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.
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
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
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. ;)
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!