Sloppy Joe Bombs
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Sloppy Joe Bombs are a poppable form of the savory sandwich with a pretzel dough twist! Cheddar cheese oozes out of every bite, leaving you wanting more and more. Be sure to make a double batch because these will go fast!
Sloppy Joe Bombs
Transform an ordinary package of frozen dinner rolls into balls of pretzel bread that are packed with sloppy joe filling and melted cheddar.
Serve mini sloppy joe bites for a weeknight meal or pair them with your favorite game day appetizers.
Even kids love them, making them a great alternative to pizza or chicken nuggets!
Enjoy another popular sandwich in poppable form with this Philly cheesesteak recipe. Or, try deliciously seasoned meatballs without the spaghetti.
I even have a breakfast version with eggs and bacon for those mornings when everyone has a million different places to be.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Frozen Dough – I always use Rhodes dough balls for any of my bomb recipes, but any frozen bread dough will do the trick!
If you prefer to use homemade dough, you can find instructions on how to do that in this post.
The recipe calls for beer, which adds a nice flavor, but you can easily substitute water if you don’t want to use alcohol. - Sloppy Joe Filling – You can use your own recipe, canned recipes, or one of mine — choose between classic or spicy, or even a Crockpot version!
You can also make these sloppy joe bites with leftovers. - Cheese – Mild cheddar is my favorite for this recipe, but American or Velveeta are good alternatives.
Try provolone or Swiss if you prefer a white cheese, or Pepper Jack for a spicy kick. Anything that melts well! - Baking Soda – This goes in the boiling water, not in the mini sloppy joes. Baking soda water turns regular dough into pretzel dough with a quick dunk.
- Egg Wash – A simple mixture of egg and water. Brush these over the bombs to help them brown in the oven!
Tips and Tricks to Make Mini Sloppy Joe Bites
- Let the filling cool before assembling.
Otherwise, the dough will become too soft and the cheese will start to melt, making it really tough to seal the stuffed dough properly.
You also want to avoid overfilling the dough so it doesn’t burst open. I’ve found that a 1 ½ tablespoon scoop is just the right amount.
- Add a little crunch for a big difference.
Since we’re transforming the dough into pretzel dough, it needs a little pretzel salt!
You can certainly skip this if you’d like, but even a tiny bit really enhances all of the flavors.
Be sure to add this right after the egg wash — it helps the salt stick to the surface of your pretzel bombs.
- Have kids helping you?
Instead of boiling a pot of water, fill a medium (4-cup) bowl with 2 cups of hot water and add the baking soda.
This will give you the same results while keeping them safe from accidental burns. You just may need to bake the sloppy joe bites for an extra minute or two.
Prep Ahead
- Defrost frozen rolls
- Make sloppy joe filling
- Cube cheese
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- 8 Quart Stock Pot, plus a Slotted Spoon for fishing the sloppy joe bombs out of the water.
- Baking Sheets lined with Parchment Paper
- Small Wooden Dowel Rolling Pin – Perfect for small jobs like making TSRI’s famous bombs! It’s also great for noodles, dumplings, and turnovers, and it even has a ruler on the side.
- Cookie Scoops – Great for meatballs, cookies, ice cream, and portioning out leftovers. I’ve had this set for years and use them all the time.
- Basting Brush – Useful for everything from greasing pans to basting food.
Serving Suggestions
Pair sloppy joe bombs with the same sides you’d make for the sandwich version! French fries, coleslaw, mac and cheese… you name it.
For extra cheesy goodness, try dipping them in beer cheese sauce or nacho cheese!
They’re also delicious for game days and teen sleepovers along with garlic knots and fried pickles.
Sloppy Joe Bites FAQ
Follow their refrigerator thaw method or substitute refrigerated tubes of pizza dough instead.
Sure! You can assemble them and keep them covered in the fridge until you’re ready to bake, up to 24 hours in advance.
It’s best to use cooled or chilled filling if you plan to do so, and wait to dunk them in the baking soda water until just before baking.
You can also bake them as directed, then freeze them after they’ve cooled for an easy appetizer or meal later! Bake from frozen for 15-20 minutes at 350°F.
You can make mini sloppy joes with canned crescent dough, pizza dough, or even biscuits.
That said, you only be able to get that ‘pretzel dough’ taste with the pizza dough, so skip the baking soda water step if using crescent dough or biscuits.
Storing and Reheating Mini Sloppy Joes
If you manage to have any sloppy joe bombs left, they can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Or, you can freeze them for up to 2 months — a great way to use up filling if you made too much!
Reheat a few at a time in the microwave or a larger batch in the oven until warmed through.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Sloppy Joe Bombs
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, to dust counter
- 24 frozen dinner yeast roll dough balls, I use Rhode’s
- 1 Recipe Sloppy Joe
- 12 ounces mild cheddar cheese, cut into 24 cubes
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- Pretzel salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare 2 baking sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Fill an 8-quart pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle clean countertop with flour.
- Place 8 dinner rolls on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on defrost for about 2-4 minutes (or until dough is no longer frozen, but not cooked). Remove dough balls from the plate and place them on your floured countertop. Flip the dough balls in the flour so they are all lightly coated in flour. Repeat with the remaining dinner rolls, until all dinner rolls are defrosted.
- Flatten and stretch one piece of dough, on the floured board, like you are making a mini pizza. Stretch dough to about 3-4” across. You can use a rolling pin if you like. I love to use a small wooden dowel rolling pin, it is perfect for the job.
- Place one scoop (1 1/2 tablespoon scoop) of sloppy joe in the center of your dough and use the back of the scoop to spread it out over most of the dough. Add a cube of cheese in the center of the rolled dough.
- Pull the top and bottom edges of the dough together and then the left and right edges. Continue pulling up the edges (pushing the filling back inside as needed) until you have closed the dough. Pinch the dough together to create a ball. If the ball won’t seal, tap your fingertips into the flour and then crimp the seal together.
- Place the dough balls on your baking sheet, repeat until they are all on the baking sheet.
- Remove boiling water from heat. Carefully, add baking soda to boiling water a sprinkle at a time. USE CAUTION: IT WILL BUBBLE UP. DO NOT PUT HANDS THROUGH BUBBLED UP WATER. YOU WILL GET BURNED. Place dough balls into water a few at a time. Remove with a slotted spoon after 30 seconds. Place on the baking sheet, so they are not touching, 12 to a baking sheet. Repeat until all Sloppy Joe Bombs are on the baking sheets.
- Beat the egg and water, in a small bowl. Gently brush the egg wash onto dough balls and sprinkle with pretzel salt.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the tops are nice and pretzel-y brown, rotating the trays half way through the cook time.
- The ooey-gooey cheese may escape some of your Sloppy Joe bombs. That is a beautiful thing! Scoop all that cheesy goodness up onto the plate and serve. Your guests will go crazy over them.
- Remove the bombs from the oven. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published November 2021, updated and republished October 2024
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Made these for a baby shower and they were a major hit. Everyone went back for seconds and thirds, even fourths! Totally making these for any family thing.