roast beef horseradish party sliders;

Originally posted September 12, 2016. Updated November 6, 2026 for content and clarity.

Roast beef horseradish party sliders are the perfect bulk-made, insanely delicious sandwiches that are perfect sliders for any gathering. Sweet hawaiian rolls are the base, quick and easy, and sliced as one big block of bread to keep things quick and easy. Layer on cheese, caramelized onions, roast beef, and a generous smear of horseradish aioli for a delicious, tangy bite!

Plus, as an added bonus, roast beef horseradish party sliders are easy to make ahead, but by baking them for a few minutes before serving, they’re warm and fresh for your guests! Besides, in addition to the delicious combination of flavors, they’re hearty little appetizers to keep folks full and satisfied. These, along with bloomin’ cheesy pull-apart bread were on the menu for my 25th birthday bash (…more than a few years ago now). But these are still on the regular party rotation, or honestly, I just make them for dinner when I’m in need of easy comfort food!

The only cooking comes in with the caramelized onions, really. Slice those onions thinly, and add them to a hot pan with butter. Caramelizing onions typically takes a lo-ong time to really render them down to the brilliant golden color of the best caramelized onions. I’m not going to lie, I rarely do that for this recipe.

For roast beef horseradish party sliders, I’m looking for flavor and convenience, and it just doesn’t make sense to push the onions around the pan for 30-60+ minutes. I have a few tips to shorten the cooking time and get your roast beef horseradish party sliders out to your guests ASAP! Of course, like I said, making them the day before is key. You’ll be less rushed, and can give the onions the time they need.

Microwave your sliced onions to speed up the browning and caramelization once they hit the stovetop.

secret to success

In addition to some up-front preparation, I have two more tips. One is to microwave your sliced onions before cooking. Microwave for 5-10 minutes (they will steam and heat), but that release of moisture will help speed up the browning and caramelization process when you get them on the stove.

The second hack is simply to bypass the traditional caramelization process…and add a bit of sugar. Adding a Tbsp of sugar to your pan will add sweetness without the time investment to naturally caramelize the onion. Whether or not you use sugar, be sure not to skip the salt! The salt also helps draw out moisture from the onions, and adds to the savory umami flavor that develops.

To cheat the traditional caramelization process…add a quick sprinkle of sugar.

secret to success

While you spend a lot of time on the onions, the rest of the sliders are important too! When it comes to cheese, pick your favorite, although I think colby jack or cheddar are my favorite choices. Provolone and swiss are also solid options. I prefer to shred my cheese as shredded from the block tends to have the best melting qualities, but to cut out another labor-intensive step, just go for pre-sliced cold cut cheese and layer it on with the roast beef.

Hawaiian rolls add a sweetness, and I typically go for just the classic, traditional Hawaiian dinner rolls. They make the perfect sliders. But if you can find them, the jalapeno hawaiian rolls also amp up the flavor another notch! (Alternatively, slice jalapenos fresh or use some pickled jalapenos.) Definitely optional, they’ll be just as good without, but it does add another layer of kick if you like spice.

Amp up your roast beef horseradish party sliders with jalapeno hawaiian rolls, or add your own fresh or picked jalapenos to your sandwich.

secret to success

I happened to find jalapeno Hawaiian rolls which was a really cool addition of flavor to these bad boys. I’d never seen jalapeno Hawaiian rolls before, plus they were on sale, so of course I grabbed them!  Definitely would use again if I could find them, but if not, don’t let that stop you from making these!  They’d be just as good without, I promise. Or if you want that extra heat (you can taste it in the bread but it’s only a touch of heat), then just improvise with adding jalapeños or jalapeno pickling juice to the mayo!

The horseradish sauce is simply a creamed horseradish combined with mayo and seasonings. It’s packed full of flavor so you don’t need a lot, especially considering the combination of flavorful ingredients on this sandwich!

The original inspiration for these roast beef horseradish party sliders came from Real Housemoms, but don’t limit yourself to roast beef! Honestly, this method to slice and prep party-ready sliders would apply to pretty much any filling. Try it with buffalo chicken or pesto and sundried tomato chicken salad for some different flavors, or even go classic ham and swiss! (To make ham & swiss even easier to eat, check out these stuffed ham and swiss biscuit bombs.)

Just make sure to add cheese to whatever filling you’ve got. The cheese really helps hold the sliders together and make them convenient finger food at a party. When serving, also remember to take a sharp serrated knife to cut the sandwiches into individual sliders before serving. Otherwise you’ll get a whole lot of messy goo trying to yank one from the pan.

And if you ask me, the horseradish aioli is what makes these party sliders sing! The gentle bite really brings out the flavors and helps cut the richness of the onions, cheese, and roast beef. It’s just a simply mixture of a few ingredients. Classic aioli is made with mayonnaise, but if you want to lighten these up a little, plain greek yogurt works well too! Personally, I can taste the difference if I swap out mayo for greek yogurt 1:1, so usually I’ll do a split (1-1½ Tbsp mayonnaise to yogurt). You still get the taste of mayonnaise, but lightened up in calories and richness!

secrets to success;

Want all the best tips and tricks to make this recipe a success? Check out the blog post above to find out more!

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more recipes;

Looking for other quick and easy recipes to host a party? Check out these scrum-didlee-umptious (but easy) options!

• This easy set-and-forget appetizer is always a crowd favorite! If you’ve never tried it, jelly on meatballs may sound a little odd, but I promise they’ll be a hit! Crockpot jelly bbq meatballs;
• Brown sugar bacon wrapped water chestnuts are some of my favorite appetizers. Each little bite is so satisfying with smoky bacon, crisp water chestnuts, and a sweet sticky glaze.
• You can never go wrong with cheese! Brie en croute is forever a staple in our home. Soft, creamy brie cheese wrapped in jelly and puff pastry. Every bite’s a party in your mouth!