17 Party-Perfect Holiday Slider Recipes

Updated December 09, 2019
Credit: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

The holiday season is about more than spending time with loved ones and celebrating generosity—it’s also the year’s biggest feeding frenzy. All those relatives, friends, and colleagues you’re connecting with make for a lot of mouths to feed, even if you’re not the only one handling food. Keep those hungry mouths happy with these bite-sized versions of everyone’s favorite sandwiches, from tiny cheeseburgers to meatball-sized sliders and garlic knot bunned chicken Parm bites.

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Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce

Credit: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce Recipe

This fun dish is two recipes in one: delicious, easy meatballs and a slow-simmered tangy tomato sauce. If you have any extra sauce, toss it with your favorite green vegetable, spoon it over a bowl of creamy grits, or pair it with pork chops or other meats.

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Cran-Apple Smoked Turkey Sliders

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Cran-Apple Smoked Turkey Sliders Recipe

Let's face it: You have to have a killer leftover turkey sandwich the day after the feast. If you start with our robust Applewood-Smoked Turkey, you need only a few embellishments--namely the juicy snap of tart apple and the extra layer of smoke from the cheddar--to reach to-die-for status.

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Cuban Sliders

Credit: Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Cuban Sliders Recipe

A welcome change from the ubiquitous hamburger slider, this mini sandwich has all the flavor of a great Cuban. The key here is to crisp the bread by warming the sandwiches in a hot jelly-roll pan and adding weight on top of the bread.

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Garlic Knot Chicken Parmesan Sliders

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Anna Theoktisto

Garlic Knot Chicken Parmesan Sliders Recipe

Chicken Parmesan meets a garlicky, buttery roll in this super simple yet impressive recipe. Everything comes together quickly with the help of pizza dough, but you could also use dinner rolls like Hawaiian rolls to skip a step and save time. Dress them up with wine, or dress them down with beer and bring them to a tailgate. These sliders also pair nicely with a salad or chips and dip. 

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Black Bean and Mushroom Sliders

Credit: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Claire Spollen

Black Bean and Mushroom Sliders Recipe

Fiber-packed pinto beans are slightly sweeter than black beans but will also work well with the flavors in this burger.

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Country Fried Beef Biscuit Sliders

Credit: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Cat Steele

Country Fried Beef Biscuit Sliders Recipe

Buttery, tender biscuits are the perfect vehicle for Roast Beef Steaks and the Mustard sauce is just tart enough to balance the richness of the meat. This country spin on a slider is decadent, comforting, and crowd-pleasing; great for Super Bowl get-togethers, brunch, or a cold winter morning. We love adding Pickled Red Onion for added flavor and color. White Lily self-rising flour makes the biscuits a breeze, but if you need to save time, just use your favorite brand of frozen biscuit. 

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Pan-Fried Bologna Sliders

Credit: Oxmoor House

Pan-Fried Bologna Sliders Recipe

There’s nobody on this planet who loves fried bologna better than my childhood best friend, R.C. Hux. R.C.’s mother, Jamie, often claimed that R.C.’s wedding would feature fried bologna and cheese sandwiches as the main dish.

R.C.’s dad, Richard, is a collector of antiques and guns, a pilot, a fi sherman, a car salesman, and a jack-of-all-trades. Saturdays spent with Richard were always an adventure for R.C. and me. We’d visit a fl ea market to trade coins or art, shoot a tommy gun at an outdoor range, take a tour of the skies in a T-34 airplane, and enjoy a Kentucky Nip soda, all before lunch. When we’d return home after our exploits, Jamie would fi x us up a classic fried bologna sandwich. R.C. went with ketchup—but I am a mustard guy. This recipe is the summation of all those great childhood memories in a few fun, tasty bites.

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Buffalo Chicken Sliders with Celery-Ranch Slaw

Credit: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Rachael Burrow

Buffalo Chicken Sliders with Celery-Ranch Slaw Recipe

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Pork Sliders with Smashed Avocado

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Pork Sliders with Smashed Avocado Recipe

For smaller sandwiches like these, we prefer to smash the avocado into a spread before assembling so that no slippery slices are lost on the journey from plate to mouth.

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Turkey Sliders with Crunchy Green Apple Slaw

Credit: Victor Protasio

Turkey Sliders with Crunchy Green Apple Slaw Recipe

Sliders make any burger night more fun, especially since you get double the patties and double the creamy, crunchy slaw. Look for ground turkey rather than ground turkey breast--the former has a bit more fat and flavor from dark meat while still keeping a lean profile.

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Smashed Double Cheeseburger Sliders

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Smashed Double Cheeseburger Sliders Recipe

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Turkey Sloppy Joe Sliders

Credit: Dominic Perri; Styling: Gerri Williams for James Reps

Turkey Sloppy Joe Sliders Recipe

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Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Credit: Johnny Miller; Styling: Sarah Smart

Buffalo Chicken Sliders Recipe

For this slider, we tuck the usual Buffalo wing accompaniments--carrots and celery--inside the patty. This gives you all the flavors of a wing plate while also helping to keep the lean breast meat moist. When shredding the celery (so that it incorporates nicely), you'll have to stop occasionally to pull and discard the strings. Be sure to search for celery bunches with nice, fresh leaves still attached.

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Italian Meatball Sliders

Credit: Johnny Autry and Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr and Leigh Ann Ross

Italian Meatball Sliders Recipe

Skip the pasta and try Italian meatball sliders instead. Best of all, you can make the meatballs ahead and freeze them for a quick meal on busy nights.

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Provolone and Broccoli Rabe Beef Sliders

Credit: Victor Protasio; Styling: Paige Hicks

Provolone and Broccoli Rabe Beef Sliders Recipe

Highlight your usual slider spread with the addition of brocolli rabe and using good quality ground sirloin. The mild flavor and cheesiness from the provolone glues the slider together with the classic meat patty and grilled broccoli rabe. Pleasantly bitter broccoli rabe gives sliders a sophisticated edge and introduces a likely unfamiliar veggie in a delicious way. Use Broccolini for a milder flavor. The grilled broccoli rabe adds a texture to the slider where fresh iceberg lettuce would fall short. 

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Parm-Style Chicken Sliders

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Parm-Style Chicken Sliders Recipe

These Italian-style sliders put a summery spin on Chicken Parmesan. 

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Pork Tenderloin Sliders

Credit: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Pork Tenderloin Sliders Recipe

One carefree way to serve these cuties is to slice the tenderloins on a large cutting board, set out fresh rolls and homemade condiments, and let guests build their own sandwiches.

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