King’s Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sliders (Easy Bake Recipe)

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Sliders with King’s Hawaiian rolls and a savory double mustard and Vidalia onion sauce are piled high with shaved deli ham and melty Swiss.

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A ham and cheese slider with pickles and a bite taken out of it.

Serve these easy ham and cheese sliders on Hawaiian rolls with chips or oven fries, a quick pickle relish macaroni salad, or even potato salad. These are fantastic for the buffet or potluck party table and complement just about everything!

You can’t go wrong with a savory double mustard and Vidalia onion sauce piled high with shaved deli ham and melted Swiss cheese, all blanketed by a warm, soft, and tasty King’s Hawaiian roll. Is your mouth watering yet? Let’s dive in!

Over-bought that ham and Swiss? I have just the recipe to use those extra slices in. Be sure to check out this recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll Ups!

King’s Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sliders Ingredients

  • King’s Hawaiian original Hawaiian sweet rolls
  • shaved deli ham
  • Swiss cheese
  • half-sour pickles
  • salted butter
  • Vidalia onion
  • whole grain Dijon mustard
  • Dijon mustard
a neon diner sign

How To Make Ham and Cheese Hawaiian Sliders?

This method is as easy as assembling a single sandwich except that you will really be assembling 52 sandwiches all at the same time.

The magic number 52 is because industry standard half sheet baking sheets measure 17 x 12-inches, PERFECT for precisely 52 pull apart party sliders. If you do not have a large enough sheet pan, a large baking dish can also be used.

Make sure you purchase the correct number of Hawaiian rolls to cover the surface area of the baking sheet. King’s Hawaiian are sold in several different sized packages, typically in quantities of 12, 16, and 24.

Once opened, the packages are pretty much ready to go all but for one “row of rolls” that must be detached and made to fit the sheet pan. But that is easy enough. If you end up purchasing more rolls than required for this recipe, never fear because they won’t be around for long.

a tray with ham and cheese sliders

What Kind of Sauce or Condiment Is Added to Sliders?

So, I mentioned a special sauce that I use to enhance these sweet ham and cheese sliders. King’s Hawaiian came out with their own recipe decades ago which involves poppy seeds and dried minced onion.

Other methods I have read through incorporate onion powder, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Not mine!

For my mom’s sake, she is glad for these ham and cheese sliders without poppy seeds. Nuts and seeds do not agree with her despite her loving them, so I kept to the fresh Vidalia onion just rough chopped for this method. Oh, and crucial…double mustards! Read on…

This mustard and Vidalia onion sauce is simple, although you must have a couple of items on hand to actually make it work. No substitutions. Chopped sweet onion, salted butter, Dijon, and whole grain Dijon. That’s it. Again, no substitutions…

What Is the Easiest Way to Put a Tray of Sliders Together?

Assembly is simple for Hawaiian roll sliders. You’ll use a serrated knife to slice through the rolls before topping with ham, cheese, a couple of dill pickle chips, and the prepared sauce. That’s it.

They bake covered for anywhere from 10 to 12 minutes, then shed the aluminum foil for an additional 8 to 10 minutes. No cold ham and cheese sliders from this gal!

a tray with ham and cheese sliders

How Long Do Sliders Take?

It depends on the prep time involved. For example, I never buy pickle chips. Rather, for this recipe I purchase whole dill pickles and slice them myself. Thin and cut on a deep angle, two ‘chips’ is the most required to compliment the sauce.

I also like to allow the butter mixture to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes while I butter the bottom and sides of the baking sheet and slice the rolls and try to get them arranged neatly.

I also take the time to find a deli that will shave the ham versus slice it for me. Shaved ham is easier to pull apart when it’s time to dig in, as compared to slices of ham.

a tray with ham and cheese sliders

Can Kings Hawaiian Ham And Cheese Sliders Be Made In Advance?

YES! Right up to the point of baking, these sliders may be made ahead, covered, and refrigerated until ready to bake up to one day in advance.

I also make the butter mixture up in advance, as a portion of it is brushed onto the sliders before the ham, cheese, and pickle chips are added.

If you do make these up in advance, a professional tip; slice your dills on a piece of paper toweling to lessen the amount of moisture being added to the Hawaiian sliders in advance of the bake.

Nobody wants a soggy sandwich. The melted butter mixture over the tops of the rolls is more than enough to keep these soft and get them lightly toasted.

A baking dish filled with ham and cheese sliders just out of the oven.

What To Do With Leftover Ham Cheese Sliders?

Wrap any leftovers in foil and refrigerate. They are good as a cold snack the following day, or reheated in a low oven for 20 minutes in foil.

But here’s the thing…you probably aren’t going to have any of these leftover! Recipes for handhelds like this garner the highest eater rating, and are the first to disappear from the snack table. It’s just a fact.

If You Like This Recipe…

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King’s Hawaiian Ham And Cheese Sliders

Sliders with King's Hawaiian rolls and a savory double mustard and Vidalia onion sauce are piled high with shaved deli ham and melty Swiss.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 52 sliders
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Ingredients 

  • 52 sweet Hawaiian rolls, such as King's Hawaiian (1 pkg of 16 rolls, and 1 pkg of 24 rolls)
  • 1 ¼ pounds deli ham, ask the deli clerk to shave the ham
  • 8 to 10 slices Swiss cheese, the number of slices of cheese will depend on the size of the slices and also if you want double cheese
  • 104 pickle chips, see NOTES below
  • 12 tablespoons salted butter
  • 5 tablespoons Vidalia onion, chopped
  • 1 ½ tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
  • 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 17 x 12-inch baking sheet, a 17 x 12-inch cake pan (shown in photos), or a very large casserole dish. Set the pan aside.
  • To a medium non-stick sauce pan, add the butter over medium low heat to begin to melt. As the butter melts, it will begin to foam. Allow the butter to get past the foam stage and while still over medium low heat, turn a nice shade of golden brown. The butter should smell nutty. Remove from the heat.
  • Away from the heat, to the melted butter add the chopped onion, the whole grain Dijon, and the regular Dijon mustards. Stir to combine. Return to medium low heat and cook for 5 minutes, a little longer if you want to intensify the flavor. I try for 10 minutes if I have the time.
  • Using a serrated knife, and without separating the individual rolls, slice each package in half horizontally. Assemble the bottom halves of the rolls onto the prepared baking sheet, cutting to make even rows and so all fit.
  • Use a silicon pastry brush to brush the bottoms with some of the butter mixture. The rolls must not become saturated, rather just brushed with enough of the butter mixture to flavor the slider.
  • Next, layer the shaved ham and the Swiss cheese and 2 pickle chips per slider. Replace the top halves of the rolls. NOTE if doing double cheese, assemble the first layer of cheese directly atop the bottom halves of the rolls once brushed with the butter mixture. Follow with shaved ham, additional Swiss cheese, and pickle chips. Replace the top halves of the rolls.
  • Drizzle the remaining butter mixture over the tops of the rolls and use the pastry brush to move the butter and the onions around to coat all the tops and the nooks and crannies. Cover with heavy gauge aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. Tops should be golden but still soft.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before allowing eaters to reach in and pull apart as the freshly baked sliders will be very hot.

Notes

For The Pickles never buy pickle chips. Instead, purchase whole, refrigerated half-sour pickles and slice them for this recipe. Thin and cut on a deep angle, two ‘chips’ are the most required to compliment the sauce—slice on paper toweling to lessen the moisture added to the sliders and avoid them becoming soggy. If you are not keen on half-sour pickles, dill pickles may be substituted but again, buy fresh and whole, refrigerated pickles.
Make Ahead one day in advance; these sliders may be made ahead, covered with aluminum foil, and refrigerated until ready to bake. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking, leaving foil intact. Follow the recipe card as instructed for baking instructions.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slider | Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 374mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 129IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 52 sliders
Calories: 151
Keyword: ham cheese sliders, Hawaiian roll sliders, Kings Hawaiian ham and cheese sliders, Kings Hawaiian ham and swiss
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About Jenny deRemer

I am a Charleston, South Carolina-based culinary novice, an ardent authority on all things travel, a designer by trade, and the creator of Not Entirely Average. I have a weakness for farmers' markets, delight in adventures way off the beaten path, enjoy documenting my many moods through photography, and have been known to conquer the occasional yard sale with gusto!

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4 Comments

  1. What a perfect bread for the ham and cheese!! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for DInner Party. Hope your week is awesome.

  2. Mmmmm – Looks good! Thanks for sharing at the Lazy Gastronome’s What’s for Dinner party! Hope to see you again tomorrow! Happy Halloween!

    1. Sandy, interesting swap and one I had not considered. Please let me know how you find the flavor. Very interested to know!