With Caramelized Onions and Beef On Hawaiian Buns
Black Garlic Mayo Sliders
Equipment
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
Ingredients
- 1/2 C Mayonnaise
- 5-6 Cloves Black Garlic, Mashed Into A Paste
- 1 Lb 80/20 Ground Beef
- 4 1 Oz. Slices Swiss, Gruyere or Fontina Cheese Broken in Half (0.5 Oz. Per Slider)
- 8 Hawaiian or Sweet Slider Buns Dinner Rolls work great in a pinch
- 1-2 Tbsp Butter
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
For Caramelized Onions (Optional, But Recommended)
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion, Sliced Very Thin
- 1 Tbsp Butter
Instructions
- Make the black garlic mayo. Mix the mayo with your black garlic paste to your desired smoothness. I like to let a few small pieces of garlic float freely so you get the occasional punch of black garlic in your bites.1/2 C Mayonnaise, 5-6 Cloves Black Garlic, Mashed Into A Paste
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to overnight. Taste for Salt and Pepper.Salt and Pepper to Taste
- If making caramelized onions (again, optional but highly recommended), start them now. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions in with a pinch of salt. Cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, deep gold and jammy.1 Medium Yellow Onion, Sliced Very Thin, 1 Tbsp Butter
- Slice your slider buns in half and open them up to toast.8 Hawaiian or Sweet Slider Buns
- Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.
- Melt 1-2 Tbsp butter in the skillet/griddle and then place the slider buns onto the butter, cut side down. Toast to your desired degree and remove.1-2 Tbsp Butter
- Divide the ground beef into 8 portions and shape each portion into patties slightly larger than your buns. Season both sides with salt and pepper just before cooking.1 Lb 80/20 Ground Beef
- Cook in the skillet or griddle for 2-3 minutes on the first side.
- Flip the patties to the second side and add the cheese on top (break the cheese into smaller pieces as necessary). Cover the patties while the second side cooks another 2-3 minutes (to help melt the cheese).4 1 Oz. Slices Swiss, Gruyere or Fontina Cheese
- While the patties cook, slather some garlic mayo on the inside of each slider bun (both the bottom and top pieces). Be generous with it.
- Once the patties are just cooked through*, Place them on the bottom bun. Top with a spoonful of (optional) caramelized onions, and close them in with the top of the bun.
- Serve right away.
Notes
Always handle and cook animal products safely.
- Cook poultry (chicken, turkey, duck) to 165°F / 74°C.
- Cook ground meats (beef, pork, lamb, veal) to 160°F / 71°C.
- Cook whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, veal to 145°F / 63°C and allow to rest for 3 minutes.
- Cook fish and shellfish to 145°F / 63°C.
- Eggs should be cooked until yolks and whites are firm, or use pasteurized eggs for recipes calling for raw or lightly cooked eggs.
Why Black Garlic Belongs on a Burger
These black garlic mayo sliders started as a simple idea: take something familiar, like a beef slider, and give it one small twist that makes it feel completely different. In this case, that twist is black garlic.
Black garlic starts as regular garlic. Producers age whole heads at low heat and high humidity for several weeks. The cloves turn black, soft, and jammy. The sharp garlic bite disappears. What’s left tastes sweet, savory, and deeply umami, with flavors that remind people of balsamic vinegar or soy sauce.
Black garlic shows up a lot in modern sauces and aioli. You’ll see it blended into black garlic aioli (or mayo), burger sauces, compound butters, and even soups. It rarely acts as the main ingredient. It usually plays a supporting role. That’s exactly how it works best here.
For these sliders, I like to mash the black garlic into the mayo but leave a few larger pieces in the paste. Most bites taste smooth and savory. Then, every once in a while, you hit a little pocket of black garlic and get a random burst of that sweet umami flavor. It keeps the slider interesting without turning it into a gimmick.
And yes, I can’t help but think of the Bet It All on Black Garlic Burger from Bob’s Burgers. This is my real-life slider version.
Beef, Onion, and an Indulgent Bite
These sliders lean hard into indulgence. Don’t expect this recipe to help with any diets. This is a rich, buttery, cheesy, sauce-forward bite. It’s meant to be enjoyed, not justified.
The beef stays simple on purpose. I don’t mix anything into the meat. No soy sauce, no garlic powder, and no onion. Just good 80/20 ground beef and salt right before cooking. That keeps the patties juicy and lets the sauce do the talking.
The black garlic mayo and the caramelized onions work together to bring out the beefy flavor of the patties. The onions add sweetness and depth while the black garlic adds savory richness. Together, they make the beef taste more like beef.
That’s the part I like most about this recipe. Nothing competes. Everything reinforces.
Hawaiian buns add a soft, slightly sweet base. Swiss, Gruyère, or Fontina cheese melts cleanly and stays in the background. The black garlic aioli ties it all together. You don’t need pickles or raw onion. You don’t need mustard. This slider already knows what it wants to be.
These work great as a party appetizer or as a small meal with fries or chips. If you’re looking for another easy appetizer, check out my Mini Baked Potato Bites, either loaded, jalapeño cheddar, or bleu cheese and horseradish. They hit a similar comfort-food nerve.
This isn’t a complicated recipe. It’s just intentional. One good sauce, good beef, and a few smart choices make all the difference.
I wrote and edited this post with help from ChatGPT, based on my own tested recipe and original photography.
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