These drippy, cheesy roast beef sliders are the perfect appetizer for entertaining! Made with layers of roast beef, a creamy garlic aioli spread, then brushed with a flavor-packed butter sauce that will blow your guests mind.
Making party food is one of my culinary specialties; my lemon pepper wet wings, grinder sandwiches, my mama's amazing crunchy coconut shrimp are legendary. Party platters are my jam!
These french dip sliders are one of my favorite recipes any time I'm heading to/hosting a party. They're basically a mini version of these super popular french dip sandwiches and they're so good, y'all.
Super cheesy with tender roast beef and optional caramelized onions (though I say go for it!), the melted butter sauce gives it fantastic savory flavor, and then the homemade jus?!
Ugh, she's a class above the rest of the sliders. Sorry, not sorry. You're going to eat the entire thing by yourself if you're not careful!
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Equipment
Casserole dish or a rimmed baking sheet - I personally like the rimmed baking sheet more, since it's easier to slide off and put the beef sliders onto a serving tray but the rim ensures that garlicky butter sauce doesn't make a mess in your oven.
A basting brush and a small whisk for that garlic butter!
Aluminum foil - cover the rolls in foil if they get too brown too quickly, so they don't burn while the cheese melts.
Serrated knife - a must have to slice your slider buns in half.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Simple Garlic Aioli
Garlic cloves - can't be garlic aioli without it! Pro tip: get a garlic press, it's so easy to get 'minced' garlic with it.
Lemon juice - this cuts through the richness of the oil and egg yolks to brighten up our aioli!
Kosher salt - always season your food; aioli needs salt, too.
Egg yolks - use fresher eggs since these yolks will not be cooked.
Neutral oil - do not use your fruity extra virgin olive oil unless you want that flavor in your spread. Use a neutral oil like avocado oil, vegetable oil, or 'light' or 'regular' olive oil.
Roast Beef Slider Ingredients
Thinly sliced deli roast beef - I grab the angus roast beef from the deli section at my local grocery store, it's really great quality and fresh.
Slider buns - use what you like! I am quite partial to sweet hawaiian rolls for most sliders. I actually used these really yummy brioche rolls I found but dinner rolls work perfectly here, too.
Slices of melty cheese - I used a mix of swiss and muenster, then topped with shredded mozzarella for a seriously melty cheese pull!
Caramelized onions - optional...but why would you want to skimp out of flavor, honey?? If you're making these beef sliders ahead of time, I insist you make them! Get the instructions on how to make easy caramelized onions here.
Suped-Up Butter Sauce
This garlic butter sauce is basically identical to the one I made for my hot ham and cheese sliders. Full of flavor, easy to make, and adds some texture with the poppy and sesame seeds and minced onion!
Poppy seeds and sesame seeds - these provide a little earthy, nutty flavor and crunch on our sliders.
Butter.
Garlic powder and dried, minced onion - these aromatics are important! Must haves for this sauce.
All you need to do is melt the butter down with all the ingredients to really infuse it with all that flavor and whisk to really mix it together.
Beefy Homemade Au Jus
Better than Bouillon Beef Base - I really like the hearty beefy flavor that this has over any other store-bought beef stock or broth. And you can really concentrate it as much as you want by adding more of it.
Beef fat or butter - Au jus classically uses beef drippings (the fat or tallow) so it's a perfect use here.
Worcestershire sauce - this gives our au jus dipping sauce some oomph, some extra deep umami flavor.
How to Make Roast Beef Sliders
Make the Aioli
I will say that making your own aioli is 'optional', you could use mayonnaise you have on hand....but it's so quick and easy (and delish!) why wouldn't you whip it up? It has a seriously delicious garlicky punch
Step 1 | place the egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, and salt into a small container you can use your immersion blender in. I used a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup.
Step 2 | blitz the mixture for about 20 seconds with your immersion blender until the garlic is much smaller and the egg yolks have become thickened. This means they're 'activated' and ready to create an emulsion.
Step 3 | add the oil and blend, moving the wand up and down to really incorporate the garlic-egg yolk mixture with the oil. Do this for about a minute and you'll have thick and creamy aioli.
Step 4 | put the aioli into an airtight container, it'll stay good in the fridge for a week. This is a fantastic make ahead idea!
Put Together the Sliders
Step 1 | Cut the slider buns in half and toast them in the oven with a thin layer of butter, then spread that tasty aioli over the bottom buns once they're toasted.
Step 2 | layer the slices of roast beef onto the bottom half of your buns. I put about 2-3 layers so there's plenty of meat on each slider.
Step 3 | place the slices of cheese on top of the roast beef and generously sprinkle on some shredded mozzarella.
Step 4 | if you're using the caramelized onions, cover the cheese with a nice thin layer.
Step 5 | place the top buns onto the sliders and then generously brush the butter mixture onto the tops of the rolls.
Step 6 | bake your french dip beef sliders for 10-15 minutes or until the tops of the buns are golden brown.
How to Make the Au Jus for Roast Beef Sliders
Step 1 | melt the butter down in a medium saucepan.
Step 2 | add in all of the other jus ingredients and reduce by half, about 15-20 minutes. The jus will become a darker brown and will thicken slightly as it cools.
Variations
Condiments - the best condiments for a roast beef slider are ones that bring another level of flavor. Swap out our garlic aioli with a spicy horseradish mayo or bright and earthy dijon mustard.
Slider Buns - this recipes works with all types of rolls! Those tasty Hawaiian rolls, salty pretzel buns, or even go gluten-free if you need it. I used some nice brioche buns I found at my local grocery store!
Pro Tips
Make the caramelized onions up to two days ahead of time for fast and easy preparation.
Toast the insides of your bread after you slice them in half. It makes the buns much more sturdy so they don't end up all soggy.
If you notice the buns getting too brown too quickly, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil
Double up this recipe if you're serving a large crowd! It is a super popular appetizer!
Grab some disposable cups to pour the au jus into for your party if it's not just a fun family appetizer. Everyone gets their own little dipping container!
Serve with
These sliders aren't just game day food. I consider them a go-to any time you are entertaining: so a cookout/barbeque, a holiday party, or when you've got some hungry neighborhood kids running around!
A few favorite sides for these sliders are...
- Crispy french fries! This is especially good for the littles, who doesn't love fries? They don't have to be homemade, but I do have a fantastic french fries recipe!
- Serve with some classic cookout dishes like baked beans, potato salad, grilled corn, and with a simple summery caprese salad.
- Have them as a part of your game day snacks! Add on some garlic parm wings, chunky guacamole, and some salty soft pretzel bites with creamy cheese dip and you have a seriously amazing platter on your hands!
Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating
Make Ahead: Build the sliders up to two days ahead of time on a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish without the caramelized onions or garlic butter. Before serving, make the garlic butter and top the sliders with the onions and bake as directed.
Storing: Keep your leftover French Dip sliders in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating Instructions: Reheat the leftovers in the oven at 375ºF for about 10 minutes so they don't get soggy!
FAQs
Roast beef sliders are freezer friendly! Make a batch or two without the garlic butter and freeze on a baking tray before putting into a freezer-safe bag and keeping in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Thaw in the fridge, slather in garlic butter sauce, and pop into the oven at 325ºF for about 20-25 minutes or until the sliders are completely heated, the cheese is melted, and the tops are golden brown.
Toast the buns before piling on the meat and cheese. It'll create a sturdier structure for the toppings!
I used angus roast beef from my store's deli. If your local grocery store has a deli, get your roast beef thinly sliced from there
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📖 Recipe
Roast Beef Sliders
These drippy, cheesy roast beef sliders are the perfect appetizer for entertaining! Made with layers of roast beef, a creamy garlic aioli spread, then brushed with a flavor-packed butter sauce and baked to golden brown perfection. All served with a rich au jus that will blow your guests mind.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup homemade garlic aioli or mayonnaise
- 2 cups caramelized onions, optional
Garlic Butter Sauce
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon dried minced onion
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Roast Beef Sliders
- 12 slider buns, sliced in half
- ½ pound deli roast beef, thinly sliced
- 12 slices cheese, I used Swiss and Muenster
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Homemade Beef Au Jus
- ½ cup (8 tbsp) butter
- 1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon Beef Base
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF (180ºC or Gas 5).
Make the Garlic Butter Sauce
- Whisk together the butter, worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, white sesame seeds, garlic powder, minced onion, and salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside for later.
Make the Sliders
- Place the bottom halves of the slider buns onto your baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. Toast the buns for 2-3 minutes in the preheated oven and remove.
- Spread the aioli or mayonnaise over the bottom halves of the buns, then layer with the roast beef, slices of cheese, shredded mozzarella, and caramelized onions, if using.
- Top with the top halves of the slider buns, then use a pastry brush or silicone brush to slather the melted garlic butter sauce on top of the buns. Don't be stingy!
- Put the roast beef sliders into the preheated oven and bake for up to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the cheese is nice and melty.
- Cut between each slider with a serving spatula and serve with the rich, beefy au jus.
Make the Beef Au Jus
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Whisk in the beef broth, beef base, and worcestershire sauce until well combined.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the au jus reduces by half.
- Pour into a heat-safe bowl for dipping.
Notes
Get the recipe for caramelized onions here!
Make Ahead: Build the sliders up to two days ahead of time on a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish without the caramelized onions or garlic butter.
Before serving, make the garlic butter and top the sliders with the onions and bake as directed.
Storing: Keep your leftover French Dip sliders in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating Instructions: Reheat the leftovers in the oven at 375ºF for about 10 minutes so they don't get soggy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 419Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 1031mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 19g
All nutrition facts are estimations. Please see a physician for any health-related inquiries.
Eden Westbrook is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Sweet Tea and Thyme. A classically trained chef, Eden has inspired home cooks into the kitchen with cultural comfort foods, easy family-friendly eats and sweets, and glorious spreads for date night and entertaining since 2015.
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