Air Fryer Ham and Cheese Sliders are fun finger food for game day! These little sandwiches will be the hit of the party.
We love love sliders in our house. Who wouldn’t love little finger food sandwiches that you can graze on while visiting with family and friends during game day or on holidays? They are so good!
In fact – one of our most popular recipes is our Baked Ham and Cheese Sliders. But now that we aren’t cooking for an army, we decided to pare it down a bit and make a smaller batch in the air fryer. I have to say – it is so incredibly easy and fast – I know you’ll love it.
ham and cheese sliders
The process of making these air fryer ham and cheese sliders is very easy. You will need a few rolls, some slices of mozzarella, cooked bacon would be a nice addition, sliced ham, butter, and then that delicious sauce over the top. SO good!
What I really love about these is not only how quickly they come together but the clean-up is so easy too. There is very little mess and you can get your snacks ready and cleaned up in less than 30 minutes. That is a huge plus for me.
Here are some commonly asked questions
Why is a slider called a slider?
It all started with White Castle hamburgers – they make these tiny meat and onion hamburgers that were originally called Slyders. They were sold for $0.05 each up until 1940.
But there are also some out there that say that sliders are an old Navy term for a hamburger that was so greasy that it would slide easily on the griddle.
Regardless of where it originated – these tiny little sandwiches are insanely popular and absolutely delicious!
How Air Frying Works
While air fryers are relatively new to the market, the technology isn’t really a new concept. They basically work like tiny convection ovens that you can use on your countertop.
Similar to a convection oven, it circulates the hot air within the cooking area using a high-powered fan. This helps evenly distribute the heat around the food which not only creates more evenly cooked food but also reduced cooking times.
By circulating the hot air, which contains the fine oil droplets from adding a light mist layer before cooking, and allows you to remove the need for submerging our foods in heavy oils to create the deliciously crunchy foods we all love.
What other cheese would work in this air fryer sandwich?
While we like to use mozzarella for these sliders because it has amazing texture when melted – you can also try these sliders with swiss, provolone, or pepper jack cheese.
easy ham and cheese sliders
What are the benefits of air frying?
Healthier
It’s no secret that fried foods are more fattening – but did you know that there are 9 calories in every gram of fat? With air frying, we can reduce the fat by removing most of the oils usually needed to create crunchy foods. This helps to drastically reduce fat intake and calories.
Convenience
I love being able to cook with my air fryer and eliminate the need for large baking sheets and lots of pots and pans. Most of my air fryer recipes can be made with just a mixing bowl or two or a small saucepan in addition to my air fryer.
Energy Efficient
Someone said to me once, “why make this in the air fryer if you can do it the conventional way in the same amount of time?” Well, air frying helps eliminate the need for a conventional oven.
Not only can you keep your home cooler in the summer by not using the oven, but you are saving money with reduced energy consumption costs as well.
Time Saver
I don’t know about you, but if I can avoid turning on the oven and having to wait 20 minutes for it to preheat, I’m happy about that. Most air fryer recipes either don’t require that you preheat the fryer – or the preheat time is 5 minutes or less. That is a huge time saver over using the oven.
Take it on the go
I love that the air fryer is compact and easy to take along on trips. We pack ours in our RV and find that air fryer cooking while camping is so much easier than trying to deep fry foods on a small RV stove or camping burner.
Can ham and cheese sliders be made ahead of time?
Absolutely. Because these whip up so fast you can get them all ready and then air fry them just before serving. You can enjoy them cold the next day or just give them a few seconds in the microwave to reheat them if you are short on time. So simple & still just as delicious the next day.
air fryer ham and cheese sandwich
Ingredients for Air Fryer Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Hawaiian rolls – sliced in half
- mayonnaise
- ham – thinly sliced
- mozzarella cheese
- butter – melted
- Dijon mustard
- poppy seeds
- Worcestershire sauce
How to store leftover sliders
If you happen to have any of these sliders leftover after serving – just transfer the remaining sliders to an airtight container. Keep them refrigerated until ready to serve again. To reheat – microwave for about 30-60 seconds or until hot again. You can also place them back into the air fryer and cook for a couple of minutes until they are hot again. Don’t overheat them though- the bread will get hard and undesirable.
cooking sliders in air fryer
How to Make Air Fryer Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Lay the Hawaiian rolls open.
- Spread the mayonnaise on the insides of the rolls.
- Place two pieces of the ham and one slice of the cheese on each slider.
- Put the tops of the rolls on.
- In a small bowl, whisk the melted butter, Dijon mustard, poppy seeds, and Worcestershire sauce together.
- Brush the sauce over top of the sliders.
- Place the sliders in a greased air fryer basket. (or place on a parent or silicone liner)
- Air fry at 300ºF for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Serve and enjoy!
Other Must-Make Slider Recipes
Poppy Seed Ham and Cheese Sliders
Instant Pot Italian Beef Sliders
Brown Sugar Balsamic Pulled Pork Sliders
Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Sliders
Sausage Egg Bacon Cheese Breakfast Sliders
Cheeseburger Sliders with Hawaiian Rolls
sliders in air fryer
Air Frying Doneness Tip
Every air fryer is a bit different and they all cook at different rates – so in general, all cooking times are approximate based on the pan and temperature.
You can always cook the recipe longer if needed and reduce the heat a bit. If needed, you can tent the top if it is browning too much.
What to serve with these sliders
Gameday snacks are our favorite – so the list is long for the recipes that we like to serve alongside these sliders. But here is a shortlist of the recipes that ALWAYS make an appearance with these sliders.
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Wonton Cups
- Sriracha Spiced Almonds
- Homemade Potato Chips
- Hawaiian Havarti Pork Sliders
- 20-Minute Pepper Jelly Meatballs
Hawaiian Sandwich Sliders
How to prevent sticking in the air fryer
Sticking can often happen when using an air fryer. I understand that most would think to add non-stick spray to the basket to prevent this. I strongly encourage you to not do that.
Non-stick spray leaves a coating that won’t come off, even when washed. Over time – this will build up and cause smoking when you use our air fryer.
I also do not recommend putting down a sheet of foil. The idea behind air frying is to allow the air to circulate around the food.
This is why the basket or tray has holes in it. If you put foil down – this prevents the air from reaching all of the areas it needs to in order for it to cook properly.
Instead – I recommend spraying the basket with olive oil using this spray bottle. You can line the air fryer with perforated parchment paper.
Or you can use one of these really great silicone liners that still allow for airflow but are reusable and easily cleanable.
Can these be made without the poppy seeds?
Yes – of course. If you’d like to omit the poppy seeds just leave them out of the buttery mix. No problem with that – but they do add great texture so I highly recommend making them with them at least the first time.
recipe for hand and cheese sliders
I have a bake option and other special features on my air fryer, is that the setting? Or do you put it on “air fry” setting?
All of my recipes were created with an air fryer that had only a temperature & timer setting – since not all air fryers have all the additional settings.
You can use the bake setting when making recipes that you would traditionally bake – but if possible, please just set the temperature & time for this recipe.
Can these be made with another type of roll?
We like to use Hawaiian rolls because of their texture, density, and flavor. The sweetness really compliments the ham. While you can use another type of dinner roll, you will need something that won’t fall apart when you add the butter over the top and will still be sturdy enough to pull apart after baking too.
mini ham and cheese sliders
Would you be able to transport these in a crock pot to keep warm?
I don’t advise using a slow cooker to transport because it will slowly continue to cook the bread, resulting in the bottoms of the sliders being tough to chew. I highly recommend using something like this Wonderbag that can keep the food hot for up to 12 hours.
Can you prepare these and wait to air fry? Or does the bread get too soggy?
As I mentioned above – I would prepare the sliders up to the point of pouring on the sauce. Just mix it & then keep it refrigerated until you are ready to make them. Then pour it on right before you bake.
air fry ham and cheese sandwich
What air fryer do you use?
We actually have 3 air fryers. I have a smaller one from Phillips that we started with. I have since given that to my son since he’s only cooking for 1.
But the more I used the air fryer I realized I really wanted a digital screen. It wasn’t any more expensive, in fact- our XL air fryer from GoWISE was less expensive than the Phillips and I love its ease & extra functions.
Plus it comes with a lot of the extra accessories I like to use when cooking with my fryer.
But I when I started working on my second air fryer book, I wanted to change things up. I picked up this LARGE air fryer that has been wonderful. It has Touch Screen Presets plus it is XL Family Size, which is great!
If you love this recipe – You might also love my air frying cookbook too!
The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook for Two also makes everything fast and easy. Most recipes take 30 minutes or less and they’re designed with simple prep and minimal clean-up in mind. Nutritional information, serving size descriptions, and recipes for vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free are also included. There’s so much to savor.
The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook for Two
Perfectly Portioned Recipes for Healthier Fried Favorites
If you love this easy slider recipe, you’re going to love these other snacks too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Other Air Fryer Dishes
Easy Air Fryer Ravioli
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Air Fryer Ham and Cheese Sliders
Ingredients
- 4 Hawaiian rolls sliced in half
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 8 pieces ham – thinly sliced
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Lay the Hawaiian rolls open.
- Spread the mayonnaise on the insides of the rolls.
- Place two pieces of the ham and one slice of the cheese on each slider.
- Put the tops of the rolls on.
- In a small bowl, whisk the melted butter, Dijon mustard, poppy seeds, and Worcestershire sauce together.
- Brush the sauce over top of the sliders.
- Place the sliders in a greased air fryer basket. (or place on a parent or silicone liner)
- Air fry at 300ºF for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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