Hawaiian sandwiches are easy to assemble using Hawaiian sweet rolls, sliced ham and Swiss cheese. The ham and cheese sliders are baked until warm with a brush of a poppy seed butter topping.
These Hawaiian roll sliders are one of my favorite appetizers to eat at a party. Every get-together that has food, I always hope to find ham sliders on the table somewhere. BUT, we also eat these as a meal!
Ingredients for Ham and Cheese Sliders
It's so easy to throw these Hawaiian sliders together for a quick weeknight meal or a Sunday afternoon lunch. Gather these ingredients:
Here's what you need:
- Hawaiian rolls (12 ct.) -- Many slider recipes call for Hawaiian buns. Save money by finding a generic store brand. I have also made this recipe with regular buns.
- Deli ham (8 oz.) -- There are so many ham flavors out there. I love honey ham, but smoked ham is great, too. Any type is fine!
- Swiss cheese (6 slices) - Ham and swiss go together like peanut butter and jelly. But use provolone if you don't like swiss.
- Mayonnaise (¼ cup) -- I'm a Duke's mayo fan, but use your favorite!
- Butter (¼ cup) -- Preferably unsalted, but if you use salted just omit the salt in this recipe.
- Dijon mustard (1 Tbsp) -- You can use regular mustard but I love the flavor of Dijon. You can also try spicy brown mustard, honey mustard, or any that suits your taste buds.
- Onion powder (2 tsp) -- For added fla-vah!
- Poppy seeds (2 tsp) -- Don't skip out on these! You should always have poppy seeds on hand. Use the remaining in my favorite recipe for poppy seed chicken casserole.
- Worcestershire sauce (½ tsp) -- My favorite is Lea & Perrin's but any brand will do.
- Salt (½ tsp) -- Omit if you use salted butter.
The major brand of Hawaiian rolls can be expensive, which is why I always keep my eye out for the generic store brand version. Our local Kroger store carries their copycat version for at least $2 cheaper than the major brand, but they can be hard to find in stock.
Equipment
- Serrated bread knife (a large one so you can cut through the whole loaf of rolls at once)
- Baking pan: We use a 9x13 baking dish. Any type works. Disposable foil is great when bringing a meal to a friend), and we've used Pyrex and metal pans for this.
- Pastry brush: For brushing the poppy seed topping.
How to make Hawaiian Sliders
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Slice rolls horizontally in half.
- Place bottom half of rolls in baking dish.
- Layer evenly with ham and cheese.
- Spread mayonnaise on top half of rolls and place over ham and cheese.
- In medium bowl, combine topping ingredients.
- Spread topping over rolls.
- Cover with aluminum foil and let rest 10 minutes.
- Bake 10 minutes, uncover, bake another 2-3 minutes.
This recipe yields 12 servings as an appetizer -- so more like 6 servings as a lunch or dinner. You can easily double the recipe and use either a larger pan or two pans.
Top Tips and Tricks
Do not separate the rolls until after baked. I use a large serrated knife to slice all 12 rolls in half while they are still connected, so that I have two large halves. Once they come out of the oven you can transfer the whole thing to a cutting board or slice them into their separate sandwiches right from the pan.
Try other variations. There are many variations you can make of these sliders -- pizza, meatball, Philly cheese steak, turkey, etc. I'm hoping to share more with you soon!
Leftovers. These heat up well as leftovers. Store them in the fridge, or freeze them for later.
Other Easy Sandwich Recipes
Sandwiches are an easy idea for any meal or gathering. Try these favorite recipes:
- Open-faced Philly Cheese Chicken Sandwiches
- Chicken Salad Sandwiches
- Egg Salad Sandwiches
- Ham and Cheese Soft Pretzel Sliders
Eat It, Rate It, Share It!
Made it and liked it? Leave a star rating, take a photo and tag me on social media @seededtable so I can share it!
This recipe was originally published on October 4, 2018 and updated with new recipe tips on March 27, 2020.
Hawaiian Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 package (12 count) Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls (do not pull apart)
- 6 slices Swiss cheese
- 8 ounces sliced deli ham , more or less to taste
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup unsalted butter , melted
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt (¼ teaspoon if using salted butter)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Using a large serrated bread knife, slice all 12 rolls in half horizontally so that you have one large top half and one large bottom half. (Do not pull the rolls apart.)
- Place the bottom half in a baking dish and layer evenly with cheese then ham. Spread mayonnaise on the cut side of the top half then place over the bottom layer.
- In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Brush evenly over top of the rolls. Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 10 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes until the tops are golden and crisp. Serve warm.
Notes
- You can use either a 9x13 or 11x7 pan for the sliders, but if wanting to make 12 regular bun sized sandwiches you will need a 9x13-inch pan.
Jenny says
Would these work as a packed/school lunch, or would they get soggy?
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Jenny! Yes, these would be fine packed in a school lunch. They are already a 'wet' sandwich with the buttery topping but they are really good cold and not as soggy. So my suggestion is packing leftovers from the fridge.
CALLIE says
These are some of our favorite sammies! So yummy!