Slider recipes have range. Easy meal, busy school nights, game day appetizer, perfect party food — these little guys are a guaranteed hit no matter what.
Plus, there are so many possibilities for what goes on these slider buns. I’m stoked to show you how to make some of my favorite slider recipes!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Love About Slider Recipes
How is it that something the size of mini burgers can be such a crowd pleaser? I think it’s because having bite-sized sandwiches is a fun way to enjoy lots of different flavors and textures and not feel like you’re locked into one kind of meal.
If you need a good reason to try a few of these slider recipes, invite a hungry crowd over and make the filings ahead of time. Since many of these slider recipes use big roasts or a ground beef mixture, you can easily cook a day or two in advance and store the meat in the fridge until you’re ready to chow down.
For more sandwich ideas, check out my recipes for Pizza Sandwich, Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich, Birria Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Surf and Turf Sandwich.
How to Cook the Best Sliders
With slider recipes, we know the meats get all the love. And when they’re this freakin’ delicious, they should! But making sure you have delicious sauces or glazes, the best buns and a foolproof assembly strategy will take your dish to the next level.
The Filling for Slider Recipes
Since a lot of sliders use large roasts like chuck roast and pork shoulder, check your recipe to make sure you’re allowing enough time for marinating and cooking. As you’re grilling, check the internal temperature of the meat to make sure it’s cooked correctly. Slider recipes with faster-cooking cuts like pork sausage, roast beef, lean ground beef and steak won’t take as long, so you have a little more wiggle room there.
The Toppings
This is really the special sauce (literally, in some cases) for our slider recipes. What you put on the top half of the rolls and the bottom buns really depends on your filling. With something like shredded beef, a slice of melty cheese like provolone or Swiss cheese and caramelized onions is so freakin’ delicious. For pork BBQ, pile your favorite coleslaw on top. You could even put a pineapple ring on top of tangy shredded barbecue chicken. There’s no wrong answer here.
Hot sauces, your favorite BBQ sauce or mustard are great options for condiments. I’ve also got sauces and glazes in my favorite slider recipes that pair perfectly with what you’re cooking!
Get stoked for life
This sauce is FYR!
Born from a deep passion for food and flavor. Whether you’re grilling in the backyard or live fire cooking around the world, we have what you need to transform every meal into an adventure.
The Buns
For me, sweet Hawaiian rolls are always the way to go. I’m a huge fan of King’s Hawaiian Slider Rolls. These soft Hawaiian rolls go with everything! Slider recipes will also work great with one of your favorites from your local bakery or grocery store. Just remember that the best quality bread always results in the best-tasting sandwich.
The Assembly for Slider Recipes
Having all the rolls already lined up out of the package is an easy way to make assembly go quickly. When you’re ready to put your mini sandwiches together for your slider recipe, keep each sweet roll joined and slice the slab of bread in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Then, grease a foil pan so the sliders won’t stick. Place the bottom half in the foil pan, spread a layer of sauce on them, then pile on a good amount of your meats, cheese slices, more sauce, and finally, the top halves of the buns.
Brush some melted butter on the tops of the buns, then put the foil bin with the sliders on the smoker and let them cook at medium heat until they’re golden brown and crispy, about 10-12 minutes.
Once they’re done, take them off the smoker and let them cool for a couple of minutes before serving on your cutting board. Slice rolls along the bread’s edges for individual sliders and enjoy whatever slider recipe you made!
My Favorite Slider Recipes
Now that we’ve talked about all the options for sliders, here’s the roundup of my favorite slider recipes! Be sure to let me know in the comments which ones you tried and liked the best!
Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders
Cowboy Butter Sliders
Chimichurri Steak Sliders
BBQ Beef Sliders
Steak Sliders with Beer Cheese
Grilled Steak Elote Sliders
Pulled Beef Sliders with Steakhouse Baked Beans
Roast Beef and Cheddar Sliders
Steak and Cheese Sliders
Smoked Cheesesteak Sliders
Smoked Pulled Ham Sandwiches
Surf and Turf Sliders
What to Serve with Sliders
The perfect way to turn a slider recipe into an easy meal is to add tasty sides. A simple green salad, sautéed spinach, grilled asparagus or zucchini, French fries or sweet potato fries, baked beans, potato salad and tater tots are some great options!
For More Burgers
Leftovers and Reheating
If you find yourself with leftovers from your slider recipe, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, simply warm them up on a medium-high heat grill or a 350-degree F oven while wrapped in aluminum foil. You can also repurpose any leftover filling by adding it to sandwiches, salads, or tacos.
FAQs
Definitely! You can make the filling 1-3 days ahead of time and then assemble your sliders the day of. If your slider recipe calls for any glazes or sauces, you can make them on the stovetop and store it for 1-3 days before serving. Heat those up in a small saucepan when you’re ready to serve.
Deli meats like ham or turkey work great in slider recipes. These are great options if you have some picky eaters at your table. You can even do half and half of your recipe, so you have whatever you cooked on one side and ham or turkey on the other. Then everybody wins!
Of course! If you don’t have a smoker, you can still make one of these delicious slider recipes using alternative methods. For making them in the oven, I suggest using a slow cooker or Instant Pot to cook the roasts until they’re tender and easily shredded with a fork. Finish off in the oven.
Get The Cookbooks!
Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
All the major tastes—salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami—are explored in depth, along with an investigation of other components you should consider when it comes to flavor, such as aroma, heat, and texture.
