This easy recipe for pizza sliders is sure to go over well with your tribe. Whether you need a quick weeknight meal or fun finger food for the big game, pizza sliders will do the trick.
Today’s recipe is a family favorite around the Dekker house — getting 2 thumbs up from everyone (which is not always easy to do!)
Besides the fact that pizza sliders are really tasty and really easy, they are also an excellent clean-out-your-fridge-and-pantry recipe.
Just layer your favorite pizza toppings on your favorite buns, drizzle with a yummy parmesan butter sauce, and bake until the cheese is gooey!
When I bring meals to younger families, these pizza sliders are often my go-to recipe because they are always a hit with kids (perfect for small hands).
I’m often asked for the recipe — which is a good indication the meal went over well. And, as you’ll see below, the recipe is SO easy!
Ingredients for Pizza Sliders
Our favorite sliders are pepperoni + salami + mozzarella + Parmesan — but I can attest that almost any combination of meat and cheese you have in the fridge will work.
- Buns – the smaller, the better (but any buns will work)
- Pizza/pasta sauce
- Meat (ham, salami, pepperoni, sausage, etc.)
- Cheese (sliced or shredded)
- Butter (to make the delicious sauce!)
- Pizza seasonings (optional, but they add great flavor)
How to Make Pizza Sliders
1. Slice buns in half and place the bottoms in a greased 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
NOTE: If you’re making your own buns, do that several hours (or a day) ahead. Also, the size of your buns will determine how many you can fit in each pan, we usually do 20-24 very small buns in one pan. If you’re using larger buns, feel free to use 2 pans or just make fewer sandwiches.
2. Spread the bottom of each bun with pasta or pizza sauce.
3. Top with meat, cheese, and the top bun.
4. In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave (15-30 seconds)
5. Mix oregano and garlic into melted butter and pour over sliders.
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
7. Bake for 15 minutes at 325ºF or until cheese is melty and gooey.
8. Serve, eat, and enjoy!
Aren’t they cute!?
These sliders are great for potlucks, game-day appetizers, and even after-school snacks if you eat dinner on the later side.
If you’re short on time, feel free to assemble the sandwiches earlier in the day (or even a day ahead) and pop them in the oven just before you’re ready to eat.
And yes, they freeze well — simply defrost and bake!
If you’re worried about making 2 dozen sandwiches at once, feel free to halve the recipe and make 9 sandwiches in an 8×8 pan.
But remember… these are small sliders (not full-size buns). They are also excellent cold or reheated for lunches later in the week, so I wouldn’t be upset with a few leftovers!
Easy Pizza Sliders
This easy recipe for pizza sliders is sure to go over well with your tribe. Whether you need a quick weeknight meal or fun finger food for the big game, pizza sliders will do the trick. Or, mix up the ingredients to make a variety of flavor combos and serve up a mini-slider buffet!
Ingredients
- 24 mini slider buns (or 12 regular buns)
- 1/2 c. pasta or pizza sauce
- pizza meat (pepperoni, ham, sausage, bacon, salami, etc)
- Mozzarella cheese (sliced or shredded)
- 4 T. butter
- 1/2 t. oregano
- 1/2 t. garlic powder
- 2 T. Parmesan cheese (powdered or shredded will work)
Instructions
- Slice buns in half and place the bottoms in a greased 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
- Spread the bottom of each bun with pasta or pizza sauce.
- Top with meat, cheese, and the top bun.
- In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave (15-30 seconds)
- Mix oregano and garlic into melted butter and pour over sliders.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 325ºF or until cheese is melty and gooey.
- Serve, eat, and enjoy!
Notes
IF YOU CAN'T FIND SLIDER BUNS AT THE STORE...
You can easily make your own slider buns by defrosting a log of frozen bread dough, cutting it into 24 equal chunks, letting the chunks rise until doubled in size, and then baking at 350°F for about 12-15 minutes.
Or, if you have a little extra time, you can make buns from scratch. This is the whole grain recipe I use, but any recipe for a 1-pound loaf of bread or 12 regular-size buns will work.
If you're making your own buns, you can make them a day in advance to save time later.
MAKE AHEAD DIRECTIONS:
Feel free to assemble the sliders in the morning (or the day before), but wait to bake them until right before you serve them for optimal gooeyness!
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Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 262Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 23mgSodium 416mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 3gSugar 5gProtein 12g
Nutritional information is approximate and does not account for additional ingredients or added toppings.
I hope you love these Pizza Sliders as much as we do!
Do you have a favorite slider or baked sandwich recipe?
Visit my virtual recipe box for more simple, delicious, family-friendly recipes!
Michelle says
Do you think the brown and serve rolls will work for this recipe?
Andrea says
yes, definitely!
they wouldn’t be “slider size” but still delicious!
CB says
Thanks for the recipe! It was a big hit at our house!
Andrea says
yay! Glad to hear it 🙂
Melissa says
I knew this recipe would be a crowd-pleaser for my family but then thought that my daughter might be able to “cook” this by herself. So, tonight, my 8 year old made pizza sliders for our family her very first independently cooked meal! It actually brought tears to my eyes at how very proud she was of herself. Thanks for sharing the recipe & giving us a special night at our home tonight!!
Andrea says
Wow — that’s so great! I love it!!
Thanks for sharing your little special moment — THIS is one of the many many MANY reasons why I love simple foods!
wendalette says
Wondering how well this would work with veggies…we’re vegetarian. I’m concerned that they wouldn’t cook through or the bread would get soggy.
Andrea says
I honestly have no idea — but it can’t hurt to give it a try. Or maybe use roasted or grilled veggies instead??
Sarah says
These look amazing! My guys aren’t big fans of tomato sauces or piggy, so I hafta get creative if I want pizza-y stuff. I just now made some with Alfredo and leftover pieces of crock pot chicken – using what I have ;). Everything else was the same as your recipe.
Turned out great!
Andrea says
glad to hear you mixed it up to use what you have in the house — that’s my favorite part of cooking!
JoDi says
Those look yummy – will definitely try them! I do have a favorite baked sandwich recipe. It’s your ham and cheese baked sandwich recipe! They’re so delicious. YUM!
Andrea says
haha –thanks! The ham and cheese sammies are still my favorite, but Dave and the kids all LOOOOVE the pepperoni pizza sliders!
shelly says
This looks perfect for our NFL tailgate parties we have. I’m making this for the first season opener. Thanks for sharing.
Andrea says
Oh yeah, these will be perfect!
Sher says
I have been making many variations on the “sliders” this summer! Using already baked sweet hawaiian buns have been a favorite 🙂 everything from pulled pork, breakfast sliders, to chicken parmesan with marinara! yum! sometimes I use the crescent rolls in the can instead. did an italian meat with provolone cheese and fresh basil on saturday that was delish! then the leftover dough I filled with blackberries for dessert 🙂
Andrea says
Yum, your sliders sound delicious!
Melissa D. says
I’ve been gathering recipes that are do-able for my teenagers to make and this one will be perfect! We love sliders and while I’ve made them before, I’m not a very good “outside the box” cook and didn’t think of pizza sliders! I guarantee they’ll be a hit! (And for the record, your Wet Burritos are on the menu for Thursday!) Thanks!
Andrea says
This is DEFINITELY do-able for teens 🙂
Janice says
Am I crazy or does your recipe say a “pint” of salt instead of a pinch of salt? Funny!
Andrea says
nope, you weren’t crazy — I fixed it 🙂
Christine @ The (mostly) Simple Life says
These look awesome! I’m still trying not to turn the oven on much because it heats our house up so badly, but I’ll have to try these in the fall. That frozen bread dough is amazing! We make cinnamon rolls with it. So good!
Andrea says
I’ve done small batches of these in our toaster oven too — and yes, the frozen bread dough is one of my favorite things!
Kari says
I’ve already planned our August menu, but these are definitely going on the menu for September! Thanks for this super simple, yummy recipe.
Andrea says
You could always sneak these in for lunch or a late-night snack some day 🙂