Our bbq meatball sliders recipe is juicy and flavorful. Perfect for lunch, dinner or appetizers at your next game day party. It’s a simple recipe that tastes so much better than buying frozen meatballs. Make extra because they’re so good!

bbq meatball sliders assembly on board

BBQ Meatball Sliders with Ground Meat

We love making big batches of homemade bbq meatballs. What we didn’t get to finish immediately goes into meatball sliders. We can’t think of a more perfect way to use the leftover meatballs. Within a matter of minutes, a warmed up batch of these meatballs, topped with some chopped cabbage and extra bbq sauce makes a perfect platter of sliders. These sliders are so good, it is worth making a batch of meatballs just for the sliders. For parties, this is the perfect slider appetizer dish or for those who want to eat 2-3 sliders, it’s like an entree. Eating 3 sliders is a full meal!

pot of saucy bbq meatball sliders

Video: BBQ Meatballs Sliders in Lots of Sauce

Tips for bbq meatball sliders: 

  • You can make this recipe with different grounds meats. Chicken, turkey, beef, pork and lamb are common ground meats.
  • Use a combination of meats like ground beef and pork or uncased pork sausage. Just buy some raw pork or raw sausage and mix 50/50 with beef. It’s a delicious combination.
  • For a healthy version, use ground turkey. There’s definitely less fat.
  • And don’t forget about solely ground pork or sausage. Sausage meatballs are amazing too! There’s so much flavor already, especially if you like spicy Italian sausage meatballs.
  • Make the meatball mix the night before so the flavors can marinate in the ground meat.
  • Thinly shave some cabbage or lettuce for a nice slaw for added crunch to the sliders.
  • All recipe details are in the recipe box below.

Favorite Slider Rolls

Some of our favorite rolls to use are sweet hawaiian dinner rolls, which are perfect for sliders. For a less sweet version, we’ll try to find the smallest and softest rolls we can find. Even small dinner rolls are fantastic. For added fun, top the sliders off with some shredded cheese or pickles. Whatever you want to use, go for it and make these sliders to your individual taste! To make them extra tasty, warm the rolls in the oven beforehand, or open the rolls up and toast the inside of the rolls on a skillet with bit of oil.

assembling bbq meatball sliders
bbq meatball sliders assembly on board

BBQ Meatball Sliders

Yield: 8 -12 Sliders
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Make sure the meatballs are the same size as you roll them so that the cooking times are consistent.
Meatballs make about 16 small meatballs (2 meatballs/slider) or 8 larger (1 meatball per slider)
5 from 3 votes

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound (454 g) ground meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, etc.)
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) chili powder or chipotle powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt , or to taste
  • fresh cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil , for browning meatballs
  • 1/2 onion , minced
  • 1 cup (240 ml) bbq sauce

For the Sliders

  • 8-12 slider rolls or sweet Hawaiian rolls
  • 1/2 cup shredded cabbage or lettuce
  • 8-12 slices tomato , optional
  • pickles , optional
  • 1/2 cup grated cheese , optional

Instructions 

Make the Meatballs

  • In a large bowl, combine the 1 pound (454g) ground meat, minced garlic, 1 egg, 1/2 cup (120ml) breadcrumbs, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) chili powder or ground chipotle, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) salt and pepper to taste. Mix together well so that all ingredients are combined.
    mixing ground meat
  • If needed, coat your clean hands with water or oil so meatballs don’t stick to your hands. Roll about 1-2 Tablespoons of meatball mixture into a ball. Repeat for all of the meatball mixture. Chill the balls for about 15 minutes in fridge if you need to make them more firm.
    shaping meatballs
  • In large pan over medium-high heat add about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil (or enough to have an 1/8-1/4" deep layer of oil in the pan). Add meatballs and brown them on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove meatballs and set aside.
    searing meatballs
  • In same pan, add minced onion and cook until translucent and slightly brown.
    frying onions in pan
  • Add meatballs back into the pan then add about 1 cup (240ml) of bbq sauce. If sauce is extra thick, add about 1/2 cup (120ml) of water or until it becomes the consistency that you like.
    adding bbq sauce
  • After sauce begins to simmer, lower heat, cover pan and gently simmer meatballs in bbq sauce for 15-20 minutes, or until meatballs are completely cooked through.
    simmering meatballs

Make Sliders

  • Optional for extra tastiness: Warm the slider rolls in the oven, or open up the slider halves (some you'll have to cut and others come pre-cut) and toast the inside layer of the rolls on a skillet with a touch of oil or butter.
    Slider rolls cut in half
  • Assembly is easy, just lay meatballs between the slider rolls and add your favorite toppings (shredded lettuce/cabbage, tomato, pickles, cheese, etc). If you made smaller meatballs, use 2 per slider. We love add a little extra BBQ sauce from the pan on top of the meatballs.
    Assembled meatball sliders

Video

YouTube video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 396kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 697mg, Potassium: 284mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 217IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 43mg, Iron: 2mg
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 396

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