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One of our all time favorite recipe is this Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sliders recipe. The ham is baked perfectly in between the melted cheese and Hawaiian Roll. We love how quickly we can put these together for a party or an easy weeknight dinner.
I have been making this easy lunch recipe for over a decade and it still one of our most popular appetizers recipes. From super bowl appetizers to the Holidays, these sliders are perfect for any occasion.
Check out more of our Easy Sandwich Recipes.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients for Ham and Cheese Sliders
- How to Make Ham and Cheese Sliders:
- Tips for the Best Hawaiian Roll Sliders:
- Toppings:
- How do you keep them warm at a party?
- What to serve with ham sliders
- Substitutions:
- How to Make ahead of Time:
- How to make without poppyseed
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Easy sliders recipes:
- Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sliders Recipe
Ingredients for Ham and Cheese Sliders
You only need a few ingredients to create this delicious ham sliders recipe.
- Melted Butter – We like using unsalted butter.
- Dijon Mustard – This is our favorite, but you can use horse radish sauce instead.
- Worcestershire Sauce – This gives it a little kick to the buttery mixture.
- Brown Sugar – Combines with the Worcestershire sauce so well and adds a nice sweetness.
- Poppy Seed – Just the perfect touch to these sliders
- Dried Minced Onion, or onion powder – We love adding onion to just about anything.
- King’s Hawaiian sweet Rolls – The best rolls, but you can use what you have. Try Homemade Kings Hawaiian Rolls recipe.
- Ham – You can use smoked ham, honey ham or any of your favorite types of ham.
- Swiss Cheese – Swiss Cheese makes these sliders extra cheesy. But provolone or cheddar are good options too.
How to Make Ham and Cheese Sliders:
Step 1. First preheat oven to 350. Then grease a 9×13-inch baking dish by spraying it with a non stick cooking spray.
Step 2. Combine butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, poppy seeds, and dried onions in a small bowl.
Step 3. Then slice the rolls in half lengthwise with a serrated knife to make sandwiches. Remove tops and set aside.
Step 4. After this place the bottom pieces into the prepared baking dish.
Step 5. Layer the thinly sliced ham onto the rolls. Top the bottom part of the rolls with the sliced ham.
Step 6. Top the ham with the sliced Swiss Cheese.
Step 7. Place the top half of the rolls onto the sandwiches. Brush or pour the butter mixture evenly over the rolls. I like to brush the butter sauce on to make sure it is evenly distributed.
Step 8. Bake 15 – 20 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned and cheese has melted.
Step 9. Once they are done, separate into individual sandwiches to serve and enjoy! The cheese will be perfectly melted and pull apart so easy.
They really are not hard to create and I promise that everyone will devour them in amount the same amount of time that they took to make.
Tips for the Best Hawaiian Roll Sliders:
- Slice Rolls – You can slice the rolls with a knife or tear them apart with your hands. We recommend slicing with a knife for an even cut.
- Melted Butter – For the melted butter on top of the rolls, you can use salted or unsalted. We like the salted to give it a hint of salty flavor.
- Foil – If the tops of the rolls get a little too brown before everything is heated, you can top the pan with a piece of foil.
Toppings:
The topping on hawaiian roll ham and cheese sliders add a ton of flavor to this recipe and easily can be modified to your preference. You can make Hawaiian ham and cheese sliders without mustard and poppy seeds or add a small amount of horse radish to the sauce instead.
There are tons of options to change up the topping to make these sliders perfect for your family.
How do you keep them warm at a party?
After these are done cooking, I cover them with foil over the baking dish to keep these sliders warm and perfect during any party or during the entire game.
Also, these are so good that they also taste delicious if they are slightly cool as well.
What to serve with ham sliders
When I make them for family night, I usually serve a side of roasted broccoli, chips and dip, and fruit. These sliders are really filling so they complete any meal.
For game a day party, a nice vegetable and fruit tray is the perfect side for your next get together. See What to Serve with Sliders for more ideas.
Substitutions:
- Change out the Ham – As you you probably know, I am not a HUGE ham fan. My entire family loves ham, but my lunch meat of choice is turkey. I’ve made this exact recipe with turkey and I love it even more. Roast beef would also be a great substitute.
- Switch the cheese – in this recipe, I love using provolone, but mozzarella, cheddar cheese, or pepper jack would be amazing.
- Change the topping – I love the mustard glaze, but you can leave out the mustard and stir in garlic for another delicious flavor idea.
How to Make ahead of Time:
To make these sliders ahead of time, just prepare as indicated without the topping and place in the refrigerator in an airtight container with wrapped with plastic wrap. Then when you are ready to serve, top with the melted butter mixture and bake.
How to make without poppyseed
You can leave out the poppyseeds if you want. Mix together the slider topping together leaving out the poppyseeds and you will still have an amazing recipe. You can also mix in everything but the bagel seasoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
The moisture from baking covered with foil can make the bottom soggy. Some recommend covering sliders when baking, but we prefer not to cover to insure the bottom half of the rolls are not soggy.
You can freeze these ham and cheese sliders but we do not recommend it. They do not hold up well when thawing.
If you are serving this as an appetizer, I recommend 2 rolls per person. If you are serving this as a meal, I recommend 3-4 sliders per person.
I prefer these hot, but they do taste great cold too!
More Easy sliders recipes:
You are going to love this easy hot ham and cheese sliders. After you make it, come back and leave a star rating and a comment! We love hearing from you!
Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sliders
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup melted Butter
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds
- 2 tsp Dried Minced Onion
- 12 King’s Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
- 9 oz thin sliced Deli Ham
- 8 oz thin sliced Swiss Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Combine butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, poppy seeds, and dried onion?.
- Slice the rolls to make sandwiches. Remove tops and set aside.
- Place the bottom pieces into the prepared baking dish.
- Layer the ham onto the rolls. Top the ham with the Swiss cheese.
- Place the tops of the rolls onto the sandwiches. Brush or pour the liquid mixture evenly over the rolls.
- Bake 20 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned and cheese has melted.
- Separate into individual sandwiches to serve.
Seemed a bit greasy. I would cut down on the butter.
These were excellent for work. Everyone loved them. Didn’t change a thing. Thanks!
Yes, that works great. I would wait to add the topping on the rolls until right before you bake them to prevent them from getting soggy.
We have recently updated this recipe and have updated this amount to 1/4 cup butter.
Amazingly simple and delicious. They’re ALWAYS A FAVORITE!
Excellent and easy to make!!!
Made these for a recent party, put provolone cheese on bottom instead of swiss, and sprinkled mozzarella cheese on top of ham. Added a dill pickle slice also. Doubled the number of sliders, but kept the butter topping the same. They were the hit of the party!
Can you make this in the morning and refrigerate until you are ready to bake them that evening?
These are so good! It seems like way to much butter. Is 3/4 cup a typo? When I use it all it is just runs off the sandwiches and sits under the rolls.
My kids love it. Best dressing recipe. I’ve tried others and this one has the right balance.
I love these! The only sub was less butter, way too much.
Awesome recipe. Something I can make my entire family will eat. I have some very picky eaters in my family.
Family favorite and never any complaints!
This and turkey slider on Hawaiian sweet rolls yum in our home.
I’m so glad you loved it.
Made this for my hubby and in-laws tonight. It was a hit. Will make it again and try with turkey leftovers too.
Made these sliders for a get together, everyone loved them!!! And they were so easy to make!!!, definitely a recipe that I will repeat time and time again!!! Thanks so much for this recipe!!!!
Jerry
Very delicious, I used everything bagel seasoning instead of poppy seeds.
Very good sandwiches .we have made them twice. …. but te butter omg. Did one stick the first time. Half a stick the second. Will reduce again when we make them again.
Love to keep these in the freezer! Defrost then pop in the oven. Never any leftover!
So glad I came across your recipe ! I was served these 40 years ago and I still remember how much I loved them and still do! Although this is the first time with brown sugar – amazing! WinWin!!!
That sounds delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
We use “Everything Bagel” topping on the sliders….EXCELLENT!
This recipe is delicious! It is always a big hit when I make it! You can freeze it and cook it later.
I love this recipe! It tastes really good, and is quick and easy to make! Huge hit with my family and friends!
These are one of our go-to sandwich recipes. Served them at a baby shower. They were a huge hit! I want to try making them on “50-cent” size rolls (for a smaller, cuter size) and maybe using less sauce so they won’t get soggy. If I ever get around to trying it, I will have to let you know how they turn out. Would highly recommended this recipe to anyone.
My kids are always begging me to make these. They also make a good “on the go” meal.
These are Delish!!!! They are good for a party or just an easy night dinner. We have even done this & taken then to the beach. Every time my daughter’s friends either have a bridal shower or birthday get to they the always ask her to bring these. We have made these with smokes turkey too.
I’ve had these at a friends house and I’ve made them too. We love them! Easy to make. Good every time! Thanks for the recipe!
After I buttered the top (I used a lot less butter than called for), I sprinkled “Everything Bagel” seasoning on the top. Delish!
We tried these for dinner and they were really good! We only used about half of the butter mixture though. Easy, quick and delicious!
These are on our dinner rotation menu! Perfect for anytime of the year. I love that they can be cooked in the toaster oven!
Ez & delicious!
Yes, I love that idea! I love making a variety for everyone in the family!
I love deli turkey and my husband loves deli ham. So, when I make these I think I will either make a batch of each or divide the recipe in half.
Thank you so much!
LOVE your recipes! Love the easy quick recipes and the seasonings you put together to make them so flavorful. Thank You!
I have these in the oven and they look delicious!
The only comment I have is that I can’t imagine using 3/4 cup of butter for these. I used 1/4 cup because I knew I wouldn’t want so much butter on them, and I still didn’t even use half of the mixture I made (and they were still dripping with butter). Next time around I will use 2 tbsp so I’m not wasteful.
That sounds delicious!
We make ours with leftover steak. They are so good!
Sesame seeds would be delicious or just leave them off. Thanks.
Is there anything you can use instead of poppy seeds?
I used onion powder instead of fresh onion and it turned out great! I have had little luck with enjoying Pinterest recipes I have made, and am not a huge ham fan in general, but loved it on these!
Could you assemble in crockpot, pour sauce over right before lunch and then warm?
Penny – I love serving sliders with a large salad and then chips or french fries. It makes for a quick and easy dinner. Thank you.
I’m a homecook, and I plan the monthly menu for our church community dinner’ s. I’m always looking for recipes to feed up to 120 people. I love the idea of making sliders, but what would I serve with them to round out the meal? Penny from N.C.
I haven’t tried that before. Thank you.
Have you ever frozen them for baking later?
I just use the butter, worchestershire sauce, & onion powder. And I usually have shredded cheddar on hand. Still quick, easy, & good
I’m going to make these Christmas Day. I’m thinking I will assemble the sandwiches ahead of time, make the sauce and put it together right before baking. Has anyone tried honey mustard in place of the Dijon?
Made these tonight… a definite hit! Next time will cut the sauce/spread in half as I thought it was too much!
Could sliced turkey breast be used also for the sliders?
Great recipe. Love your Money Saving Tips.
These look yummy! you know I’ve never thought about freezing cheese. Such a great way to save money.
Bake uncovered, but really you can do either way. I do let them cool about 10 minutes before serving.
Do you bake these covered or uncovered? Also, do you let them cool awhile before serving?
I think they will get soggy.
Can I prep them ahead with all the trimmings then bake later? Or will it get soggy?
Oh that sounds amazing! I love that idea of using a spicy cheese.
Made these tonight for Superbowl. I used a white cheddar horseradish cheese instead of swiss for a bit of a kick. They were a huge hit. Will definitely make again!!!
I used apricot jam under the ham and omitted the brown sugar!
We do too Victoria
I found your recipe on pinterest and it is amazing! Thank you! I want to eat it all the time. So delicious!
Great idea Gwen!
I cheated and used a onion poppy seed salad dressing and they were still awesome .