With thin seasoned beef patties topped with American cheese on slider buns, these White Castle Burgers are a simplified copycat recipe and taste like what you’d order at the popular restaurant. Great for an easy family lunch or dinner, and a guaranteed hit for game day with friends, too!
(Almost) Copycat White Castle Burgers
If you crave White Castle burgers, but aren’t anywhere near one of their restaurants, you’ll love this easy copycat recipe to make at home.
I call these (almost) copycat burgers because they’re not exactly like the original but they’re very close.
Authentic White Castle Burgers have 5 holes stamped into the patties (that resemble the 5 from a set of dice) before being frozen. Then the frozen patties are cooked on a bed of re-hydrated chopped onions on a Blackstone – they’re super thin so they cook through without flipping.
Our version is a little simplified – formed into one giant slab, then scored, and baked on a sheet pan in the oven. The flavor is perfect though!
Why You’ll Love These White Castle Sliders
- Ready in 20 minutes. From start to finish, these White Castle sliders come together in about 23 minutes. Perfect for a quick family lunch or dinner, or game day grub.
- Kid-approved. These sliders are ideal for little appetites and definitely kid approved.
- Tastes like White Castle. These White Castle burgers aren’t an exact copycat for the reasons mentioned above but the taste is pretty spot on!
Ingredients Needed
This burger recipe is made with lean ground beef and a handful of ingredients to add flavor.
(Scroll down to the recipe card below for details and measurements.)
- Ground beef – Use lean ground beef to prevent greasy burgers.
- Bread crumbs – Use plain, unseasoned breadcrumbs to add texture and stability to the burgers.
- Egg – Helps bind everything together.
- Dry onion soup mix – This adds a lot of necessary flavor to the burger and is used in lieu of the re-hydrated chopped onions that White Castle grills their burgers on top of.
- Better Than Bouillon Beef paste – Enhances the beef flavor in the burger.
- Milk – Adds richness and moisture. You can also use water, if necessary.
- Pepper – For taste.
- Dinner rolls – Small square rolls approximately 2 & 1/2 inches in diameter.
- Toppings – White Castle burgers are typically served with mayo, chopped onion, dill pickle slices, and Kraft American cheese. We also like a bit of ketchup.
How to Make White Castle Burgers
Here’s an overview of how to make these sliders.
(Scroll down to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions and don’t miss the video below.)
- Combine the ingredients. Combine everything (except the toppings) in a bowl.
- Form mixture onto a baking sheet. Press the beef mixture into a greased 10×15 rimmed baking sheet in an even layer. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the uncooked large slab into 24, 2 & 1/2-inch squares, then gently stamp them with the back of a small round wooden spoon to make 5 hole impressions within each small square.
- Bake. Bake at 400F for 7 minutes, until the thermometer reaches 160F. Drain off the grease then place the cheese slices on top of each square and bake for an additional minute or so.
- Assemble the sliders. Cut the giant cooked beef patty along the perforations. Add any desired condiments to the dinner rolls, add a burger patty, and top with a dill pickle slice and diced onion.
Tips & Variations
- Form an even patty. It’s important to press the beef mixture evenly into the baking sheet, so it finishes cooking at the same time. This recipe also works best with a 10×15 sized pan so the beef slab is thin. If you use a smaller baking sheet, you will likely need to cook the beef longer.
- Skip the holes. We’ve tested this with simply pricking the beef slab all over with a fork, instead of stamping the holes, and it still works great.
- Drain the grease. Even using lean ground beef, you will have some grease on the baking sheet. Be sure to drain it off before adding the cheese. Otherwise, the burger will taste greasy and the bun will become soggy.
- How do I know when these are done? The burger should reach 160F before you remove it from the oven. Since the burger is so thin, it does cook quickly.
- Can I make regular-sized burgers? Sure. You can cut the giant burger patty into any sized patty you’d like.
Video: White Castle Burgers
Serving Suggestions
These White Castle sliders can be enjoyed as lunch, dinner, or even as an appetizer. They are traditionally served with onions and a pickle, though feel free to add or omit toppings as desired. You can also add mayo, ketchup, or mustard.
These would be perfect paired with onion rings, French fries, or tater tots for a quick kid-approved lunch.
Proper Storage
- Fridge. Assembled sliders should be consumed immediately but extra burger patties can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Reheat. Reheat burger patties in the microwave then assemble the sliders as desired.
- Freeze. Cut parchment paper into 4-inch wide strips. Arrange cooked and assembled burgers onto the parchment. Roll parchment over burgers and fold like a present to enclose. Then wrap parchment in foil; freeze for up to 2 weeks. When ready to serve, unwrap foil and parchment (discard.) Microwave on medium until hot, 1 to 2 minutes.
More Burger Recipes:
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White Castle Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix (1 ounce)
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef paste
- 1/4 cup milk (or water, if necessary)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 24 small square dinner rolls (2 & 1/2-inch)
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 24 dill pickle slices
- 8 Kraft American cheese slices , each slice cut into 4 squares
- Optional condiments: mayo, ketchup, mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, onion soup mix, milk, and pepper until thoroughly incorporated.
- Coat a 10×15-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Press the beef mixture, spreading it to the sides of the pan in an even layer. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the uncooked large slab into 24, 2 & 1/2-inch squares, then gently stamp them with the back of a small round wooden spoon to make 5 hole impressions within each small square (watch the video if you need a visual aid.)
- Bake for 7 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 160F.
- Remove from the oven and drain off grease. Then place the cheese slices on top of each square. Put back in the oven just for a minute or so for the cheese to melt.
- Cut the giant cooked beef patty along the perforations.
- Add any desired condiments to a roll, then place a cheesy beef patty on top, followed by a dill pickle slice and sprinkle of diced onion.
I’ve actually never been to a white castle but I liked the ingredients and method in this recipe so decided to try it. Made them for Super Bowl and everyone loved them! Super easy too since it’s made in the oven not on the grill (which I don’t have.) I will definitely make these again.
I think I need to try “steaming” the buns by putting them on top of the beef while cooking. That and my pickles were too thick. Otherwise very good.
These were GREAT!