• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Well Vegan
  • Recipes
  • Our Cookbook
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Frugal Vegan Cookbook
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Budget Vegan

    Lentil and Cauliflower Vegan Sloppy Joes

    Apr 2, 2020 · by Kate Kasbee · Modified: Aug 6, 2024

    Jump to Recipe·4 from 2 reviews

    Isn’t it amazing how you can learn something new about your partner no matter how long you’ve been together? My fiancé and I celebrated our fifth Halloween together this past October and he told me that Sloppy Joes were an annual Halloween tradition in his family growing up. He suggested we continue the tradition in our house and offered to make me vegan Sloppy Joes. I obviously couldn’t say no.

    They were so delicious! I can’t believe what I’ve been missing out on all of these years. These Lentil and Cauliflower Vegan Sloppy Joes are my lightened up version of traditional Sloppy Joes and I’m confident they’re just as good as what you remember from childhood.

    vegan sloppy joes this recipe

    There are several vegan Sloppy Joe recipes floating around the internet, but most rely on ketchup to get that authentic Sloppy Joe flavor. I try to avoid ketchup because it’s full of high fructose corn syrup and I feel like I’m eating pure sugar when I dunk my French fries in it. Instead, these Lentil and Cauliflower Vegan Sloppy Joes get flavor from a combination of tomato sauce, maple syrup, and brown sugar, among other key ingredients. I tried my best to keep the sugar content low, but there’s just no way to get the crave-able Sloppy Joe flavor without some sweetener. You can try reducing the amount of sugar in this recipe, but I can’t guarantee the results. Just throwing that out there!

    vegan sloppy joes
    vegan sloppy joes

    One step you won’t want to skip is toasting your hamburger buns. It might seem unnecessary but I promise it’s worth the tiny bit of extra effort. The slight crunch you get from the toasted bread is such a nice texture contrast from the hearty, saucy, sloppy sandwich filling. I topped my sandwich with thinly sliced cabbage for some more crunchy texture. My fiancé would argue that putting potato chips on the sandwich is non-negotiable, but I’ll leave that up to you (it’s really freakin’ good by the way). The filling will keep in the fridge for several days, making this a great prep-ahead dinner!

    vegan sloppy joes
    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    vegan sloppy joes

    Lentil and Cauliflower Vegan Sloppy Joes

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4 from 2 reviews
    • Author: Kate Kasbee
    • Prep Time: 10 mins
    • Cook Time: 30 mins
    • Total Time: 40 minutes
    • Yield: 6 servings 1x
    • Category: Dinner
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: Vegan
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    These Lentil and Cauliflower Vegan Sloppy Joes are my lightened up version of traditional Sloppy Joes and I’m confident they’re just as good as what you remember from childhood.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 small head of cauliflower
    • 2 cups cooked French green lentils (about ¾ cup dry lentils)
    • 2 teaspoons olive oil
    • ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
    • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
    • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
    • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
    • ½ teaspoon chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon paprika
    • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
    • Few twists of black pepper
    • Pinch of cayenne (optional)
    • Vegan hamburger buns, for serving
    • Shredded cabbage, for serving (optional)

    Instructions

    1. Begin cooking the lentils if you aren’t using pre-cooked lentils. 
    2. Chop the cauliflower into florets and add them to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to break up the chunks. You want the pieces to be slightly larger than you’d make them for cauliflower rice.
    3. Drizzle the olive oil into a large, deep skillet and warm over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook 2 minutes more.
    4. Add the cooked lentils, tomato paste, tomato sauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, and spices to the skillet and stir to combine. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the mixture has thickened. Adjust flavors to taste.
    5. Preheat a dry pan (I used a cast iron skillet) over medium-low heat. Toast the tops and bottoms of the hamburger buns, about a minute on each side.
    6. Spoon some of the vegan sloppy Joe filling onto each bottom bun. Garnish with sliced cabbage and place the top buns on top. Enjoy warm.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 330
    • Sugar: 19 g
    • Sodium: 845.6 mg
    • Fat: 4.2 g
    • Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
    • Trans Fat: 0 g
    • Carbohydrates: 60.1 g
    • Fiber: 9.2 g
    • Protein: 9.4 g
    • Cholesterol: 0.5 mg

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Carolyn

      February 19, 2025 at 7:33 pm

      Really good. I’m looking to up my use of lentils and beans, and this was a keeper. Easy to make. I look forward to the leftovers for lunches or a quick dinner.

      I agree that it is too sweet. Start with maybe 2 tbsp of either brown sugar or maple syrup, and taste from there. If you have liquid smoke, that could amp the flavour in a further direction!

      Reply
    2. Vicky M

      December 18, 2022 at 3:48 am

      Overall I can see how the ingredients combine to be delicious - but I added only 2tbsp sugar and 2tbsp maple syrup and it was still too sweet. If you'd rather a more savoury dinner I'd say maybe 1tbsp of each would probably be enough 🙂

      Reply
    3. Tess J

      July 06, 2021 at 7:25 pm

      I made these - delicious! They are satisfying but don’t leave you feeling too full or heavy like a regular sloppy joe can. I completely agree with the recipe author saying the toasted buns and cabbage are key. for adding crunch.

      Reply
    4. lucy

      September 27, 2020 at 4:08 am

      just made this recipe and it is delish. very sweet though!!

      Reply
    5. Kaite Leigh

      July 01, 2020 at 11:27 am

      Wow, this recipe sound divine! Adding to my list for next week!
      <3 a fellow Vegan Katie

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Our Cookbooks

    cookbook

    IndieBound / Powells / Amazon

    cookbook

    IndieBound / Barnes and Noble / Powells / Amazon

    About Well Vegan

    katie and kate

    Katie and Kate are two vegans maintaining a cross-country friendship swapping recipes and writing cookbooks. About Us...

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS

    Our Favorite Recipes

    creamy pumpkin pasta

    Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta with Apple & Sage

    creamy pumpkin soup

    Our 10 Favorite Vegan Pumpkin Recipes

    roasted carrot soup with curry.

    Roasted Carrot Curry Soup

    vegan mashed potatoes

    Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Truffle Oil & Thyme (Instant Pot Option!)

    squash and chickpea tagine

    Moroccan Winter Squash and Chickpea Tagine (Instant Pot, Gluten-free)

    stuffed acorn squash

    Vegan Sausage & Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

    More Recipes

    Footer


    Recipes

    • All Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Budget Recipes
    • Desserts Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Easy Recipes
    • Vegan + GF Recipes
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Smoothie Recipes
    • Recipe Roundups

    More

    • About
    • The Frugal Vegan Cookbook
    • Vegan Starter Guide
    • Vegan Batch Cooking Guide
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2025 Well Vegan · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Affiliate terms · Legal