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Holiday Sliders are the perfect recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas parties. They are packed with festive flavors like ham and cranberries, and they a great way to use leftover ham from holiday dinners too!
Easy Holiday Sliders Recipe
Cranberry and ham sliders make a mouthwatering combination, especially when added to Hawaiian sweet rolls! The melted cheese combined with the sweet and tart flavors of the cranberry sauce, and salty ham, guarantee these sliders to be a hit at parties or family gatherings.
Why These Sliders Are Perfect for a Christmas Party
These sliders are everything that holiday meals should be. They have gooey cheese, savory ham, golden rolls, and of course no holiday table is complete without cranberries. So you get an entire meal in one little slider. The only thing missing is mashed potatoes or stuffing, and you can always top your slider with a spoonful of either of those for extra flavor.
Ingredients You Will Need To Make This Recipe
- Hawaiian Rolls-Soft and slightly sweet, these rolls provide the perfect base, adding a light and fluffy texture to balance the savory and tangy flavors.
- Ham-Savory and salty, the ham is the main ingredient, and a classic pairing for the other ingredients.
- Gouda Cheese-Rich and creamy gouda cheese melts beautifully, creating a luxurious layer that ties all the ingredients together.
- Cranberry Sauce-Sweet and tart, the cranberry sauce adds a festive and fruity flavor that complements the ham and cheese.
- Pepper Jelly-This spicy and sweet jelly adds a touch of heat giving just a hint of a kick.
- Butter-Melted butter creates a golden, crispy topping and adds richness to the rolls when baked.
- Poppy Seeds-These tiny seeds add a bit of crunch.
- Dried Parsley-Parsley adds a pop of color, making the sliders have the red and green look of the holidays.
- Minced Dried Onion-Dried onion brings a hint of savory, enhancing the ham flavor.
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
How to Make Christmas Ham and Cranberry Sliders
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F to prepare for baking.
STEP 2: Slice the Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally, separating the top and the bottom pieces. Then place the bottom halves in a 9×13 baking dish.
STEP 3: In a small bowl combine the cranberry sauce and pepper jelly. Spread half of the cranberry mixture on the bottoms of the rolls.
STEP 4: Top the cranberry mixture with slices of ham, then cover the ham with slices of cheese. Cut pieces of cheese in half to cover the bottom pieces of the rolls if necessary.
STEP 5: Top the cheese slices with the rest of the cranberry mixture, then cover with the tops of the Hawaiian rolls.
STEP 6: In a small microwave safe dish, melt the butter with the poppy seeds, dried parsley and minced dried onion. Brush the butter mixture all over the top of the rolls.
STEP 7: Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden and cheese is melted.
Tips for the Best Ham Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls
- Make Ahead: Assemble the sliders a day before and refrigerate. Then bake them fresh when you are ready to serve them.
- Cheese Options: Use Swiss cheese, provolone or cheddar for a different flavor.
- Cranberry Sauce: Use this easy homemade cranberry sauce recipe for an extra special touch.
Holiday Sliders Variations
- Turkey and Cranberry: If you have leftover turkey, use slices of that instead of ham. The flavor combination of turkey, cranberry sauce and the cheese are amazing!
- Pulled Pork and Cranberry: Toss the pork into a sweet BBQ sauce and then top with the cranberry sauce for a deliciously sweet BBQ slider!
- Sweet and Spicy Ham: Most leftover ham is already glazed, so adding honey mustard is a great option for a condiment.
FAQ’S
Hawaiian rolls have an amazing sweet flavor that is my absolute favorite when making sliders. But any soft dinner roll will work.
You can freeze unbaked sliders, if you want to make them ahead of time and then just bake what you need as you go. Just wrap them in plastic wrap and then foil. If you’ve already cooked them, let the sliders cool first, then wrap or place them in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Just put them in a slow cooker on warm or place them on a baking sheet and keep them in the oven on 200 degrees F.
I usually plan on 1-2 sliders per adult and 1 per child. It also depends on what other types of food you are serving, but that’s a good rule of thumb for serving sizes. If you aren’t serving other “meal” items, plan on 2-3 sliders per adult and 1-2 sliders per child.
More Holiday Recipes
Holiday Sliders
Equipment
- small bowl
- 9×13 Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 12 Hawaiian Rolls
- 1/2 pound cooked ham, sliced
- 12 slices Gouda cheese
- 3/4 cup cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced dried onion
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F to prepare for baking.
- Slice the Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally, separating the top and the bottom pieces. Then place the bottom halves in a 9×13 baking dish.
- In a small bowl combine the cranberry sauce and the pepper jelly. Spread half of the cranberry mixture over the bottom part of the rolls.
- Top the cranberry mixture with slices of ham, then top with slices of cheese. Cut pieces of cheese in half to make them fit if necessary.
- Top the cheese with the rest of the cranberry mixture, then cover with the tops of the rolls.
- In a small microwave safe dish, melt the butter with the poppy seeds, dried parsley and minced dried onion. Brush the butter mixture all over the top of the rolls.
- Place baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden and cheese is melted.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are amazingly delicious, hard to stop eating when you start.