they are much less messy. The biscuit cup keeps the filling contained, which makes them easier for little hands to hold and eat. That is one of the biggest reasons I love making them. Our readers mentioned this too.
Make Ahead and Storage
You can make the sloppy joe meat mixture ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble and bake. That makes dinner even faster on busy nights.
Store leftover Sloppy Joe Biscuits in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer for the best texture. The microwave works too, but the biscuit will be a little softer.
If you want to freeze them, let them cool completely first, then freeze in a sealed container. Reheat straight from the fridge or thaw first before warming through.
Pairing Ideas
These sloppy joe biscuit cups go really well with easy family-style sides. I would serve them with Coleslaw, Potato Salad, Baked Potato Wedges, Air Fryer French Fries, Mac and Cheese, fruit and Cream Cheese Fruit Dip, or even a simple green salad. If you are serving them for a party or game day, I like adding a few easy sides so everyone can build their own plate. We have a lot more great ideas on our Best BBQ Side Dish Recipes post.
More Recipes Like This
If you like easy, family-friendly dinners like this one, here are some more good recipes to save.
These Sloppy Joe Biscuits are one of my favorite easy dinner ideas when I want something quick, filling, and a little more fun than the usual sandwich night. I love that they use simple ingredients, bake up fast, and make sloppy joes easier to serve and eat. If you try them, I would love to hear what you think, especially if you put your own spin on them with different cheeses, spices, or add-ins. 💛
Sloppy Joe Biscuits
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 cans refrigerated biscuit dough
- 2 cups sloppy joe sauce, Our Homemade Sauce or canned
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, (I like sharp cheddar best)
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet. Stir in the sloppy joe sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- While beef mixture is simmering, open biscuit dough and press individual biscuits into a greased muffin tin forming a "cup".
- Place a scoop of beef mixture into the center of each biscuit cup and bake at 350-degrees for about 15-20 minutes (take them out when the edges are a deep, golden brown).
- Immediately top with cheese, then serve warm.
Notes
- Grease the muffin tin well so the biscuit cups release easily.
- Keep the sloppy joe filling thick so the cups do not get soggy.
- Bake until the biscuit edges are nicely golden brown.
- Add cheese right after baking so it melts perfectly.
- Homemade or canned sloppy joe sauce both work well.
- Sharp cheddar gives the best flavor, but other cheeses work too.
- You can add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, bell peppers, or corn to change it up.
- Leftovers reheat best in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Such a fun twist! Delish!
Wow – these were so good. Thank you!
This is a brilliant idea! We love sloppy joes, but don’t love how sloppy they are, lol. I think this is the perfect solution for us!
My kids love these- so easy too!
What a great recipe for busy nights! So quick and flavorful too! I will definitely be making this again this week!
Just made these for lunch for my daughter and my fiance and I and OMG these are amazing. I think next time I’m going to add some corn! Your recipes are soo delicious. I am constantly on pinterest looking at all your pins for something new to make for dinner!
Thank you so much! Glad you liked these– they are definitely a winner with the kids!
These reminded me of a recipe my mom made in the 1960’s (I think from a Pillsbury Cook-Off Cookbook) but barbecue sauce was exchanged for the sloppy joe sauce. They were a favorite with all of us kids. Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane.
My wife has made these for years but we call them cowboy sloppy joes !
My wife has made these for years but we call them cowboy sloppy joes !
We're doing these as "pizza bowls" tonight. Marinara, pepperoni and mozz cheese.
Trying these tonight and I just bought canned sauce, but do you have a recipe for homemade sauce?
Have you ever turned the muffin tin over and pressed the biscuit over the muffin cup? perfectly shaped cups!
Do you think these can be frozen?
That sounds delish and perfect for the kiddos, can't wait to try it!
Made these last night. They were delicious! Thanks for some good recipes, I look at your website weekly to see if there is something new for me to try. I love your recipes!
I love Sloppy Joe's – one of the favorite things my mom makes! These look delicious and kind of fun, too!
yum! My husbands family made these ALL the time growing up but instead of sloppy joe sauce they mixed the beef with BBQ sauce (so delicious) 🙂 TRY IT!!!