Beef Sliders Caramelized Onions (Printable)
Mini beef patties with caramelized onions and melted cheese on soft slider buns for tasty gatherings.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meat
01 - 1.1 lbs ground beef (80/20 blend recommended)
02 - 1 tsp kosher salt
03 - ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
04 - 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
05 - ½ tsp garlic powder
→ Caramelized Onions
06 - 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
07 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
08 - 1 tbsp olive oil
09 - ½ tsp sugar
10 - ¼ tsp salt
→ Assembly
11 - 8 small slider buns
12 - 8 slices cheddar or Swiss cheese
13 - 2 tbsp mayonnaise (optional)
14 - 2 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional)
15 - Butter for toasting buns (optional)
16 - Lettuce, tomato slices, or pickles (optional)
# Directions:
01 - Melt butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions and salt, stirring to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, then add sugar. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until onions become deep golden brown and soft, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
02 - In a mixing bowl, gently combine ground beef, kosher salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions and shape each into a small patty slightly larger than the buns, allowing for shrinkage during cooking.
03 - Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties 2 to 3 minutes per side until browned and cooked to desired doneness. During the final minute, place a cheese slice on each patty and cover to allow cheese to melt.
04 - Slice buns in half. Butter cut sides if desired. Toast cut sides down in a skillet or on the grill until golden brown.
05 - Spread mayonnaise and/or Dijon mustard on bottom halves of buns if using. Layer with lettuce leaf and tomato slice if desired, followed by cheesy beef patty and a spoonful of caramelized onions. Add pickles if preferred and cap with top bun.
06 - Serve sliders hot immediately after assembly.
# Cooking Tips:
01 -
- They're small enough to make people feel like they can eat multiple sliders without guilt, but rich enough that everyone stops at just one or two.
- Caramelized onions transform a simple burger into something that tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen, even though you really didn't.
- Perfect for feeding a crowd without spending hours at the stove or dirtying every pan in the house.
02 -
- Don't overwork the beef mixture; I learned this the hard way when I thought thorough mixing meant better burgers, but it actually makes them dense and tough.
- The caramelized onions are the entire point of this recipe—they transform a basic burger into something memorable, so don't rush that step or substitute with raw onions.
- Your patties will shrink about fifteen percent when they cook, which is why you shape them slightly larger than the bun; this keeps them from sliding around inside.
03 -
- Use a light touch when forming patties and never press them down while they cook; let them develop a crust naturally, and they'll stay juicy inside.
- If you're cooking for a crowd, you can form all your patties ahead of time and refrigerate them on a parchment-lined plate until you're ready to cook, which saves stress during the final push.