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White Castle Sliders Copycat Recipe

White Castle Sliders are one of those crazy food items that you crave at unexpected times. And no, not always after a late night out with friends.

For those that aren’t familiar with the iconic burgers, let me explain. The traditional slider is a very thin burger that is steamed and topped with onions and served with a dill pickle slice.

Although there are now many variations of sliders, including an Impossible burger, the most popular menu item is the Cheese slider.

For those that live in the South, these sliders are similar to a Krystal burger. Although, beyond popular belief, they are not owned by the same company.

In fact, there is a difference between the two burgers. Krystal burgers are mini burgers that are grilled very similar to a full size hamburger. On the contrary, White Castle burgers and buns are steamed and served moist.

So what do you do when you are craving a slider and there are no restaurants within close proximity? Make your own!

white castle sliders
Homemade White Castle Sliders served with dill pickle slices.

White Castle Sliders Recipe

Ingredients

  • Ground beef
  • Water
  • Salt
  • Onion powder
  • Onion, diced
  • Beef stock, low-sodium
  • American cheese
  • Slider or dinner rolls
  • Dill pickle slices

Instructions

Place the ground beef, water, salt, and onion powder in a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds until ingredients are incorporated.

The ground beef mixture should look a little mushy. However it should not be fully pureed.

Line an extra large cutting board or an 11″ x 13″ baking sheet with plastic wrap. Then place the hamburger in the center of the plastic.

rolling beef
A French Rolling Pin makes it easy to roll the mixture into a rectangle.

Using another piece of plastic wrap, form the hamburger mixture into a rectangle shape. This will make it easier to roll out the meat mixture to make the iconic, thin burgers.

Then place the plastic wrap on top of the meat and roll into a rectangular shape about 1/4″ thick. Before making the sliders, cut off the ends of the meat to make a straight line on all sides.

Then score the meat into 3″ x 3″ squares, leaving you with 12 White Castle sliders.

Using the end of a straw or bamboo skewer, make five holes, starting with one in the center, and one in each corner. It should resemble the formation of the number 5 on dice.

Cover the hamburger with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until the meat is partially frozen but not solid. This will take approximately 30 minutes.

holes in sliders
The holes in the sliders help the burgers steam during the cooking process.

Cooking Instructions

When you are ready to cook the sliders, leave the meat in the freezer and prepare the onions. Place the diced onions, beef stock, and 1/2 cup water in a skillet.

Saute on medium heat until translucent, adding more beef stock or water as needed. Remove from the heat and place mixture in a bowl and set aside.

Remove the sliders from the freezer and score again. Then break apart into individual burgers.

Add 1/3rd of the onion mixture to the skillet and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn the skillet on medium heat and place 4 sliders in the pan and cover.

white castle sliders with onions
After a couple of minutes, flip the onions and burger and finish steaming.

Cook for 3 minutes, flip and cook for another 3 minutes or until done. The White Castle sliders will cook very quickly.

Open each piece of American cheese and tear in half. When the sliders are done, add two pieces of cheese on top, in a criss cross pattern.

Then add the top bun to each slider. Cover the skillet and let the cheese melt and buns steam for an additional minute.

Uncover and use a spatula and slide each burger onto the bottom bun. Keep covered and continue making the remaining sliders.

Serve with dill pickle slices.

slider with cheese and bun
Place the cheese and top bun on top of the burger and cover for an additional minute.

Enjoy! Mary

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Other Favorite Burger Recipes

Yield: 12

White Castle Sliders Copycat Recipe

white castle sliders

The traditional White Castle Sliders recipe can easily be replicated right in your own kitchen!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 12 slider or dinner rolls
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3/4 cup onion diced
  • 1/2 cup beef stock, low-sodium
  • 12 slices American cheese
  • 24 dill pickle slices

Instructions

  1. Place the ground beef, salt, onion powder and water in a food processor. Process for a few seconds until ingredients are incorporated. The ground beef mixture should look a little mushy.
  2. Line an extra large cutting board or an 11" x 13" baking sheet with plastic wrap Then place the hamburger in the center of the plastic wrap. Using another piece of plastic wrap, form the hamburger mixture into a rectangle shape. Then place the plastic wrap on top of the mixture and roll into a rectangular shape about 1/4" thick. Remove plastic wrap and score meat into 3" x 3" squares, leaving you with 12 sliders. Using the end of a straw or bamboo skewer, make five holes, starting with one in the center, and one in each corner.
  3. Cover hamburger with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until the meat is partially frozen but not solid, approximately 30 minutes.
  4. When ready to cook the sliders, leave the meat in the freezer and prepare the onions by placing the diced onions, beef stock, and 1/2 cup water in a skillet. Saute on medium heat until translucent, adding more beef stock or water as needed. Remove from the heat and place mixture in a bowl and set aside.
  5. Remove the sliders from the freezer and score again and break apart into individual burgers.
  6. Add 1/3rd of the onion mixture to the skillet and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn the skillet on medium heat and place 4 sliders on top of the onions and cover. Cook for 3 minutes, flip and cook for another 3 minutes or until done. They cook very quickly.
  7. When the sliders are done, add the top bun to each slider, cover and steam for an additional minute. Use a spatula and slide each one onto the bottom bun. Keep covered and continue making the remaining sliders

Notes

Recipe provided by Make Your Meals

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 474Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 931mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 33g

Nutritional Information is to be used as a general guideline only . Nutritional calculations will vary from the types and brands of the products used.

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