Southwestern Cheeseburger Sliders
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
These drip-down-your-chin sliders are jazzed up with Southwestern spices, jalapeños, and Jack cheese. Huge crowd-pleaser!
If you’re a fan of my juicy steakhouse burgers, you’ll love this cheeseburger slider recipe with bold Southwestern seasonings, melty cheese, and a hint of heat. They’re phenomenal topped with my roasted tomato peach jam, which is more of a tangy-sweet relish than a true jam—but if you don’t want to bother, they’re also good with ketchup or salsa.
If you’d like to make standard-size burgers, go right ahead; the recipe makes five generous patties. To feed a crowd, the recipe can be doubled or tripled without any adjustments.
“Absolutely amazing burger recipe. I made these for my husband and I, and he literally kissed my hand.”
What You’ll Need To Make Southwestern Cheeseburger Sliders
- White sandwich bread & milk: These two come together to form a simple panade—a soft paste that keeps the burgers juicy and tender. Use soft white bread with the crusts removed so it blends right in.
- Salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic & Worcestershire sauce: A bold mix of spices and aromatics that gives the sliders their signature Southwestern flavor with a touch of heat and smokiness.
- Ground beef, jalapeño, scallions & cheese: The burger base—Jalapeño adds a subtle kick, scallions provide fresh, slightly oniony flavor, and melty cheese pulls it all together. Stick with 80 to 85% lean ground beef for burgers that are juicy, flavorful, and hold their shape nicely.
- Slider buns: Use soft, sturdy buns that hold up well to juicy burgers and toppings. Brioche-style or potato rolls work especially well—try King’s Hawaiian or Martin’s for a slightly sweet contrast.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1. Combine ingredients for the panade/seasoning mixture. In a large bowl, combine the bread, milk, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce.
Pro Tip: Tearing the bread into small pieces before adding the milk helps it soften faster and blend into a smoother paste. If your bread is a little stale, even better—it’ll soak up more flavor.
Step 2. Make a paste. Use a fork to mash everything into a uniform paste. Take your time mashing the mixture so it’s smooth and cohesive, not chunky.
Step 3. Mix in the ground beef mixture. Add the ground beef, jalapeño, scallions, and cheese. Use your hands to mix until evenly combined.
Step 3. Shape the patties. Form the mixture into 8 thick patties slightly wider than your buns. The key with sliders is to make them thick so that they get a nice char without overcooking. Press a slight indentation in the center of each to help the burgers cook evenly and prevent them from puffing up on the grill. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Step 4. Grill and assemble. Grill the burgers, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, about 3 minutes. Flip, add cheese (if using), and cook 2 minutes more for medium rare. Lightly toast the buns on the grill, then assemble with toppings. Serve hot and enjoy!
Pro Tip: For the best flavor and char, resist the urge to press down on the patties while they’re cooking—just let them sear undisturbed.
Little Burgers, Big Options
- Turn up the heat: Like it spicier? Swap the jalapeño for a serrano or add a pinch of cayenne to the seasoning mix.
- Milder option: For a less spicy version, use only half a jalapeño or skip it entirely. You can also substitute with chopped roasted red pepper for a sweeter flavor.
- Change the cheese: Pepper Jack adds kick, but cheddar, Monterey Jack, or even crumbled Cotija all work well.
- Try a different sauce: The tomato-peach jam is a fun twist, but classic burger condiments, guacamole or salsa verde make great alternatives.
- Greens: Add some color and nutrition with arugula, romaine, butter or iceberg lettuce.
Craving More tex-mex-Inspired Dinners?
Southwestern Cheeseburger Sliders
Big flavor, melty cheese, and a little kick—these mini burgers are always a hit.
Ingredients
- 1 piece white sandwich bread, crust removed and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 2½ tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 lb 80-85% lean ground beef
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (see note)
- 2 scallions, dark and light green parts, thinly sliced
- ⅔ cup grated Monterey Jack or Mexican blend cheese, plus more for topping the burgers, if desired
- 8 slider buns
- Vegetable oil, for brushing the buns
- 1 batch Roasted Tomato Peach Jam, ketchup or salsa, for serving (optional)
- Arugula, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the bread, milk, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Using a fork, mash into a paste.
- Add the ground beef, jalapeno, scallions, and cheese. Using your hands, mix until well combined. Shape the beef mixture into 8 patties slightly wider than the diameter of the buns. Form a slight depression in the center of each patty to prevent the burgers from puffing up on the grill. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates. Brush the cut sides of the buns lightly with oil and set aside.
- Grill the burgers, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, about 3 minutes. Flip burgers and add cheese (if desired); continue cooking for about 2 minutes more for medium rare. Remove the patties from the grill and let rest on a plate. Add the buns to the grill, oiled side down, and grill for about 1 minute, or until lightly toasted with grill marks. Remove from the grill. Mound the arugula (if using) on the bottom halves of the buns. Top each bottom half with a patty, followed by a generous amount of the Roasted Tomato Peach Jam (or ketchup or salsa) and the upper half of the bun. Serve hot.
- Make Ahead: The burger patties can be formed, covered, and refrigerated 2 days ahead of time.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The uncooked burgers can be frozen for up to three months. (Freeze the burgers on a baking sheet or plate so their shape sets, then transfer them to a sealable plastic bag for easy storage.). Defrost the burgers overnight in the refrigerator prior to serving and then cook as directed.
- Note: When handling jalapeño peppers, avoid touching your eyes and wash your hands well afterward.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slider (does not include toppings)
- Calories: 330
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Sodium: 335 mg
- Cholesterol: 68 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
These are our favorite burgers/sliders, with the possible exception of your Steakhouse burgers.
My grandkids visit and love “my” cooking, and say, “Grandma, this is delicious! Is it Once Upon a Chef?” They all know my secret.
😊
Best burgers I’ve ever made! We’ll have these frequently. Swapped in dried minced onion as I didn’t have scallions on hand. They were outrageously good!
I made these last night exactly as directed and they didn’t disappoint. So tasty and the jam took them to a whole different level. I can’t wait to make them again!! Your weekly emails are very inspiring. Thanks, Jenn!!
Can sour cream or yogurt be substituted for the milk if you don’t have milk?
Hi Carlene, you can just replace the milk with water here. Enjoy!
These look delicious but wonder if they can be cooked in an air fryer as I don’t have a grill.
Hi Shelagh, I don’t have any air fryer so I don’t know enough about them to say whether or not they would work in one, but you can cook them indoors using a grill pan (or cast iron pan) on the stove or broil them in the oven. (If you broil them, just place them on a broiler pan or rack so the juices can drip down.) Cook time should be about the same. Hope that helps!
I make my hamburgers in the air fryer all the time. Better & juicer than a bar b q
I made these last night and they were delicious! My son really liked them and he is suspicious of anything with more spice than salt and pepper. I can’t wait to make them again with the tomato peach jam when peaches are in season.
These were sooo good. Next time I’ll try them with the chutmey.
I made these tonight as five larger burgers instead of sliders (only because I already had regular size buns) but otherwise followed the recipe exactly, and they were AMAZING!! I served them with homemade guacamole on the toasted buns (again only because I had it previously made) but I am excited to try the tomato jam on these next time, because the burgers were absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe 😊
We have family dinners on Sundays – my grown daughters and their husbands and granddaughter all come over. I made these last Sunday and paired them with your avocado, tomato salsa (from the spicy grilled shrimp tacos) and there wasn’t a bite of anything left. Delicious! I can’t wait to make them again –
As non-meat eaters we made them with impossible beef and added a couple of very finely chopped mushrooms and used a bit less bread. Grilled on an iron skillet brushed with avocado oil – very repeatable