Sloppy Joe Sliders are perfect for a family friendly weeknight dinner or to serve as a party snack! Tangy, sweet, and flavor packed sauce combined with ground beef, cheese, and served on slider buns! Serve with fries, pasta salad, chips, or potato salad!
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These Sloppy Joe Sliders take the classic favorite and bring it to new heights! These little sandwiches are supposed to be sloppy and messy, it’s what makes them so tasty and fun to eat. The ultimate comfort meal, perfect for parties, tailgating, potlucks, quick meal options, and more!
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What is a slider?
The term “slider” comes from Navy slang, perhaps as early as the 1940s, later adapted by burger chain White Castle to refer to their small burgers. Suddenly, sliders were everywhere. They can also be any hot sandwich made with a soft bun. A few other great options are French Onion Beef Sliders, BBQ Chicken Sliders, and/or Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders.
Why You’ll Love these Sliders
Perfect for any occasion- whether you need these as an appetizer, party snack, or quick meal option…these are always the first thing to get gobbled up!
Easy- most of the ingredients needed are ones you may already have on hand! No need to go out and buy lots of ingredients you’ll only use one time.
Quick- from start to finish, you can be enjoying these in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
Using only a few simple, pantry-staple ingredients, these sliders come together quickly and are packed with flavor. See recipe card below for full measurements and directions.
- Slider Buns- I recommend Rhode’s Warm and Serve Rolls are they hold up well, are fluffy, and have great flavor
- Cheese- shredded cheddar cheese is what I use, feel free to change up the cheese to fit your tastes
Meat Mixture
- Olive Oil
- Beef- I used 80/20 beef as it is typically what I keep on hand, feel free to use a leaner beef or turkey
- Onion- sweet onion adds a little sweeter flavor which I think works well with the sweet and tangy filling. If you don’t have one however, feel free to use a yellow or white onion instead
- Garlic- fresh is best, but jarred minced works well too
- Ketchup
- Brown Sugar
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Chili Powder
- Salt/Pepper- to taste
- Water-
Glaze
- Butter- I use unsalted to cut down on sodium, however, either type works, just avoid margarine
- Brown Sugar
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Mustard- Dijon is best in this recipe, but you can use yellow or even jalapeno for an added kick
- Sesame Seeds
How to make Sloppy Joe Sliders
- Prep: preheat oven to 350 degrees and slice slider buns in half, set aside. Gather all ingredients.
- Make Sauce: Cook beef with olive oil and onion until cooked through. Drain fat and add in the garlic. After about 30 seconds, stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, pepper, and water. Allow to cook 5-6 minutes, or until mixture has thickened up.
- Assemble: Sprinkle cheese on bottom half of slider bun. Spoon meat mixture evenly over cheese, followed by another layer of cheese. Place slider bun on top to create a sandwich.
- Glaze: Melt butter and stir in the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Mustard, and sesame seeds. Brush over the top of the sandwiches.
- Bake: Place pan into oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Serve!
What slider buns to use
There are so many options on the market, however, after testing a few out, I have landed on Rhode’s Warm and Serve Rolls as my go-to. Not only are they easy to take out of the freezer and have ready to go, but their texture is perfect for these sliders. They don’t fall apart and cause the toppings to come out, the bread is perfectly fluffy, and has such homey taste. They are buttery with a hint of sweetness!
All Rhodes Warm & Serve rolls are 90% baked for your convenience. Simply put them straight in the oven from the freezer and enjoy hot fresh rolls in minutes! They make the perfect side dish or a simple snack. They are also great for sliders or sandwiches.
Plus, they come in a few different varieties from white rolls to Artisan rolls, and sourdough. I use the white rolls, but any variety you desire works great!
You can find these in the frozen bread section of your grocery store!
Variations
- Need a different sweetener? Try molasses or honey in lieu of the brown sugar.
- Want it spicier? Use cayenne pepper, chili powder, or crushed red pepper flakes. Even some chopped up jalapenos work great!
- Want to add in veggies? Feel free to add in grated carrot, chopped celery, green pepper, zucchini, or sliced mushrooms when you sauté the onion and garlic.
- Want less cheese? Stir some grated cheese into the meat mixture while it’s still hot and omit the rest.
- Want to make a full sandwich? Feel free to use hamburger buns in lieu of sliders.
- Love BBQ? Use BBQ Sauce in lieu of Ketchup for a BBQ twist.
- Try a different protein! You can use any ground protein of your choice! Some suggestions would be ground venison, turkey, chicken, or even lamb!
Do I have to use brown sugar?
No, however, most sloppy joe sandwiches are made on the sweeter side. If you’re not a fan of sweet sloppy joes, feel free to omit the brown sugar altogether.
Can you make these Sloppy Joe Sliders ahead of time?
If you need to make these Sloppy Joe Sliders ahead of time, I suggest ONLY making the meat mixture ahead of time and storing it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake/serve. This prevents the slider buns from getting soggy and falling apart. The meat mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Can I freeze Sloppy Joe Sliders?
You can definitely freeze the meat mixture. Once it’s cooled down, just place it in an airtight container and freeze for 2 – 3 months. However, the prepared sliders need to be eaten right away for the best flavor and texture! Just thaw it, warm it back up (maybe with a little extra water) and assemble the sliders right before you are ready to serve.
Other Sloppy Joe Recipe to try
Sloppy Joe Casserole– this tasty casserole has a biscuit topping that is hearty, flavor packed, and a family favorite
Best EVER Sloppy Joe Bubble Up Bake– with biscuit pieces throughout, this bubble up bake is comfort food at its finest
Mom’s Classic Sloppy Joes– mom knows best and this classic recipe has been passed down for many generations
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Sloppy Joe Sliders Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 Slider Rolls *I use Rhode's Warm and Serve Rolls
- 2 cups cheese *shredded, cheddar
Sloppy Joe Mixture
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion *diced
- 4 cloves garlic *minced
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- salt/pepper to taste
- ½ cup water
Glaze
- ¼ cup butter *melted
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon mustard *Dijon, yellow, or jalapeno
- Sesame seeds *optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and slice slider rolls in half horizontally.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add in the beef and onion, stirring until meat is cooked through.
- Drain fat and add in the minced garlic. Sauté for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, pepper, and water.
- Allow meat mixture to simmer over low heat for about 5-6 minutes, or until mixture has thickened up.
- Sprinkle half the cheese on the slider buns followed by scooping the meat mixture evenly on top of the cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of meat and place bun on top to create sandwich.
- Prepare glaze by combining the melted butter with brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and sesame seeds (if using).
- Brush glaze evenly on top of the sliders coating thoroughly.
- Place pan (I always use a cookie sheet, but a 9 x 13 pan works too) into preheated oven and allow to bake for about 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately!
Nutrition
Sarah M says
Made these as regular sloppy joes without the slider buns so skipped the glaze and because my hubby is weird (lol) left the brown sugar out of the mix. Turned out great. He ate two large ones and more meat without a bun afterwards. Will make again as our go to recipe!
Kristin says
Yay!! Glad you both enjoyed!!!
Sarah says
Made these today for game day in front of TV. Very good! My favorite new product to learn about(new to me) were the frozen rolls. They hold up so well and tasted great. My husband even commented on them. I had used the ones you have to let rise but didn’t know about these. Used the sourdough. Will be making this again!
Kristin says
Yay!! Love hearing this! So glad you enjoyed!!
Julie from Kalamazoo says
This sounds delish. Will save and try it for sure. Thanks
Kristin says
Hope you enjoy! Be sure to keep me posted what you think!!