Ground Beef Sliders Recipe

A tray full of Ground Beef Sliders with toasted golden tops.

Hearty, cheesy sliders are the perfect party appetizer or quick dinner!

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Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 35

Servings: sliders

Calories: 299kcal

Ingredients

For sliders:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small white onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
Salt & pepper to taste
1 pacakge slider buns, sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4-6 slices American cheese
4-6 slices Swiss cheese
Dill pickles for garnish (optional)

For aioli:

½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

For sliders:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a skillet over medium heat, melt two (2) tablespoons of butter. Add the chopped onion, and cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent.
Add the ground beef and break it into smaller pieces with a spatula, spreading it out over the pan. Brown undisturbed for several minutes, then stir. Continue to brown several minutes at a time until meat is fully cooked and no pink remains. Drain any excess fat from the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Arrange the bottom halves of the slider buns on your prepared baking sheet.
Place the remaining two tablespoons of butter in a microwave safe bowl, and melt for 20-30 seconds, or until totally melted. Stir in the minced garlic and parsley flakes to make an herby garlic butter sauce, and season with a pinch of salt.
Brush half of the butter mixture over the bottom halves of the slider buns. Arrange 4-6 slices of cheese over the bottom buns, overlapping if needed.
Spoon the beef & onion mixture over the cheese, then arrange the remaining 4-6 slices of cheese over the beef. Place the tops of the slider buns over the cheese, then brush the remaining half of the garlic butter sauce generously over the tops of the slider buns.
Place the sliders into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the tops of the buns are toasted golden brown.
Slice or tear the sliders apart, then serve hot with pickles and garlic aioli for dipping, if desired, and your favorite side dish.

For aioli:

Combine the mayo, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Serve as a condiment on burgers or sandwiches, or as a dipping sauce for fries, roasted veggies, and more.

Notes

For sliders:

You can saute your onions in olive oil instead of butter if preferred.
Be sure to stir the onions often while cooking to prevent them from over-browning and crisping.
I used a super lean 93%/7% chili-style ground angus beef for this recipe, but any ratio of lean to fat will taste great.
Use slider buns or sweet Hawaiian rolls if you prefer.
I’ve noticed that whenever I make sliders in my oven, the tops of the buns brown very quickly and I risk over-toasting them/ending up with non-melted cheese. You can do two things to avoid this: 1. Be sure to place your pan on the middle rack inside your oven so that the buns aren’t too close to the top heating element. 2. You can cover the sliders with aluminum foil before baking to prevent the tops from browning too quickly, if you like. A note about the buns: If you choose to cover the sliders with foil, the buns will steam rather than crisp in the oven. If you still want your buns to be slightly toasted, you can remove the foil for the last minute or two of baking.
You can use whatever variety of cheese that you like. I used a deli-style American cheese (Kraft Deluxe and Land-O-Lakes deli American cheese slices are both great options) and baby swiss cheese for the ultimate ooey-gooey cheese pull combination.
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat for a minute or so in the microwave, or in a 350 degree oven, covered with foil, for 10 minutes or until heated throughout.

For aioli:

I used Kraft brand mayo with olive oil. You can use any variety of mayonnaise that you like.
1 teaspoon of minced garlic is roughly equal to 1 minced clove of fresh garlic.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
This aioli is best when the flavors have been allowed to rest and meld for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving. For best results, keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.