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These Air Fryer ham and cheese sliders are the perfect mini sandwich for a snack, lunch, or as an appetizer for game day. Use up your leftover holiday ham to make these quick sandwiches in your Air Fryer with just a few other pantry staples.
In just 10 minutes, you’ll have a batch of warm, toasty and cheesy sandwiches ready to be devoured! And if you love sandwiches and sliders, also check out my Air Fryer turkey cheese melt and Air Fryer grilled cheese sandwiches.
I love making these small ham and cheese sandwiches with the classic King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls. They’re perfect as a quick lunch with a bowl of tomato soup, nice and hearty dinner with some Air Fryer home fries or just as a game-day appetizer or snack, along with some air fried pigs in a blanket.
Find this recipe along with over 35 others for the ULTIMATE list of Air Fryer Thanksgiving Recipes.
Quick Look At This Recipe
✨ Flavor: Cheesy and smoky.
⏱️ Prep time: 5 minutes.
🔥 Cook time: 10 minutes.
⏲️ Total time: 15 minutes.
👥 Servings: 6 servings.
🥄 Tools: Air Fryer.
❄️ Freezer friendly: No.
👩🏻🍳 Tip: If you’re making a couple of batches of these Air Fryer ham and cheese sliders, the second batch will need slightly less time to cook, thanks to all the preheating.
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Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They’re SO quick and easy to make. Just like my air fried pizza quesadillas, these need just under 10 minutes in the Air Fryer.
- They’re the perfect appetizer to serve at any party or get-together, or even enjoy as a quick dinner when paired with some Air Fryer cheese curds.
- You can play around with the mix-ins and seasonings to your liking!
Recipe Ingredients
- Ham: Salty, savory and hearty! Use your favorite ham or some leftover ham from your holiday dinner.
- Hawaiian-style rolls: Sweet, soft balance the smokiness of the ham with their delicate sweetness.
- Cheese: Cheese slices, for that richness and tang.
- Sauces: I used mayonnaise, some honey mustard and Worcestershire sauce for that perfect blend of savory, tangy and smoky flavor.
- Seasonings: I used a mix of onion powder, garlic powder and poppy seeds. You can also use some homemade everything bagel seasoning if you want some extra yumminess!
- Butter: To help the toppings cling to the rolls, and also for that added richness.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations
- Use Brie cheese slices and some thinly sliced apples along with the ham to make delicious ham, Brie and apple sliders.
- For a tangy and crunchy twist, use Swiss cheese and some pickle slices.
- You can also use Cheddar cheese slices and some pickled or fresh jalapenos to make some delicious spicy ham and cheese sliders. Sometimes, when I have my air fried Shishito peppers leftover, I use them too!
How to Make Air Fryer Ham and Cheese Sliders
Start by preheating your Air Fryer to 300°F.
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter with the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and poppy seeds.
- Slice the Hawaiian rolls in half. Spread mustard on one side of the roll and mayonnaise on the other. Arrange the bottom halves in the Air Fryer basket in a single layer. Fold the cheese slices and cut them in half, then top them on the roll.
- Now, add the ham slices on top of the cheese.
- Finally, top with the other half of the Hawaiian roll, then brush the tops with the butter mixture.
- Air fry at 300°F (150°C) for 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the tops are golden brown.
- Allow them to cool slightly and serve.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Team up these Air Fryer ham and cheese sliders with some classic Air Fryer seasoned French fries or my favorite Air Fryer frozen curly fries. They also taste fantastic when paired with some classic Air Fryer tomatoes or Air Fryer fried green tomatoes.
And if you’re whipping these up as a game day appetizer, pair them with some Air Fryer pizza bombs, cheesy Air Fryer nachos, a nice Air Fryer spinach artichoke dip and some crispy Air Fryer tortilla chips.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- To prevent the rolls from getting soggy, lightly toast them in the Air Fryer for a couple of minutes before you slather on the sauces.
- To keep the cheese from dripping in the Air Fryer basket and making a mess, consider lining it with parchment paper or foil before you arrange the rolls.
- You can also layer some air fried peppers and onions along with the ham and cheese to bulk up the ham and cheese sliders.
- If you don’t have Hawaiian rolls at hand, you can make do with some Air Fryer frozen dinner rolls for the base- or even better- check out how to make Air Fryer rolls from scratch, and use them for the recipe!
- You can also swap the ham for roast beef, shredded chicken or any other deli meat of your choice. I love using some of my leftover air fried chicken cutlets instead of ham whenever I have them at hand.
Recipe FAQs
Store your leftover ham and cheese sliders in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Cover them up in foil or use an airtight container to keep them fresh.
To reheat these, simply transfer them to your Air Fryer basket and cook at 300°F for 3-5 minutes until warm.
Yes, you can! Simply assemble them (without the butter mixture), wrap them up in foil and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours. Then, arrange them in the Air Fryer basket, top with the butter mixture and cook for a couple of extra minutes.
More Air Fryer Ham Recipes
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Air Fryer Ham and Cheese Sliders
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 package Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, one dozen
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup honey mustard
- 12 slices ham
- 6 slices swiss cheese
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 300°F (150°C).
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter with the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and poppy seeds.
- Cut the Hawaiian Rolls in half. Spread mustard on one side of the roll and mayonnaise on the other side.
- Place the bottom halves of the rolls into the air fryer basket in a single layer. Fold the cheese slices and cut them in half before adding them to the roll.
- Add the ham slices on top of the cheese.
- Top with the other half of the Hawaiian roll, then brush the tops with the butter and seasoning mixture.
- Air fry at 300°F (150°C) for 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the tops are golden brown.
Video
Notes
- Lightly toast the rolls to prevent sogginess before using.
- Consider changing up the flavors with different meats, cheeses, sauces, and seasonings.
- I have a basket style Air Fryer so if you have a rack, place the rolls on a baking sheet that will fit in your Air Fryer.
- Wattage and size of Air Fryer may change the cooking time. Adjust the cooking time as needed until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
