These Philly Cheesesteak sliders are made just like the infamous Philly sandwich, but mini-sized for party appetizers! With thinly sliced ribeye steak, two types of cheese, diced onion, and King’s Hawaiian rolls, these Philly sliders are sure to please at your next get-together or your family’s dinner table.
Classic Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
Whenever I make a recipe that’s integral to a city or country’s culture, I do my best to make it as authentic as can be. So when I made authentic Philly cheesesteaks recently, I went as far as to order actual sandwiches from one of the most iconic cheesesteak shops in Philadelphia, Pat’s King of Steaks.
I “dissected” the famous sandwich, examining the meat, bread, and cheese, and I did my best to create my own version of the iconic classic – even sourcing the Amaroso Italian hoagie rolls to use on my Philly.
So these Philly cheesesteak sliders are the result of years of tests and perfecting the Philly recipe, except I swapped out the classic hoagie-style sub roll for a slider staple, the King’s Hawaiian rolls. The result is a fantastic slider sandwich that has all of the Philly flavor, but with a hint of sweetness from the perfectly soft bread.
*Try our smashed meatball sliders for another fantastic slider recipe for game day!
Skip the Green Bell Peppers (or don’t call it a Philly)
I’ve made Philly Cheesesteaks on a very public platform (YouTube) for the last 5 years, and I’ve been told by countless Philadelphia natives that bell peppers should never go on a cheesesteak. So if you’re going to call your sliders by the iconic name “Philly Cheesesteak”, then you better not have a single green bell pepper in the mix.
If you do choose to add bell peppers – they add another layer of flavor and a nice pop of color – just don’t call your sliders “Philly” cheesesteaks. In fact, steak sandwiches with bell peppers are more often referred to as “pepper steak” – just ask a Philadelphian!
Ingredients for Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
- steak – I recommend ribeye steak because of its higher fat content, which makes it less likely to dry out as it cooks. Plus that’s the meat typically used for a classic cheesesteak sandwich.
- sliced cheese – We used a combination of the two most common cheeses for Phillies, sliced provolone and American cheese.
- King’s Hawaiian rolls – The original 12 pack of the brand’s rolls are perfect for this recipe.
- seasoning – We used our own Smash That Burger Seasoning which compliments the beef perfectly. But you can substitute a simple blend of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- diced onions – Totally optional, but we added them to stretch the meat and add another element of flavor to the sliders.
- butter, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic – These ingredients get melted together and brushed on top of the rolls for extra flavor and buttery goodness!
Slicing the Steak for Sliders
I highly recommend using very thinly sliced or shaved steak for this recipe. You can pick out one or two ribeyes from the grocery store, and ask the employee at the meat counter to slice them for you. In my experience, most grocery stores are happy to freshly slice steaks for you. If not, you can buy pre-shaved ribeye steak at some stores in the meat case.
As a very last resort, slice the steak by hand. To make this easier, you can freeze the ribeye steaks for about 45 minutes so they harden up a bit. Then, carefully cut against the grain into very thin slices – if you can’t get the steak very thin, then your meat will resemble steak fajitas more than cheeseteaks.
How to Make Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
Here’s an overview of the process to make cheesesteak sliders on the griddle. Of course, since a griddle is basically just a large skillet, you can also make this recipe in a skillet on the stovetop. More detailed instructions are provided in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1: Sauté the diced onions – Add a bit of oil to your griddle or skillet, and sauté the onions until mostly translucent and tender to your liking. Season with salt and pepper, then move to the side of the griddle or transfer to a bowl to make room for the steak to cook.
Step 2: Cook and chop the ribeye steak – Add the thinly sliced ribeye steak to the griddle in a thin even layer. Allow to cook on the first side for about 1-2 minutes to develop a bit of crust. Season with your favorite all-purpose seasoning or salt and pepper. Then, use your spatula and/or a scraper to “chop” the steak slices, and continue to cook. *TIP – If making this recipe in a skillet, I recommend cutting the thinly sliced steak into smaller bite-sized pieces before cooking in the skillet. This helps the steak to not all fall out in one bite when you’re eating the sliders.
Step 3: Toast the rolls – Cut the sheet of King’s Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally. Then butter the cut sides of the rolls, and toast on the griddle, keeping the rolls intact in one large sheet.
Step 4: Combine the ribeye and onions – When the ribeye is just cooked through (and there’s no more pink color in the meat), add the sautéed onions and steak together. Mix together briefly.
Step 5: Assemble the Philly cheesesteak sliders – Add the provolone cheese slices to the bottom of the toasted rolls. Top with the steak and onion mixture. Place the American cheese slices on top of the meat, and top with the tops of the sweet rolls.
Step 6: Brush the rolls with butter and bake – Brush the tops of the Hawaiian rolls with a blend of melted butter, minced garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Bake in the oven until the tops of the rolls are golden brown and the cheese is melted.
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Other Philly Cheesesteak Recipes to Try:
- Easy Cheesesteak Fries with Homemade Cheese Sauce
- Philly Cheesesteak Tacos – Smashed Taco Style!
- Cheesesteak Taquitos
Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
Ingredients
- 1½ – 1¾ lb ribeye steak shaved or very thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 pack King's Hawaiian rolls
- 6 slices American cheese
- 6 slices provolone cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter plus more for toasting the rolls
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper *Or substitute all-purpose seasoning of your choice. See notes.
Instructions
- Heat griddle to about 375-425℉ over medium heat. *If using a skillet, heat a large skillet over medium heat. At the same time, preheat oven to 400℉.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the heated griddle surface and spread it around with your spatula. Add the diced onions to the oiled griddle and sauté until translucent. Season onions with salt and pepper, and move them to the cooler zone on your griddle to keep warm while the steak cooks. *For skillet cooking – sauté diced onions over medium heat until translucent. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a bowl while you cook the steak.
- Add the thinly sliced ribeye steak to the griddle in a thin even layer. Allow to cook on the first side for about 1-2 minutes to develop a bit of crust. Then, using your spatula with one hand, hold a few pieces of steak in place as you use the bench scraper in the other hand to "chop" the steak slices. As you're chopping the meat, you will use the scraper to kind of pull the steak away from the spatula in one fluid motion. *NOTE – If you're making cheesesteaks in a stovetop skillet, I recommend cutting the sliced ribeye into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the skillet to cook.
- When the steak is all chopped, continue to cook on the griddle stirring often, just until all of the pink is gone from the meat. Do not overcook.
- While the steak finishes cooking, add 2 tablespoons butter, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce to a small saucepan. Heat until butter is melted, stirring occasionally. Set to the side.
- Season the steak with salt and pepper or your favorite all purpose seasoning. Add the sautéed onions to the steak. Mix together briefly, then transfer to the cooler side of the griddle. Or for skillet cooking, remove from the heat.
- Leave King's Hawaiian rolls in one large sheet of 12 rolls, and cut in half horizontally using a serrated knife. Butter the cut sides of the sheets of rolls, and toast on the griddle until golden brown.
- Transfer the bottom of the toasted rolls to a baking sheet. Place the provolone cheese slices evenly across the bottom buns, overlapping the cheese a bit if needed. Top the cheese slices with the cooked steak and onion mixture. Place the sliced American cheese on top of the steak layer, and then top with the tops of the rolls.
- Brush the tops of the sweet rolls with the butter, garlic, Worcestershire mixture from step 5. Bake in the oven at 400℉ for about 12-15 minutes, or until the tops of the rolls are golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Serve Philly cheesesteak sliders warm. Optional toppings include sliced banana peppers, pickled jalapeños, mayo, etc.
Notes
- Seasoning notes – We used Smash That Burger Seasoning (our own beef and burger blend) to season the ribeye steak. You may substitute your favorite all-purpose seasoning for beef, or use a simple blend of salt and black pepper.
- Cheese choices – For authentic Philly cheesesteaks, you have 3 main cheese options: provolone, American, and Cheez Whiz. We prefer a blend of both mild provolone slices and American cheese slices. If using Cheez Whiz, we recommend heating it with a bit of half & half to thin it out so as not to overpower the steak.
- Slicing the steak – I recommend getting your ribeye steaks freshly sliced from the meat counter at your local grocery store. Most stores are happy to do this for you. Tell them you want it slightly larger than shaved. Some stores also sell shaved ribeye steak in the meat case. If you must slice it yourself, freeze the ribeye steak for about 45 minutes before slicing to make it easier to cut into very thin slices.
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