If you’re looking for a fun twist on pulled pork sliders or a new way to serve Mexican street corn (esquitas), this easy slider recipe is a must-try! These Carnitas Street Corn Sliders are layered with creamy, smoky street corn, tender shredded carnitas, and plenty of melty cheese, all tucked inside soft dinner rolls and brushed with garlic butter. Baked until golden and gooey, they’re perfect for game day, parties, or a crowd-pleasing weeknight dinner. Does this have you craving more slider recipes? Try my Cowboy Sliders with ground beef, jalapeños, bacon, and cowboy butter!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Corn Mixture: The corn mixture is creamy and flavorful, made with corn, onions, chili powder, cayenne, garlic, and a little sour cream and cream cheese for richness. (I could eat up the corn mixture on its own!) If you love street corn, you will want to try my Street Corn Deviled Eggs and Esquites Pizza, too!
- Dinner Rolls: Look for a package of dinner rolls, like brioche slider buns. They are perfect for holding all of the delicious fixings! Hawaiian rolls work well, too.
- Carnitas: Carnitas is tender, slow-cooked shredded pork with a crispy outside. I have an easy slow-cooker carnitas recipe that would be perfect! For substitutions, you can use pulled pork (I have a wonderful recipe for oven-roasted pulled pork!), shredded chicken, or even ground beef.
- Monterey Jack Cheese: Monterey Jack cheese is mild, creamy, and melts really well, perfect for these sliders! If you don’t have it, you can use mozzarella, cheddar, or even Colby cheese instead.
- Cotija Cheese: Cotija cheese is a salty, crumbly Mexican cheese, a bit like feta. It adds a nice tangy flavor, but you can skip it if you don’t have any or use Parmesan instead. Either way, your sliders will still taste great!
- Garlic Butter: The garlic butter makes the sliders buttery and tasty with a little crispy, garlicky kick on top.
What To Serve With Carnitas Street Corn Sliders: Perfect Side Dish Ideas
Whether served as an appetizer or the main dish, these are a few of my favorite side dishes to serve with Carnitas Street Corn Sliders:
- Corn Pasta Salad
- Sweet Potato Fries or Classic French Fries (both can be made in an air fryer!)
- Homemade Tortilla Chips with Black Bean and Corn Salsa or Guacamole
- Copycat Cilantro Lime Rice or Mexican Rice
- Refried Beans
Can You Make Carnitas Street Corn Sliders Ahead Of Time?
Yes! You can make the corn mixture and shred the carnitas ahead of time. Just keep them covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble and bake the sliders.
How to Store & Reheat Carnitas Street Corn Sliders
Let leftover sliders cool to room temperature. Wrap each slider tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place them in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm the sliders in the oven or microwave until heated through and the tops are crispy again.
Can You Freeze Carnitas Street Corn Sliders?
Yes! You can freeze the sliders either before or after baking.
Before baking: Assemble the sliders, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and foil, or place in a freezer-safe container. Freeze up to 2 months. When ready, thaw overnight and bake at 350°F for 15–20 minutes until heated through and crispy.
After baking: Let sliders cool completely, then wrap and freeze the same way. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10–15 minutes or until warmed and crispy.
Freezing makes these sliders perfect for meal prep or easy entertaining!
Carnitas Street Corn Sliders
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen (thawed)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 package (12-count) dinner rolls, halved lengthwise
- 2 cups carnitas, prepared warm
- 1 cup (113 g) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- ⅓ cup cotija cheese, crumbled (optional)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Garlic Butter Topping
- ¼ cup (½ stick / 57 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- To a large skillet over medium heat, add oil. Once hot, add the diced onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the corn, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5–6 minutes more, until the corn is lightly charred. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in the cream cheese and sour cream until melted and fully combined. Remove from heat.
Assembly
- Place the bottom halves of the dinner rolls in the prepared baking dish. Spread the corn mixture evenly over the rolls.
- Top with an even layer of warm carnitas.
- Sprinkle evenly with Monterey Jack cheese, followed by cotija (if using) and cilantro. Place the top halves of the rolls over the filling.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, garlic, parsley, and salt.
- Brush the garlic butter generously over the tops of the rolls.
- Cover the sliders loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 5–7 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and slightly crisp.
- Serve warm.
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
I loved these sliders, especially the corn mixture (which I added even more to mine)!
Elizabeth
I like the little bit of a kick each bite had in these sliders. They were delicious!
Stephanie
These are so good and satisfying! The rolls stayed soft, and the garlic butter gave just the right touch of flavor.
Bella
The combo of creamy cheese, spicy (somewhat, not too bad) corn, and tender pork was amazing. I will be making these again!
