These pizza sliders are one of my favorite appetizers. They’re made on hawaiian rolls and stuffed full of melty cheese, crispy pepperoni cups, spicy hot honey and marinara.
What is Pizza Sliders with Hot Honey and Pepperoni
If you love pizza and King's Hawaiian Rolls, then get ready because you are about to be obsessed with these pizza sliders!
Drenched in tantalizing hot honey and layered with zesty pepperoni, these Pizza Sliders are a carousel of flavors, ready to take your taste buds on a whimsical ride.
Every bite is a melody of textures.
Just imagine this, the crispness of the crust with the ooey-gooeyness of cheese, harmonized by the savory tomato sauce, crispy pepperoni cups and a touch of sweet and spicy hot honey.
To tie it all together, a delicious garlic parmesan butter is brushed on top.
The whole thing is baked until golden and melty -- just waiting for the perfect cheese pull.
These pizza sliders are so good they will have you coming back for more!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Kings Hawaiian Rolls - These are the best. You can use their classic sweet rolls or their savory butter rolls if you're not into the sweet and savory flavor profile.
- Marinara Sauce - You can either make your own or use store bought. I always grab Rao's.
- Low Moisture Mozzarella - I recommend using both forms of mozzarella as they both yield different results. You could also swap the low moisture mozz for something like provolone, fontina or even ricotta.
- Fresh Mozzarella - If you don't have fresh mozzarella, you could just stick to the low moisture variety. You could also use burrata but it might make the sandwiches too wet.
- Pepperoni Cups - Regular pepperoni works just fine but you could also leave it off completely if you don't eat meat.
- Hot Honey - This is also optional but after eating pepperoni pizza with hot honey for almost ten years, I can't live without it!
- Salted Butter - If you don't have salted butter, just add a pinch of salt to your unsalted butter.
- Italian Seasoning - Italian seasoning could be swapped for roasted garlic or fresh/dried oregano.
- Parmigiano - ANy hard aged Italian cheese will work in its place. Try using romano, grana padano or even pecorino.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic is best. I would not recommend substituting it for anything.
How to make it
Making pizza sliders is super easy!
Begin by preheating your oven to 350F degrees.
Spray the bottom of a baking dish with nonstick spray then add the bottom half of the hawaiian rolls.
Add marinara, low moisture mozzarella and fresh mozzarella on top. I recommend shredding the fresh mozzarella by hand.
Now it's time to finish with a solid layer of pepperonis!
Place the whole thing (keeping the top layer of the buns to the side) in the oven and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
While that's getting all hot and bubbly, it's time to start the garlic butter that gets brushed on top.
Do so by stirring together melted butter, garlic, italian seasoning and grated parmesan.
Once the bottom half of the buns are done and the pepperoni has crisped up, remove the baking dish from the oven.
Now add a drizzle of hot honey sauce if you choose and then top it off with the top half of the buns.
At this point, it's time to pour the melted butter mixture on top and brush it around so that each hawaiian roll is coated.
Put them back in the oven and bake for 10 more minutes to crisp up the top buns.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
What goes with Pizza Sliders?
If I were making these pizza sliders for a party, I'd pair them with chips and cherry tomato salsa, some crockpot buffalo chicken dip, or even this black eyed pea dip.
You could also serve this with a big chicken bacon ranch salad or even this kale butternut squash salad.
For dessert, try these strawberry shortcake oreo truffles or these pumpkin muffins using cake mix!
Frequently asked questions
Why do you put hot honey on pizza?
Hot honey on pizza is one of the most delicious toppings you can add. The sweet heat balances out the cheesy salty nature of pizza in the best way possible. If you haven't had it before, you definitely need to try it!
Do you put hot honey on pizza before or after cooking?
You'll definitely want to add hot honey to the pizza after cooking it because it will burn if you do it beforehand.
How do you keep slider buns from getting soggy?
Dodge the dreaded sogginess and keep those slider buns perfectly toasty by slathering on a thin layer of cooking spray or butter. This will help crispy them up while they bake!
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Recipe
Pizza Sliders with Pepperoni & Hot Honey
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pack Original Kings Hawaiian Rolls
- 1 heaping cup Marinara Sauce
- 1 cup Low moisture Mozzarealla shredded
- ½ cup Fresh Mozzarella hand torn
- 2.5 oz Pepperoni Cups
- 3 tablespoon Hot Honey
- ½ stick Salted Butter melted
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ¼ cup Parmesan grated
- 1 teaspoon Garlic chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.
- Spray the bottom of a baking dish with nonstick spray then add the bottom half of the hawaiian rolls.
- Add marinara, low moisture mozzarella and fresh mozzarella on top. Finish with a solid layer of pepperonis.
- Place the baking dish in the oven and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, get the italian butter ready by stirring together melted butter, garlic, italian seasoning and grated parmesan.
- Once the buns are done and the pepperoni has crisped up, remove the bottom half of the buns from the oven.
- Add a drizzle of hot honey followed by the top half of the buns.
- Pour the melted butter mixture on top and brush it around so that each hawaiian roll is coated.
- Put back in the oven and bake for 10 more minutes to crisp up the top buns.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Shelby
Looks amazing! My only question…does the butter that is brushed on top of the buns have garlic in it? It looked like garlic from the video, but it wasn’t on the recipe card.
grilledcheesesocial
Yes!! So sorry it should have been on there! Just updated the recipe. THank you!!