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I had a French Onion Soup Burger at the fantastic fast casual restaurant VegOut in Bethlehem, PA recently that was amazing and it got me thinking how I could adapt my popular Retro Fast Food Sliders into something similar. I built the recipe on the same savory slider burger mixture that already includes a pack of onion soup mix in it, and is topped with vegan cheese and onions, then added creamy onion dip and arugula just like VegOut. They also added some crunchy fried onions and that’s a great but optional addition. Then, I brushed the tops of the buns with vegan butter and onion seasoning for a fantastic finish. It’s an homage to the owner Mary’s delicious burger and my spin on it and it’s perfect for game day, a party or just for a weeknight meal.

What You’ll Need

Vegan ground beef: I usually use a brick of Beyond meat that’s only 12 oz but I’ve often used three 4-ounce thawed Beyond Burger patties from the large Costco package, which equals 12 ounces. If you want it even beefier, add an additional burger. You can substitute another vegan ground beef-style product, but Beyond is my preference for this recipe as it exudes juices which mix well with the onions. Impossible is a little drier in my opinion but can be used.
Lipton Onion Soup Mix: This is my preferred mix for the burger mixture and dip. You could also use a vegetable bouillon powder and dried onions instead.
Peanut butter: This is the ingredient people ask me about most in my original slider recipe. You won’t taste peanut butter. A small amount adds richness and moisture while helping the vegan burger mixture hold together. Another nut butter or sunflower seed butter also works as a substitute.
Vegan milk: Use plain, unsweetened plant milk. I usually use plain soy milk.
Vegan cheese: Slices are easiest for covering the burger slab, but shredded cheese works, too. Choose one that melts well and I used smoke provolone for some extra flavor. Ideally, it would be muenster cheese as that’s traditional for French onion soup but that’s very hard to find vegan and would most likely be an expensive specialty cheese purchase.
Vegan sour cream: Use your favorite but I usually use the entire tub plus one package of mix and then I have some dip for chips. Trust me, it never goes to waste.
Arugula: Its peppery flavor and fresh crunch balance the rich burger, cheese and onion dip.
Slider buns: Look for soft buns with a vegan ingredient list. Finding vegan friendly slider buns can be difficult but there are options out there like Dave’s Killer Bread brand, Sara Lee Artesano and Aldi brand and Walmart’s Great Value (check the ingredients as they can vary by store/region) have Hawaiian rolls I’ve found with no eggs or dairy. King’s Hawaiian Original rolls aren’t vegan unfortunately.
Vegan butter and onion seasoning: This simple topping gives the buns a buttery, savory finish albeit slightly messy but it’s worth it. Use extra napkins.

A Few Tips

Don’t skip the onion dip. The creamy dip is what really gives these sliders their French onion character, so I’d make it in advance and give it time to chill to let the flavors meld.
Keep the burger slab about the same size as your buns. This makes assembly easy and means every slider gets a good balance of burger, cheese, dip and arugula.
Serve them warm. These are at their best when the cheese is melty, the buns are buttery and the onion dip is cool and creamy. They’re especially good for game days, parties or anytime you need a tray of something people can grab and eat.

Frequently Asked Questions

I always say “everyone has their own good” but I prefer Beyond beef bricks or burgers for this recipe. Impossible brand will work as well but in my experience, it doesn’t exude as much juice as Beyond and those mix with the onions for a savory topping. If using Impossible, you may want to spray the onions with some cooking spray so they don’t dry out.

Regular Lipton Onion Soup & Dip Mix is kosher pareve which means no meat or dairy can be in it. Eggs and fish could be but those are major allergens and would be disclosed. This makes it vegan friendly even though it’s not marketed as such but some retailers do list it as vegan on their websites.

These are best made and eaten right away but you can make the slider slab in advance then heat back up and add the cheese but you run the risk of drying it out. Also, if you don’t plan to eat all of them in one sitting, don’t add the onion dip and arugula to the entire batch but only the ones you plan on eating as they will not reheat well as leftovers with those cold fresh elements already added.

You don’t have to but I highly recommend it. If allergic, you can use another nut or seed butter. It adds a umami flavor that’s not essential but definitely adds to the taste overall. It’s subtle and you won’t really taste peanut butter.

My Vegan French Onion Sliders are just one way to turn a simple vegan burger into something a little more fun. If you’re looking for more, check out some of my other vegan slider recipes below!

Vegan French Onion Soup Sliders

Recipe by Kreg Sterns

5.0 from 2 votes

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

minutes

Savory vegan sliders made with onion soup mix and topped with melty vegan cheese, creamy dairy-free onion dip, peppery arugula and buttery onion-basted buns.

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

Slider Slab
1- 12 oz brick of vegan beef like Beyond or Impossible or three 4oz burgers
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix (see notes for substitutions)
1 tablespoon peanut butter (I prefer peanut butter, but you could use another type, seed butter or even tahini)
1/3 cup plain unsweetened alternative milk (just nothing sweet)
1 onion, chopped (medium dice, don’t chop too fine)
Vegan cheese slices or shreds (I used smoked provolone but use your favorite)
12 vegan slider rolls
To Assemble
1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
vegan onion dip (1 8-10 oz container vegan sour cream mixed with one pack of Lipton onion soup mix)
fresh arugula to top
crispy fried onions (like French’s brand), optional

Directions

Mix the onion dip together and chill in the fridge for a few hours for the flavors to blend. 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. Add the onion powder to the melted vegan butter and brush all over the tops of the rolls. Place the rolls in foil to prevent over-browning and place on another tray in the oven with the slider slab.
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. You can place it back into the turned off oven and using the residual heat, let then buns warm even for a few minutes if you feel they’re not hot enough but that’s optional.
To finish, remove the bun tops and spread onion dip over the cheese topped sliders as desired. Add crispy onions (if using) then sprinkle fresh arugula over it all. Place the bun tops back on and cut the sliders out following the cut lines of the buns. Serve immediately. If planning to have leftovers, only dress the sliders you plant to eat right away with the onion dip, crispy onions and arugula.
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. Then you can add the cold ingredients and enjoy.

Notes

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.
Use your favorite vegan sour cream. There are brands like Violife, Kite Hill, Tofutti and Follow Your Heart out there in stores and also homemade recipes online.