Crockpot Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese Sliders
This one is SO FUN! These crockpot pulled pork mac & cheese sliders are messy, cheesy, completely over-the-top comfort food, and I created them with both parties and family dinners in mind. Let me tell you quickly about the secret ingredient – Dr. Pepper. It might sound a bit random, but it works ridiculously well in pulled pork. As the pork slow cooks, the soda adds a rich caramelized sweetness that mixes with the barbecue sauce and creates tender, flavorful shredded pork with that sticky smoky barbecue flavor. Trust me on this one!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:Â
- It’s basically the kind of game day food people talk about for days afterward
- Sweet smoky Dr Pepper pulled pork + creamy mac and cheese = absolute comfort food chaos in the best way possible
- Messy, cheesy, saucy sliders that everyone wants to dig into
- Perfect for parties, football Sundays, casual gatherings, or just ‘we need something fun for dinner’ nights
What You’ll Need
For the pulled pork, you’ll need pork tenderloins, barbecue sauce, Dr Pepper, brown sugar, and onion powder. The Dr Pepper adds a sweet caramelized flavor to the sauce as the pork slow cooks and helps keep everything tender and juicy.
The mac and cheese layer comes together with elbow macaroni, butter, flour, milk, and plenty of sharp cheddar cheese for a creamy homemade cheese sauce.
For assembling the sliders, you’ll need pretzel slider buns and extra slices of cheddar cheese.
How To Make Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese Sliders
The pork slow cooks in a sweet smoky Dr Pepper barbecue sauce until it’s tender enough to shred. The soda helps add a deeper caramelized sweetness to the sauce while keeping the pork extra juicy as it cooks.
Right before serving, a quick homemade mac and cheese gets made on the stove with plenty of melted cheese and creamy sauce.
Once the pork is shredded, everything gets piled onto slider buns with a big scoop of mac and cheese on top for the ultimate messy comfort food situation.
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
The pulled pork stores really well in the fridge for up to 4 days and freezes well for up to 3 months. Keep it stored in the sauce so it stays juicy when reheated.
The mac and cheese can also be made ahead of time. When reheating, add a small splash of milk to help loosen the sauce and bring back the creamy texture.
For the best texture, it’s better to assemble the sliders right before serving since the buns can soften once everything sits together too long. The individual components, though, are very make-ahead friendly.
Swaps & Variations
Pork shoulder or pork butt can be used instead of pork tenderloin if you want an even richer, more traditional pulled pork texture.
If you don’t have Dr Pepper, Coke or root beer both work well and still give the sauce that sweet smoky flavor.
Sharp cheddar adds the classic mac and cheese flavor here, but Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or pepper jack all work too.
Pretzel slider buns give these a really fun game day feel, but Hawaiian rolls, brioche slider buns, or regular dinner rolls all work great.
You can also add crispy onions, jalapeños, pickles, or extra barbecue sauce on top for even more flavor and texture.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- The pork is ready once it shreds easily with a fork. If it still feels tough, let it cook a little longer.
- Keeping the pork in the sauce after shredding helps it stay extra juicy and flavorful.
- Warm the milk before making the cheese sauce so it blends more smoothly and helps prevent lumps.
- Freshly shredded cheese melts much better than pre-shredded cheese for creamier mac and cheese.
- If the mac and cheese thickens too much before serving, stir in a splash of milk to loosen it back up.
- These sliders are definitely messy in the best possible way, so napkins are highly recommended.
- For extra flavor, lightly toast the slider buns before assembling.
Serving Ideas
These sliders are basically made for game days, casual parties, and comfort food nights when nobody’s counting napkins.
Serve them with fries, potato wedges, coleslaw, baked beans, chips, pickle spears, and your favorite party snacks.
They also work really well as part of a bigger party food spread alongside things like wings, dips, loaded fries, or mozzarella sticks.
Crockpot Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese Sliders
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork tenderloins
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- 1 cup Dr. Pepper
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk warmed
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 8 slices sharp cheddar cheese
- 18 pretzel slider buns I used Hawaiian brand
Instructions
- Add the pork tenderloins to the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce, Dr Pepper, brown sugar, and onion powder.
- Pour the sauce over the pork.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, until the pork is tender and easy to shred.
- About 20 minutes before serving, cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and salt until combined.
- Slowly whisk in the warm milk and cook until the sauce starts to bubble slightly and thicken.
- Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted and smooth.
- Add the cooked macaroni and stir until coated in the cheese sauce.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred it with two forks.
- Pile the pulled pork onto the slider buns, top with mac and cheese, and add a slice of cheddar cheese if using.
- Serve warm.
Your feedback means so much to me! If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts below. It helps other readers, and it also helps me to create more ideas that you’ll love recreating in your own kitchen. Enjoy!