Pretzel Cowboy Sliders are pretzel rolls brushed with cowboy butter and filled with seasoned ground beef, jalapeno, bacon, cheese, and crispy fried onions. Then, more of the flavorful compound butter is brushed over the tops of the sliders before being baked. They are a twist on my popular Cowboy Sliders, replacing the Hawaiian rolls with soft, salty pretzel buns for an extra burst of flavor and texture. Your taste buds can’t go wrong with either choice! I also have Cowboy Steak Sliders you may want to try!
Pretzel Cowboy Sliders Ingredients & Substitutions
- Meat: I used ground beef for the meat. It is cooked with onion, garlic, hamburger seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoned salt for a flavorful base. You could also try these with ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Slider Rolls: After using Hawaiian rolls for many of my slider recipes, I love the extra salt and texture you get from the pretzel slider rolls. Brioche slider rolls would also be delicious! They are all the perfect size to grab and devour!
- Jalapeno Pepper: I like the heat from the jalapeno pepper, and if you want even more, don’t seed it! On the other hand, if you are not a fan, simply leave it off the sliders!
- Bacon: Using thick-cut bacon helps it stand out more when with all of the other ingredients. But, regular cooked and crumbled bacon would also be fine. Or, try turkey bacon! If the ground beef is enough meat for you, leave out the bacon.
- Cheese: It’s all about your preference when it comes to the cheese. I like sharp cheddar, but choose your favorite!
- Crispy Fried Onions: I love the added crunch and flavor from crispy fried onions. Crispy fried shallots or homemade crispy onions would also be delicious!
- Cowboy Butter: This is how these sliders get their name–the homemade cowboy butter! It is so good, my list of cowboy butter recipes keeps getting longer! (Check them out when you get a chance.) When making the cowboy butter for this recipe, leave out the lemon juice.
Make Ahead Tips For Pretzel Cowboy Sliders
I like to get a head start on making the sliders so everything is ready to put together. Here are some make-ahead tips:
- Prepare the ground beef mixture. Once made and cooled, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat it in the microwave when ready to make the sliders.
- Make the cowboy butter, which can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Cook and crumble the bacon in advance. Check out how to bake bacon for crispy bacon with easy clean-up!
- Shred the cheese ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.
- Cut up any vegetables like jalapeno pepper and onions.
Best Ways To Serve Pretzel Cowboy Sliders
Here are some options when it comes to serving these sliders. (Any way you do, they will be devoured!)
- Main Dish: Offer sides like onion rings, air fryer french fries, roasted potato wedges, or homemade potato chips!
- Party Time! Serve the sliders for game day or at a party.
- Mini Sliders: Cut the sliders into even smaller portions for mini sliders! I like to skewer the slider sections with toothpicks or small skewers for an easy-to-grab appetizer.
- Offer Dipping Sauces: Let the folks who love to dip food in sauces (I know a few!) choose from BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, spicy mustard, chipotle mayo, aioli, or your favorites.
Storing & Reheating Pretzel Cowboy Sliders
To store pretzel cowboy sliders, first, let them cool to room temperature. Next, keep them in an airtight container or wrap each in plastic wrap. They will last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat the sliders in the oven or the microwave.
Pretzel Cowboy Sliders
Ingredients
Hamburger Mixture
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ yellow onion, diced (about ½ cup)
- ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon hamburger seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 package (9-count) King's Hawaiian Pretzel Slider Buns
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded, sliced
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked, crumbled (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup (113 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup (80 g) French's crispy fried onions
Topping
- 1 recipe cowboy butter, made without lemon juice, melted, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Hamburger Mixture
- To a medium skillet over medium heat, add ground beef, onion, garlic, hamburger seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoned salt.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until no longer pink, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat; discard any excess grease as necessary.
Assembly
- Split rolls in half horizontally and place the bottom halves in the baking dish.
- Evenly pour about 2 tablespoons of cowboy butter over the bottom halves of the pretzel buns in the pan.
- Top with the ground beef mixture.
- Evenly place the jalapeños, bacon, and shredded cheese over the ground beef.
- Evenly distribute the crispy fried onions over the cheese.
- Place the top halves of the pretzel slider buns on top of the fried onions. Brush the tops of the rolls with 2 tablespoons cowboy butter.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the tops of the sliders turn a golden brown.
- Remove from oven. Slice and serve the sliders with the remaining cowboy butter brushed over the hot sliders or for dipping.
Video
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
These are SO good, especially with the pretzel bun! Definitely a winner of a recipe!
Elizabeth
Grab a fork when you eat one of these…if anything falls out of the pretzel bun, you will want to scoop it up, it's so good! Just make them, I don't know how else to convince you.
Bella
These are great! The cowboy butter really stands out, which I like.
Annabelle
These would be really popular at a party, I bet. It's a fun twist to our cheeseburger sliders.
Selena
The cowboy butter strikes again–in a DELICIOUS way! I love the little difference in texture when using the pretzel buns!
Omg this is the best. Spicy but not over pwered spice. And my kids loved it
Amazing! SO glad you all enjoyed them!