Ranking All the White Castle Frozen Sliders, Chicken Rings, and More

If you don’t live near a White Castle (seriously, why isn’t there White Castle in L.A.?), the White Castle frozen sliders you’ll find at the grocery store have long been the next best thing. But the brand has expanded its frozen options in recent years, and now you can also get White Castle Chicken Rings, White Castle Spicy Chicken Rings, and the newfangled, pizza roll-esque pockets known as White Castle Bites right in your grocer’s freezer—but should you? We’re fans of White Castle frozen burgers (they topped our list of the best frozen sliders we tried in a taste test), but not all White Castle frozen foods are created equal.

We rounded up all the White Castle frozen sliders and other White Castle frozen snacks we could find, cooked them according to the package instructions, and judged them on their overall flavor and texture, rather than their faithfulness to the respective restaurant versions (as I said, we don’t have a White Castle nearby). 

That said, I am a major White Castle fan. When I was a kid and my dad worked at a Toyota dealership in Yonkers, New York, sometimes I’d spend the day with him and he’d take me to White Castle on his lunch break. And I still make a point to get White Castle burgers anytime I visit Las Vegas (there’s a location on Fremont Street that gets pretty turnt). So I did take that classic White Castle flavor into account during this taste test. Here’s our ranking of White Castle’s frozen burgers, bites, and rings.

White Castle!

These White Castle Spicy Chicken Rings are actually spicy. That seems like a good thing, but the spice overpowers any hint of chicken flavor. It’s an aggressive heat that hits you in the back of the throat. My colleague Jordan Myrick took a bite and said these taste exactly like Burger King Spicy Chicken Fries, but I honestly couldn’t tell if they meant that in a good or bad way. Mostly, these are a letdown. They’re kind of flat (more like discs than rings, really) and they just don’t taste enough like chicken to be satisfying. 

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

5/10

Sporks

White Castle!

White Castle Chicken Rings suffer from the same form factor issues as the spicy version (I didn’t expect them to be so flat, but I’ve also never had genuine White Castle Chicken Rings), but they’re better for not blasting you with capsaicin. The chicken definitely seems like it’s of the pink slime variety and doesn’t taste like much, but at least it’s moist. The breading is light, crispy, and a little peppery, which contributes some much-needed flavor. You could do worse, but we’ve tasted much better frozen chicken nugs or even frozen chicken fries if you insist that your chicken come in a weird shape.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

White Castle!

As far as I know, these White Castle Bites, aka Castle Bites, aren’t actually sold at White Castle restaurants, which is probably an okay thing. Yes, this is a White Castle burger in a pizza roll format. The gooey innards really taste like White Castle cheeseburger innards, but I gotta say, White Castle burger meat is just much less delicious in this format. The magic of a White Castle burger is that the bun is squishy and steamed, forming a layer of goo that sort of melds with the burger patty and grilled onions. These are just all goo in a little pastry pocket. We agreed that these aren’t bad (if I were drunk, I would ravage a bag of these babies), but I would never choose White Castle Bites over White Castle frozen sliders.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

White Castle!

This version of White Castle Bites is a little better than the original Cheeseburger Castle Bites by virtue of having some interesting additional flavor. They’re still pretty much all goo with a little bit of crumbled burger meat and diced onion in the mix, but jalapeño gives them nacho vibes, which really works for a drunk snack like this. Still, you’re better off grabbing White Castle frozen burgers (spoiler: the Jalapeño Cheese sliders are #2 on this list).

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

White Castle!

Okay, here’s where I gush: I love White Castle frozen burgers. Not as much as I love White Castle sliders from the restaurant, but a lot. One of our local movie theaters serves them and I purposely don’t eat dinner before we go so I can be like, oh, oops, I’m hungry—better get an order of two White Castle frozen sliders! Anyway, I think these are delicious and pretty faithful to the flavor of the genuine article (although the buns will turn to stone if you don’t eat them pretty immediately). The only reason these landed in the middle of the ranking is because the White Castle frozen sliders with cheese are just a little more fun.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

White Castle!

I’ve never had White Castle chicken sliders, but I love this frozen version. The chicken patties are huge compared to the buns—you get major overhang which makes them seem like a more substantial snack. The chicken isn’t terribly flavorful on its own, but the slab of American cheese brings out all of its best qualities. Ultimately, these frozen chicken sliders are moist, salty, and satisfying, although you should eat them fast so the buns don’t harden. Jordan didn’t include these in our ranking of the best frozen sliders because Tyson edged them out, but I think these are absolutely worthwhile. This is a White Castle frozen snack that basically makes a meal.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

White Castle!

These White Castle frozen burgers taste like the White Castle frozen burgers you know and love, but they’re amped up with a kick of heat and a burst of pleasant, vegetal jalapeño flavor. They’re a little spicy and a little peppery, although I think people who like a lot of heat might be a little let down. If you usually buy White Castle’s frozen sliders with cheese, give these a shot if you want to spice up snack time on the couch.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

White Castle!

It just doesn’t get better than classic White Castle frozen sliders with cheese. White Castle burgers taste great with onions alone, but a slice of American cheese really amps up their salty, pleasing flavor. It’s creamy and melty and melds so well with the iconic flavor of a White Castle burger patty. Honestly, I’d always have these frozen White Castle burgers in my freezer if I didn’t think I would eat them all in a day. These burgers are the best White Castle frozen snack of them all.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

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