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★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
Easy Ham and Cheese Sliders Everyone Loves
Savory Hawaiian rolls are layered with smoky Black Forest ham and creamy Havarti cheese, topped with a seasoned butter glaze, then baked until golden and melty. These ham and cheese sliders are an easy party appetizer that’s always a crowd favorite.
Mild, Creamy Havarti Cheese
Havarti cheese is what makes these baked ham sliders a little different. It’s mild, creamy and melts beautifully without the sharper flavor of Swiss cheese. Paired with smoky ham, it makes these Hawaiian roll sliders especially melty and flavorful.
Buttery Glaze Baked Until Golden
A savory butter glaze with onion and poppy seeds adds flavor and gives the Hawaiian rolls deliciously golden, buttery tops. The poppy seeds add a subtle crunch, while the glaze soaks into the rolls as the ham and cheese sliders bake.
Easy Party Food You Can Make Ahead
Bake a dozen sliders at once for easy football party food, holidays, potlucks, family gatherings or brunch. Meal prep these Hawaiian roll sliders up to 3 days ahead, refrigerate, then bake just before serving—an easy way to feed a family or small crowd.
What to Serve with Ham and Cheese Sliders
Create a full appetizer spread by pairing these ham and cheese sliders with more easy party appetizers. Try my Mexican street corn dip, spinach dip pinwheels or hot Maryland crab dip for game days, holidays and parties.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
You need just 3 main ingredients to make these ham and cheese sliders, plus a simple 5-ingredient seasoned butter glaze that adds flavor and gives the Hawaiian rolls golden, crisp tops as they bake.
For the sliders:
- Savory Hawaiian rolls. Buttery rather than sweet, which balances the slightly sweet, smoky ham.
- Black Forest ham. Slightly sweet, smoky and best thinly sliced.
- Havarti cheese. Mild, creamy and melts beautifully.
For the buttery glaze:
- Salted butter — richness and crisp, golden tops.
- Poppy seeds — subtle crunch.
- Onion powder — savory flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce — depth and umami.
- Dijon mustard — a touch of tang.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
These baked ham and cheese sliders are easy to assemble: cut, layer, brush and bake. Here’s how to make them on Hawaiian rolls, step by step.
- Cut the entire block of Hawaiian rolls in half.
- Layer folded slices of ham over the bottom half of the rolls.
- Add slices of Havarti cheese over the ham.
- Make the glaze by combining melted butter, onion powder, poppy seeds, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add tops of rolls then brush with butter sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake!
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Follow these simple tips for the best baked ham and cheese sliders.
Tips for the Best Ham and Cheese Sliders
- 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, then uncover. Bake sliders covered with foil, then uncover for the last 3–5 minutes to lightly crisp and brown the tops.
Hawaiian rolls come in savory butter and original sweet flavors—both work for these sliders! I prefer the savory butter since the sweet rolls plus ham can be a bit too sweet for me. But it’s all about your taste. Try both and see what you and your family like best. Taste-testing is part of the fun!
A popular pairing with ham is Swiss cheese but I personally love mild Havarti cheese. It's creamy but less bitter than Swiss. It's also more kid-friendly. When making ham and cheese sliders, Havarti is my go-to cheese.
Yes. Assemble the ham and cheese sliders with the glaze, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, bake as directed.
Yes. Ham and cheese sliders can be frozen before baking. Assemble the ham and cheese sliders, add the butter glaze, then cover tightly and freeze. When you’re ready to bake, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
Bake the sliders loosely covered with foil to allow excess moisture to escape, then remove the foil for the last 3–5 minutes to brown and lightly crisp the tops.
Store leftover ham and cheese sliders tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For crispier rolls, open the sliders and reheat in a toaster oven at 300°F for 3–5 minutes. For a quick reheat and softer sliders, zap them in microwave for about 30 seconds.
★ More Ham Recipes ★
Browse more easy sandwich and wrap recipes for simple lunches, dinners and party food ideas.
More Ham and Cheese Recipes
If you love the classic ham and cheese combination, try these easy recipes next:
★ What People Are Saying ★
Readers love these ham and cheese sliders. Here is what they are saying:
“These are my absolute fav!” • “I could literally eat a dozen.” • “Delicious!” • “This could not be easier or more delicious!” • “Best use of leftover ham!”
This easy recipe for baked ham and cheese Hawaiian roll sliders was featured on South Your Mouth!
Ham and Cheese Sliders with Havarti
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
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Instructions
- Prepare rolls and baking dish. 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.
- Add ham and cheese. Layer each roll with a slice of ham and a half slice of cheese.
- Prepare and add buttery topping. 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.
- Bake. Loosely cover with foil and bake at 350˚F for about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 3–5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the tops are golden brown.
Video
Notes
- If the top browns before the cheese is fully melted, re-cover loosely with foil and continue baking.
- Sliders are ready when the cheese is fully melted and the center is hot.
Jeanine says
When I clicked on your Ham and Cheese Pretzel Hawaiian Roll Sliders the recipe for poppyseeds and blackforest ham came up. Is it the same temperature and time in the oven? This is 6 slices of cheese the other recipe cuts off and shows 4 1/2 slices. Can you post the full recipe of the Pretzel Hawaiian Bread?
Angela G. says
Hi Jeanine, here’s the link to the pretzel roll recipe: https://www.mightymrs.com/ham-cheese-pretzel-hawaiian-sliders/
Faith says
How do you reheat leftovers??
Angela G. says
Wrap leftover slider(s) in foil and bake in a toaster oven at 350° for 5-7 minutes or until heated through.
Tarah says
Did you switch up the recipe?…noticed the poppy seeds weren’t on the ingredient list, so I’m paranoid I’m looking at the wrong recipe since I know I used poppy seeds the last time I made this. Sorry I’m pregnant and a need my slider fix😅
Angela G. says
Tarah, you are correct! My website glitched and it was pulling in a similar slider recipe I have that uses Hawaiian pretzel rolls (no poppy seeds). So, thank you for saying something. I was able to fix it and restored the original recipe that does indeed include poppy seeds. Enjoy those sliders and feed that growing baby! Congrats! 🙂
Tara says
I made these with Lewis Keto Hawaiian Rolls!
Angela G. says
What a great idea for keto. How were they?
Colleen says
Made this for the first time and our family LOVED them! I've already added this recipe to my Favorite Recipes book as it will most definitely be a regular for us.
I didn't have poppy seeds so substituted Everything bagel seasonings. Still think I'll try it with the poppy seeds to see which way we like better.
Rachel says
Do you use foil, Pam, or nothing for underneath of the sliders?
Angela G. says
Hi Rachel, no need to line or grease the pan. Thanks for asking. Enjoy!
K says
If I make them a few hours before then refrigerate them how long in the 350 oven?
Angela G. says
If you’re putting them straight into the oven from the fridge you probably just need to add 2-3 minutes to the cook time.
Sherry Lynn Buikema says
What cheese can you use as a substitute never seen or heard of that cheese
Angela G. says
Hi Sherry, You can find Havarti cheese, already sliced in most grocery stores. It's not a super popular cheese so there's usually just one brand that carries it. If you can't find it though, then you can use Swiss cheese instead. Or white American. Thanks for asking. Enjoy!
Candice says
Third time making these. So easy and the entire family loves them. Thank you for sharing!
Angela G. says
Hi Candice, so glad you guys are enjoying them!
Michaela Saxbury says
What can you use instead of onion powder?
Angela G. says
You could use garlic powder or any other onion you might have if you just don’t have the powder version. For example, you could used dried minced onion or finally diced fresh onion and grind either one down to a paste or fine power of using a mortar and pestle. You can also just leave out the onion all together if you’re not a fan of onion.
KarenB says
Is there a sub for Dijon mustard? While I love it, when I made sliders last time, my husband hated them because of the Dijon
Angela G. says
You can just leave the Dijon mustard out altogether! Or, if you want a more mild mustard flavor, you could try a few dashes of mustard powder.
Nancy McCurdy says
Can you make ahead and freeeze!
Angela G. says
Hi Nancy, yes you can prep these and freeze these sliders. Some tips: don't melt the butter all the way when you make the sauce for the tops of the rolls. It will freeze better if you use room temperature butter. When you're ready to heat and eat these, you can let them thaw then bake as directed. OR bake directly from frozen, just make sure to cover with foil and add approximately 5-10 minutes to the bake time as needed to get the cheese melted and buns golden brown in color.
Angelle says
I followed this recipe exactly (except for the poppy seeds). I also doubled it. Turned out perfect!
Ila says
Is there a substitute for Worcestershire sauce?
Angela G. says
If you're not a fan of Worcestershire sauce, you can just leave it out or try using soy sauce instead.
Heather says
@Ila, I use Herbes de Provence vinegar from my local olive oil and Vinegar store. It gives it a great flavor.
Ashlee says
Is it supposed to be 1/2 pound of ham or a whole pound? The 1/1 is confusing me. Makes me think it might be a typo.
Angela G. says
Ashlee, I can't believe no one's ever noticed that before. Thank you! It should be 1/2 lb. Fixed. Appreciate you pointing that out.
Destiny says
It was easy to follow, loved how mine turned out. I didn’t put add a couple ingredients to it but added a couple more of my own! They we’re yummy!!
Angela G. says
Yours turned out awesome, Destiny! Great job! Glad you enjoyed this slider recipe and thanks for sharing a pic. 🙂