Ham and Cheese Sliders

Ham and Cheese Sliders are the ultimate crowd-pleaser. Soft, cheesy, and perfectly savory—ideal for quick dinners or party trays. These buttery, melty, flavor-packed little sandwiches come together in just 30 minutes with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Love More Recipes? Try My Buffalo Chicken Sliders or this Crack Burgers next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Warm, cheesy, and irresistibly buttery, these Ham and Cheese Sliders are a crowd favorite for any occasion. Layers of ham and melted cheese are baked on soft slider rolls brushed with a savory butter glaze. Perfect for parties, game days, or easy dinners, they’re simple to make and always a hit.

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Ingredient List

For the Sliders:

• 12 Hawaiian sweet rolls (1 pack; keep attached for slicing)
• 9–12 ounces thin-sliced deli ham (honey or Black Forest)
• 8–12 slices Swiss cheese (or provolone/cheddar)
• 2–3 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional, for bottom buns)

For the Butter Topping:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (or honey-Dijon)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional; or Everything Bagel seasoning)
• Pinch kosher salt and black pepper

Why These Ingredients Work

Hawaiian rolls have this slight sweetness that sounds wrong but isn’t. They also don’t fall apart when you pour butter all over them, which regular rolls sometimes do.

The butter mixture is basically doing all the heavy lifting here. Dijon makes it tangy, Worcestershire adds that savory thing I can’t quite describe, onion powder rounds it out. Poppy seeds are optional but they make these look less thrown-together.

I use thin deli ham because it layers better and heats up faster. Swiss melts clean without getting greasy. But I’ve used whatever cheese was open in my fridge and it’s been fine every time.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• 9×13-inch baking dish or small casserole
• Aluminum foil
• Serrated knife (crucial for slicing the rolls!)
• Small bowl and whisk
• Pastry brush (optional, but helpful for even distribution)

How To Make Ham and Cheese Sliders

Step 1: Prep Your Oven and Dish

Heat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease or line your 9×13-inch baking dish. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup a breeze!

Step 2: Slice the Rolls

Here’s the trick: WITHOUT separating the individual rolls, use a serrated knife to slice the whole slab horizontally, creating one big top and one big bottom. Place the bottom slab in your prepared dish. This keeps everything together and makes assembly SO much easier!

Step 3: Add the Optional Spread

If you want an extra layer of flavor (I always do!), mix your mayonnaise with a little Dijon mustard and spread it thinly over the bottom buns. This adds moisture and tang without making things soggy.

Step 4: Assemble the Layers

Layer your ham evenly over the bottom buns—don’t be shy, pile it on! Then add a full layer of cheese slices, making sure to cover all the ham. Cap everything with the roll tops.

Step 5: Make the Butter Topping

In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper. This mixture is GOLD! Slowly spoon or brush it evenly over the tops of the rolls, letting it drip down the sides for maximum flavor.

Step 6: Bake to Perfection

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15–18 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and gooey. Then uncover and bake or broil for 2–4 minutes more until the tops are lightly golden brown and just slightly crispy.

Step 7: Rest and Serve

Let the sliders rest for 2 minutes (this helps them hold together), then use your serrated knife to slice them apart along the original roll lines.

You Must Know

Don’t separate the rolls before you cut them. Just don’t. I tried it once thinking it would be neater and spent 20 minutes assembling tiny sandwiches. Never again.

Personal Secret: Sometimes I put a little honey in the butter mixture. Maybe a teaspoon. It’s subtle but it does something. My sister ate six of these at Thanksgiving and kept saying they tasted different than usual. That’s what it was.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• When you pour the butter on, do it slowly and spread it around as you go. You don’t want a pool in one corner and dry spots everywhere else.
• If the tops aren’t getting brown enough, hit them with the broiler for a minute. Set a timer though. I’ve forgotten them under the broiler twice and both times was not great.
• Take your cheese out of the fridge 20 minutes before you start. It melts better when it’s not freezing cold.
• You can overdo it with the butter topping. More isn’t always better. You want flavorful, not swimming in grease.

Flavor Variations / Suggestions

Honey-Dijon Version: Mix honey and Dijon half and half. Brush some on the bottom buns before the ham goes on. Put a spoonful in the butter too. This is honestly my favorite way.

Different Cheese: Cheddar if you want it sharper. Provolone works. Pepper jack if you like a kick. Sometimes I do half Swiss, half cheddar.

Add Stuff: Thin sliced red onion, pickles, banana peppers—whatever. Just put them under the cheese. My brother always asks if I put pickles in them.

Breakfast Version: Use bacon instead of ham. Add scrambled eggs. Use cheddar. Same everything else. I made these for my mom on Mother’s Day morning and she was pretty happy about it.

Make-Ahead Options

Put them together the night before if you want. Just don’t pour the butter on yet. Cover the whole thing and put it in the fridge. Pour the butter on right before you bake them. They’ll need maybe 5 extra minutes since they’re cold.

You can freeze them too. I wrap them in plastic wrap really tight, then foil. They’re good for about a month. Thaw them overnight in the fridge, then bake like normal.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

• Hawaiian rolls are kind of the key here. Regular rolls work if that’s what you have, but these won’t taste the same. The sweetness matters more than you’d think.
• If the butter seems too thick, warm it up a bit more. If it’s running off immediately, let it cool down a minute.
• They’re best hot, but they’re honestly still good at room temperature. I’ve left them out at parties for hours and people keep eating them.

Serving Suggestions

Chips and pickles usually. Sometimes I’ll put together a quick salad if I’m feeling ambitious. My kids like dipping them in tomato soup, which is weird but also kind of good.

I bring these to basically everything. Football parties, potlucks, my daughter’s dance recitals. They’re simple but people get excited about them. That’s the sweet spot.

How to Store Your Ham and Cheese Sliders

Room Temperature: Good for a few hours if they’re sitting out at a party. After that I’d refrigerate them.

Refrigerator: Put leftovers in a container. They’ll keep 3 days. The tops get soft but they still taste fine.

Freezer: Wrap them really well—plastic wrap first, foil second. Keep for a month.

Reheating: Cover with foil, warm at 325°F for 10–15 minutes. Take the foil off at the end if you want the tops crispy again. Microwave works if you’re reheating just one or two, but they won’t be crispy.

Allergy Information

Common Allergens: Gluten from the rolls. Dairy from butter and cheese. Eggs are in most roll recipes. Soy is in a lot of deli meat and Worcestershire sauce.

Gluten-Free: Get gluten-free rolls. Check your deli meat package and your Worcestershire bottle.

Dairy-Free: Dairy-free butter and cheese both work.

Egg-Free: Check the roll package. Some brands skip eggs.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

My tops aren’t getting crispy enough—what should I do?

Leave them under the broiler a little longer. Just don’t walk away. They go from golden to black really fast and there’s no coming back from that.

Can I use a different type of roll?

Hawaiian rolls are really what makes these work. I’ve used regular dinner rolls when the store was out of Hawaiian ones, and they were okay but not the same. The sweetness of Hawaiian rolls is part of it.

How do I keep the bottoms from getting soggy?

Don’t dump too much butter on. That’s usually what does it. The foil keeps the steam in while the cheese melts, which helps too. It’s not pooling on the bottom that way.

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