Sloppy Joe Sliders are the ultimate comfort food made even better in bite-sized form. These irresistible mini sandwiches are loaded with saucy ground beef, melted cheese, and soft, buttery Hawaiian rolls. Every bite is warm, savory, and packed with flavor that feels both nostalgic and satisfying. If you're looking for an easy crowd-pleaser, this recipe delivers every time.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Lunch / Dinner / Party Food
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 30 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 12 sliders
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Savory, tangy, slightly sweet, cheesy
- 🍚 Best Served With: Fries, chips, coleslaw, broccoli crunch salad
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, assemble ahead and bake when ready
Summarize and Save This Content On
This recipe is perfect for game day, family dinners, or casual gatherings with friends. It's quick to prepare and easy to customize depending on your preferences. Whether you serve the sliders as a main dish or party snack, they always disappear fast.
This recipe was inspired by my hot dog sliders and turkey and cheese sliders on this site, and pairs well with these sweet potato fries.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick to make: Ready in about 30 minutes, loaded with flavor and cheesy goodness
- Comfort food favorite: Classic flavors everyone enjoys so it's perfect for parties and gatherings
- Common ingredients: Readily available ingredients that are easily customizable. You can add toppings or adjust flavors depending on personal tastes.
Ingredients
This recipe uses simple ingredients that come together to create a rich, flavorful, and satisfying slider.
- Hawaiian slider buns: Provide a soft, slightly sweet base that complements the savory filling
- Ground beef: Main protein that creates a hearty and satisfying texture
- Sweet onion: Adds flavor and slight sweetness to balance the sauce
- Minced garlic: Enhances overall savory depth
- Sloppy joe sauce: Brings tangy, sweet, and rich flavor to the meat
- Colby-Jack cheese: Adds creamy, melty richness
- Melted butter: Helps toast the buns and adds flavor
- Sesame seeds: Adds texture and classic slider appearance
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
Variations
- Spicy sliders: Add jalapenos or jalapeno hot sauce to meat mixture.
- BBQ version: Use barbecue sauce instead of sloppy joe sauce
- Bacon sliders: Add cooked bacon for extra flavor
- Cheese swap: Use sharp cheddar cheese, Pepper-Jack, Cheddar-Jack, marble cheddar, or American cheese...they all melt beautifully.
- Meat options: Use ground turkey, ground sausage, ground pork or a mixture instead of beef
- Loaded sliders: Add pickles or onions on top
- Mexican sliders: Add taco seasoning and use salsa instead of sloppy joe sauce
- Extra cheesy: Add a top cheese layer. We always do.
How to Make Sloppy Joe Sliders
This recipe is easy to follow and comes together quickly in just a few simple steps. For best results, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and toast buttered or unbuttered sliders on two seperate baking sheets until insides are golden brown.
Spray an 9x13 casserole dish lightly with nonstick spray. Once buns are toasted turn your oven up to 350 degrees F.
In a heavy-bottom non-stick skillet, combine the ground beef with the onion and garlic. Brown the beef on medium-high heat by breaking it up and flipping as it browns. Once cooked, drain any excess grease and stir in the sloppy joe sauce.
Slice and place the bottom of the Hawaiian slider buns in the bottom of your prepared casserole dish.
Layer your ingredients over the bottom buns, starting with the slices of Colby-Jack cheese, ground beef with sloppy joe sauce and another layer of cheese, if desired.
Place the bun tops on last.
Brush the tops of the buns with melted butter using a small bowl and pastry brush.
Bake in your preheated oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are toasted and the sliders are heated throughout, and the cheese is melted. Brush buns with remaining butter and sprinkle the buns with sesame seeds after baking.
Slice the sliders and serve!
Recipe Tips
- Toast inside of buns lightly before filling: Reduces chance of bun from becoming soggy. Brush on a little butter before toasting too for even better results.
- Add a top cheese layer: Prevents buns from becoming soggy on top.
- Don't overfill: Keeps sliders intact and easy to eat.
- Drain meat well: Prevents greasy and soggy sliders.
- Don't add too much sauce: Avoids soggy sliders.
- Cover with foil if needed: If tops become too dark it prevents over-browning.
- Slice with a sharp serrated knife: Keeps layers intact.
If you love recipes like these sloppy Joe sliders, you may also enjoy my pizza sliders and Cuban sliders.
Storage Directions
These sliders store well and can be reheated easily for later enjoyment.
Refrigerator: Store up to 3 days in airtight container and place on counter for 10-25 minutes to come to room temperature before reheating for best results.
Freezer: Freeze, ideally before heating, in an airtight container up to 2 months and defrosting in fridge overnight.
Reheat: If refrigerated, allow to come to room temperature on counter befofore reheating. Cover with foil and warm them in the oven at 300°F for 7-10 minutes or without foil in microwave until heated through.
Make Ahead: Assemble a few hours ahead and bake when ready.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with easy spicy pickles or sweet pickles
- Serve with fries, chips or cheesies
- Pair with salad or grandma's coleslaw on the side
- Serve at parties
- Pair with potato salad, pizza pasta salad or Mediterranean rice salad
Recipe FAQs
Yes, sliders are perfect for sharing.
There are a few possibilities. The beef may not have been drained well, too much sauce was added, buns weren't toasted or cheese wasn't used to cover the top and bottom half of bun.
Yes, add hot sauce, chili flakes, or jalapeños to the meat mixture.
Hawaiian rolls are ideal because they're soft and slightly sweet.
Video
More Slider Recipes
Do you love easy slider recipes? Here are some you may also enjoy trying.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Sloppy Joe Sliders
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 Hawaiian slider buns still connected
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- ¼ sweet onion diced
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 can (10 oz) sloppy joe sauce
- 6 slices Colby-Jack cheese (12 slices if covering top of sloppy joe sauce too)
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds or poppy seeds
Instructions
Optional Bun Toast
- Preheat your oven to 325°F or 350°F. (350°F is standard, but 325°F gives more control and prevents over-browning)
- Slice the slider buns in half (keep them connected). Place cut side up on a baking sheet. Lightly brush with extra melted butter.
- Bake slider buns for about 5 minutes, until they are light golden brown. Let cool slightly before adding filling.
Skip Bun Toasting
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray an 9x13 casserole dish lightly with nonstick spray.
- In a heavy-bottom non-stick skillet, combine the ground beef with the onion and garlic. Brown the beef on medium-high heat by breaking it up and flipping as it browns. Once cooked, drain any excess grease and stir in the sloppy joe sauce.
- Slice and place the bottom of the Hawaiian slider buns in the bottom of your prepared casserole dish.
- Layer your ingredients over the bottom buns, starting with the slices of Colby-Jack cheese. Add ground beef with sloppy joe sauce and another layer of cheese, if desired, and finally place the bun tops on last.
- Brush the tops of the buns with melted butter using a small bowl and pastry brush.
- Bake in your preheated oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are toasted and the sliders are heated throughout, and the cheese is melted. Brush buns with remaining butter and sprinkle the buns with sesame seeds after baking.
- Slice the sliders and serve!
Video
Notes
- Toast inside of buns lightly before filling: Reduces chance of bun from becoming soggy. Brush on a little butter before toasting too for even better results.
- Add a top cheese layer: Prevents buns from becoming soggy on top.
- Don't overfill: Keeps sliders intact and easy to eat.
- Drain meat well: Prevents greasy and soggy sliders.
- Don't add too much sauce: Avoids soggy sliders.
- Cover with foil if needed: If tops become too dark it prevents over-browning.
- Slice with a sharp serrated knife: Keeps layers intact.
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