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How To Cook Frozen White Castle Burgers In The Air Fryer

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Try cooking your frozen White Castle Sliders in the air fryer for a quick and easy dinner for the whole family.

Sep 29, 2023 The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure

If you’re a fan of the delicious steamed White Castle burger sliders, you’ll be happy to know you can find them in the frozen section of your local grocery store in the freezer section.

Of course, you may already have your hands on a box, so you might be wondering how they fare in the air fryer.

If you’re tired of limiting yourself to microwaving your delectable mini-sliders, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to air fry white castle burgers and more below.

What Are White Castle Burgers?

White Castle burgers are sliders with a thin meat patty, cheese, and onions. They are a product of the fast food chain White Castle, and you can buy them in the frozen section at most grocery stores and supermarkets.

This comes in handy if you don’t live close to a White Castle restaurant or want to have the White Castle hamburgers on hand to substitute your fast-food restaurant cravings in the comfort of your own home.

What Do They Taste Like?

White Castle burgers have soft bread and are full of savory flavor. They taste like a condensed version of a regular-sized cheeseburger, and there are satisfying notes of onion flavor as well.

They’re not for everyone, however, as the meat can taste a bit artificial. Once you put them in your mouth, it’s obvious they’re sodium bombs.

Still, if you can get past the fact that they’re closer to unhealthy junk food, they’re not bad to enjoy every once in a while.

Can You Air Fry White Castle Burgers?

Yes, you absolutely can air fry your frozen White Castle burgers, although there are a few steps you have to take to ensure that they’re not still frozen in the center when you take them out.

How to Air Fry White Castle Burgers

If you put the White Castle Sliders in the air fryer as is, there’s a good chance they will burn on the outside while still being frozen on the inside.

The solution is simply separating the bun tops and cooking them like that to avoid undercooked burger patties.

Step 1: Remove the sliders from their individually wrapped bags.

Take a flat utensil such as a fork or a knife and stick it between the top bun and the patty on the frozen slider. Gently separate the bun tops, so the frozen burgers are exposed, and place the bottom half inside the air fryer.

This method will allow the meat patties and bottom bun to cook while not burning the top bun.

Step 2: Turn the air fryer to 375 degrees F.

You don’t technically need to preheat your air fryer, but this may help you attain even crispier buns.

Spraying the bottom with oil is also unnecessary.

Step 3: Air fry for about 5–6 minutes or until the meat is adequately warmed up.

Remove the basket and put the top bun in the fryer pan next to the bottom half. Please do not put it on top of the meat, as this will stop the heating process for the meat.

Air fry for another 2–3 minutes so the bun is crispy, the cheese is melted, and the meat is hot.

Step 4: Remove the burgers from the air fryer and reassemble.

Let them sit for another few minutes so that they can cool.

Afterward, enjoy your fully cooked White Castle sliders with some ketchup, mustard, dill pickle slices or as-is.

Questions About Air Frying White Castle Burgers

If you’re unsure about anything, here are a few extra questions about air frying your White Castle Sliders.

Can I air-fry the whole burger without splitting the bun?

There’s no one to say you can’t. We suggest splitting them to ensure that the center isn’t cold and for a more evenly cooked slider. We’ve found that when you air fry them as-is, their centers can potentially come out cold while the tops are burnt.

If you do want to cook them whole, make sure to flip them halfway through. Otherwise, the top may burn.

How many sliders can I cook at a time?

How many sliders you can cook at a time is solely contingent upon the size of your air fryer basket, though most air fryers can hold at least 3–4. Just be sure not to overstuff the fryer, or else some patties may not cook properly.

What’s the difference between air frying and microwaving?

When you air fry White Castle burgers, their buns become crisper while microwaving them steams them in their bags and leads to a softer, more moist texture. Believe it or not, microwaved White Castle sliders are closer to the original chain, which is traditionally steamed.

One isn’t necessarily better than the other; it’s simply a matter of preference. You can also try to bake them in the oven as well by cooking them on a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Do White Castle Sliders need to be thawed before air frying?

Nope. As with most microwavable/air-frying frozen foods, you don’t need to defrost White Castle sliders.

In fact, we don’t recommend thawing them at all. Thawing is simply a waste of time as it doesn’t impact the flavor, and you can cook them in a much timelier fashion.

Have you tried any homemade copycat White Castle burger recipes?

While the frozen white castle burger craving can be satisfied with these simple frozen cheese sliders made by the real deal and perfect for those late nights, you always try and make a copycat recipe with some simple ingredients like regular dinner rolls, beef patties or lean ground beef, and American cheese slices.

So, if you aren’t trying to make this burger during the wee hours of the night, you can also give this square patty white castle copycat recipe.

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