These Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders are a Derby Day staple around here, and honestly a great weeknight dinner any time of year. Sweet Hawaiian rolls are loaded with turkey, crispy bacon, and Gruyere, then covered in a garlic butter sauce and baked until golden and melty. They always disappear fast!
More Sliders
Before You Get Started
A few things that make a real difference with this recipe:
- Don’t skip the chill time. Refrigerating the assembled sliders for at least 2 hours (up to 8) lets the rolls soak up all that buttery goodness before baking. Put them together in the morning and bake at dinnertime.
- Use Gruyere if you can. It melts beautifully and adds a slightly nutty flavor that really captures the spirit of the original Hot Brown. Swiss works in a pinch, but Gruyere is worth seeking out.
⇢ Consider doubling the sauce. Plenty of readers do this, and I do too. If you want every bite well coated, a double batch is a welcome upgrade.
⭐️ Looking for More Like This?
Check out our Easy Hot Sandwiches and Melts collection for more ideas.
What Is a Kentucky Hot Brown?
The classic Kentucky Hot Brown is an open-face turkey and bacon sandwich from Louisville’s Brown Hotel, smothered in a rich Mornay sauce (essentially a creamy béchamel with Gruyere and Parmesan).
It’s a Derby Day tradition, but not exactly easy party food. These sliders take all the same flavors and tuck them inside sweet Hawaiian rolls with a garlic butter sauce, so you can eat them with your hands. They’ve got the same spirit, and they’re a lot more practical!
How to Make Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders
These come together quickly. The hands-on time is short, so just leave yourself a window for the chill time before baking.
Step 1: Assemble the Sliders
Split the rolls and spread mayonnaise on each bottom half.
Layer on the turkey, then the bacon (break it in half or thirds to fit), a few diced pimentos or tomato slices, half a slice of Gruyere, and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
Replace the tops and arrange the sliders in a single layer in a greased 11×7-inch baking dish.
⇢ Pimento vs. tomato: Pimentos are the classic Hot Brown touch. They add a mild, slightly sweet flavor without watering down the sandwich. Tomatoes work well too, especially in summer. Either way, use a light hand so the sliders don’t get soggy.
Step 2: Make the Butter Sauce
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder until the brown sugar is completely dissolved. The sauce will smell incredible.
Step 3: Pour and Chill
Pour or brush the butter sauce evenly over the assembled sliders. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours.
The longer they sit, the more the rolls soak up the sauce.
Step 4: Bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the sliders covered for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Let them rest for a few minutes before pulling them apart to serve.
⇢ Fair warning: they go fast. If you’re feeding a crowd, strongly consider making a double batch. This recipe makes 12 sliders.
Serving Suggestions
For a weeknight dinner:
For a Kentucky Derby party:
- Dump-and-Bake Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole
- Pimento Cheese with crackers
- Burgoo
- Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Derby Day Bourbon Brownies
Wow – these were a HUGE hit at my derby party! The only slight change I made was using pecorino romano instead of the parmesan. Absolutely delicious!
– Becky
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Make ahead: Assemble the sliders and pour the butter sauce over the top. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours before baking. All the prep work is done ahead of time, which makes this one of the most convenient recipes for entertaining.
Leftovers: Store any baked sliders in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Cover the dish with foil and warm in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or microwave individual sliders in 30-second intervals until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the rolls get soggy from the butter sauce?
No. When baked, the rolls actually crisp up slightly on top while staying soft on the inside. The foil cover during most of the bake time keeps them from drying out, and removing it at the end encourages that light golden finish.
Can I skip the chilling time and bake right away?
You can. The sliders will still taste great, but the rolls won’t absorb quite as much of the buttery sauce. If you’re short on time, even 30 minutes in the fridge helps. If you have a couple of hours, even better.
What cheese works best if I can’t find Gruyere?
Swiss is the most natural substitute and melts beautifully. Provolone and sharp white cheddar also work well. Just about any good melting cheese will do the job. Pick what you love or have on hand.
Can I use chicken instead of turkey?
Absolutely. Deli chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken works just as well here and is a great swap if that’s what you have in the fridge.
More Baked Sliders to Try
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders
Equipment
- 11 x 7-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 (12 ounce) package King's Hawaiian sweet rolls, split
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 12 slices deli turkey
- 12 slices cooked bacon
- 6 slices Gruyere cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup diced pimentos or sliced tomatoes
- ½ cup salted butter, cubed
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Spread mayonnaise on the bottom half of each roll.
- Layer each roll with a slice of turkey, bacon (broken in half or thirds to fit), a few diced pimientos or tomatoes, half a slice of Gruyere, and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Replace the tops. Repeat with the remaining rolls to assemble 12 sliders.
- Arrange the sliders in a single layer in a greased 11×7-inch baking dish.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Pour or brush the butter sauce evenly over the sandwiches.
- Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake covered for 25 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Notes
- Chill time is important. At least 2 hours in the fridge lets the rolls soak up the butter sauce before baking. Up to 8 hours works great. Assemble these in the morning and bake them at dinner.
- Want more sauce? Double the butter sauce if you’d like every slider well coated. It’s a great upgrade.
- Cheese swaps: Gruyere is the best choice, but Swiss, provolone, or sharp white cheddar all melt well.
- Meat swap: Deli chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken works just as well as turkey.
- Add a kick: Stir a little Dijon mustard into the mayo before spreading for extra flavor.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or microwave in 30-second intervals.
Nutrition
Originally published in April, 2018, this post was updated in April, 2026.
I want to make these sliders for a bowl party we are going to attend, but I have several questions: (1) My slices of turkey are much too big for the rolls; do I slice the turkey (same for the piece of bacon) and stack it or do I fold, refold, refold, and fold again. (2) The only Gruyere I could find was in block form — how thick a slice so I use on each slider. (3) I don’t see how the finished sliders will fit in a 9 x 9 pan since the rolls are in 9 x 7 package before they are stuffed (I realize that you are going up rather than out), but is the plan to jam them in there so that they must be cut out? Thanks Sara Lou
Hey, Sara Lou! I’m so glad that you’re planning to make these. You will LOVE them. 🙂 Here are my answers:
(1) You can do either with the turkey, but don’t stress too much. Just use your judgment and put however much turkey on each roll that you think looks good. You can’t really mess that part up. If you just want to use half of a slice instead of stacking it high or refolding it a bunch of times, that would work great, too!
(2) I would just slice the cheese as thick or thin as you like it. Too thick and it might get a bit messy when it melts, but again — this is pretty flexible so just do it however you think it looks good. As thin as you can slice, would be great. Kind of like the thickness of a slice of American cheese? Hope that helps! You could also buy slices of Swiss cheese if you can’t find the slices of Gruyere. The two cheeses are pretty similar. Heck, the sliders would even be delicious with cheddar, American, or provolone cheese!
(3) They fit tightly in the pan, but you don’t need to cut them out. You just want them close enough to each other so that they are all touching each other. I haven’t had a problem fitting them, so hopefully you won’t either. 🙂
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Can this be prepared the night before?
Hi, Teresa! I haven’t personally tried making them the night before, but several other readers have done so and reported back that it worked well! I would definitely give it a shot. 🙂 Enjoy!
hi there! What’s the reason for such a long refrigeration time? Mine are actually in the fridge now. It’s been an hour.
Hi, Jay! That timing is flexible. Some readers have made the sandwiches as far in advance as the day before and they said that they turned out great. If you only have an hour, that will work too! The longer time just gives the flavors more time to come together and it allows the sauce to soak into the bread some so that when the sandwiches bake the bread is packed with flavor, crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.
Like I said, the recipe is forgiving, so you can feel free to bake them when you need them…even if it hasn’t been quite as long. Believe me…you’ll still love them! 🙂
The BEST!
Thanks, Nancy!! 🙂 So glad that you liked them!
This recipe was awesome. I didn’t have any pimentos on hand, so I used roasted red peppers. Amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Excellent! Thanks so much for letting me know. I’m glad that you loved them!
Have you ever made these and then held them until serving in a warm oven? I would think keeping them warm for 30 minutes or so should be fine. Thoughts??
Have you ever made these and then held them in a warm oven until guests arrived? If so, do you think an hour is too long?
Have you ever made these and then held them in a warm oven until guests arrived? If so, would an hour be too long?
Hi, Anne! Yes, I think that would work fine! Enjoy! 🙂
I should also add, though — they’re good at room temp, too. So if they sit on the counter in a warm dish for 30 minutes they will be fine as well!
Does the Parmesan cheese go inside the sandwich or on top?
Hi, Anne! I sprinkle the Parmesan cheese right inside the sandwich when I put the other cheese in. Enjoy!!! 🙂
These hot browns are seriously the best thing, EVER. As a Florida transplant from Kentucky, I am always trying to find ways of bringing a little bit of home into my coastal life. I host a Derby party every year and these little golden bits of heaven are always the hit of the party. They are seriously all everyone talks about. They are so requested and drooled over that I now make them for every party we host. Well done and thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Chelsea! Your kind comment totally made my day! I’m so glad that you love them and that they’re a little taste of home! 🙂
I Love this recipe so much, that our community is planning a Derby Day party, and we hope to serve
these mini sliders to approximately 60 people. We would like to make at least 120. Our biggest concern is how to serve them, and how to keep them warm. We would NOT be serving them until almost 3 hrs after they are baked. We have no oven at our club house. Have you ever served a large number of sliders, and how did you keep them warm? Have you ever served them stacked on top of each other in
a large dish? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Nancy
That’s wonderful, Nancy! I’m so glad that you will share these sandwiches with your friends!
I’m not sure that I have any great advice for keeping them warm. I would bake them as late as possible, and then keep them insulated and wrapped (maybe in towels? or one of those insulated cooler bags?) — anything that will help retain the heat inside the dishes. Honestly, though, these sandwiches taste great at room temperature! We’ve served them that way at parties and they’ve been devoured!
I think that you can definitely serve them stacked on top of each other if you arrange them in the dishes that way after they come out of the oven. I don’t think that you would want to bake them in double layers, but you can certainly transport them that way and they would be fine. Hope that helps, and have fun!
OH MY! I made these for my daughter’s Kentucky Derby Bridal Shower Soiree! What a hit! Everyone loved them! Thanks for sharing the wonderful recipe. Just wanted to comment to let others know how they worked out. I made the sandwich and the sauce the night before. However, I foiled the sandwiches and stored the sauce in a covered glass bowl in the refrigerator over night. The next morning I warmed the sauce in the microwave and evenly spooned the sauce over the sandwiches, replaced foil and refrigerated them until the bridal shower at 2:00 pm. They were perfect. Careful to watch the last 5 minutes and not started chatting with guest……or they may get a little too brown! LOL they were still great great! I 4x the recipe, so all worked out. I hope this helps…..and she’s off!
Hi, Julie! I’m SO glad that you and your guests enjoyed these! They are such a great party food, and that bridal shower theme sounds so fun!
Thanks for sharing your smart prep-ahead tips, too!
These updated photos look soooooo good!
Thanks, Kristy!
I’m from Georgetown Ky and I make ones similar to these every year…only mine have real tomato slices and a thin layer of ham. But I am going to make them usimg the kings Hawaiian bread you suggest is this recipe soon. My husband and kids love these too! They pair great with the mint julip drink for Derby parties! ????
Sounds perfect, Crystal! Enjoy! 🙂
Would it be ok to make these 24hours ahead of time and then bake them?
Hi, Amy! Yes, I think that would work fine! 🙂
Excellent! Took these to a party, and it was everyone’s favorite. I didn’t use as much bacon as in the recipe (just a half slice, or third slice of thick bacon). Made a batch of in a 15×10 pan. Just made another batch for my family in 13×9 pan and was able to squeeze 20 in there. Baked them at home, and took them to the party half an hour away, and they were perfect. They were even good at room temperature. Will make these again and again for parties.
Wonderful! Thanks, Debbie!
Blair,
It looks like a great Recipe, I was looking for the Video and couldn’t find it . I enjoy watching videos on how to cook different recipes . I am looking forward to making tes sliders , Thanks for Sharing many great Recipes ..
Hi, Edward! The video should automatically pop up on the bottom righthand corner of your screen (on a desk top) or on the top righthand corner of the screen if you’re looking at the post on a phone or other device. It might take a minute or two of scrolling for the video to appear. Hope that helps, and enjoy the sandwiches!
I love turkey! I’m so surprised I haven’t tried these yet! They’ll definitely go on my list of recipes. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing this recipe, it looks great! What are your thoughts about range hoods? I’m trying to decide if I should get one.
https://prolinerangehoods.com/blog/gordon-ramsey-surprise-remodel-plfw-129e30/
I’ve always been a food lover and a cook at home for 10 years now all while growing up in southeast KY, native to the hot browns and Southern food here… I just have to say that this is a recipe you can follow exact and it be absolutely the best thing I’ve tasted. My mom makes these around holidays and I think she uses the same recipe. I’m telling you guys, try it. That sauce you pour over these are addictive. If I was on death row, this will be my last supper. Oh my…
Thank you, Austin! 🙂