Give your game day gatherings an easy upgrade with this Southern Ham Delights recipe. These delicious mini ham and swiss sliders are always a popular choice with guests, and they’re so simple to make—you’ll only need to spend 10 minutes of active time in the kitchen!
If you’re looking for an easy recipe that’ll slay at your next gathering, try making these cheesy ham sliders on Hawaiian dinner rolls. Despite having a short list of 8 ingredients, these little sandwiches are packed to the brim with a sweet and savory flavor that’s absolutely crave-worthy.
Between the salty ham, melty cheese, and buttery sweet topping, it’s almost impossible to stop at just one! Shoutout to my b-school friend Shannon Fugina for this great recipe—she introduced me to these Hawaiian ham & cheese sammies at a Christmas gathering a decade ago, and I’ve been obsessed ever since.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Hot Ham & Cheese Sliders Recipe
- Big Batch - When you’re hosting a crowd, making an appetizer that’ll feed the whole team can be a struggle—part of why this recipe is so clutch. One batch will yield 24 ham delights (that’s two 9x13 pans’ worth!), ensuring everyone can get in on the goodness.
- Quick & Easy - Just slice through two packs of sweet dinner rolls, layer on some meat & cheese, mix some melted butter with a few pantry staples, pour it over the top, and you’re basically done. All in, you’ll only need about 10 minutes to prep!
- Crowd-Pleasing - Every time I’ve served Shannon’s ham delights at a party, they’ve been a huge hit. Plus, it’s a great way to use up leftover spiral-sliced ham from Christmas or Easter!
Ingredients & Substitutions
As promised, these cheesy ham sliders require just a handful of easy-to-find ingredients:
- Salted Butter - Whenever possible, opt for grass-fed butter for the best flavor and healthiest choice. If you only have unsalted butter, add about ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt or kosher salt per stick.
- Worcestershire Sauce - This umami-booster adds tons of flavor to the buttery poppy seed topping. Feel free to swap in another similar liquid like Maggi Seasoning, soy sauce, or fish sauce.
- Poppy Seeds - These little guys add color and crunch. For a fun twist, sub in Everything Bagel seasoning.
- Dry Mustard Powder - You can easily swap in yellow mustard, dijon mustard, honey mustard, or the smooth mustard of your choice.
- Brown Sugar - Either light or dark brown sugar will work. You can also use regular sugar in a pinch, but you’ll miss out on the caramelly flavor of molasses.
- Hawaiian Sweet Rolls - I keep them in one big sheet rather than separating them into individual rolls so I can slice through all 12 in one pass of the serrated knife. Feel free to use the soft slider buns of your choice.
- Deli Ham (or Leftover Ham) - Opt for regular ham instead of honey ham if you have the choice—between the sweet Hawaiian rolls and brown sugar-melted butter mixture, the honey can feel like overkill.
- Swiss Cheese - I love the nutty flavor of melted swiss cheese, but I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Feel free to sub in mild cheddar cheese, jack cheese, or colby.
How to Make Southern Ham Delights
These yummy little sammies come together with just a few simple steps:
Step 1: Make Topping. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, mustard, and brown sugar. Gently bring to a boil and stir to mix butter with the other ingredients.
Step 2: Assemble mini ham and cheese sandwiches. Slice the rolls in half, hamburger-style, then top the bottom halves of the rolls with a layer of ham followed by a layer of swiss cheese. Place in two 9x13 pans.
Step 3: Pour the savory butter sauce on top of the rolls, using a pastry brush if needed to make sure the butter gets all over the top layer of rolls. Cover the baking dish with foil and refrigerate overnight.
Step 4: Bake, Covered. When you're ready to bake them the next day, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake the covered sliders for 25 minutes, until the ham is warm and all the cheese melts.
Step 5: Bake, Uncovered. Remove the foil, then bake for another 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes to let the cheese cool a bit, then slice into individual sandwiches with a serrated knife, serve, & enjoy!
Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations
- Cuban-ish Style - Add a teaspoon of onion powder or dried onion bits to the buttery topping. Slice a medium onion (preferably yellow) and sauté with some olive oil, salt, and pepper until caramelized. Spread the bottom halves of the soft Hawaiian rolls with a thin layer of mustard, then top with the ham, cheese, onions, and some dill pickle slices before topping with the other half of the rolls and sauce.
- Other Meats - Don’t do pork? Try swapping in deli-style turkey or chicken instead.
- Dairy-Free - Use high-quality vegan butter (e.g. Miyoko’s or Earth Balance) and swap in your favorite vegan cheese to keep your ham delights deliciously dairy-free.
Expert Tips
- Knife Skills - Use a long serrated bread knife to slice through the sheets of Hawaiian rolls. Make sure to stick as close to the center for even cooking. That same serrated knife should also be used to cut them into individual sliders.
- Don’t Skip The Rest - Letting your ham delights soak up all that buttery sauce overnight will ensure the best results. If you try to bake them outright, the bread can taste kind of dry.
- Be Like Goldilocks - Make sure your ham slices are neither too thin nor too thick—this makes them easier to bite through while preventing the meat on the edges from drying out.
- Even Topping - The savory buttery sauce should cover the tops of the rolls evenly, so use a pastry brush as needed if it’s pooling in the corners. Also, make sure you’re distributing the ham and cheese evenly so you get some of both in every bite.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: Let any leftover ham delights cool to room temperature, then cover tightly with foil or place into an airtight container or zip-top bag. They should keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: You can also freeze any leftover ham delights for up to a month. I recommend wrapping them in plastic wrap or foil first before transferring to a freezer bag and gently removing as much air as possible to ward off freezer burn.
- Reheating: Warm the ham & cheese delights, covered, in an oven set to about 300ºF. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and they’re warmed through. If desired, remove the foil in the last few minutes of cooking for a deeper color on top.
FAQs
These tasty Southern ham and cheese sliders are pretty easygoing in the sides department—If you’re serving them as a main dish, mac & cheese, potato salad, green salad, potato chips, or fries are always good choices. They’re also super yummy for dipping in soup. Otherwise, they’ll hold up well on any appetizer table—I’ll be making them alongside my bacon jam brussels sprouts, cream cheese fruit dip, and healthy white bean tuna dip for our Super Bowl party this year.
The easiest answer is to avoid adding any “wet” ingredients like fresh veggies! While that’s not always possible (see my Hawaiian roll chicken sliders as proof), these Southern ham delights are just such a recipe. Otherwise, wait to add any of the “wet” stuff until right before serving.
I’m partial to Swiss cheese with ham, but cheddar, havarti, jack, or colby are all great choices too!
If you tried this recipe and loved it, be sure to rate and review it below! For more inexpensive and delicious recipe inspiration, be sure to follow me on Pinterest. You can also get all of my newest content delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for my email newsletter!
More Easy Game Day Recipes
Ham Delights Recipe
Equipment
- 2 9x13 Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 1 C Butter 2 sticks, salted
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce or Maggi Seasoning
- 2 tablespoon Poppy Seeds
- 2 tablespoon Dry Mustard Powder or prepared smooth mustard of choice
- ¼ C Brown Sugar light or dark
- 2 packages of 12 Hawaiian Rolls sliced "hamburger bun" style through the middle; I keep them in one big sheet rather than separating the rolls.
- 1 pound Deli Ham
- 1 pound Swiss Cheese freshly sliced or shredded
Instructions
- Melt butter in small saucepan. Add Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, mustard, and brown sugar. Gently bring to a boil.1 C Butter, 2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, 2 tablespoon Poppy Seeds, 2 tablespoon Dry Mustard Powder, ¼ C Brown Sugar
- Assemble ham and cheese sandwiches by evenly layering the ham and cheese on the rolls. Place in 2 9x13 pans.2 packages of 12 Hawaiian Rolls, 1 pound Deli Ham, 1 pound Swiss Cheese
- Pour melted butter mixture of the sandwiches, using a pastry brush if needed to make sure the butter gets all over. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake the covered sliders for 25 minutes.
- Remove the foil, then bake another 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let rest for 5 minutes, then enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t Skip The Rest - Letting your ham delights soak up all that buttery sauce overnight will ensure the best results. If you try to bake them outright, the bread can taste kind of dry.
- Even Topping - The savory buttery sauce should cover the tops of the rolls evenly, so use a pastry brush as needed if it’s pooling in the corners. Also, make sure you’re distributing the ham and cheese evenly so you get some of both in every bite.
- Refrigerator: Let any leftover ham delights cool to room temperature, then cover tightly with foil or place into an airtight container or zip-top bag. They should keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: You can also freeze any leftover ham delights for up to a month. I recommend wrapping them in plastic wrap or foil first before transferring to a freezer bag and gently removing as much air as possible to ward off freezer burn.
- Reheating: Warm the ham & cheese delights, covered, in an oven set to about 300ºF. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and they’re warmed through. If desired, remove the foil in the last few minutes of cooking for a deeper color on top.
Victoria says
We love these. The only thing we change is the rolls. Don't care for the Hawaiian ones.
Ash, The Grocery Addict says
Heck yeah—I love when y'all make stuff your own! Do you use soft slider buns instead?