Cheeseburger Sliders with Hawaiian Rolls

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Cheeseburger sliders with Hawaiian Rolls have the juicy, cheesy, and beefy goodness of a classic burgers minus the hassle of making and flipping patties. Serve these at potlucks and gatherings or enjoy them on your own for a quick snack!

Hosting a party soon? Add my Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders, Roast Beef Sliders, BBQ Chicken Sliders recipes to your menu!

cheeseburger sliders with hawaiian rolls on a serving board with burger sauce and fresh basil.

There’s nothing quite like a good cheeseburger—meaty, filling, and satisfyingly greasy. For this recipe, I want to put all the things I love about the cheeseburger in a slider form. It’s so much easier to prepare yet we’re not sacrificing flavor and texture.

Sliders are basically mini burgers that can be served as a party appetizer, snack, or entree. I like how I can easily adjust this recipe depending on the occasion and the number of guests, making it one of my go-to recipe for birthday parties or tailgating for game day!

Instead of making individual patties and firing them up on the grill one by one, I make a ground beef mixture tossed in a delicious burger sauce that will serve as the filling in between the soft Hawaiian buns, topped with cheese and onion.

Just pop everything in the oven, brush the rolls with a bit of my special garlic butter sauce, and you’re done!

Why You’ll Love this Easy Cheeseburger Sliders Recipe
Key Ingredients
Slider Recipe Variations
How to Make Cheeseburger Sliders with Hawaiian Rolls
Pro Tips for Making Sliders
What to Serve with Cheeseburger Sliders
Storage and Reheating
FAQs
More Recipes You’ll Love
Cheeseburger Sliders with Hawaiian Rolls Recipe

Why You’ll Love this Easy Cheeseburger Sliders Recipe

Bite-sized goodness. Unlike traditional burgers, mini cheeseburger sliders are easier and less messy to eat. Ideal for quick bites in between dancing or pumping your fist in the air when your favorite team scores a goal!
Made for a large crowd = the perfect party food. You can feed a large number of people without taking too much time in the kitchen (and missing all the fun!). Everyone can get their hands on some tasty cheeseburger sliders in just under an hour (also ideal for busy school nights too!)
Toppings galore! Bacon? More cheese? Pineapple? Whatever your favorite toppings are, you can add to this cheeseburger slider recipe. There’s no such thing as too much!

Key Ingredients

cheeseburger slider ingredients - ground beef, butter, parsley, garlic, ketchup, mustard, relish, hawaiian rolls, american cheese, cheddar cheese, mayo, onion, garlic powder, onion powder, and worcestershire sauce.

Ground beef – I used lean ground beef for overall less grease when cooked. It’s so much easier to make the filling this way.
King’s Hawaiian Rolls – Go for soft, fluffy, and sweet Hawaiian rolls that pair well with the savory beef and cheese. Dinner rolls are also a good alternative.
Cheddar cheese – A cheeseburger is not complete without cheddar cheese! It adds a tangy, sharp flavor to the burger.
American cheese slices – When melted, this becomes gooey and creamy. Yum!
Onion – Onions add so much flavor and aroma to the filling. Use either red or yellow onions depending on your preference.
Garlic powder and onion powder – These are used to season the ground beef. Simple yet flavorful!
Mustard – Add this to the ground beef just before it’s done cooking. It helps caramelize it better and lock in the yummy juices. Trust me with this!
Worcestershire sauce – This enhances the savory flavor of the beef and keeps it moist after cooking.
Mayonnaise – Make sure to use real mayo.
Ketchup – Tomato ketchup is perfect with mayo and mustard in the burger sauce!
Mustard – Use yellow mustard, but Dijon mustard also works here.
Parsley – I used fresh parsley, but feel free to use dried herbs instead. Don’t skip this!
Garlic – Always use fresh for the best flavors!

Slider Recipe Variations

cheeseburger slider on a silver plate with burger sauce.

Add a few slices of crispy bacon on top of the meat mixture for crunch and extra flavor!
Enjoy all the goodness of Philly Cheesesteak Sliders with its tender steak, caramelized onions and peppers, and gooey cheese.
Don’t have slider rolls? Make my brioche dinner rolls instead!
If you’ve got more time to spare, slow cook some pork in bbq sauce, shred it, and make mouthwatering Pulled Pork Sliders topped with coleslaw and pickles.
The ham and cheese combo never fails! Introduce some sweetness into this savory slider by adding some pineapple slices, preferably grilled or roasted, on top.
If you don’t have ground beef, you can use ground turkey or chicken instead like I did with my chicken philly cheesesteaks.

How to Make Cheeseburger Sliders with Hawaiian Rolls

burger sauce whisked together in a bowl.

Step 1: Make the burger sauce. Combine the burger sauce ingredients in a bowl.

ground beef, onions, and seasonings in a skillet.

Step 2: In a large skillet, add olive oil and warm over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, until fragrant and browned. Then add ground beef and seasonings. Cook until beef is fully cooked then add mustard and Worcestershire sauce and mix together. Remove from heat and season with salt and black pepper, as desired.

ground beef mixed with burger sauce in a mixing bowl.

Step 3: Add the ground beef mixture to a bowl and set aside to remove any excess grease with a paper towel. Add some burger sauce to the filling. Combine 1/4 cup of the burger sauce with the ground beef and mix well.

Step 4: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the butter topping. Make the butter topping by combining melted butter, parsley, and garlic in a small bowl.

hawaiian rolls cut in half with garlic butter spread across the inside of the buns.

Step 5: Prepare the buns. Place the buns onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut the slider buns in half, lengthwise. Brush the inside of the buns with the butter mixture (reserving about 2 tbsps for the tops of the buns).

american cheese and cheddar cheese slices spread across the hawaiian rolls.

Step 6: Assemble the sliders. Place 4 slices of cheddar and 4 slices of American cheese on top of the buns.

cheese slices placed on top of the ground beef filling.

Step 7: Add the ground beef mixture on top. Add the remaining slices on top of the cooked beef and place the top of the rolls on top.

garlic butter being brushed on top of the cheeseburger sliders and garnished with sesame seeds.

Step 8: Brush the tops of the buns with the remaining butter mixture. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the top half of the rolls! Bake in the oven for 14-16 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted.

cheeseburger sliders on a baking sheet garnished with sesame seeds and basil.

Pro Tips for Making Sliders

Try out these tips to make the best cheeseburger sliders:

Remove excess fat and liquid from the beef before assembling the sliders to avoid getting the buns all soggy and wet. Using lean meat will also lessen the amount of fat released from the beef.
Layer the toppings evenly so that everyone gets the same amount of ground beef and cheese in their sliders.
Add a spicy kick to your baked cheeseburger slider by squeezing some sriracha or any hot sauce on top.

What to Serve with Cheeseburger Sliders

I love eating these sliders with French fries or sweet potato fries, but It’s fun to mix and match cheeseburger sliders with different sides! Mac and cheese, fried potatoes and onions, cajun bbq wings, or a simple house salad are all fun options. All of these complement its beefy and cheesy flavor in the best ways. Cap it all off with a refreshing cocktail like this mango mojito!

Storage and Reheating

Storing: Leftover filling should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Reheat: To reheat cheeseburger sliders, it’s best to use an oven preheated at 350°F instead of a microwave oven to ensure the bun will not turn too soft and soggy.

FAQs

What makes a burger a slider?

Sliders are technically just mini versions of burgers. Any toppings that you can put in a burger, you can also put in a slider. Perhaps, the only difference between the two is the size and type of bread used.

What type of beef should you use for sliders?

I recommend using lean ground beef because it’s way less greasy when cooked.

Can you make cheeseburger sliders ahead of time?

Yes! Cook the ground beef filling and prepare the sauce a couple of days ahead. Refrigerate them in separate airtight containers. Once ready, you just have to take them out, assemble, and pop in the oven to bake.