Are you looking for a yummy new recipe to make this week? These Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders are just the thing!
They’re loaded with sliced turkey breast, thick-cut bacon, white cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and seasoning with mustard. Enjoy these as a light meal alongside coleslaw, fries, or a salad . These sliders can also just as easily be served up as tasty snacks and party appetizers to keep your guests happy and busy or added to lunchboxes!
Recipe Tips:
- This recipe yields 12 sliders and most people usually eat about 2 sliders each. You can easily double or triple the recipe to feed a larger crowd!
- It’s best to brown the butter and the flour a bit for flavor before you add the milk to the mixture. When adding the milk, stir it in slowly to avoid any lumps from forming.
- I used ripe, garden fresh tomatoes in this recipe since they have the best flavor. Sprinkling a small amount of salt and pepper over the tomatoes tends to enhance the flavor even more.
Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
- Add the flour, about 1⁄2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, ground mustard, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring with a spatula, until a paste forms and begins to brown.
- Drizzle milk in, one tablespoon at a time, whisking mixture constantly. When all the milk has been added, the white sauce should be smooth.
- Bring sauce to a low boil, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat.
- Add grated cheese to the sauce and whisk until completely melted and smooth. Set sauce aside.
- Slice the full sheet of Hawaiian rolls in half and set the top section aside. Place bottoms of rolls into prepared baking dish.
- Cover the roll bottoms with 2-3 layers of sliced turkey breast.
- Top the turkey breast layer with tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Liberally spoon the cheese sauce over the tomato layer.
- Top cheese sauce with a thick layer of bacon and then the remaining turkey breast.
- Place the tops of the rolls over the prepared sliders. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and use a pastry brush to brush generously over the tops of the rolls.
- Sprinkle with poppy seeds.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and cook for about 5 minutes longer or until the tops of the rolls are toasted and golden brown. Lift cooked sliders from the baking dish by the parchment/aluminum lining. Slice apart.
HOW SHOULD I STORE KENTUCKY HOT BROWN SLIDERS?
- These Kentucky hot brown sliders can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Thaw frozen sliders overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven, covered with aluminum foil.
WHAT VARIATIONS CAN I MAKE TO THESE SLIDERS?
- These sliders are delicious as is but if you want to alter the recipe, then have a look at my suggestions below:
- Substitute cheddar cheese for Gruyere cheese or add Parmesan as well. You could also layer sliced cheese in these sandwiches but then I suggest keeping the aluminum foil over the rolls a little longer so that the cheese has sufficient time to fully melt.
- Chop the bacon into pieces instead of leaving them as slices.
- Add some Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce to your sliders. This is a great option if you have any leftovers from a holiday gathering.
- Add pickled jalapeños in between the meat and cheese for some heat.
WHAT CAN I SERVE WITH KENTUCKY HOT BROWN SLIDERS?
- Sliders are always delicious to pair with the following foods if you want to make it into a more substantial meal as opposed to an appetizer or snack:
Looking for more free recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 12 count pkg Hawaiian rolls
- 8 tablespoons salted butter divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups grated white cheddar cheese
- 1 pound oven-roasted turkey breast sliced
- 2-3 medium tomatoes
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon cooked
- Poppy seeds for topping sliders
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
- Add the flour, about 1⁄2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, ground mustard, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring with a spatula, until a paste forms and begins to brown.
- Drizzle milk in, one tablespoon at a time, whisking mixture constantly. When all the milk has been added, the white sauce should be smooth.
- Bring sauce to a low boil, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat.
- Add grated cheese to the sauce and whisk until completely melted and smooth. Set sauce aside.
- Slice the full sheet of Hawaiian rolls in half and set the top section aside. Place bottoms of rolls into prepared baking dish.
- Cover the roll bottoms with 2-3 layers of sliced turkey breast.
- Top the turkey breast layer with tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Liberally spoon the cheese sauce over the tomato layer.
- Top cheese sauce with a thick layer of bacon and then the remaining turkey breast.
- Place the tops of the rolls over the prepared sliders. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and use a pastry brush to brush generously over the tops of the rolls.
- Sprinkle with poppy seeds.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and cook for about 5 minutes longer or until the tops of the rolls are toasted and golden brown.
- Lift cooked sliders from the baking dish by the parchment/aluminum lining. Slice apart.
Monica Corp says
You say to add the milk one T at a time whisking constantly until all milk is added. There is no milk in the ingredient list, so how much would “all the milk” be?
Corey says
I am so sorry about that. The ingredient line got cut off for some reason. It is 1 cup. I have added it back in.
Shaye Dunn says
How much milk? Not listed in the ingredients list.
Corey says
I am so sorry Shaye, It is 1 cup, that line got cut off. I re added it back in. Thanks for catching that.