Make Ahead Pepperoni Pizza Sliders are a super easy and fun way to serve pizza. I’m not sure which I fell in love with first, the extra cheesy fillings, or the crispy Italian topping on the bread! Either way these are a winner with kids and adults!
I have grown to love sliders. In fact, Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders and Hot Breakfast Egg and Cheese Sliders and two of the most popular recipes on my blog. I totally understand why too.
- Sliders can be made ahead, that’s a big deal to me, especially if I am serving them for a party.
- You can make enough to feed an army, or a fifteen year old and his friends which can feel like feeding an army, or you can make just one for you.
- These sliders are so easy to make that I think my kids can do it themselves!
- Since I use frozen rolls, and I freeze pepperoni and grated mozzarella cheese, I always have the ingredients on hand.
Cut rolls in half. Put the bottom halves of rolls in a greased baking sheet or pan. Start the inside goodness by layering pizza sauce, grated mozzarella cheese or slices, and pepperoni slices.
And more cheese!
Set the tops of the rolls on the last cheese layer. Make a little Italian garlic butter concoction and brush it over the tops of the rolls. The tops of these sliders are like eating a cheesy bread stick! It’s icing on the cake, or something like that. Whatever it is, it’s GOOD!
I asked my boys to tell me all the foods they want to eat while watching the big game this weekend. Loaded tater skins, shrimp, pizza, and bean dip were on the list. I’m going to give them at least one of the foods they listed and it’s going to be pepperoni pizza, in slider form.
- Rolls (I actually use bake frozen rolls and use those most of the time.)
- Pizza sauce or marinara sauce
- Pepperoni slices
- Grated, or sliced mozzarella cheese
- Olives, peppers, onions, mushrooms, sausage, etc. (optional toppings)
- ¼ c. butter
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 2 T. Parmesan cheese
- sea salt
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cut rolls in half. Set bottom halves in a greased baking pan.
- Spread pizza, or marinara sauce on the rolls in the pan.
- Sprinkle a layer of grated cheese or a slice of cheese over marinara.
- Layer pepperoni slices over cheese.
- Add another layer of cheese.
- Add the top parts of the rolls.
- Melt butter. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, and a little salt. Stir to combine.
- Brush over the tops of the sliders.
- You can either refrigerate at this point or bake.
- If you are baking immediately, bake for about 10 minutes. You want the insides to be nice and gooey and the tops to be golden brown. If the rolls get too brown before the insides are baked, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking until insides are melted.
- If you are baking later, cover sliders with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for about 10 more minutes. If cheese still isn’t melted and the tops are golden brown, recover with aluminum foil and bake a little longer.
Because every kid, and adult, loves pizza here’s some more scrumptious pizza ideas
Gooey pizza perfection in minutes! Pepperoni Pizza Sliders!
All the yumminess of pizza in a cute little bite! Pizza Pinwheels!
Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders! Incredibly delicious!
Amy, these look delicious! We both share a love from easy, tasty food!
Quick Question – you mentioned you used baked frozen rolls. Is there a particular roll you prefer – Rhodes Rolls? Do you pre-bake them and just leave them in the freezer when you want a slider? If so, do you pull them straight of the freezer and assemble them with the toppings and pop in the oven without thawing the rolls?
I’m all about easy so I thought I’d find out what’s worked well for you in the rolls regard.
Thanks for sharing your talents with us!
Denise
Of course it’s all about easy recipes! Who has time for anything else? I buy Rhodes Rolls and leave them frozen until I’m ready to use them. I bake them according to the instructions on the package, let them cool, then proceed with the rest of the recipe. Sometimes I freeze the pizza sliders after they are baked and then pull them out of the freezer on super busy nights, or to stick in the boys lunchboxes.
Thanks for your reply and tips, Amy! I hope you’re doing well.
Have you ever frozen these? I am looking for meals to make ahead and freeze for vacation. Do you think that would work for this recipe!
I’m glad you asked. I make huge batches of these and freeze them. My kids love taking them to school in their lunches. It works perfect because their teachers have microwaves for the kids to use! It’s nice to know I have dinner all ready in the freezer if I need it too!
What is your process if you freeze them? I’m assuming you freeze before baking, correct? Then, can they be baked immediately out of the freezer or do they need to be thawed first? How long? Looking to make a big batch to freeze ahead.
Hi Meggan! I usually bake them before I freeze them so my boys can pack them in their lunches for school or microwave them one at a time later on. You can freeze them before baking but I like to be able to grab one at a time so I bake them first! Either way, they are a lifesaver on busy days!
What type of frozen rolls do you use for your sliders?
I always use Rhodes Rolls if I’m using frozen rolls. Of course you could skip the baking the rolls step and just buy rolls that are already baked if you wanted to. Since I live so far from the grocery store I end up using Rhodes because I always have them on hand!
Thank you so much for these great ideas!!
Hope you enjoy them!
I need a kid friendly, make ahead vegetarian sandwich to serve at a birthday party. Could I do this with just cheese and sauce…maybe mushrooms or spinach?
The recipe sounds like the ham and cheese baked Hawaiian bun recipe I’ve used before…does it come out in a similar way? thanks so much
Oh man…I’m not very good at vegetarian because we love meat! I do love veggies though and I’m thinking a mushroom and cheese slider would be yummy! If kids liked sauteed onions you could add those too!
Hello Amy,
I have a bunch of Hawaiian Rolls I was planning on using for something else. I’m having a 40th birthday party for my husband. These sound delicious, however, if I make them. Are they good sitting out for awhile or is it something that should be eaten right away? Hate to make them and they get all soggy etc.
If you have a better suggestion on what to make, I’m open for that as well 🙂
Thanks in advance!
Hi Melissa! Happy Birthday to your husband! I make these in advance all the time. When I make them for parties I assemble them in advance and put them in the fridge until it’s time to party. When you are ready for your party all that’s left is sticking them in the oven and baking them. They will come out perfect! Good luck!
Amy, how long and what power level do you thaw them in the microwave. Sometimes they come out mushy if not heated right in the microwave. I want to make some and put in freezer
Hi Carrie! My boys pack these in their school lunches several times a week! Of course I’m not there to see how long they are microwaving them. I would suggest 30 seconds at full power, rotate it and microwave for another 30 seconds. Every microwave seems to heat a little differently so you might have to adjust times for you microwave! It’s a lifesaver to have them in the freezer for crazy days!
What type of frozen rolls do you use?!
Actually I saw that you already replied to this question! Sorry! Do you prefer pizza sauce or marinara and what brand?!
Hi Kelsey! I can my own pizza sauce in the summer and that’s what I always use! It’s a little thinner than store bought pizza sauces so I think if I was going to use store bought I’d stick with marinara!
Is it Rhodes yeast rolls you use?
Yes. I almost always use Rhodes rolls because I always have them stocked in my freezer and they are yummy!
These are a hit with my grandkids. I’ve made them 3 times in the last week and I can’t see it letting up soon. Thank-you so much for this wonderfully good recipe!
Kids always go crazy for Pepperoni Pizza Sliders and I love them because they are so easy to make! Enjoy those grandkids!
Such an awesome idea! Made these for the kids, and they loved them! I made with pepperoni slices, and half the pan, I added fresh spinach to as well. What a hit! The only drawback for us was that the bottom was more soggy than we expected. Maybe next time, we will toast the pan of bottom buns first before assembling. Kudos!
Mmmm! Adding spinach is a such a great idea! I bet the kids gobble it right up! Toasting the bottom buns first will probably help with the soggy issue a bit. I guess we haven’t really noticed it being a problem before! Glad you enjoyed them!