Gardein’s had their “Ultimate Sliders” out in the grocery stores for quite awhile now, and I finally broke down and tried them.
I must confess, I’ve never really “gotten” the concept of “sliders.”
Perhaps this is because I didn’t grow up anywhere near a White Castle.
Perhaps it’s because I tend to be more of a practical gal. It’s much more efficient to cook and eat one regular-size “hamburger” than two or three smaller ones. Although I admit the little baby burgers are cute!
Gardein offers two flavors of sliders: ultimate beefless slider and crispy chick’n slider.
Today I’m reviewing the ultimate beefless slider.
The good:
Gardein’s ultimate beefless burger is, without a doubt, one of the best vegan burgers out there if you’re looking for one with a juicy, beefy taste and chewy, meaty texture. And the little slider patties taste the same as the full-size beefless burger patties.
It’s quick and easy, microwaved and ready to eat in about 3 minutes. There are four sliders in each box, packaged in sets of two. You open one of the plastic pouches and separate the patties from the buns. Wrap the patty in a paper towel and microwave for 80 seconds. (I would suggest also using a microwavable plate, as the patties tend to be very juicy/greasy!) Then reassemble the burger, turn it upside down, and nuke it again for 40 seconds. Let sit for one minute, then add condiments and eat.
The neutral:
The buns aren’t all that. Not bad, just ehhh. They’re vegan, yes, but standard white bread and tasteless.
The bad:
These little buggers are small – just 2 1/2 inches. And I think the “serving size” on the box is flawed – one individual slider (not one plastic package of two sliders) is one serving. As a small woman I could (and did) eat two sliders at one meal. Most men (or teenage boys) could easily polish off the entire box at one sitting!
Cute and tasty, but tiny and expensive!
To be so small these ultimate beefless sliders are EXPENSIVE. They’re one of Gardein’s more costly offerings: a few pennies under $6 at Earthfare, a few pennies under $5 at Harris Teeter. I’d recommend buying a bag of the regular size Gardein ultimate beefless burgers (at least twice the “meat”, for at least a dollar less) and using your own buns. Even if you have your heart set on teeny tiny burgers, you could always use a Gardein full-size patty, cut it up into smaller pieces, and put the pieces on your own minibuns.
Also, these little sliders seem to pack quite a high calorie count – 150 calories for one serving (which is, again, one individual slider – not the plastic package of two). On the Gardein website the full-size burger patties have only 130 calories, so I’m not sure where the calories in the sliders are coming from. Does the tiny little bun have that many calories? Or maybe the sliders have more fat than the regular burger patties so they won’t dry out in the microwave. I know, 150 calories doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider how small these are and that they will most likely be eaten in multiples.
Finally, I’d like to suggest that Gardein offer these in a larger, slightly discounted “family pack” – maybe 8 or 10 per box. Because families of more than two will definitely need more than four sliders!
Allergy Information: Soy and Wheat.
VegCharlotte 
Nice review. The size of sliders is what always thwart me from making or buying them because I have a BIG appetite 🙂
These are VERY small. And I really do think the serving size is somewhat misleading as the sliders are packaged, not individually, but in sets of two. And they are so small it would be rational to assume two would be one serving … Also, I didn’t mention it in my review, but it was hard getting condiments to fit! I had to slice a dill pickle slice into thirds, use a large cherry tomato and small kale leaves …