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    Home » Recipes » Comfort Food

    White Castle Burgers

    Published: Apr 11, 2023

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    My husband was missing White Castle Sliders, so I figured out how to make copycat White Castle burgers for him - and they taste like the real deal!

    A plate of 3 copycat white castle burgers on a plate with crinkle cut fries.

    A little while ago, my husband’s birthday was looming, and I had no clear plans.

    As he didn’t have birthday parties, growing up, I’ve tried to make each birthday with him special, and started out by giving him all the “standard” parties he missed out on. Things like a roller skating party with crappy rink pizza, a bowling party with my Ice Cream Pizza, even Chuck E Cheese one year - always with goodie bags for our friends.

    As I ran out of the standards, I started getting more creative, like doing a Potluck Sushi Party a few times. Lots of fun!

    Circumstances have meant no parties for the past few years, but I’ve tried to make things special anyway.

    This year I was drawing a blank... until I saw a fellow food blogger post about her “White Castle Casserole”.

    ... and it got me thinking.

    He was always a fan of White Castle Sliders as a quick snack, but we don’t have White Castle Restaurants here, since leaving the United States almost 5 years ago.

    At first, I thought I’d see if I could buy a box of frozen White Castle Burgers, but quickly found that they haven’t been sold here in a few years.

    I googled to see if there were any replica recipes, but all the top ones sounded WAY off. Most included ingredients like peanut butter and onion soup mix, and techniques that would not produce accurate sliders.

    As I wanted to give him the nostalgic experience - sans the actual fast-food restaurant - I decided to come up with my own knockoff tasty slider recipe... with an aim for accuracy.

    I did a bunch of research, and put together a plan for his birthday meal - homemade White Castle cheese burgers, crinkle fries, and root beer - as he used to order it.

    It was a bit of work, but it turned out fantastic!

    Says he:

    The size, texture, and taste all bring back those memories of White Castle. Before I knew it, I’d snarfed half a dozen... just like the real thing, LOL!

    The crinkle fries and soft drink just really ties it all together for a really great birthday surprise. I love that these cheese sliders are now an option again!

    ... here’s how I did it!

    A plate of 3 homemade white castle sliders on a plate with crinkle cut fries.

    The Research

    I’ve never tried to replicate fast-food hamburger chain - or fast food in general, IIRC... so coming up with a copycat recipe was a bit of an undertaking.

    After writing off the existing recipes, I did a lot of Googling.

    Between several interviews, some Youtube videos, and the ingredient and nutritional info labeling on the frozen burgers, I gleaned a LOT of info that helped.

    A few stand out bits of information:

    The Burger Patty

    While I was not surprised to learn that peanut butter and onion soup mix were NOT involved with the source material, I was surprised to see that the meat patties were EXTREMELY basic.

    I was expecting to have to figure out some sort of filler, I learned that it’s just ground beef that’s seasoned with salt and pepper after being formed.

    There were a lot of mentions about how the patties were key to the success of White Castle, so I’d just assumed there was more to it.

    Nope. The big thing about the patties is the shape - combined with the cooking method.

    The 5 hole design was implemented after an employee suggestion, allowing the burgers to cook quicker, more evenly, and to allow the onion flavor to come through via steam. (More on that in a minute!)

    The holes are punched into ground beef slabs using a machine called “meat horns” in their manufacturing facility, but you can easily achieve the original slider shape in the comfort of your own home using cookie cutters and a chopstick - I’ll show you how.

    The Onions

    I had always assumed that they’d used chopped fresh onions, but apparently it’s reconstituted dried onion flakes - at least in part. I had run into a bit of ambiguity on that front.

    One video showed the burgers being cooked in the restaurant, with a pile of what looked to be caramelized onions being pulled in from the side of the griddle, and added to a pile of what looked to be fresh onions.

    I decided to hedge my bets a bit - using both fresh and dried onions, as well as starting part of the fresh onions off a bit earlier than the rest of them.

    This would give a great, complex onion flavour - and apparently it tasted bang on, when all was said and done!

    The Cooking Method

    Another interesting thing I learned was that the burgers are steamed, not grilled - they never touch a pan!

    From everything I could see, the burgers were cooked from frozen, over the bed of onions. The buns are also steamed over the onions, allowing heat AND flavor to permeate the bun itself.

    The thing I couldn’t wrap my head around was the video that showed buns being placed directly on the raw meat - Not sure if it was still frozen or not.

    I did adapt that idea a bit, not placing the buns on the meat until the top surface of the meat had steamed - via a lid.

    That part is not super accurate, from what I can tell, but it might be a matter of equipment.

    If I were to cook the patties at home, in the way they’re shown on videos of restaurant procedure, the buns would soak up a TON of juices from the burger itself, and be soggy by the time the burger was cooked through.

    As I do it, it still steams long enough to get flavor and warm up, without going soggy.

    A plate of 3 copycat white castle burgers on a plate with crinkle cut fries.

    Ingredients

    For all of the work I put into researching white castle hamburgers, this is actually a pretty simple burger recipe - in terms of the ingredients - and you should be able to find everything you need in most grocery stores.

    A few notes for you:

    Ground Beef

    To get the right fat content (and - by extension - flavour!), be sure to use regular ground beef, NOT a lean ground beef.

    Btw, White Castle is apparently making Impossible Sliders now - that wasn’t a thing when we were still in the USA.

    If you’d like to do this up as an Impossible Slider recipe, swap the beef out for some ground “Beyond Meat”.

    You’ll want to add some fat though - I’d use whatever fits your dietary needs, and just mix in maybe a tablespoon or so.

    Slider Buns

    I had used King’s Hawaiian rolls for the first time, as it was what was recommended in all of the copycat White Castle Burger recipes, as well as the casserole recipe that kicked off this whole odyssey.

    That said, my husband said that they were noticeably more sweet than White Castle uses.

    So, next time I make this, I’ll be using regular dinner rolls, rather than that particular brand name - which is known to be pretty sweet.

    A bit of a caveat here: It’s been 4 years since he’s been in the USA, and the bread here in Canada tends not to be quite as sweet as what’s sold in the USA.

    So, there’s a chance it’s more about his bread taste buds having changed a bit in the last few years. No idea!

    American Cheese (Optional)

    While I’m all about the use of real cheese when making burgers, you’ll want to use slices of American cheese for this - if you’re going for authenticity.

    We used regular Kraft Slices, which were apparently pretty close.

    That said, if you’re looking more for that onion flavour than full authenticity, feel free to swap the cheese out for a better sliced cheese.

    Dill Pickle Slices (Optional)

    I’m saying “optional” because I realize that not everyone orders pickles on the sliders... but when making this for my husband, they were in NO way optional.

    Also, they “had to be the wavy cut”.

    I don’t know if it’s a Canadian thing, or just the stores we order groceries from, but I was utterly unable to find the wavy cut of pre-sliced pickles.

    Because I totally understand that texture is a big part of things, I had to get creative - I used a wavy cutter to slice up some whole pickles. (On a diagonal, as the pickles didn’t have a very big diameter).

    The tool was part of a ~15 year old food garnishing set, but there are a lot of options out there, if you find yourself in a similar predicament!

    Pickles being sliced with a ridged cutter, and placed on a plate with small squares of cheese.

    Everything Else

    Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

    Yellow Onions
    Dehydrated Onions
    Salt and ground black pepper
    Ketchup and Mustard, optional

    ... I just really don’t have anything to add, as far as these last few ingredients go!

    Equipment

    In addition to the ingredients, there are a few tools and supplies you’ll need, to make really authentic White Castle Cheeseburgers:

    Parchment Paper: For rolling the patties out between.

    Rolling Pin: I like to use a Rolling pin with adjustable thickness guides.

    Square Cookie Cutters: I recommend using a 3" Square Cookie Cutter for the burger patties, and a 2.5" Square Cookie Cutter.

    As pictured, I used a 2.75" cutter for both - the burgers were slightly too small, and the cheese was a bit too big, after the burgers had cooked down.

    A chopstick: Or a similar tool, to form the holes in the burger patties. If you have any wider straws - like Smoothie Straws - that would work.

    A plate of 3 homemade white castle sliders on a plate with crinkle cut fries.

    How to Make White Castle Sliders at Home

    The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through, with some additional info and tips.

    Make the Patties

    Place ground beef in a food processor, blitz a few times to break it down a bit.

    A 3 part image showing the ground beef being shredded in a food processor.

    Dump ground beef onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

    Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the meat, and use a rolling pin to roll it thinly and evenly - about ⅜" thick.

    Use a square cookie cutter to cut as many patties out as you can. My cutter is 2 ¾", a 3" cutter may have been a little better - the burgers shrink as they cook.

    A 4 part image showing the ground beef being rolled thin between parchment paper and cut with a square cookie cutter.

    Press the trimmed pieces together, roll out between sheets of parchment paper.

    A 2 part image showing the trimming being re rolled and cut with the cookie cutter.

    .. and continue til you have 12 patties.

    12 square beef patties lined up in 3 rows of 4.

    Using the end of a chopstick or similar tool, create 5 holes in each beef patty - one in the center, one towards each corner.

    I basically stuck a chopstick in, and made a small circular motion to open and round it out.

    A 2 part image showing a chopstick being used to make holes in the burgers.

    Once all patties are formed and full of holes, freeze until firm - at least one hour.

    Once frozen, you can stack them - I like to separate them with pieces of parchment, to prevent sticking - place them in an airtight freezer bag, and freeze until you’re ready to use them.

    The frozen burger patties being stacked between layers of parchment paper.

    Cook the Burgers

    Run the chopped onions through a food processor to finely chop them. You want small pieces, but not a puree.

    Place half the chopped onions on a large skillet or in a large nonstick baking pan, along with the dehydrated onions and water. Stir well to combine.

    A 5 part image showing chopped onions being finely chopped in a food processor, added to the pan with water and dehydrated onion.

    Cook the onions over medium high heat for 5 minutes or so, then add the remaining chopped onions. Lower the heat and cook for another 2 minutes or so.

    A 2 part image showing the rest of the onion added to the pan and cooking down.

    Spread the onions out in an even layer, covering the bottom of the pan. Arrange the burger patties in a single layer over the onions.

    Note: If you can’t / don’t want to do all 12 at once, use half the onions / water and do it in 2 batches of 6.>

    Cover pan with a lid, let the burgers steam for a few minutes, until the tops appear cooked. (They won’t be cooked through yet)

    Note: If at any point the water dries up, add a little more to keep the steam going.

    A 2 part image showing frozen burger patties being placed on top of the onions, then covered with a lid.

    Top each burger with half a bun. We used the bun tops, based on what it looked like one restaurant was doing in a video, but it seems like bottoms may have been the standard.

    If you have room in the pan, balance the remaining buns over top of the first buns you placed, or set balancing over the onions using the edges of the pan and original bun halves as bases.

    Don’t place the buns directly in the onions, or they’ll end up soggy.

    Assemble Your Sliders

    Once the burgers are fully cooked and the buns are heated through, place them on a plate in one of two ways:

    If you put the top buns over the burgers, arrange the bottom buns on a plate. Slide a flat spatula under a burger, and pick it up - onions, bun top, and all - and place it on one of the lower buns. Repeat with the remaining sliders.

    - Or -

    If you put the bottom buns on the burgers, slide your spatula under a burger patty and pick it up - onions, bun bottom, and all - and carefully flip the whole thing over on a plate. Repeat with remaining burgers and buns.

    A 2 part image showing the burger patties being covered with buns, then the patties and tops placed on the bun bottoms on a plate.

    Remove top buns (if you cooked them on the burgers), and top your patties with cheese, pickles, ketchup, and/or mustard, as desired.

    Top each with a bun top.

    A 2 part image showing the bun tops removed, and the patties being topped with cheese and pickles.

    Serve immediately, with crinkle cut fries!

    A plate of 3 copycat white castle burgers on a plate with crinkle cut fries.

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    A plate of 3 homemade white castle sliders on a plate with crinkle cut fries.

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    A plate of 3 copycat white castle burgers on a plate with crinkle cut fries.

    A plate of 3 copycat white castle burgers on a plate with crinkle cut fries.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    4.67 from 3 votes

    White Castle Burgers - Accurate Copycat Recipe!

    My husband was missing White Castle Sliders, so I figured out how to make copycat White Castle burgers for him - and they are the real deal!
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Freezing time1 hour hr
    Total Time1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Low Lactose
    Servings: 12 Sliders
    Calories: 196kcal
    Author: Marie Porter

    Equipment

    • Parchment Paper
    • Square Cookie Cutters

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb Regular Ground Beef NOT lean
    • Salt and Pepper
    • 2 Yellow Onions peeled and chopped
    • ⅓ cup Dehydrated Onions
    • ¼ cup Water
    • 12 Slider Buns
    • 12 Slices American Cheese optional
    • Dill pickle slices optional
    • Ketchup and Mustard optional

    Instructions

    Make the Patties

    • Place ground beef in a food processor, blitz a few times to break it down a bit.
    • Dump ground beef onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with another piece of parchment paper, and roll it thinly and evenly - about ⅜" thick.
    • Use a square cookie cutter to cut as many patties out as you can. My cutter is 2 ¾", a 3" cutter may have been a little better - the burgers shrink as they cook.
    • Press the trimmed pieces together, roll out between sheets of parchment paper, and continue til you have 12 patties.
    • Using the end of a chopstick or similar tool, create 5 holes in each patty - one in the center, one towards each corner. I basically stuck a chopstick in, and made a small circular motion to open and round it out.
    • Once all patties are formed and full of holes, freeze until firm - at least one hour.
    • Once frozen, you can stack them - I like to separate them with pieces of parchment, to prevent sticking - place them in an airtight freezer bag, and freeze until you’re ready to use them.

    Cook the Burgers

    • Run the chopped onions through a food processor to finely chop them. You want small pieces, but not a puree.
    • Place half the chopped onions on a large skillet or in a large nonstick baking pan, along with the dehydrated onions and water. Stir well to combine.
    • Cook the onions over medium high heat for 5 minutes or so, then add the remaining chopped onions. Lower the heat and cook for another 2 minutes or so.
    • Spread the onions out in an even layer, covering the bottom of the pan. Arrange the burger patties in a single layer over the onions.
    • Note: If you can’t / don’t want to do all 12 at once, use half the onions / water and do it in 2 batches of 6.
    • Cover pan with a lid, let the burgers steam for a few minutes, until the tops appear cooked. If at any point the water dries up, add a little more to keep the steam going..
    • Top each burger with half a bun. We used the tops, based on what it looked like one restaurant was doing in a video, but it seems like bottoms may have been the standard.
    • If you have room in the pan, balance the remaining buns over top of the first buns you placed, or set balancing over the onions using the edges of the pan and original bun halves as bases. Don’t place the buns directly in the onions, or they’ll end up soggy.

    Assemble Your Sliders

    • Once the burgers are fully cooked and the buns are heated through, place them on a plate in one of two ways:
    • If you put the top buns over the burgers, arrange the bottom buns on a plate. Slide a flat spatula under a burger, and pick it up - onions, bun top, and all - and place it on one of the lower buns. Repeat with the remaining sliders.
    • Or
    • If you put the bottom buns on the burgers, slide your spatula under a burger patty and pick it up - onions, bun bottom, and all - and carefully flip the whole thing over on a plate. Repeat with remaining burgers and buns.
    • Remove top buns (if you cooked them on the burgers), and top your patties with cheese, pickles, ketchup, and/or mustard, as desired. Top each with a bun top.
    • Serve immediately, with crinkle cut fries!

    Notes

    See post for more information about the cookie cutters used, variations on this recipe, etc.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg

    A plate of 3 homemade white castle sliders on a plate with crinkle cut fries.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lori Maldonado

      May 29, 2023 at 1:57 pm

      This may sound like an odd ingredient for the burger part, but while using the food processor to grind up the beef, add 1 jar of baby food beef per pound of hamburger. This will improve the texture with a subtle improvement in flavor. Also, simmer finely chopped onion in beef broth for more flavor 1 critique: NO DILL PICKLES! EW!!! White Castle Burgers DO NOT have pickles! That would overtake the wonderful flavor!

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        June 05, 2023 at 8:40 am

        So.

        As I stated in the recipe, I designed this to be as accurate to the ingredients and technique as possible, and I'm pretty sure that White Castle is not adding baby food to their burgers.

        Secondly, you may order your sliders without pickles, but White Castle absolutely does include pickles on their burgers.

        Did you actually make this recipe?

        Reply
        • Carol C Lee

          August 25, 2023 at 5:55 pm

          White Castle and Krystal (one and the same) both serve dill pickle in their burgers....they wouldn't taste right to me without the pickle. Great recipe! TY

          Reply
      • Violet

        March 12, 2025 at 5:16 pm

        From whitecastle dot com › menu

        A five-cent small hamburger. A Castle-shaped restaurant. And nothing like it before, or since.
        A humble 100% beef patty with onions, and a *pickle*.

        Reply
    2. Kelly

      September 01, 2023 at 6:37 am

      I was very disappointed with Krystals, they didn't taste anything like White Castles. I'm making this recipe for Labor Day. So excited.

      Reply
    3. Chris

      November 16, 2024 at 1:01 am

      I worked at W.C.in high school and college. I can say your research was well done. No baby food. No peanut butter. It's 100% ground beef with salt and pepper. The cheese however is sharp cheddar and the cooked regular onions aren't necessary. The grilled onions you see are the left over rehydrated onions from the previous batch of burgers then mixed with new rehydrated onions and more water for the next batch. The old onions hold lots of flavor and are a huge key to the flavor....as is the seasoning of the pan after many 100's of burgers are cooked before cleaning the grills.(not gross - they are very sanitary) A burger with fresh onions and a clean grill is what you're tasting at home. It would be hard to duplicate the deeper flavor. By the way, WalMart makes a very close slider bun - in the bakery not in the bread aisle. I admire how much work you put in to make him happy!!

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        November 16, 2024 at 11:22 am

        Thank you! It was a fun project!

        Reply
      • Nicci

        February 14, 2025 at 3:57 pm

        4 stars
        Chris, you are correct. I worked for White Castle too. There are no fresh onions, only the rehydrated. And the buns were more of a non-sweet dinner roll type bun, kept in a steamer under the counter, and above the rehydrated onions, so the flavor got into the buns as well. NO Hawaiian sweet bun would work for a true White Castle, agreed 🙂

        Reply
    4. Angie

      January 27, 2025 at 7:22 am

      does it make a difference without the bread crumbs, egg, and onion soup that all the other copy cats seem to use?

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        January 27, 2025 at 8:47 pm

        I have no idea where they got any of that, I did a LOT of reading on actual White Castle burgers, talked to employees, etc.

        Reply
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