Whether you’re looking for an easy dinner recipe to feed the family or a crowd-pleasing party appetizer to serve at your next gathering, these Hawaiian roll pizza sliders are where it’s at.
This simple recipe combines two great party foods—pizza and sliders—into one fun handheld treat. In the form of a mini sandwich slider, you get all the elements of pizza, including favorite toppings like tangy tomato sauce, pepperoni and melty cheese. It all comes together in just around 30 minutes, a boon for busy weeknights or last-minute get-togethers.
We love that pizza sliders (like most slider recipes) are completely customizable to suit everyone’s taste, and scalable to easily feed a large group. This is a delicious dish for potlucks and holiday happenings, and a favorite football food for any game-watching days.
Ingredients
- Hawaiian sweet rolls: King’s Hawaiian is the gold standard when it comes to sweet slider buns. Typically found in your grocer’s bakery section or bread aisle, these slider-sized buns are super soft and slightly sweet. They’re the perfect choice for an array of Hawaiian roll slider recipes. If you don’t have or can’t find Hawaiian sweet rolls, use your favorite brand of mini or slider buns instead.
- Cheese: A blend of mozzarella and Parmesan is the perfect duo of melting cheeses for these easy pizza sliders.
- Pepperoni: Any brand of pepperoni slices will do, but we recommend snagging pepperoni sliced fresh from your deli counter. Deli-sliced pepperoni is typically larger and perfectly sized for these Hawaiian roll pizza sliders.
- Assorted toppings: This recipe calls for a mix of bell peppers, mushrooms and black olives, but you can use any pizza toppings you enjoy.
- Pizza sauce: Choose either your favorite store-bought pizza sauce or your own homemade pizza sauce for these sliders. You can also use your favorite marinara sauce for this recipe.
- Italian dressing: This is the finishing touch that flavors the rolls as they bake in the oven, plus it helps turn them a perfect golden brown. Use your favorite, or try one of our Test Kitchen’s picks for best Italian dressing.
Directions
Step 1: Make the sauce
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, and cook the green pepper and mushrooms until tender, six to eight minutes. Pour in the pizza sauce, and stir to combine. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Editor’s Tip: Don’t skip this step. Vegetables contain a lot of water, which is released when they cook. Here, cooking the vegetables before assembling the sliders ensures the sliders won’t become super soggy in the oven.
Step 2: Assemble the sliders
Without separating the individual rolls, slice the entire package in half horizontally. Arrange the bottom half on a greased baking sheet, then spread with the pizza sauce mixture. Layer with pepperoni, olives and mozzarella cheese. Add the top roll half, then brush the pizza sliders with Italian dressing and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Step 3: Brush and bake
Bake, uncovered, until the pizza sliders are heated through and the mozzarella cheese is melted, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove promptly from the oven, and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Editor’s Tip:Â If you notice your sliders are browning too quickly in the oven, you can tent them with a sheet of foil for the final few minutes of cooking.
Recipe Variations
- Hawaiian pizza sliders:Â If you’re Team Pineapple on pizza, this option is for you (along with this big kahuna pizza recipe). Try a combination of pineapple and red onions in Step 1 of the recipe. Swap out the pepperoni for sliced Canadian bacon, and prepare as directed.
- Vegetarian pizza sliders: For a vegetarian pizza slider, omit the pepperoni, and load up with other vegetables you enjoy. Add spinach, zucchini, artichokes or red onions to the sauce mixture for some extra vegetable goodness.
- White pizza sliders:Â This is a great option for those looking for pizza sliders without tomatoes. In this version, fill your sliders with chopped roasted garlic and a blend of ricotta and fresh mozzarella. Then, if you wish, add sauteed mushrooms or a drizzle of homemade pesto.
- Buffalo chicken pizza sliders: Swap out the filling for one of these spicy buffalo chicken recipes topped with mozzarella, blue cheese and red onions.
- Creative pizza sliders: The options are limitless. Get inspired, and try your own topping customizations using this collection of unique pizza ideas.
How to Store Pizza Sliders
Store leftover pizza sliders in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. If you’re looking to make these sliders ahead of time, prep the sauce mixture in advance, and cut the rolls before making this recipe. Assemble just before baking.
How do you reheat pizza sliders?
You can reheat these pizza sliders in either the microwave or the oven—the oven being your best option to avoid soggy sliders!
Pizza Slider Tips
Can you make jumbo pizza sliders?
If you’re not into sliders, this recipe can be made using four to six standard hamburger buns or kaiser rolls. This would be a great way to turn this recipe into a dinner-sized main course.
Why are my pizza sliders soggy?
When assembling pizza sliders, it’s important not to go too heavy-handed with the sauce. For added insurance, you could add a layer of cheese over the bottom half of the rolls first before spreading them with sauce. As it melts, the cheese will function as a barrier, preventing the sauce from soaking too much into the bottom layer of bread.
