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These easy vegan sloppy joes are made with nutritious chickpeas, simmered with carrots and peppers in a spiced tomato-based sauce; and served on a sandwich bun with crunchy cabbage and caramelized onions.

I’m super proud of my vegan chickpea sloppy joes! I don’t have fond memories of the original meat-based version, but I love these messy plant-based sandwiches. They’re easy to make, not too sweet, and made with pantry ingredients!

I decided to pair the chickpea filling with caramelized onions to add another note of sweetness because I keep the filling itself pretty tangy. Topped off with fresh cabbage for crunch, this is the perfect summer sandwich – or any time of year really!

The steps for making these sandwiches are super easy:

Start caramelizing the onions. You could do this blindfolded, but it does take a while to caramelize them properly!

While the onions are cooking, prep the vegetables, chickpeas, and seasonings.

Saute the pepper, garlic and carrot. Brown the veggies a little bit and bloom the ground spices for extra flavor.

Add the chickpeas, ketchup, and other simmering ingredients. For variations, you can also use cooked lentils or another bean, rehydrated TVP, or any cooked vegan “ground meat” substitute in place of the chopped chickpeas. The smaller you chop the chickpeas, the easier it will be to eat your chickpea sloppy joes :).

Simmer to perfection and serve with the works! Scoop your vegan sloppy joe filling onto a bun, topping it with the caramelized onions and some fresh cabbage for texture. I like to spread some cashew mayo on my rolls as well.

For another variation, you can try substituting BBQ sauce for the ketchup. The filling is naturally gluten-free, so just use a gluten-free serving vessel instead of the burger buns, if needed!

These vegan sloppy joes are easy and delicious. I hope you enjoy them, and please leave a comment or tag me on Instagram (@yupitsvegan) if you give them a try! Bon appetit!

5 from 5 votes Print Chickpea Sloppy Joes Simple vegan sloppy joes, a healthier vegan version of the classic dish - made with nutritious chickpeas! Gluten-free, nut-free, low-fat recipe. This recipe is perfect for summer as it doesn't require use of the oven. Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Total Time 55 minutes Total Yield 6 sandwiches Calories Per Serving 333 kcal Author Yup, it's Vegan Ingredients 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) Instructions 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! Recipe Notes 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. Nutrition Facts Chickpea Sloppy Joes Amount Per Serving (1 sandwich) Calories 333 Calories from Fat 45 % Daily Value* Fat 5g 8% Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Sodium 579mg 25% Potassium 466mg 13% Carbohydrates 65g 22% Fiber 12g 50% Sugar 12g 13% Protein 14g 28% Vitamin A 3100IU 62% Vitamin C 85.8mg 104% Calcium 70mg 7% Iron 2.7mg 15% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Other messy sandwich recipes on the site:

BBQ Pulled Sweet Potato Sandwiches

BBQ Tofu Sandwiches

Collard Greens Pesto Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

This recipe was originally published in July 2015, and was updated in July 2020 with an improved recipe and new photographs.