Kid friendly vegan recipe
Delicious and easy to make vegan lentil sloppy joe. Perfect dish to make for a party or an easy week night meal. High protein and kid friendly.

I recently made this recipe for my nephew’s high school graduation party (seriously, how does time go by so FAST)?
While rinsing the lentils (and crying about how fast my nephew grew up) I decided I wanted to make a vegan sloppy Joe that tasted just like the one I grew up with.

The sloppy Joe that I ate as a kid was a little bit sweet but with a little bit of a tang. I absolutely love that combination. So, I used the same ingredients for a classic sloppy Joe, but just used lentils instead.
I also added a bit more garlic. Now that I’m older, garlic and I are BFF’s.
What came out of the pressure cooker was something reminiscent of my childhood sloppy Joe. It was perfect and the guests at the graduation party absolutely loved it.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, never fear, I also include stovetop preparation. When cooking this recipe in the instant pot, you need less water than when cooking on the stovetop. That’s because the steam doesn’t release from the pressure cooker while it’s cooking.
Lentils are my absolute favorite ground beef substitute.
They are so hearty and filling. They’re full of fiber, protein, minerals and vitamins as well. So, not only does this sloppy Joe make you feel good, it also tastes amazing.
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Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joe
Ingredients
- 1 lb bag of dry green or brown lentils
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 4 tbsp mustard
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (add 1-2 tbsp more if you like you sloppy Joe's sweet)
- 1 tsp Salt (or salt to taste)
Instructions
Pressure Cooker
- Rinse the lentils
- Place all ingredients in a pressure cooker plus three cups of water or vegetable broth
- Cover and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes
- Let it naturally release for 15 minutes, then quick release
- If it’s too thick, add a little bit of water until desired consistency is reached
- Serve on a hamburger bun with more ketchup and mustard
Stove Top directions
- Rinse the lentils
- Place all ingredients in a big pan on the stove plus five cups of water or vegetable broth
- Cover and bring everything to a boil
- Turn down to medium heat and simmer with the lid slightly off until lentils thicken and soften. Should be between 25-30 minutes. Take the lid off to simmer if it's still too watery after 30 minutes.
- Add more water if it becomes too thick
- Serve on a hamburger bun with more ketchup and mustard
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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