Hindsight is 20/20. As I sat there hungrily devouring one of these BBQ Bean Sliders, beans were falling out of the bun and BBQ sauce was getting all over my hands and face. That’s when it hit me—this would have been much better as a wrap sandwich. But then again, sometimes the messier the food the better. Either way, these BBQ Bean Sliders probably aren’t a good thing to cook for a first date. Or maybe even the second or third date.
But they are a good thing to cook when you are craving BBQ and you don’t have the time or money to cook an entire pork shoulder. I mean, I love pulled pork and all, probably even more than I should, but sometimes it’s just not convenient or in my budget.
What is convenient? Opening up a couple cans of beans, adding some BBQ sauce, and whipping up a quick slaw. BBQ craving fixed.
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Pictured with Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
Double Check Your BBQ Sauce
If you’re a vegetarian, be sure to check the label of your favorite BBQ sauce, because you never know if they might have added some Worcestershire sauce in there. And if you’re not a fan of the high sugar store-bought BBQ sauces, definitely give my Homemade BBQ Sauce a try. My version does contain Worcestershire sauce, but there are some vegetarian Worcestershire sauces on the market (like Annie’s brand) if you want to keep it vegetarian.
It’s All About that Coleslaw
My creamy coleslaw is so fast and easy that once you try it, you’ll probably never buy it pre-made ever again. This coleslaw provides the perfect creamy-savory balance to the sweet-tang of the BBQ sauce. They’re just made for each other.
How to Save Your Leftovers
If you plan to save some of these BBQ sliders for leftovers, wait to mix the coleslaw dressing with the vegetables until just before serving, for the best results. When left in the refrigerator pre-mixed, the coleslaw can get a little limp and runny (although that didn’t stop me from devouring my leftovers).
The BBQ beans can be kept in a separate container themselves, rewarmed in the microwave or in a small sauce pot over low, then piled onto the bun. The beans should stay good in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days. I don’t recommend this recipe for freezing, but if you have too many buns for the amount of filling made, baked breads freeze beautifully on their own, so you can save some for the next time you make BBQ beans!
What to Serve with BBQ Bean Sliders
I served my bean sliders with a side of Spicy Sweet Potato Fries, but they’d also go great with a classic like Southern Style Potato Salad. Or perhaps a pasta salad like, Broccoli Pasta Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette, Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad, or Summer Sweet Corn Salad.
BBQ Bean Sliders
Servings 4 to 6 servingsIngredients
BBQ Beans
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 small yellow onion ($0.32)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.89)
- 1 15oz. can pinto beans ($0.89)
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce ($0.27)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional) ($0.05)
- 4 hamburger buns ($1.66)
Creamy Coleslaw
- 1/2 14oz. bag coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage, about 3 cups) ($0.75)
- 3 green onions ($0.17)
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise ($0.55)
- 1/2 Tbsp honey ($0.06)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.03)
- 1 tsp red wine or apple cider vinegar ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Rinse and drain the pinto and black beans in a colander. Add the drained beans, BBQ sauce, and smoked paprika to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine and then cook over medium-low heat until warmed through (stir occasionally).
- While the beans and BBQ sauce are heating, prepare the creamy coleslaw. Add the cabbage coleslaw mix to a large bowl. Slice the green onions and add them to the bowl with the cabbage.
- In a separate small bowl, make the dressing for the slaw. Stir together the mayonnaise, honey, Dijon, vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add the dressing to the bowl with the slaw mix and green onions, then stir to combine.
- To make the sliders, add a heaping 1/2 cup of BBQ beans to each bun, then top with 1/2 cup of the slaw. Enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make BBQ Bean Sliders – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and mince one clove of garlic. Add the onion and garlic to a large skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
Rinse and drain one 15 oz. can each of black beans and pinto beans (use a colander to make this easier). Add the drained beans to the skillet along with 1/2 cup BBQ sauce and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika.
Stir and heat this mixture over medium until it has heated through.
Meanwhile, make the creamy coleslaw. In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 Tbsp honey, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Add 1/2 of a 14 oz. bag of coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots) to a bowl. Slice three green onions and add them to the bowl, along with the prepared dressing.
Stir until the cabbage mixture is coated in dressing. And try your hardest to not eat it straight out of the bowl!
To assemble the BBQ bean sliders, add about 1/2 cup of the BBQ bean mixture to each bun, then top with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the creamy coleslaw.
Then Enjoy! Preferably with some sweet potato fries on the side. ;)
Lifesaver and so easy. Thanks!
So good! This is the perfect hot weather meal! Inexpensive, nutritious, yummy, filling, crowd pleasing, and doesn’t heat up the kitchen! It’s perfect for busy weekends, it’s great for hot weeknights, it makes great leftovers.
Made these with all pinto beans, because that’s what I had. Also left the slaw on the side with the fries. Sooooo good. Quick and easy, too! Thank you! This one’s going in the summer rotation for sure.
So good!!! We skipped the buns and made loaded sweet potato fries instead. Definitely going to make this again!
My daughter doesn’t usually like beans, but she really liked this recipe. I used leftover Rufus Teague Touch of Heat BBQ Sauce. I never know what to do with the small amounts of leftover bbq sauce, and this was perfect. We are not huge cabbage fans in our house, so I used a bag of the broccoli slaw that Green Giant puts out, instead of the coleslaw mix, and it worked really well.
Delicious! My mistake was that I read through the recipe, but I didn’t read through Beth’s comments about it not being best for a bun. It was a mess, but it was a delicious mess. My buns were a little small and I wanted seconds, so I just put the beans and coleslaw in a bowl and ate it that way. Still 10/10! So quick and easy. Great way to get more beans in my diet and less meat.
Looking forward to trying this! What would you recommend if I don’t have any pinto beans on hand? Could you sub black eyes peas to mix with the black beans? Thanks!
Yep, that would work. You can pretty much do any mix of beans for this. :)
Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious. I used a thick BBQ sauce and mini slider buns, so the sandwiches didn’t fall apart. I would add more garlic, but I love garlic.
I don’t know what happened but this was inedible ): Maybe the barbeque sauce in NZ isn’t the same as the rest of the world but I swear it was gross. Mushy beans and moist coleslaw made the buns soggy and eughhh. Could work in a wrap? Not a keeper.
One of my favorite Budget Bytes recipes. It’s so easy, satisfying, and comforting. A good weeknight meal after a stressful day when you don’t want to cook. I live alone so it provides ample leftovers for lunch/dinners as well. I’ve eaten it on hamburger buns and in pita pockets. Obviously the pita pockets were less messy, but if I’m trying to use up buns I’m fine with the mess. I saw a comment suggest putting it over baked potatoes and I plan to try that next time.
I really enjoyed this recipe! Quick, easy, and tasted great– easily made it vegan by subbing garlic veganaise for the mayo. After making it, the only thing I’d change is serving the beans/slaw in hot dog or brat rolls, rather than hamburger rolls, to avoid the spilling issue Beth described.
Anyone ever slap these beans on a baked potato? I wanna smack this on a potato…
That would be delicious! We have something similar here https://www.budgetbytes.com/bbq-beef-stuffed-potatoes/
So completely delicious. All the flavors worked together like a symphony. I ended up cooking the beans covered on low for longer, and it made it a bit more cohesive and less messy. Like a thick baked bean consistency. I toasted some Kaiser buns and omg…. this one’s a keeper!! Served with some oven baked seasoned fries.
P.S. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this site. Everything I’ve made this far has been fantastic.
The slaw is just the kind that I like — creamy instead of vinegary. The BBQ beans turned out well and took almost no time at all. We had ours on some leftover naan, but it was still WAY messy. Going back for seconds, I didn’t bother making it into a wrap, but the different elements were all good!
This recipe is so good that I’ve been making it for five years. This is one of those recipes that just works. It is so easy and so filling and it tastes so good. I have friends I’ve shared this recipe with that make it regularly. This is such a keeper. Any time that I have a stressful week or I’m moving or on a deadline… this is THE go to recipe. Thank you so much for sharing this one. PS: I peeked around and didn’t see a Budget Bytes version of BBQ Sauce. Is there one? If not, I would love to possibly see one! Your enchilada and teriyaki sauces are staples in my house!
I don’t have one… yet! I need to put that on my list for this summer. :)
Took your advice and stuffed them into whole wheat pitas. Much less mess! These are DELISH!!! Great vegetarian alternative to a BBQ meat sandwich.
These were awesome! So easy and tasty. My picky 6 year old ate a whole sandwich, and declared the recipe a ‘keeper. My bbq sauce was very thick so I had to add a few tablespoons of water, but otherwise everything turned out perfect!
This is so tasty! Heads up, in the photo walkthrough the step where you make the slaw dressing is missing the vinegar as an ingredient. I nearly left it out!
Thank you!! Just fixed it. :)
I made these for lunch today. I wanted something substantial but still summery. Delicious and easy!
So good!!! I used TJ’s garlic – sriracha bbq sauce and a little brown sugar instead of honey in the dressing, otherwise I stuck to the recipe. Man oh man it’s tasty. I had it taco-style in a corn tortilla, others had it in a bun, on bread, and on a plate nacho style with tortilla chips. Everyone loved it, even Mr. “it’s not a meal if there’s no meat”. And like someone else said, i have a new fav coleslaw. Quick, easy, yummy, and budget friendly – who could ask for more!
I’m going to try this. I love BBQ sandwiches. I’m not big on messy sandwiches or wraps so I will try mashing the pintos somewhat and stirring in the black beans and other stuff. I hope it works; I have a vegan son!
We’ve used several, and I mean several of the recipes here. This is one of the quickest, easiest meals I have ever made. We’ve modified the recipe a bit to our taste over the years. And sometimes for added ease we don’t even do the coleslaw. Just sliders and some kettle chips. Perfect meal for hot days!
Made this tonight! Tasted great, used Sriracha Trader Joe’s BBQ sauce and used a pita to hold in it based on the comments. The BBQ sauce had a bunch of garlic and flavor so I skipped the garlic and did not add the smoked paprika. We were out of honey so I put a little bit of brown sugar instead.
Highly recommend!
This is really tasty, easy and fast. We did try eating it in buns once and it was a really big mess. Now we roll it up in giant whole wheat tortillas. i’ve tried using my favorite coleslaw recipe with this, but somehow this dressing works better with the beans.
These sliders were amazing!! We’ve had (and loved) so many of your recipes – my husband says you should open your own restaurant.
These are delicious! I already had a favorite coleslaw recipe, but I decided to try yours to see how it compared. Now I have a new favorite! I didn’t have any green onions, so I sprinkled in some onion powder instead, and it was soooo good.
They’re definitely messy to eat, though. I’m going to take the suggestion from another commenter to try them on hot dog buns next time. Thanks for another yummy recipe!
Made these in a pita for mess control (dropped a whopping 6 beans) and mmmmmmmmmmm soooooooooo yummy. I ended up making my slaw sauce a bit on the tart side, which was actually good because I used a maple BBQ sauce on the beans and the two worked magic together :)
I made this for lunch today and it was so scrumptious!
This is the sixth of your recipes I’ve tried so far (they’ve all been winners) so I figured it was time to say thank you! I can’t wait to try more.
so yummy! thanks for this easy dinner. i went with the messy bun option, cuz bbq and coleslaw s reamed bread to me, plus your pics had me craving the exact thing in the picture. i doubled the recipe and wish i would have made 2 1/2 times the sauce, so i will do that next time
Hi, Beth: Just found your blog. Far out. I’ve made three recipes so far today. I’m vegetarian so I love your veg inclusions. Keep it up and I’ll keep eating. Peace.
Steven
Yum! All your recipes are fantastic, but after we made this one, my partner and I actually high-fived because it was so awesome. We made the beans per your recipe, but made a chipotle slaw instead and it was a great complement. We also served it with some corn on the cob. A great meal–thanks for the recipe! Defo going into the rotation.
Sounds tasty i haven’t tried it, but it would be right up my alley, (I have meat eaters in my house to)
These are very tasty and I’m looking forward to them again tonight. Out of curiosity, though, why don’t you use dried beans for this? I just use one kind in the crock pot instead of black and pinto.
The day that I made this I didn’t have any slow cooker beans on hand. :)
My husband is a big meat eater, and he loves this. Delicious, cheap, quick, and easy!
I just wanted to say (coming from a food website addict) this is the best website I have come across. Simple and has a lot of great money saving recipes for the semi-vegetarian. Money saving to boot.
Absolutely fantastic. I skipped the bun entirely and just ate the coleslaw and beans out of a bowl. The flavor combination was just right and being so cheap and easy I may just have to remake a recipe for once.
I wanted to avoid mess but also wanted the breadiness of a bun so I used sausage buns! A tiny bit spilled out but nothing terrible. The high sides help keep it in and as long as you don’t overfill the bun not too much falls out the back. Tasted delicious!
This one might just be my absolute favorite dish you have on your blog! The entire family loves it (including my meat-loving hubby).
I’ve used different kinds of beans, depending on what I have on hand and they’re all fabulous. The beans by themselves are great, but that coleslaw bite is what pushes this recipe over the top to outstanding!
My 9 & 6 year olds wanted me to tell you how great these are. We also had the kale apple salad as a side and they loved that as well. ;-)
We loved the beans, we used mostly Trader Joe’s BBQ sauce (should’ve gotten more!) with a little Hunt’s ketchup to make up the difference for the half cup. Yum! But we LOVED the coleslaw. It was the best darn coleslaw I’ve ever had, and that’s saying something! I didn’t use a bag mix, so I have some leftover cabbage and carrot and I may just have to make it again tomorrow! Also going to make it for a potluck coming up. Thanks so much Beth!
Oh, and also, I accidentally weighed out a full 14 oz. of cabbage, and so I had double the veggies to dressing ratio. I can’t read, apparently =P. However, I thought it was the perfect amount because it was not soggy with dressing but still so flavorful!
I’m now covered in beans and slaw. Awesome though :)
Looks, great! Do you have a suggestion for a substitute for the mayo? Would sour cream be way off?
Hmm, yes, I think sour cream would be way off. It’s much tangier than mayo. I can’t think of anything that has the creaminess of mayo. Maybe do a google search for slaw no mayo to see what other people have experimented with and enjoyed.
Just cooked this recipe, awesome. Great in pitas. I must say that the coleslaw recipe here is great all by itself. Look forward to the 2-3 days worth of lunches :)
Love, love, love this recipe. All I’m thinking about today is making these for dinner tonight with some sweet potato fries on the side.
Delicious! My 8 year old daughter asked that these be added to our regular dinner rotation. Believe me, that says a lot!
Made these last night and they were amazing. My fiancé said they were the best beans he ever had.
This was absolutely delicious! I was skeptical at first and am so glad I tried it. I used pita pockets instead of buns and they worked perfectly. My husband was also a big fan. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Beth,
I just wanted to let you know that your website is amazing! My sister sent me your recipe for baked pumpkin oatmeal and ever since that moment, I’ve been obsessed. I’ve made several of your recipes (including this one, which I’m currently consuming for lunch!) and I am happy to report that everything has turned out delicious. We have recently become a one income household and your website has allowed me to cut my grocery bill by a massive amount. Last week, for two adults I spent $68.00 dollars! I’ve got $115.00 budgeted per week, so walking away with a $68.00 bill was amazing. Keep up the good work! Both myself and my husband (who has been raving about all of the delicious meals!) really appreciate it.
Awesome!! You don’t know how happy that makes me! :D
Loved, loved, loved this meal – and I don’t usually like coleslaw. The flavor combinations were great!
And loved how simple it was.
While this combination looks really good, an idea hit me.
What about combining the Coleslaw from this recipe with your Root Beer Pulled Pork and adding them both to a bun, or a wrap?
I think I’ll need to try this over the weekend.
I just made these for lunch today along with roasted butternut squash and they were mind-blowing amazing! I did use tortillas. I’m going to be making these all the time!
These were pretty tasty. Although I would recommend getting some better quality bbq sauce if you can. Mine tasted really sweet in the end because of the my sauce selection.
This stuff is amaaAAAaazing!!
My husband shoveled half a wrap in his mouth and said, “Oh my GOD! Is this cheap? Let’s make it all the time!”
3 year old loves it too :)
Definitely trying the spring onions in coleslaw at some point in the future now.
On leftover cabbage, carrot and cabbage combine to make a really good simple soup, which is what I came up with when I had coleslaw leftovers, it also uses up the tough core.
Onion and garlic base, add chopped cabbage and grated carrot in about a 2/3 to 1/3 ratio, add a good dash of cayenne, cover with vegetable stock, simmer for 15 minutes or so, blend, season to taste.
This recipe was amazing! I’m a vegetarian and the BBQ beans was satisfying and the coleslaw delicious. Thanks!
Made this with tortillas, it was so good! I used half cabbage and only one can of beans but it has made 6 huge portions. This is defiantly making it onto my regular meal rotation.
I made this today and it is quite good, and simple!
If you just mash your beans up a bit, also much easier to eat in a sandwich format.
Second idea hit me! If you make your own coleslaw, you could use a piece of it as a wrap!
Excellent idea!!
Gah, leaf of cabbage that is. Wrote that before passing out for the night.
Looks good. Just wondering what sauce would you suggest instead of BBQ sauce?
Hmm, I don’t know because the whole purpose of the sandwich is the BBQ sauce… ;)
LOL! This sandwich is a vehicle for the BBQ sauce…I like it!
I have been so excited to make this since I saw it posted last night! I may have obsessed about this since then. It is cooking RIGHT NOW! I had cabbage from my CSA that I had no idea what to do with hanging out for a good week too! Yay!!
I’ve been wondering what to do with the cranberry beans in my freezer and now I know. I’m definitely going to make this a wrap though.
Guess what I’m making for dinner tonight!!!
I’ve never seen canned pinto or black beans here in Australia (at least not at an exorbitant price). I make my own black beans from dried so that’s no prob, but I haven’t even seen dried pinto’s. Would a different bean work instead? Cause these sounds so good and I really want to make them haha :P
Yep, I’m sure you could use any type of bean that you like :)
Awesome, thank you :)
You can get plain pinto beans from some health food stores but they’re priced the same as black beans :-/
If you go to woolies in the International food aisle (lol) old el paso have mexe-beans which are pinto beans with some spices added to it. I used them for this recipe and it tasted fine. http://www2.woolworthsonline.com.au/Shop/ProductDetails?stockcode=14040
I know this comment is old but for any other Australians who might see this, pinto beans can be replaced with borlotti beans which are far more common here. I will be trying them in this recipe tonight.
Looks fantastic! Thanks!
I’ve used leftover coleslaw in spring rolls before… Minus the sauce. Tastes pretty great. :)
Looks really yummy! Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to try it. :)