★ You'll Love these Sliders! ★
Why? The are SO GOOD. And so easy to prep. You can make these ahead and bake right before you're ready to eat so they are great for taking on vacations, to a friend's houses or for serving houseguests.
This simple and quick recipe is ideal for feeding a family or small crowd as it makes a dozen sliders.
With their buttery Hawaiian buns, onion-poppy seed sauce, melty Havarti cheese and peppery ham, these sliders hit all the right notes. Yet are so simple to prepare. Make ahead, then bake before serving.
Cut, layer, brush and bake your way to a tray of deliciousness that's big enough to share. These easy ham and cheese sliders make a great brunch or appetizer for special occasions too!
These ham and cheese sliders will also absolutely satisfy your weekend munchies.
Enjoy these sliders as a hearty breakfast-lunch combination so you can consolidate meals and get more done with your day off, while staying fueled.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
You need just 3 main ingredients to make these baked sliders, plus a 5-ingredient homemade seasoned buttery sauce that tops these roll so that they bake to a delicious crisp.
Here's everything you'll need:
1. Savory Hawaiian rolls. I prefer these over the sweet rolls because ham is already sweet, you don't really need more sweetness.
2. Black forest ham. I like the extra flavor that comes along with the dark, smoked edges of Black Forest ham. You will also get more flavor if you choose a premium ham from the deli.
3. Havarti cheese. This soft white cheese is similar to Swiss but has less of a tart, sour flavor to it which I find more appealing vs. Swiss cheese. If you love Swiss cheese though, you can use that instead.
THE SAUCE to top the buns is made with: melted salted butter, poppy seeds, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. A tasty combination that adds a lot of flavor, a nice crisp and color to the Hawaiian rolls.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
Here's how to make this yummy Ham and Cheese Slider recipe, step by step. It's simple!
- First, cut the entire block of Hawaiian rolls in half.
- Layer ham slices, folded in half, on top of bottom half of rolls.
- Add Havarti cheese squares.
- Melt butter and add onion powder, poppy seeds, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce to form sauce.
- Add tops of rolls then brush with butter sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake!
For full recipe instructions, see below!
Watch the video beneath the recipe (below) to see these steps in action!
★ Tips and FAQs ★
Follow these tips to make the BEST ham and cheese sliders of your life. Not even exaggerating. 🙂
Which Hawaiian rolls taste best with this recipe?
When you go to the store you'll notice two flavors of Hawaiian rolls — savory butter and original sweet. I've tried using both to make these ham and cheese sliders. Both are actually good!
However, I personally like the savory butter flavor a little better. The original sweet rolls along with the sweetness of the ham can be just a little too much sweetness for me.
It's up to you though. Try them both and see what you like best. I always say, there are no right or wrong choices in cooking when it comes to flavor. It's about what you like. So take time to experiment and see what you and your family like best. And have some fun with taste testing!
Here are a few pointers for making the BEST ham and cheese sliders, perfectly on the first try:
Don't separate your rolls. Cut them in half as a big block. It's much easier and will save you time!
Fold ham slices in quarters to add texture to your bite.
Feel free to also add extra ham if you want a meatier slider. Or extra cheese for that matter.
Cover with foil. Then carefully uncover for just the last 3-5 minutes to lightly brown and crisp the tops of the rolls. Less time for less crispy and less brown, more time for more crispy and more brown. Shoot for a golden brown color.
Can these sliders be made ahead?
Yes. You can prep these sliders ahead of time then bake them right before you're ready to eat.
Just cover with foil and keep refrigerated until you're ready to bake them.
Can these sliders be frozen?
Yes. You can make these ahead and cover with foil but don't bake. Put them in the freezer for up to 4 months. When you're ready to bake, ideally let them thaw and then bake. If baking from frozen, you may need to add 5 or more minutes of bake time.
How to Store These After Baking
You can store these in the fridge for up to 3 days after baking. Cover tightly and reheat for 30 seconds in the microwave or using the toaster oven for crisper buns. Open bun into two halves and toast for 3-5 minutes at 300˚.
What's the best baking dish to use?
I make these sliders in a 9" x 13" glass baking dish. The baking dish I use is one of my favorite Pioneer Woman pieces because it's the perfect size and has really pretty glass bead work on the outside. I have multiple pieces of her collection. All of her stuff is so cute!
I prefer to use glass vs. metal casserole dishes when baking. Glass is easier to clean and food doesn't stick as easily. You can use steel wool on it without worrying about scrapping it. I use this pan use it a lot for breakfast casseroles, easy sheet cakes and of course these sliders!
Oh, and a package of Hawaiian rolls fits perfectly so its perfect for making this recipe. 🙂
★ More Recipes You'll Love ★
Love easy recipes?
Browse all my easy, delicious food!
Browse all my recipes and Pin the ones you love for later!
Ham and Cheese Recipes
Love this combo? I can't blame you. They just go together!
Here are all my other recipes incorporating ham and cheese:
• Ham and Cheese Quiche
• Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup
• Cajun Ham and Cheese Biscuits
• Easy Ham and Cheese Croissant Melts - My breakfast most mornings!
★ What People Are Saying ★
These sliders are always a hit! Here's what people have said about this recipe:
“These are my absolute fav!”
“I could literally eat a dozen”
“Delicious!”
“This couldn’t be easier or more delicious!!”
“Best use of leftover ham!”
These ham and cheese Hawaiian roll sliders were featured on South Your Mouth!
Ham and Cheese Hawaiian Roll Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 package Savory Butter Hawaiian Rolls 12 count
- 12 slices black forest ham
- 6 slices Havarti cheese
Mustard-Butter Glaze
- 4 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce optional
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder optional
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Slice the entire block of rolls in half without separating the rolls. Remove top half of Hawaiian rolls and set aside. Place bottom half of rolls in a 9x12 baking pan, lightly greased with butter.
- Layer each roll with a slice of ham and a half slice of cheese.
- In a microwavable bowl, cover and heat butter for about 30 second or until melted. Stir in Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder and poppy seeds.
- Add the top layer of rolls and brush with butter-poppy seed mixture.
- Loosely cover with foil and bake at 350˚ for about 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and tops of buns are golden brown.
I made this recipe for a quick lunch. I only made a few changes: I had already bought sweet Hawaiian rolls so I used those; I used thinly sliced Swiss cheese; and I brushed a prepared garlic/onion butter on top. They were quite tasty and we enjoyed them.
Have you ever added scrambled eggs to to make it more of a breakfast sandwich?
I haven't but you definitely could. I bet it would be tasty! When I make ham and cheese breakfast sandwiches, I usually make them on croissants. So yummy. Here's my recipe for Ham and Cheese Croissant Melts.
This is a Christmas Eve tradition for my husband's family. My mother-in-law has been making them for years. We prepare them the night before and bake them for our family lunch.
If I’m trying to prepare these the night before, would you recommend adding the butter mixture on top the night before or save it to add just before popping into the oven? Thank you!!
Hi Amy, you can add the butter before hand. It may sink into the rolls just a bit but they will crisp when baked. If you add it before you put in the oven, you may have a bit better results.
I put the mixture on the day before and then pop 'em in the oven for lunch/dinner the next day. They always turn out perfect!