Growing up in New York, White Castle burgers were a completely different experience than standard fast food. These iconic sliders were small, steamed, topped with onions, and served on ultra-soft buns. You could easily eat three in the time it took to finish one regular burger which is exactly how they earned their infamous nickname: belly bombers.
My vegan retro fast food sliders recipe recreates that classic flavor and texture using modern plant-based ingredients. Instead of beef, I use block-style vegan ground meat, which mimics the original slider texture surprisingly well. I normally use Beyond brand, but Impossible and others would most likely work too. In a pinch, you can even pulse meaty style burgers in a food processor to create your own “ground” mixture.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Soft burgers just like the originals.
- Nostalgic fast-food flavor without animal products.
- Easy to customize with cheese, pickles, or sauce.
- Perfect for parties, game day, or comfort food cravings.
Ingredient swaps and tips:
These sliders are simple, but a little prep goes a long way. If you can’t find vegan slider rolls (Sara Lee Artesano, some Walmart Great Value brand, Dave’s Killer Bread rockin rolls, some Aldi USA brand Hawaiian slider rolls and others are vegan friendly), regular hamburger buns will work, just trim the edges a bit to make them square.
For seasoning, the onion-mushroom Lipton soup mix delivers that classic slider flavor. If you prefer not to use it or can’t find it, here are great alternatives:
- A vegan dry soup mix + 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions.
- Vegan bouillon powder.
- Onion soup mix from another brand.
The onion-mushroom variety is milder than regular onion soup mix, but either will work depending on your taste.
Why peanut butter?
The peanut butter in this recipe plays a subtle but important role. It doesn’t make the sliders taste “peanutty,” but instead adds richness, moisture, and a slight savory depth that helps mimic the fatty mouthfeel of classic fast-food burgers. It also acts as a gentle binder, helping the patties hold together while staying soft and tender rather than dry or crumbly. If you’re allergic to peanuts, there are several easy swaps that work just as well: smooth sunflower seed butter is the closest 1:1 substitute, while soy nut butter or tahini will add similar richness with a slightly more savory edge.
How do I make these?
- Mix the burger ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
- Press the mixture onto a lined baking sheet. I like to trace the outline of my slider buns on parchment paper, flip it over, and use it as a guide so the burger slab fits the buns perfectly.
- Bake the slab, then add the onions around and on top before returning it to the oven.
- Add vegan cheese if desired and bake just long enough to melt.
- Assemble and slice: Place the bun tops directly onto the cooked burger slab. Cover with another baking sheet, flip, add the bun bottoms, flip again, and slice into individual sliders.
- You’ll end up with soft, nostalgic vegan sliders that taste like pure fast-food comfort.
If you’re craving more nostalgic, fast-food–inspired comfort, you’ll probably love some of my other vegan classics too (links below, just click on the recipe name). If you make these sliders, definitely explore a few of those next as they’re all designed to be approachable, satisfying, and proof that vegan comfort food doesn’t have to feel like a compromise.
- Vegan Cuban style sliders
- Vegan Mini Tater Tot Sliders
- Best Vegan Sloppy Joes
- Vegan Honee Mustard Dip
- Classic Vegan Potato Salad
- The Best Vegan Ranch
Retro Vegan Fast Food Style Sliders
4
servingsClassic fast food/diner style sliders now vegan!
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
1 lb (16 oz) vegan ground beef (see notes for kinds you can use)
1 packet Lipton onion mushroom soup mix (see notes for substitutions)
1 tbsp nut butter (I prefer peanut butter, but you could use almond, another type or even tahini)
1/3 cup plain unsweetened alternative milk (like soy, almond, oat – just nothing sweet)
1 onion, chopped (you can use a mini chopper for this, but don’t chop too fine)
12-16 vegan slider rolls
Vegan cheese (optional) I found using cheddar slices to be easier
Directions
- In a large bowl mix the vegan ground beef, Lipton onion soup mix, nut butter, and milk. I suggest mixing with clean hands for best results.
- Once mixed, spread the mixture on a parchment paper lined medium sized cookie sheet. Use a rubber spatula on the meat to smooth it out. I like to use parchment and trace the size of the slider buns on the back side so I have a template to use to spread out the burger mixture onto so it’s sized correctly. You could also use a piece of wax paper on top while spreading it so it doesn’t stick.
- Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes. It will shrink slightly and exude some juices.
- Take out of the oven and put the diced onions all around the edges into the juice, this will add the fast food style flavor.
- Bake for 15 more minutes, remove from oven, then spoon the onions from the edges all over the top of the meat and layer with cheese slices if desired.
- Bake another 5-7 minutes (until cheese is melted). Remove from oven and add the tops of the rolls to the burger slab. Use a baking pan or cutting board and flip it over to invert it. Once inverted, add the bun bottoms and flip once more. I usually place it back into the turned off oven and using the residual heat, let then buns warm for a few minutes.
- Take out of the oven and cut out with a sharp serrated knife into individual sliders. Eat right away! If there are leftovers, I like to microwave them covered in a damp paper towel and they’ll taste more like a steamed White Castle burger. Microwaves vary so always start out in small time increments until they’re as hot as you’d like them to be. For my microwave, about a minute for 3 sliders is perfect. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- You can use a ground beef brick like Beyond Meat, Impossible or another brand. In a pinch you can grind up some meaty vegan burgers in a food processor.
- If you can’t find or don’t want to use the Lipton soup mix, you can use 3 tablespoons of vegan bouillon mixed with 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions.
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do you have recommendations for vegan slider rolls? the ones in the picture, from Whole Foods, aren’t vegan… they have milk ingredients
These Hawaiian rolls are actually vegan in the Florida region. Like most retailers, Whole Foods has regional bakeries that supply stores and I know that they’re not vegan in every region. The only others I’ve found have been at Sprouts and at Gordon Food Service here in Florida. I’m not sure where you live, but another suggestion might be to find a soft potato roll and cut those in half slider size? I wish I had a better source or suggestion. I know those who don’t have access to these vegan slider rolls have been dying to try them as they are hard to find. Good luck in your search and let me know if you find a good alternative. 🧡 Kreg
I bought the Great Value branded ones from Walmart 🙂
ah that makes sense! thanks Kreg!
I absolutely loved this recipe! So so delicious, my boyfriend mentioned awhile back that he used to love White Castle burgers. We live in Canada and we’re vegan so it’s been awhile. He thought these were delicious! Thanks for the great recipe ☺️
I’m so happy you liked them! They were definitely a favorite of mine too so now you can have them anytime the mood strikes!
These sliders are awesome! My family said the are better than White Castle. Super easy to make too. I used Publix water rolls for the buns and Violife cheddar cheese.
They will be great for Superbowl Sunday!
Thank you so much for your review, I’m so glad you liked them! Totally a big game eat!
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These are the best burgers! My whole family gobbles them up when I make them.
That’s so great to hear, I’m so glad you and your family enjoy them so much! I actually just made them into big burgers for my French onion soup burger recipe and they’re so good so check that one out too if you want a larger size! 🍔
Amazing!! These were quick to come together and just delicious. My husband said they were beyond fire! My ground was only 12 ounces so I just adjusted the added ingredients a bit.
I’m so happy you all enjoyed them! Thanks so much for the really great review.
Such a good meal! We have now had this 3 times since we initially made them 1.5 weeks ago. I’m constantly craving them! My new favorite meal.
Wow I can’t think of a better review than that! Thanks so much!
I want to make these for a birthday party at a park. Do you think these will stay good if I used a warming tray? Thank you.
I think so? I’d be hesitant to leave things out in the heat for too long as it could get bacteria and food safety is a concern but these are good room temp as well. They are best eaten right away.
So good! This is the second time making them and will add to my rotation.
Yay, I love repeat customers! Thanks so much for the great review.