Hot Honey Pepperoni Sliders (Printable)
Pepperoni, mozzarella, and spicy-sweet hot honey stacked on fluffy slider buns. Crowd-pleasing comfort food.
# Ingredient List:
→ Slider Base
01 - 12 slider buns or Hawaiian rolls
02 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
→ Pizza Filling
03 - 1 cup marinara or pizza sauce
04 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
05 - 24–36 slices pepperoni
06 - 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend (oregano, basil, thyme)
→ Hot Honey Drizzle
07 - 1/3 cup honey
08 - 1–2 teaspoons hot sauce (Frank's RedHot or Sriracha), adjusted to taste
→ Topping
09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
11 - 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
12 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
02 - Using a serrated knife, slice the slider buns in half horizontally while keeping them connected. Place the bottom halves in the prepared baking dish.
03 - Spread marinara sauce evenly over the bottom bun halves. Sprinkle half the mozzarella over the sauce, then layer pepperoni slices on top. Add the remaining mozzarella and dust with dried Italian herbs.
04 - Place the top halves of the buns over the layered filling, pressing down gently to compress.
05 - Combine melted butter with garlic powder and brush generously over the bun tops. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley if desired.
06 - Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 5 more minutes until the cheese is melted and the tops are golden brown.
07 - While the sliders bake, gently warm the honey in a small saucepan over low heat or in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in the hot sauce until fully combined and set aside.
08 - Remove sliders from the oven and let rest for 2 minutes. Separate into individual sliders with a serrated knife and drizzle generously with warm hot honey before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sweet heat of that honey drizzle turns ordinary slider night into something people will text you about the next day.
- Everything assembles in one pan, which means you get the glory of homemade pizza flavor without dealing with dough or a pizza stone.
02 -
- Do not skip the foil tent, because uncovered sliders dry out before the cheese has time to melt all the way through the center.
- Drizzle the hot honey at the very last second, because if it sits too long the buns get soggy and lose that golden texture you worked for.
03 -
- Leave the sliders connected while baking rather than separating them first, because the shared structure helps the cheese bind everything together into one pull apart masterpiece.
- Taste your hot honey on a spoon before drizzling, because the heat level in hot sauce varies wildly between brands and you cannot fix it once it is already on the buns.