Vegan Sloppy Joes with Chickpeas Recipe | Yup, it's Vegan (2024)

5 from 6 votes

For the caramelized onions:

• 2 tsp oil of choice
• 2 yellow or white onions thinly sliced

For the vegan sloppy joes filling:

• 2 tsp oil of choice
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 small bell pepper small dice
• 1 carrot small dice
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper (plus to taste)
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas (equal to 1 15 oz. can - rinse and drain), mashed or roughly chopped (I just pulsed them a few times in the blender)

For the chickpea sloppy joes:

• caramelized onions (see above)
• chickpea sloppy joe filling (see above)
• 6 sandwich buns of choice (I used Ezekiel Sprouted Wheat and the filling was enough for my whole pack of 6)
• other toppings of choice (e.g. shredded cabbage or coleslaw; green onions; avocado; lettuce)

For the caramelized onions:

• Warm the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and stir. Spread out the onions evenly so that they are making as much contact with the pan as possible.

• Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes or until significantly reduced in size and brown in color. Season to taste with salt.

For the chickpea sloppy joe filling:

• Meanwhile, warm the oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the garlic and bell pepper and a pinch of salt, and stir. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the bell pepper has started to release liquid.

• Add the diced carrot and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the carrot has softened slightly. Add the spices (paprika through pepper), stir, and cook for another 60 seconds, or until fragrant.

• Add the rest of the filling ingredients, plus 2 tbsp of water, and stir. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Gently simmer for about 20 minutes, while stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the carrots are done to your liking.

• Season with additional salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.

For the chickpea sloppy joes:

• For each person who is eating, toast a sandwich bun. Top with about 1/3 cup of filling (depending on how sloppy you want to be...), caramelized onions, and other toppings of choice. Enjoy!

For gluten-free, use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce and serve on a gluten-free bun. For grain-free, try serving this on a baked potato!

To work this dish into a BBQ, try substituting the caramelized onions with grilled onions, and grilling the buns rather than toasting them.