This post may contain affiliate links, please see the privacy policy for details.
Sliders, those juicy mini burgers, are always fun to make and eat. They’re small enough for you to enjoy three different ones instead of having one burger, and they’re ideal for anything from a backyard BBQ to a tailgating party. These cowboy sliders are an extra-special kind of slider with sweet BBQ sauce, succulent beef, crispy bacon, ooey-gooey cheese, and crispy onions, all generously loaded on to slider buns. Get ready to be seriously impressed with these.
If you like sliders, you’ll love these cowboy sliders. They boast all those BBQ flavors you love with beef, bacon, cheese, and chilies to satisfy even the hungriest belly!
Also try bacon cheeseburger sliders, cheeseburger hot pockets or bacon-stuffed burgers. Unstuffed cabbage rolls are also great comfort food!
Why You’ll Love It
Easy to make and cook: You don’t need to mess around with grills or smokers to make these. Instead they are easy to prepare and will cook easily in the oven. Just assemble the cowboy sliders and bake until juicy, hot and delicious.
Undeniably tasty: This is an impressive slider recipe if you’re looking for something that packs a little more flavor than your average slider. Cheese, garlic, bacon, chilies and more blend together in these amazing sliders to offer a full flavor you won’t want to miss!
Great appetizers: Thanks to the diminutive size of these little snacks, they make really good appetizers. Serve someone a full burger as an appetizer and they’ll be too full to enjoy the main dish. Serve one of these and it will just whet their appetite for more!
Cowboy Slider Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below
Slider rolls: Slider rolls are just like burger buns, just smaller. If you absolutely can’t find any, use a cookie cutter to cut slider rolls out of regular rolls (and save the remainder for making homemade stuffing!)
Ground beef: The main ingredient. Room-temperature ground sirloin, ground chuck or ground angus beef work well, or, in fact, any other kind of ground beef you love! It’s best not to use 90/10 or extra-lean because it just dries out too easily and lacks flavor.
Jalapenos: For a little heat. You can omit this if you want mild sliders (if you’re making these for kids perhaps) or double up for an extra kick. Jalapenos in a jar are fine if you prefer those to fresh ones.
Cheddar cheese: To make your slider hamburgers into slider cheeseburgers. You can sub another kind of cheese if you prefer, such as pepper jack.
Sesame seeds: Add these on the slider buns for some crunch. If you’re lucky enough to find slider buns with sesame seeds then just omit these.
Fried onion strings: These add crunch and an onion flavor. Any container of French fried onions will work. Failing all else, cook and chop up some onion rings and use those.
Pickle spears: These are to pair with the sliders. They offer a slightly sour and briny taste which contrasts well with the sliders (as they have BBQ sauce and other sweet flavors).
How to Make Cowboy Sliders
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card
Cook the beef: Sear the beef and cook until browned throughout and add salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
Prepare the rolls: Open the buns (or slice in half if not precut) and arrange the bottom halves in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Spoon the beef mixture over them and then add the cheese.
Cook: Bake at 350 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese starts melting.
Assemble the cowboy sliders: Top with jalapeno slices, bacon and BBQ sauce, and then some onion strings. Add the bun tops back on.
Cook again: Brush butter over the bun tops and sprinkle on the sesame seeds, and bake for 5 minutes, then serve hot, with pickles on the side if liked.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free slider buns (I use these dinner rolls which are roughly the same size as slider rolls).
Tone down the spice factor: You can omit the jalapenos.
Another cheese: Cheddar is good with these but you can sub American cheese or Swiss cheese if you like. In fact, you can use any kind of cheese you want.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: If you’re serving these as part of a buffet or appetizer spread, you might like to make a chili charcuterie board too, in keeping with the cowboy theme. If you want to serve more than one type of sliders, consider blackened salmon sliders or any of these juicy slider recipes. And remember hot sauce, BBQ sauce, ketchup, mayo, and mustard on the side, so people can add whatever they like to their own.
Side dishes: And if they’re the main dish, pair these tasty sliders with anything from air fryer onion rings to truffle fries or a green goddess salad.
How to Store Cowboy Sliders
Store: It goes without saying these are best served freshly cooked. Leftovers will, however, keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Freeze them for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: Microwave them or warm them back up in a hot oven. Bear in mind the meat might dry out slightly when reheated so don’t heat it to piping hot for the best result.
Top Tips
Separate the rolls: If you don’t separate the slider rolls before adding the meat mixture, you’re going to have to do it after cooking when everything is covered in meat juices, sauce and melted cheese. So separate them first to avoid that kind of mess!
No double cooking: If you’re making these in a rush, you can assemble them and then bake until golden brown on top instead of baking, adding the toppings and then baking again.
Keep an eye on them: The last thing you want is for your sliders to scorch on top, so watch them in the oven. They can go from golden brown perfection to charcoal black in seconds (this was learned from firsthand experience!)
Cowboy Sliders FAQs
Since these are quite small, count on 2 or 3 if they’re going to be the main dish. If you’re feeding a crowd you might want to make 2 or 3 different slider recipes so everyone gets the choice of which to have.
Having a summer BBQ? In that case, you might wonder if you can make these on the grill. Well, keep the oven instructions for the cooler months but if you want to cook al fresco, you can absolutely make these on the grill. Shape the beef mixture into burger patties and grill to medium rare or your preference, and also butter and grill the buns halves cut side down until crisp. After that, you can top the sliders and push down the slider bun tops to hold them together.
This is completely up to you and everyone has their own preferences. A lot of people like to use sweet BBQ sauce while others are more partial to smoky sauces or even spicy ones. If you are making these sliders for a crowd, consider omitting the BBQ sauce and the chilies and offer different choices on the side so they can finish off their own sliders as they wish.
Easy Recipe for Cowboy Sliders
Cowboy Sliders
Ingredients
- 12 rolls, slider size – pretzel, Hawaiian or plain
- 1 Pound ground beef
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 Teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 Teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 12 Slices cheddar cheese
- 1 Jalapeno, sliced
- 6 Slices bacon, smoky, cooked
- 1/2 Cup BBQ sauce
- 1 Container crispy fried onions
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
- pickles, spears, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Slice the rolls open and lay the bottom half in a 9 x 13-inch pan.
- Cook the ground beef in a sauté pan until no longer pink and season with the salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, onion and garlic powder.
- Spoon the meat over the rolls and add the cheese.
- Place the open sandwiches in the oven until the cheese begins to melt, this will take 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add a jalapeno slice to each roll and some bacon, and then spoon the BBQ sauce over the bacon. Top with the crispy onions.
- Place the top of the rolls over the onions.
- Brush the rolls with the butter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
- Place in the oven and bake for another 5 minutes.
- Serve with pickles.
Notes
No double cooking: If you’re making these in a rush, you can assemble them and then bake until golden brown on top instead of baking, adding the toppings and then baking again.
Keep an eye on them: The last thing you want is for your sliders to scorch on top, so watch them in the oven. They can go from golden brown perfection to charcoal black in seconds!
Nutrition
Cowboy sliders are incredibly easy to make. They have a short prep time and are topped with delicious ingredients like bacon, cheddar melt, BBQ sauce, and more. The juicy meat has spices and Worcestershire sauce for flavor and everyone is going to clamor over these juicy sliders, wanting at least one! Make sure there will be enough for everyone to have at least one, because these are always popular!
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I’ve made these cowboy sliders multiple times—each one is better than the last!
These cowboy sliders are incredible! Sweet BBQ, crispy bacon, and gooey cheese—totally amazing!
I served this to my family and friends over the 4th of July weekend. It was a HIT!! They loved it.
I’m glad i made this yesterday! It was a hit! So perfect! 🙂
Love this sliders recipe. Was a hit when I serve it for friends coming over.
I just tried this recipe. It was so tasty! Will make it again. Thanks!