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These are my favorite Cowboy Butter Steak Sliders I make every year for our game day parties. From the juicy grilled tenderloin to the zesty, herby cowboy butter-smothered buns and melty havarti cheese, these mini steak sandwiches are soft, tender, and melt right in your mouth.
Behind This Steak Sliders Recipe
If there’s one thing I love more than a good steak, it’s finding a way to turn it into an over-the-top sandwich. These Cowboy Butter Steak Sliders are exactly that. Juicy, perfectly seared steak, sweet caramelized onions, melty Havarti cheese, and the real star of the show: a garlicky, herb-packed cowboy butter sauce that gets into every bite.
I originally made these sliders with grilled steak, but I’ve since switched to making everything in a large skillet on the stovetop, and I actually prefer them this way! I start by caramelizing the onions, then sear the steaks in the same skillet until they develop a beautiful golden crust. Once the steak has rested and been sliced, it goes right back into the pan with plenty of cowboy butter so every piece gets coated in that buttery, garlicky goodness.
And we’re not stopping there. I brush the slider buns with more cowboy butter, layer everything with Havarti, and broil them just long enough to get the cheese perfectly melty. A final brush of cowboy butter over the tops makes these completely irresistible. They’re a little messy, ridiculously flavorful, and exactly the kind of recipe that disappears the second I put it on the table.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these delicious steak and cheese sliders with cowboy butter. See the recipe card for the exact measurements.
Steak: Select a Choice-Grade steak and a premium cut like ribeye, filet, or NY Strip. I am using tenderloin (filet mignon).
Havarti Cheese: You can use any type of mild, melty cheese. Fontina works as well. I got Boar’s Head brand from the specialty cheese counter.
Slider Rolls: Slider-sized rolls are perfect, like King’s Hawaiian.
Butter: Arguably the star of this dish apart from the steak!
Aromatics: Onion, freshly minced garlic, chives, parsley, and fresh lemon create the aromatic flavor base for the cowboy butter.
Seasonings: Cayenne and red pepper flakes bring the heat, along with thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper for depth of flavor.
Dijon: Just a dollop of Dijon in the cowboy butter rounds out the flavors. Even if you aren’t a “mustard person,” you will love it! You don’t taste mustard.
How to Make Cowboy Butter Steak Sliders
These Cowboy Butter Steak Sliders are made entirely on the stovetop, then finish with a quick trip under the broiler to melt the cheese. We’ll caramelize the onions first, sear the steaks in the same skillet, then toss the sliced steak in homemade cowboy butter before piling everything onto soft slider buns with melty Havarti.
Prepare the Steak
Trim any excess fat or silver skin from the steaks, if needed. Rub them lightly with oil, then season all sides generously with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
For deeper flavor, wrap the seasoned steaks and refrigerate for a few hours. Remove them from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking.
Make the Cowboy Butter
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, whisking occasionally. Add the lemon juice and zest, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, paprika, cayenne, dried thyme, and red pepper flakes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh chives and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
If the lemon juice causes the butter sauce to separate, don’t worry! Whisk in 1–2 tablespoons of room-temperature butter, a little at a time, until the sauce comes back together and looks smooth.
Set aside half of cowboy butter for brushing the inside of the slider buns. Keep the remaining sauce for tossing with the cooked steak.
Caramelize the Onions
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a few tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add the thinly sliced sweet onions.
Cook for approximately 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, reduce in volume, and become golden brown. Reduce the heat if they begin browning too quickly.
The onions should be soft, jammy, and golden around the edges, with a sweet, caramelized flavor.
Transfer the onions to a bowl and set aside.
Sear the Steaks
Increase the heat to medium-high and add 1–2 tablespoons of avocado oil to the same skillet.
Pat the steaks dry, then place them in the hot skillet without overcrowding. Sear undisturbed for approximately 3–4 minutes per side, adjusting the time based on their thickness and desired doneness.
Look for a deep golden-brown crust on both sides. Avoid moving the steaks around too much so they have time to develop that beautiful sear.
Once cooked to your liking, transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let them rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.
Toss the Steak in Cowboy Butter
Reduce the skillet heat to low. Return the sliced steak to the pan and pour in the remaining cowboy butter, reserving the small portion you set aside for the buns.
Gently toss the steak until every piece is coated in the garlicky, buttery sauce.
The steak should look glossy and completely coated in cowboy butter, with plenty of garlic and herbs clinging to each slice.
Remove from the heat to avoid overcooking the steak.
Assemble the Steak Sliders
Preheat the oven to broil and arrange the split slider buns, cut sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Brush the inside of the buns with the reserved cowboy butter. Add slices of Havarti cheese to both the top and bottom buns.
Divide the caramelized onions among the bottom buns, then pile the cowboy butter-coated steak over the onions.
Broil for 1–2 minutes, watching closely, until the Havarti melts and the edges of the buns are lightly golden.
Place the top buns over the steak, then brush the tops with any remaining cowboy butter from the skillet.
Separate into individual sliders and serve warm!
Tools I Love For These Steak Sliders
More Slider Recipes to Try
Game day and sliders go hand in hand, don’t they? In addition to these buttery steak sliders, I’d recommend my BBQ brisket sliders, and Hawaiian roll meatball sliders. If chicken is your protein of choice, make these crispy hot honey chicken sliders or Southern fried chicken sliders next!
If you’ve tried these Steak Sliders, I’d love to hear what you thought! Leave a comment below with your questions or feedback. Your reviews help other readers in the Bad Batch Baking community decide what to make next.
Be sure to tag me @BadBatchBaking on social media using #badbatchbaking so I can see what you’re cooking!
Cowboy Butter Steak Sliders
Ingredients
For the Sliders
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless steak such as ribeye filet, sirloin
- avocado oil as needed
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 onions thinly sliced
- 9 slider buns
- 1/2 lb. sliced havarti cheese
For the Cowboy Butter
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon chives chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the steaks. Trim excess fat and silver skin if needed. Rub the steaks lightly with oil and season generously with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. For deeper flavor, wrap and refrigerate for a few hours. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking.
- Make the cowboy butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest, garlic, Dijon mustard, paprika, cayenne, dried thyme and red pepper flakes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chives and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. If the lemon causes the sauce to separate, whisk in 1–2 tablespoons room-temperature butter, a little at a time, until smooth and emulsified. Divide the cowboy butter in half, reserving one half for the slider buns and the other half for tossing with the steak.
- Caramelize the onions. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a few tablespoons of butter. Add the sliced onions and cook for approximately 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft, golden brown and caramelized. Reduce the heat if needed to prevent burning. Transfer the onions to a bowl and set aside.
- Sear the steaks. Increase the skillet heat to medium-high and add 1–2 tablespoons avocado oil. Pat the steaks dry and place them in the hot skillet without overcrowding. Sear for approximately 3–4 minutes per side, or until a deep golden crust develops and the steaks reach your desired doneness. Adjust the cooking time based on steak thickness.
- Rest and slice. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and loosely tent with foil. Rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain.
- Coat with cowboy butter. Reduce the skillet heat to low. Return the sliced steak to the pan and pour in half of the prepared cowboy butter. Toss gently until every piece is coated in the garlic-herb butter sauce. Remove from the heat.
- Prepare the slider buns. Preheat the oven to broil. Arrange the split slider buns, cut sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the inside of the buns with the reserved half of the cowboy butter and add Havarti cheese to both the top and bottom buns.
- Assemble the sliders. Divide the caramelized onions among the bottom buns, then layer the cowboy butter-coated steak over the onions.
- Broil until melty. Broil for 1–2 minutes, watching closely, until the Havarti melts and the bun edges are lightly golden.
- Finish with cowboy butter. Place the top buns over the steak and brush the tops with any remaining cowboy butter from the skillet. Separate into individual sliders and serve warm.
SO GOOD!! And so easy. I prepped the meat and marinade the night before (combine the chopped parsley/green onions with wet ingredients day of) so it came together in no time for dinner.
Hi Ali – I love that you tried these. They are still a family favorite for us and happy to hear they were a hit in your house.
This recipe is so good… we actually just serve it with the rules on the side and people just put as much meat on as they want and usually serve it with a side dish and it is so good and we always make extra of the cowboy butter for them to drizzle on their slider or to dip it…
Amazing!
I made this recipe except I smoked a 3 pound brisket for six hours and used the meat from that! I added little bit of ranch on the bottom of the sliders, but followed the recipe otherwise. Very, very good. I will definitely make again.
Insane!!! I absolutely adore smoked brisket and it’s so good with cowboy butter! Glad you enjoyed this.
I *never* comment on recipes on blogs, but oh my goodness! My picky 14 year old and husband both just raved about these, which is rare. These are so so good!!
Oh my goodness – this makes me sooo happy to hear. I am very appreciative you made it back on here to comment 🙂 Thank you so much
Delicious! Our first recipe of yours for us to try and we are excited to try more!!
Thank you so much Morgan! My cookbook just released! I hope you do get a chance to try more 🙂