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These Pizza Sliders stuff all your favorite pizza flavors, saucy Italian sausage, pepperoni, and gooey melted cheese, between soft Hawaiian rolls brushed with garlic butter, and they bake up into one giant pull-apart pan that vanishes in minutes at my house. They are the ultimate easy party appetizer or fun family dinner. If you love a baked slider, our cast iron ham and Swiss sliders are another guaranteed hit.
Soft rolls, melty cheese, pepperoni, and a garlic butter topping make these the easiest crowd-pleasing sliders ever.
Pizza Sliders Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 35 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 45 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 sliders
- ⚡ Calories: 372kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Cheesy, saucy pizza flavor on soft garlic-buttered rolls
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our buffalo chicken pizza
Quick Answer
To make pizza sliders, brown Italian sausage and stir in pizza sauce and parmesan. Slice a slab of Hawaiian rolls in half lengthwise and set the bottom in a baking dish. Layer on provolone, the sausage sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, and oregano, then add the top rolls. Brush with a garlic butter and basil topping, cover with foil, and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with parmesan, and bake 5 more minutes until golden, then slice and serve.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- All the pizza flavor, slider style. Sausage, pepperoni, sauce, and three cheeses give you everything you love about pizza in an easy pull-apart form.
- Hawaiian rolls are soft and sweet. Their pillowy, slightly sweet texture is the perfect contrast to the savory, cheesy filling.
- The garlic butter topping is key. Brushing the tops with garlic, basil, and parmesan butter makes them golden, fragrant, and irresistible.
- Provolone keeps them from getting soggy. A layer of provolone right on the rolls creates a cheese barrier so the bottoms stay sturdy.
- They feed a crowd easily. One pan makes 12 sliders, perfect for game day, parties, or a fun family dinner.
- Quick and make-ahead friendly. They come together in about 45 minutes and can be assembled ahead and baked when ready.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They pack all your favorite pizza flavors into easy pull-apart sliders.
- The garlic butter topping makes them golden, buttery, and irresistible.
- They are perfect for game day right alongside our loaded potato skins.
Key Ingredients
Here is everything you need to make these cheesy pepperoni and sausage pizza sliders. Simple pizza-night staples come together fast.
- Hawaiian Rolls: Soft, slightly sweet slider rolls. Keep the slab connected and slice it in half horizontally.
- Italian Sausage: Browned and simmered with pizza sauce for a hearty, savory filling.
- Pizza Sauce: Your favorite jarred or homemade pizza sauce, mixed right into the sausage.
- Pepperoni: Sliced deli pepperoni layered on for classic pizza flavor.
- Cheeses: Provolone shields the rolls, mozzarella melts gooey on top, and parmesan goes in the sauce and topping.
- Hawaiian Rolls Topping: Melted butter with garlic powder, onion powder, and fresh basil brushed over the tops.
- Oregano: A sprinkle of dried oregano adds that signature pizzeria aroma.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These pizza sliders are easy to customize for any topping craving. Here are a few ways to switch them up.
- Change the toppings: Swap in cooked bacon, ham, mushrooms, peppers, or olives like your favorite pizza.
- Go all pepperoni: Skip the sausage and double the pepperoni for a classic pepperoni pizza slider.
- Make them spicy: Use hot Italian sausage or add red pepper flakes and spicy pepperoni.
- Add meatballs: Use sliced Italian meatballs for a pizza meatball sub vibe.
- Try different rolls: Use brioche or potato slider rolls in place of Hawaiian.
- Serve with dipping sauce: Set out warm marinara or pizza sauce for dunking.
How to Make Pizza Sliders
- Brown the Italian sausage in a skillet, breaking it into crumbles, then drain and stir in the pizza sauce and parmesan and take it off the heat.
- Slice the Hawaiian rolls in half lengthwise, set the bottom half cut side up in a greased 9 by 13 baking dish, and layer the provolone on top.
- Spread the sausage sauce in an even layer over the provolone, then layer the pepperoni on top.
- Sprinkle on the mozzarella and oregano, then place the top half of the rolls back on.
- Stir together the melted butter, basil, garlic powder, and onion powder, and brush it all over the tops of the rolls.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then uncover, sprinkle with parmesan, and bake 5 minutes more until golden. Cool 10 minutes, slice, and serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Keep the rolls connected and slice the whole slab in half so they bake into a pull-apart loaf.
- Layer provolone on the bottom rolls to create a barrier that keeps them from getting soggy.
- Drain the sausage well so the sliders are not greasy.
- Use all the garlic butter topping; it is what makes the tops golden and flavorful.
- Cover with foil first so the rolls heat through without the tops burning, then uncover to brown.
- Let them rest for about 10 minutes before slicing so they hold together.
- Cut along the seams with a serrated knife for clean, even sliders.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These pizza sliders are the ultimate party food, so serve them hot from the pan and let everyone pull off their own. Set out a bowl of warm marinara or extra pizza sauce for dipping, and watch them disappear before anything else on the table.
They are a natural fit for game day and movie nights. Round out the spread with our loaded potato skins and crispy buffalo chicken egg rolls for an easy appetizer feast.
For a fun pizza-night dinner, serve them with a simple green salad and a few Italian meatballs on the side, or pair them with a slice of buffalo chicken pizza for variety.
Leftover sliders keep well covered in the fridge for three to four days and reheat beautifully in the oven, making them a great make-ahead option.
Pizza Sliders FAQs
These pizza sliders are made with soft Hawaiian rolls layered with browned Italian sausage simmered in pizza sauce, sliced pepperoni, provolone, and mozzarella cheese, plus a sprinkle of oregano. The tops are brushed with a garlic butter and basil topping and finished with parmesan. They bake into a cheesy, saucy pull-apart loaf with all the flavors of a pepperoni and sausage pizza.
Yes, pizza sliders are great for making ahead. Assemble the whole pan, cover it tightly, and refrigerate for up to a day before baking. Brush on the garlic butter topping right before baking. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time if the pan goes in cold from the fridge.
The trick to non-soggy pizza sliders is layering a slice of provolone directly on the bottom rolls before adding the sauce. This creates a cheese barrier that protects the bread. Also be sure to drain the browned sausage well and avoid using too much sauce, so the filling stays thick rather than watery.
Soft, slightly sweet Hawaiian rolls are the classic choice for pizza sliders because their pillowy texture pairs perfectly with the savory, cheesy filling. You can also use potato slider rolls, brioche slider rolls, or dinner rolls. Just look for connected slabs of 12 rolls so you can slice and bake them as one pull-apart loaf.
Absolutely. You can leave out the Italian sausage and make classic pepperoni pizza sliders, simply spreading pizza sauce over the provolone and layering on extra pepperoni. You can also swap the sausage for cooked ground beef, diced ham, crumbled bacon, or sauteed vegetables to suit your taste.
Store leftover pizza sliders in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. To reheat, wrap them in foil and warm in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 10 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melty again. Reheating in the oven keeps the rolls from getting tough the way they can in the microwave.
Love an easy baked slider? Try our cheesy cast iron ham and Swiss sliders next.
Building a slider bar? Add our grilled monterey chicken sliders.
Easy Pizza Sliders
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1/4 freshly grated parmesan cheese
For the sliders:
- 12 Hawaiian rolls cut in half lengthwise
- 2 ounces sliced provolone cheese
- 1/2 pound sliced deli pepperoni
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside,
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage, breaking it up into crumbles until there is no pink left, 8-10 minutes. Drain excess grease if there is any.1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- Stir in the pizza sauce and parmesan cheese, take off the heat.1 cup pizza sauce, 1/4 freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Place the bottom half of the rolls, cut side up, into the prepared baking dish.12 Hawaiian rolls
- Layer the sliced provolone on top of the rolls.2 ounces sliced provolone cheese
- Add the sauce and spread it out in an even layer.
- Layer the pepperoni on top of the sauce.1/2 pound sliced deli pepperoni
- Top with the mozzarella and sprinkle on the oregano.4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- Place the top of the rolls on top.
- In a small bowl, stir together the butter, basil, garlic powder, and onion powder until combined.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Brush the topping all over the rolls, use it all! Cover with nonstick foil or spray a piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray and place over the baking dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil. Sprinkle the parmesan on top and bake for an additional 5 minutes.2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Let the sliders cool for 10 minutes in the pan then cut along the seams and serve.
Notes
- Butter the Top Generously: Don’t skimp on the garlic butter on top; it makes the rolls golden and delicious.
- Don’t Overcook: Keep an eye on the oven to ensure the sliders don’t overly brown.
- Use Fresh Cheese: Freshly grated cheese melts better and tastes great.
- Customize Your Toppings: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different toppings to suit your taste.
- Prep Ahead: Assemble the sliders ahead of time and bake when ready to serve.
- Use Nonstick Spray: Spray your foil with nonstick cooking spray before covering the sliders to prevent the cheese from sticking.
Nutrition
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