These ham and cheese sliders are the perfect finger food for parties. They’re an instant crowd pleaser! These cheesy sliders can easily be prepared ahead of time.
Many of us have just rounded up a season of grad parties. Now we’re in the throes of summer gatherings. Soon enough, weekends will be filled with game days and tailgate parties.
As always, my favorite part about all the parties is The Food. I’m for sure not alone in this. Right?
I mean, I know most people don’t read about national food holidays for fun like I do, but at least tell me y’all relate with the party food thing. [If you do read about national food holidays for fun, we need to have coffee.]
My favorite party food recipes involve 3 things: they’ve got to be crowd-pleasing, preferably a finger food, and they must be make-ahead easy. Some of you know my obsession with prep-ahead recipes. I’m all about being part of the party; I’d rather not be on kitchen duty when I could be mingling and munching.
So. Say hi to these fabulous party ham and cheese sliders. This party food recipe has all the bases covered: it can be prepped ahead, it’s supremely flavorful, and no forks needed. Napkins optional, but somewhat recommended…
What Ingredients are needed for these party sliders?
- The quality of ham is key, as it provides much of the flavor in these sliders. I really like Bayonne ham, as it’s already sliced ultra-thin and has amazing flavor well beyond any typical ham. This European charcuterie ham is made with special rock salt and its high quality shines through with Every. Single. Bite.
- That said, feel free to use whatever ham you like; if you have leftover baked ham, definitely slice it up thin and use it here.
- Sharp white cheddar is usually my cheese of choice, as it melts really well and provides delicious flavor. Feel free to use your favorite cheese.
- We like the mild sweetness of Hawaiian style dinner rolls in this slider recipe. Feel free to use your favorite dinner rolls as well.
- The rolls are generously smeared with onion chive cream cheese, with a sprinkle of garlic powder. So so good. Regular cream cheese with a dash of onion powder can work in a pinch.
- The garlicky, butter sauce that’s brushed over these ham and cheese sliders makes them finger-licking great. In the sauce: onion, mustard, garlic, and real butter. A combo like that is guaranteed to taste irresistible.
Any tips for making the best baked sliders?
After some slider making practice, I have some helpful tips:
- Be sure your cream cheese is very soft. I microwave mine 20-30 seconds to be sure it’s extra spreadable.
- It’s easier to spread the cream cheese over the rolls while they’re still attached; then you can separate them for the filling layers.
- It’s definitely easier for guests to pick up their sandwiches if they’re separated prior to baking, or sliced after baking.
- An easy option for making a larger batch of ham and cheese sliders is to use a large sheet pan. You can make more in one shot, and it’s easier to serve that way.
- If you’re prepping the sandwiches ahead of time, do everything up until the the point of brushing sauce on top. Don’t brush any sauce on top until you’re ready to bake and serve. That helps to prevent the bottoms from getting too soggy.
- Ham and cheese sliders are best served soon after baking; they’ll be melty, hot, and delish! You may want to slice/separate sandwiches so they’re easy to grab.
- Leftover sliders can be reheated in a toaster oven or regular oven, but watch closely so they don’t burn on top.

Party Ham and Cheese Sliders Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These ham and cheese sliders are the perfect finger food for parties. They’re an instant crowd pleaser. These cheesy sliders can easily be prepared ahead of time.
Ingredients
For the Sliders:
– 12 count package Hawaiian style dinner rolls (or rolls of your choice)
– 5 oz onion chive cream cheese, very soft
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– 10 oz thinly sliced ham, cut to bite size (I use Bayonne ham)
– 6oz thinly sliced sharp white cheddar
For the Topping Sauce:
– 4 TB real butter
– 1/4 cup minced onion
– 1 TB minced garlic
– 1 TB minched parsley
– 1 tsp mustard
Instructions
Prepare Sandwiches: Slice dinner rolls in half horizontally. Stir softened cream cheese with 1 tsp garlic powder until well combined and spreadable (I microwave cream cheese 20 sec or so, to get it extra soft.) Evenly spread cream cheese mixture onto the top/bottom centers of split rolls. Place bottom halves onto baking sheet. Evenly layer each bottom roll with ham and cheese. Place top halves of dinner rolls over the filling. If not baking right away, cover airtight (I often use another sheet pan of the same size, or just cover tightly with foil) and chill until ready to bake.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.
Make the Topping Sauce: In a saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients over low heat. Stir until melted and incorporated. When ready to bake sliders, Brush butter mixture evenly over the tops and edges of sliders. Try to get most of the butter mixture to sit on top of rolls.
Cover loosely with foil and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melty. Remove foil and bake 8-10 minutes more or until tops are nicely golden; watch closely towards end of bake time so that tops don’t burn. If your sliders are still connected, carefully cut into individual sliders so they’re easy for people to grab and go. Be careful, they’ll be very hot!
Notes
- Ham and cheese sliders are best served soon after baking; they’ll be melty, hot, and delish! You may want to slice/separate sandwiches so they’re easy to grab.
- Leftover sliders can be reheated in a toaster oven or regular oven, but watch closely so they don’t burn on top.
- Recipe can be doubled, following same instructions.
Keywords: Ham and Cheese Sliders
Those look aboslutly delicious. I will have to check out Bayonne ham. Sounds perfect.
These look like a TOTAL party in the mouth!! 😀
The garlicky topping looks delectable! I love sliders for parties, and the Bayonne ham looks delish! I usually make turkey and stuffing sliders for parties but I’ll have to try this one.
looks so yummy and delicious
Looks so good. Although I do not eat ham, I am going to sub that with something else. Yumm!!
This elevates sliders to an entirely new level! I mean, c’mon, that ham looks so mouthwatering. Can’t wait to make this!
These sliders look so delicious and they’re very easy to make, it would literally take a couple of minutes! Love them.
I have never had Bayonne Ham but would love to try it. It seems like a delicious addition to this recipe!
Love me some sliders -this sounds awesome
Another great recipe. I’m not a sandwich lover but I’d try this just because of your great pics.
I like how you use onion for the topping as onion is one of my favorite. Hope to try this out soon.
It looks so tasty and the ingredients are easy to buy. I will definitely try this. Yum..!
I made something similar to this last year that was ok- these look amazing so I will have to try these!
Now my tummy is rumbling – these look delicious
Thanks for sharing about this easy cheese sliders recipe! It will be helpful to many who are searching for inspiration to prepare it at home.
These look absolutely delicious! I love sliders for summer parties! Yum!
The sliders look so delicious! I am actually preparing the menu for a party on Wednesday and I will surely add these on the list, they are so easy to make.
A perfect appetizer for those summer parties. I would substitute the ham for roast beef myself.
These looks so delicious! I agree with using bayonne ham as it is appreciated worldwide for its delicate taste and gorgeous color. I would love to try this one day.
Delish! Those ham and cheese sliders look too scrumptious! I’d definitely use a couple of bites. And you’re right, it’s such a good treat to have on the menu when the graduation and outdoor parties start booming!
Damn, those look absolutely incredible! I am officially hungry after reading that post, and must go and eat something which I’m sure will be only half as good!