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. 

A pile of Cowboy Butter Sliders, served and ready to eat.

​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!

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.

A close up shot from our BBQ beef slider recipe.

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. 

Shredding BBQ chuck roast with jalapenos for slider recipe

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. 

Beer cheese for steak sliders.

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! 

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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. 

King's Hawaiian Rolls with Italian slider recipe ingredients.

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. 

Adding cheese and meat to the slider recipe.

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.

Toasting the assembled steak and cheese slider recipe.

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 done, plated and ready to devour.

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Sliders for a handheld dinner delight.
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A Nashville Hot Chicken Slider getting pulled from the serving platter.

Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders

Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders for a spicy, savory treat.
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chicken bacon ranch slider

Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders

This easy Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders recipe is leveled up by a spicy twist of buffalo sauce.
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Am Italian Slider ready to get dipped into the spicy marinara.

Italian Sliders

Italian Sliders for a delicious handheld dish!
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Cowboy Butter Sliders

Cowboy Butter Sliders

Cowboy Butter Sliders are the ultimate comfort food. Tender sliced filets are slathered in the zesty spicy butter and paired with caramelized onions and gooey mozzarella cheese.
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Chimichurri steak sliders.

Chimichurri Steak Sliders

Chimichurri Steak Sliders are as straightforward and good as it gets. Tender ribeye steaks are grilled, sliced, and paired with melted mozzarella and a zesty homemade chimichurri sauce.
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BBQ Beef Sliders are the ultimate comfort food.

BBQ Beef Sliders

BBQ Beef Sliders made with my new HNY FYR BBQ Sauce from FYR are the ultimate comfort food for your next game-day party.
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Steak Sliders with Beer Cheese plated next to the beer cheese ready to serve.

Steak Sliders with Beer Cheese

Steak Sliders with Beer Cheese for tender slices of steak on soft slider rolls with beer cheese and sautéed onions.
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A close up shot of the Grilled Steak Elote Sliders so you can see the filling.

Grilled Steak Elote Sliders

Grilled Steak Elote Sliders for a so freaking delicious meal!
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The pulled beef sliders with steakhouse baked beans sitting all together on a cutting board so that we can serve the dish.

Pulled Beef Sliders with Steakhouse Baked Beans

Pulled Beef Sliders with Steakhouse Baked Beans
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Steak Au Poivre Sliders assembled and ready to devour.

Steak Au Poivre Sliders

Steak Au Poivre Sliders for a fun steak sandwich!
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Close up shot of Guinness Pulled Beef Sliders

Guinness Pulled Beef Sliders

Guinness Pulled Beef Sliders ready for your next dinner!
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A Roast Beef and Cheddar Slider close up.

Roast Beef and Cheddar Sliders

Roast Beef and Cheddar Sliders for a filling snack or delicious dinner.
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Final product of the Steak and Cheese Sliders

Steak and Cheese Sliders

I love some good sliders, and I thought it would be fun to grill up some steak and make an epic Steak and Cheese Sliders meal on my Oklahoma Joe Judge.
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Philly cheesesteak Sliders assembled and ready to serve!

Smoked Cheesesteak Sliders

These Smoked Cheesesteak Sliders are made up of buttery slider buns loaded with juicy steak, caramelized onions, and Monterey jack cheese.
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Smoked Pulled Ham Sandwiches Recipe

Smoked Pulled Ham Sandwiches

Smoked Pulled Ham Sandwiches are so legit! We hope you enjoy them.
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Surf and turf sliders with cowboy butter

Surf and Turf Sliders

Surf and turf sliders combine juicy ribeye steaks, buttered lobster meat and sweet rolls for a freakin' delicious meal.
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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

​Can I make sliders ahead of time? 

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.

What other meats can I use? 

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!

Don’t be mad — I don’t have a smoker. Can I make oven-baked sliders? 

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. 

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Derek is the driving force behind Over the Fire Cooking. He started cooking with live fire in 2016 and decided to start a social media page so his friends and family could follow the journey. Fast forward to today and Over the Fire Cooking has spread across multiple platforms with millions now following Derek's fire cooking journey. He's a southern fellow who enjoys everything from classic BBQ to Central and South American inspired dishes. Whatever he's cooking up, it's guaranteed to be so freakin' delicious!

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