Cheeseburger Sliders

Cheeseburger sliders aren't just mini cheeseburgers. These cheeseburger sliders are extra indulgent with juicy ground beef, melty American cheese, sweet caramelized onions, and a creamy tangy special sauce. They're all piled on a buttery, pillowy potato rolls for a truly unforgettable slider experience—or at least the best one you've had in a really, really long time.

This cheeseburger sliders recipe makes 12 sliders, which is a great amount if you're entertaining at a tailgate or party. But you can scale up and double (even triple!) the recipe for a big picnic or neighborhood block party. Just cook the ground beef and onions in batches so everything cooks evenly.

Learn how to make cheeseburger sliders. These will easily become your new favorite party food. Just make sure you have great sides to go with them.

What Ingredients Are Needed for Cheeseburger Sliders?

Some classic burger ingredients deliver big on flavor. Many of these ingredients are probably already in your fridge.

• Ground beef: We like the flavor and fattiness of 80/20 ground beef. You can use a leaner ground beef you want, but it may have a slightly drier texture.
• Kosher salt: For seasoning the beef.
• Yellow onion: Thinly sliced onions are steamed so they cook quicker and then browned. They will still have that sweet-savory flavor you crave from a good caramelized onion.
• Tap water: Use a bit of water to steam the onions and cook them faster.
• Slider buns: We prefer to use Martin's Potato Rolls. They are slightly larger than a normal slider bun.
• Mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard: Three standard burger condiments will actually become an incredible special sauce, with a few other ingredients.
• Sweet pickle relish: Adds tang and bite to the special sauce.
• Garlic powder and paprika: Adds more flavor to the special sauce, and the paprika contributes that telltale special sauce color.
• American cheese: This is the right time to use American cheese for an extra-melty, ooey-gooey cheese finish.
• Dill pickle chips: The bite of dill pickles is ideal with the slightly sweet burger sauce, but you can go for bread and butter if you want, even garlic pickles.

How To Make Cheeseburger Sliders

This recipe calls to cook a few elements separately—the ground beef and onions—and then it's all quickly assembled before a final bake. Here's a brief outline of that process; the full recipe is further below.

• Cook the ground beef. Sprinkle ground beef with salt, and cook until browned. Remove the cooked beef from the pan with a slotted spoon. Reserve some of the drippings in the skillet; discard the rest.
• Cook onions. Steaming the onions briefly expedites caramelizing, so drop the thinly sliced onions in the skillet with the beef drippings and water. Cover the skillet, and cook until the water evaporates. Then, remove the lid, and let the onions cook until browned.
• Toast buns. Toasting the buns helps keep them from getting soggy once the sauce is on them. Split the two packages of rolls, and place them center up on baking sheets. Broil briefly until lightly toasted.
• Make special sauce. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients of the special sauce.
• Assemble sliders. Once the buns are toasted, begin building the cheeseburger sliders: Spread sauce on both sides of the buns. Top with ground beef, then cheese, then onions. Finally, top with pickles, and put top buns back on the sliders.
• Bake sliders. Move the tray of sliders to a preheated oven, and bake about 10 minutes to get the cheese nice and melted. Once out of the oven, slice between each slider to separate, and serve.

How To Store and Reheat Leftover Cheeseburger Sliders

Store any leftover sliders in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or open-faced in an air-fryer until warmed through.

Can You Make Cheeseburger Sliders Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can assemble the sliders, then cover them with foil and refrigerate until you're ready to bake. You can also make the sauce ahead of time, too—an especially good idea if you know your crowd will want extra sauce for dipping.

Got Any Tips for Making the Best Cheeseburger Sliders Ever?

Absolutely! The Southern Living Test Kitchen loved these cheeseburger sliders. They were snapped up in minutes, gone before some people even got a single bite. So these are new favorites. As such, we've got a few tips to share:

• Try to get as much browning as possible on the beef to get as much flavor as possible. If you want, you can break the beef up into smaller batches, or cook in two pans. It's an extra step that's definitely worth it.
• Scale down the recipe for an easy weeknight meal—or scale up for a big crowd.

Can You Make Any Substitutions for Cheeseburger Sliders?

These sliders really are open to your interpretation. Here are a few ideas:

• Try them with other proteins like ground turkey. You may have to add some fat when cooking the onions though.
• Use your preferred special burger sauce. We like this one for its versatility, but feel free to mix it up.
• Change up your toppings. We kept things simple with just dill pickles, but you could add a Roma tomato round and a piece of fresh iceberg lettuce.
• Instead of American cheese, try Cheddar or a spicy Jack.

What Do You Serve With Sliders?

Cheeseburger sliders would be great with classic burger sides, including shoestring fries, onion rings, corn on the cob, or classic coleslaw. Or if they'll be on a menu with other appetizers, consider some favorites like deviled eggs, fried pickle chips, and jalapeño popper dip.

How Many Sliders Per Person?

For this recipe, we assume 12 rolls equals 12 servings, which is great if you're going to have side dishes or other appetizers. Some people might eat 2, however. (They're just that good.) So plan for 1 1/2 sliders per person when making your menu.

Even More Slider Recipes

Sliders are perfect party food because they're easy to make in big patches, quick to grab, and portable. They're no where near as messy as regular burgers. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Ham-and-Cheese Sliders
• French Dip Sliders
• Ham Delights
• Pizza Sliders
• Buffalo Chicken Sliders