Sweet, buttery and cheesy this Cuban slider recipe is the BEST make ahead dinner, tailgating bite or movie night snack. This make-ahead sandwich will be a family favorite!
Like my recipe for Sticky Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip, Cuban Sliders are perfect for tailgating!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
You will love this the Cubano Sandwich! They will be the first thing gone on the buffet. Cuban Sliders are sweet, buttery, salty, tangy, spicy, cheesy and amazing!
This is an easy make sandwich. Super yummy and great as an appetizer or main dish!
🗒️ Ingredients
For the exact measurements, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Hawaiian Sweet Rolls - If you don't have Hawaiian Rolls available, potato rolls would be a great substitute! You're looking for a soft roll, not one with a firm crust.
- sliced ham - you could use pork roast as well. I prefer the saltiness of the ham.
- dill pickles - no substitute here, need that briny bite!
- Swiss and cheddar cheese - you can substitute coldly jack or mozzarella for the cheddar, Swiss cheese is a must have ingredient for the Cuban Hawaiian Sliders.
- melted butter, yellow or dijon mustard, cumin, pepper, salt, garlic powder - for the butter sauce
- poppy seeds
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions for the Cuban Hawaiian Sandwiches. For the complete directions just scroll down to the bottom!
- Prepare the butter sauce - melt the butter, add the spices and seasoning.
- Pour ⅓ of the sauce to the bottom of a baking dish.
- Slice the buns in half. Slather both sides of the buns with mustard. Put the bottom half in the butter baking dish.
- Pile on sliced cheese, ham, pickles. Top with Swiss Cheese, add the top of the slider bun.
- Finish by pouring the remaining butter sauce over the sliders. Cover and refrigerate.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is hot and gooey and the top is golden brown!
This recipe checks all of those boxes!
🙋♀️ FAQ's
Typically with sliced ham and pork, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickled - then pressed or grilled until crispy and the cheese is melted.
Unless you're lucky enough to have a latino bakery nearby look for a soft French roll or Italian roll. For the sliders the Hawaiian rolls are perfect!
Which ever is your preference, either way is delicious!
👍 Tips
Serve hot right out of the oven, thee are amazing! Or serve the mini Cuban Sandwiches at room temperature. I've enjoyed them both ways and they are delicious. That's why these are great for tailgating and great for the big game!
- For best flavor, use high quality deli ham and cheese.
- Pickles can be sliced or you can use pickle chips, which ever you prefer.
Related Recipes
If you're looking for more party food to serve with the Cuban pork sandwiches. here are a few more recipes for tailgating.
- Pizza Bombs! Whether you make them vegetarian and filled with onions, peppers, olives and cheese or stuffed with your favorite meaty pizza toppings these are always a hit! Serve with heated marinara sauce.
- Asian Turkey Sliders or Pulled Pork Sliders - SO easy and SO good! Both are topped with a yummy Asian slaw!
- Deviled Egg Sliders - like a mini egg salad sandwich - delicious!
🤔 What I've learned
I have some high standards when it comes to game day food.
- It has to taste fabulous with BIG flavor.
- It can be eaten with your hands while watching TV or tailgating in a parking lot.
- Make-ahead is a must (because I ain't gonna be in the kitchen during the game).
- They have to be easy.
When you make this please comment below and let me know what you think! I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @bowl_me_over or #bowlmeover - so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating!
Cuban Slider Recipe
Cuban Sliders Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package slider rolls (I used Hawaiian rolls - 12 roll package)
- 24 slices ham thinly sliced
- 12 slices Swiss cheese
- 6 slices cheddar cheese
- 1-2 dill pickles thinly sliced
- Butter Sauce
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp pepper sauce (I used tabasco sauce)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsps poppy seeds
- yellow mustard
Instructions
- Prepare the butter sauce - melt the butter, add the spices and seasoning. Add about a third of the sauce to the bottom of a baking pan.
- Slice the slider buns in half. Slather mustard on both sides of the sliced buns. Put the bottom half of the bun in the buttered baking dish.
- Top the bottom half of each bun with ½ slice of cheddar, 2 pieces of thinly sliced deli ham, sliced pickles and top with Swiss cheese. Finish by adding the top of the bun.
- Brush the remainder of the sauce over the top of the buns. Cover with foil. While you're covering, press down lightly to bind the ingredients. Tuck in the refrigerator for four hours or even better - overnight.
- Remove the pan from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for 15 minutes. Before baking loosen the foil from the top of the buns (that way they do not stick when you remove the foil after baking).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Remove the foil and return the pan back to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Nutrition
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Don't worry, we'll never share your email.Recipe backstory
At any given time there are at least two jars of dill pickles in our refrigerator. I'm obsessed with pickles. I'm not sure why?
When I first saw a recipe for a Cuban sandwich with a big slice of dill pickle
I first got the idea to turn this sandwich into a slider when we were home for Thanksgiving a few years back. I developed the recipe there. Served it up to my entire family (for the first time) and got their unanimous stamp of approval.
When I was a teenager my summer job was working at Steinfeld's Pickle Plant in Portland Oregon. So you'd think after wearing blisters on my thumbs from packing cucumbers into jars, I'd be sick of them.
But no. I eat pickles every day, sometimes several a day. I probably need to seek help! 🤣
Published February 2, 2017 - Updated May 25, 2021
