These delicious Pizza Sliders are loaded with layers of sliced pepperoni, marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, all in a buttery garlic herb slider buns. Baked briefly in the oven until the tops are golden brown and the cheese are melted, you will not believe how easy, flavorful and fun this recipe is!
These pull-apart pepperoni pizza sliders make the best party and game day appetizer and snack, or a quick and yummy weeknight dinner. They are well loved by adults and kids alike, and also reheat well as leftovers.
Love fun party foods? Be sure to also check out Roasted Garlic Bread Dip, Turkey Pinwheels, Crispy Baked BBQ Chicken Wings, and Ham and Cheese Crescent Roll-Ups!
Oven Baked Pepperoni Pizza Sliders
Think of these pizza sliders as pizza but baked with sandwich buns or rolls instead pizza dough.
In many ways, it’s pretty much a pizza sandwich, but with savory sweet fluffy Hawaiian rolls. Which, in my personal opinion, makes the BEST sliders. It’s pizza…without the hassle of the dough!
Italian Sliders, Chicken Parmesan Sliders and Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders are made in a similar style as well. I love all of them so much it’s hard to pick a favorite!
Our pizza slider is loaded with classic components of a pizza: marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. They are however highly customizable, so feel free to go wild and add your favorite pizza toppings to it. For inspiration, check out the different ways you can switch it up under the ‘Variations’ section below.
As we are heading into game day season (who’s excited for Super Bowl?), pizza sliders also make the perfect shareable game day food and appetizer. Seriously, it’s the easiest thing to eat and make for a lot of hungry people!
Why you will love this pizza sliders recipe:
- Quick and easy: it’s an easy one-pan meal that’s ready in 25 minutes. If you want an easier cleanup, line that pan!
- Minimal ingredients: you need 7 pantry-friendly ingredients to make these pepperoni pizza sliders. THEY’RE SO TASTY.
- Everyone’s favorite pizza flavors: it’s like eating pizza without the dough! Enjoy all your pizza favorite flavors with ready-made buns!
- Easy to serve and eat: slider buns are the perfect size for enjoying pizza toppings in your hands! It’s a great grab-and-go option for anyone wanting a quick and simple snack or even dinner.
Ingredients
Let’s start off with the ingredients we will need to make these pepperoni pizza sliders!
- Slider buns – I’m a huge fan of Hawaiian rolls because I personally think the slight sweetness from the rolls take the pizza slider experience to a whole new level. Any type of dinner rolls work great too!
- Pepperoni – you can also use salami or a different cured meat.
- Mozzarella cheese – shred-your-own option melts much better, but pre-shredded can be used in a pinch
- Marinara sauce – any of your favorite marinara sauce or pizza sauce will work great! Use homemade marinara sauce if you prefer!
- Butter – salted butter is preferred, or unsalted butter + a pinch of salt. Butter should be softened or melted so that it can be mixed easily.
- Garlic powder – this is to be mixed with butter and brushed on to the tops of the slider buns. You can use fresh minced garlic if you’d like
- Oregano – this too will be mixed in the compound butter with garlic powder. Italian seasoning can also be used in place of oregano.
- Cooking oil – used to grease the sheet pan to prevent sliders from sticking.
How to Make Pizza Sliders
Pizza sliders are the perfect finger food for any party or gathering, or if you’re wondering what to do with dinner tonight!
They are so incredibly tasty, easy to make, budget-friendly, and uses simple easy-to-find ingredients. What more can you want?!
Here’s how we are going to make these pepperoni pizza sliders.
Make Garlic Herb Butter Compound
Bring together softened salted butter with garlic powder and oregano. Mix to form a butter mixture.
Assemble Sliders
Grab a baking sheet or rectangular baking dish and grease with non stick spray or brush with cooking oil.
Slice Hawaiian rolls in half lengthwise, and place the bottoms of the rolls onto the greased baking sheet or rectangular baking dish.
Assemble the pizza sliders by spreading marinara sauce on the bottom half of the sliders, then topping with mozzarella cheese.
Next place a few layers of sliced pepperoni on top of the cheese, then place the tops of the slider rolls on pepperoni.
Brush the tops of the dinner rolls with garlic herb butter mixture, and your pizza sliders are now ready to be baked!
Bake in the preheated oven at 400℉ for 7-8 minutes until the bread is golden brown on the outside and cheese inside melts.
Bake time will vary depending on the type of sliders used. If the tops are burned but the cheese is not melted, cover with aluminum foil and let it continue to bake.
Remove your pizza sliders from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes, and be very proud of what you have accomplished to create this delicious meal with little time and effort on your end!
Soft, buttery rolls loaded with gooey melted mozzarella, savory pepperoni, and rich marinara sauce. Baked until golden brown and pull-apart perfect.
They’re basically pizza night in handheld, crowd-pleasing form.
Variations and Substitutions
There are unlimited ways to customize these pizza sliders to make them completely YOUR own! Make them repeatedly using different ingredients to switch things up!
- Other pizza toppings: use your favorite pizza toppings in addition or in place of pepperoni such as black olives, bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, banana peppers, Canadian bacon, sausage, bacon etc. Note that some items need to be pre-cooked/sautéed before adding to the sliders.
- Other cheese: other pizza friendly cheeses such as provolone, parmesan etc. You can also top your slider with parmesan cheese.
- Other sauces: Use pesto or ranch/white sauce in place of the marinara. Delicious!
Pro tip: When adding a lot more ingredients to your pizza sliders, you may need to increase the baking time by a 1-3 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it bakes should that be the case! to ensure you get melty cheese but not overbaked buns.
Making Ahead, Storage and Reheating
You can make ahead these pizza sliders by:
- Assemble pizza sliders ahead of time if desired, about up to a day, cover and refrigerate. No need to bake.
- Fully assemble and bake pizza sliders, store in air tight container and and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, bring pizza sliders to room temperature (for about an hour). If it wasn’t fully prepared, bake according to baking instructions.
If it was already baked, cover with aluminum foil and reheat in the oven at 350℉ for 10-15 minutes, or place a piece of damp paper towel on top before reheating in the microwave to prevent the bread from drying out.
Tips and Tricks
- Grease the pan: Whether you use a sheet pan or a baking dish, make sure to grease it before placing the slider buns on there to prevent sticking.
- Line pan for easy cleanup: Line with aluminum foil or parchment paper and have one less dish to wash!
- Don’t go too heavy with sauces: Use sauce sparingly to prevent a soggy bun. You can always dip the buns in more sauce later!
- Soften butter: Make sure butter is soft so that it is easier to be mixed in to create the garlic butter mixture.
- Cook time may vary: Depending on the type of buns/rolls used, you may need to adjust the cook time up or down, or cover halfway.
- Avoid burning the tops: If buns are browning too quickly, cover sliders with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
- Get the neatest slice: Let the sliders cool for a bit after removing from oven to get the neatest slice cut.
Frequently Asked Questions
Generally, you do not need to pre-cook olives, mushrooms, onions, or other vegetables, but you can sauté them should you prefer to get a softer texture or a more caramelized flavor. It’s your preference.
Yes, any meat other than ham and bacon bits should be pre-cooked before assembling into these pizza sliders.
Avoid overstuffing and also use less sauce. You can also serve more sauce on the side.
You can but the consistency might differ. If buns are warmed too long in the microwave, their texture becomes rubbery. If you heat them too short, cheese may not be melted completely. Helpful tips if you want to warm these pizza sliders in the microwave:
Place a piece of damp paper towel on top before warming. It definitely helps keep the moisture in!
After warming, either eat your pizza sliders within the hour or store in airtight containers. Do not leave them out in the open on the kitchen counter.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
More Fun Party Food!
- Crispy Baked Potato Skin
- Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos
- Sausage and Cheese Puff Pastry Pockets
- Chipotle Chicken Tostadas
- Crispy Beef Tacos
- Spinach Pinwheels
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
Pizza Sliders
Equipment
Ingredients
Sliders
- 12 slider buns or dinner rolls
- 4 oz deli sliced pepperoni
- 1-2 cups mozzarella shredded
- ½ cup marinara
- cooking oil
Compound Butter
- ¼ cup salted butter softened
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp oregano
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- In a small bowl, make garlic butter compound by adding softened butter, garlic powder, and oregano. Mix until fully combined. Set aside.
- Prepare sheet pan by lightly greasing with cooking oil.
- Slice slider buns in half length wise.
- Place the bottom side of the slider buns onto the sheet pan. Layer with marinara sauce, pepperoni slices, and shredded cheese. Top with top side of the slider buns.
- Using a pastry brush, generously brush the tops of the slider buns with the garlic butter compound.
- Bake in oven 7-8 minutes or until golden brown. Cook time may vary so check to make sure the tops are not burned.
- Remove from oven. Cool slightly. Cut into individual sliders.
- Serve and enjoy!
