Baked Cheeseburger Sliders

These melt-in-your-mouth Baked Cheeseburger Sliders  are pretty much the most delicious thing on the planet. Hawaiian slider buns are stuffed with a ground beef filling studded with chopped pickles, onion, mustard, and plenty of gooey cheddar cheese. Perfect for entertaining! 

For more easy spins on classic cheeseburgers, check out this Cheeseburger Stromboli, this Chopped Hatch Pepper Cheeseburger, and these French Onion Cheeseburgers.

Baked Cheeseburger Sliders

If you make anything for your next entertaining event, let it be these baked cheeseburger sliders. They’ve officially been my favorite football/tailgating food on the planet for quite some time now, and I can’t stop eating them.

Actually, scratch that, they’re just my favorite food on the planet, period.

Well, this and these spaghetti and meatballs, this healthy chicken spaghetti, and this Easy Shrimp Alfredo. 

What’s not to love? Gooey cheeseburger filling studded with salty dill pickles, tangy mustard, and savory Worcestershire sauce is sandwiched between a sweet hawaiian bun, brushed with butter, and baked until golden brown and seriously irresistible. These guys are like a mix between a sloppy joe and a traditional cheeseburger slider, but so much better.

So.much.better. 

Kevin even dubbed these, “Better than White Castle,” and after my last lackluster White Castle experience a year or so ago, I’d have to agree.

Ingredients in Bake Cheeseburger Sliders

Onion and garlic. A little bit of onion and garlic goes a long way to flavor the cheeseburger sliders. If you really like a garlic flavor, add in a few more cloves. 

Ground beef. You can use whatever ground beef you want. I find that you can get away with a ground sirloin since we flavor the meat with so many other ingredients. Sometimes if you use a ground beef a high in fat, it can make the sliders a bit soggy, but still delicious, of course. 

Salt. I typically like to use one teaspoon of salt per pound of meat, but here, 3/4 teaspoon is plenty since a little bit of salt comes from the cheese, pickles, and Worcestershire sauce. 

Worcestershire sauce. I love the savoy little something something Worcestershire adds to these cheeseburger sliders. 

Mustard. Mustard may seem like kind of a weird ingredient to add to the filling, but trust me, it adds a lovely tanginess to the filling you don’t get by simply slathering the bun with mustard. 

Shredded cheddar cheese. Lots of shredded sharp cheddar cheese! It’s what makes baked cheeseburger sliders SO gooey and delicious! 

Pickles. I find that dill pickles work best here, but if you have a true love towards bread and butter pickles, feel free to use those as well. 

Hawaiian buns. Do I even need to explain why we use Hawaiian buns here? 

How to make Baked Cheeseburger Sliders

So first thing’s first. Butter your buns. Slice the Hawaiian buns in half, spread them with butter and toast them. This creates a sort of barrier between the bun and the filling so they don’t get soggy. Also, butter makes everything better. 

Next, brown the ground beef and sauté the onions and garlic. Once the ground beef and onions are cooked through, drain an excess grease. Throw in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat. 

Add in the rest of the ingredients. This includes chopped dill pickles, pickle juice, and cheddar cheese. 

Assemble! Spread the filling over the toasted buns, pop in the oven and bake until hot and the cheese has melted. 

Dress. Once the cheese is melted and gooey, remove from the oven, cover with chopped lettuce, tomato, and the top bun. Transfer to a platter and let your guests pull off their own sliders. 

Can cheeseburger sliders be made in advance??

If you’re making baked cheeseburger sliders in advance, I’d make the filling, aside from adding the cheese and then cool it completely. Once the meat is cooled completely stir in the shredded cheese. Assemble just before serving and bake.

I will say though, I reheated them the next day in the microwave and they were OUTSTANDING. They were slightly soggy, but in the best way possible, and seriously melted in my mouth. 

Easy variations 

• Mix in chopped jalapeño for a little bit of spice.
• Add bacon for a spin on a bacon cheeseburger slider
• Serve with sautéed mushrooms and Swiss in place of cheddar
• For a fancier version, spread toasted buns with Boursin cheese. 

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success 

• If you want to lighten them up a bit, swap out the ground beef for turkey and the full-fat cheese for reduced-fat
• Add in a splash of Worcestershire sauce for an extra kick of flavor. 
• You could also use regular slider buns if you don’t have access to Hawaiian 
• Make sure to season with plenty of salt and pepper! 
• Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray so they don’t stick. 

For more great slider ideas, check out these posts:

• Ham & Pimento Cheese Sliders
• Mozzarella-Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Sliders
• Asian Sloppy Joe Sliders
• Cheesy Mexican Breakfast Sliders