The Best Easy French Dip Sliders

The best French dip sliders feature tender roast beef, melted cheese, and flavorful au jus gravy on soft King's Hawaiian rolls. Oven-baked sliders with onion soup mix and buttery seasoning are the ultimate hot sandwiches. These easy party finger foods are ideal for Super Bowl party food ideas or any gathering.

Pin

Why these are the best King's Hawaiian French dip sliders

It's a simple and easy slider recipe. These sliders are as easy as making a sandwich; it doesn't get any easier than that! The recipe is simple with only a few ingredients, so prep is very quick and easy too.

The ingredients for this easy recipe are very common. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry, and the remaining couple are available in every grocery I've ever visited.

These sliders taste great. The simple ingredients pack a big punch in terms of flavor. Tender roast beef, tangy melted provolone, sweet sliced onions - all of it combines to make the best sliders you've ever eaten!

This recipe is super versatile. Don't like onions? Leave them out or use French fried onions. Don't like provolone? Use cheddar instead. Don't have King's Hawaiian rolls? Use a different slider roll. You can literally replace any of the ingredients with something else and still have delicious roast beef sliders.

This recipe is easy to serve. It doesn't get easier than sandwiches, and because these little guys are mini-sized, your guests can eat one and still enjoy the other munchies on the table.

This recipe is allergy friendly. As written, this recipe is soy-free and nut-free. King's Hawaiian rolls contain eggs, dairy, and wheat, so if you are egg-free, dairy-free, or gluten-free, you will need to find an alternate roll that fits your dietary needs. As always, please check your specific ingredients to ensure that they fit within your dietary needs.

Pin

What you'll need to make the best easy French dip sliders

Equipment

• 9x9 casserole dish - If you are making more than 12 sliders, you should use a 9x13 pan.
• 10-inch skillet - This is to sauté the onions, so use whatever medium or large skillet you have.
• Garlic press - I use my garlic press almost every time I cook. It makes fresh garlic cloves into a thick paste with no big chunks of garlic, and that paste is easy to distribute into the food. If you don't have a garlic press, mince the garlic as small as you can with a sharp knife, but understand that there are probably going to be some chunks of garlic in your onions. You're going to cook them, so it's not the end of the world, but it will be more pleasant with paste than with chunks.
• Basting brush - This is to brush the melted butter onto the tops of the rolls before baking. If you don't do this, the rolls will still get toasted, but they will not get a nice, golden brown color to them. The onion dip and butter mixture really adds a lot of flavor, so you will miss this if you don't brush it on.

Ingredients

Pin

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Butter - Salted butter has less than one teaspoon of salt per pound of butter, so it's unlikely that you will notice a difference between using salted or unsalted. I used salted in this recipe.
• Sweet onion - I prefer sweet onions, but if you have a different onion preference, use whatever you like. The onions are a major player in this recipe, so use one you enjoy eating.
• Fresh garlic - This goes in with the onions to make a delicious topping for the roast beef.
• Thyme - This is used to season the onions and garlic mixture.
• Table salt - You can use whatever salt you want including kosher salt or sea salt. This is for seasoning. Use more or less to your preference.
• Black pepper - This is for seasoning. Use more or less to your preference.
• 9 King's Hawaiian pretzel rolls or sweet Hawaiian rolls - My kids prefer the pretzel rolls, but I personally like the sweet Hawaiian rolls better.
• Sliced provolone cheese - Provolone is the standard, but if you prefer another kind of cheese, feel free to substitute.
• Roast beef - I most often use sliced deli roast beef, but you can also use roast beef from a chuck roast or pot roast.
• Onion soup mix - This is only about half of the packet. You'll brush it on the tops of the rolls to make them taste extra delicious.
• Chopped green onions and Everything Bagel seasoning - This is just for garnish, if you want.
• Au jus mix or 1 cup of liquid from the roasting pan - This is for dipping when you serve the sliders and is not actually used in the preparation.

How to make baked French dip sliders

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Grease a 9x9 baking dish by rubbing butter over the bottom and sides.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to a medium skillet over medium heat.
   Pin
3. Once the butter is melted, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the sliced onion and sauté for about 10 minutes or until desired softness. Add the garlic and cook for one minute, then add thyme, salt, and pepper and mix well.  Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Remove rolls from the package. Slice the rolls in half (this is easiest to do while they're all still attached).  Place the bottom half of the rolls in the prepared pan. 
   Pin
5. Top the rolls with half of the cheese, then the layer the roast beef, the cooked and seasoned onions, and the other half of the cheese.
   Pin
6. Place the top half of the cut slider buns on top. 
   Pin
7. Melt remaining butter in a small bowl and whisk in the onion soup mix. Stir together.  Brush the tops of the buns with onion soup and butter sauce. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the rolls are toasted.
   Pin
8. While the sliders are baking, prepare the au jus gravy according to the package directions. 
9. Remove the sliders when the tops are golden brown and toasted. Sprinkle with Everything Bagel seasoning and chopped green onions, if desired. Serve with au jus sauce for dipping.
   Pin

Variations & substitutions

This recipe is very versatile. Don't like onions? Leave them out! (But do use the onion soup mix to butter the rolls - this step makes a big difference.) Prefer cheddar cheese slices to melty provolone? Use the cheddar! Prefer ham to roast beef? Go ahead and use the ham! The process is easy, and the specific ingredients are completely up to you.

I normally prepare this recipe with sliced roast beef from the deli, but you could also slice a chuck roast or pot roast that you have leftover and use that.

I used dried thyme in my onions, but if you want to use fresh thyme, you can. Double the amount in the recipe to account for the bulkier fresh herbs.

Pin

You can use French Fried Onions from a can in place of or in addition to the sautéed onions in the recipe instructions.

You could add some green bell pepper to the onions when you cook them for more a of Philly cheesesteak flavor. If you do this, you may want to replace the provolone with Cheez Whiz to make it more authentic. (Some Philly cheesesteak joints use Cheez Whiz and some use provolone.)

If you want some heat in your sliders, you can add a diced jalapeño (or other hot pepper) to the onions when you cook them.

I like to spread a little horseradish or horseradish mayo on the tops of the rolls before I bake the sandwiches.

Pin

Cook's tips for the best french dip sandwiches

I do not recommend using nonstick cooking spray on baking pans as it builds up over time and creates a sticky residue on the pan. I always use a stick of butter and rub it over the surfaces that will come in contact with the food, but you can grease your pan however you want.

You can cook the onions as long as you want to. I like to cook mine until they are brown and caramelized, but that does take a lot longer, so if you're pressed for time, just cook them until they're tender and move on with the recipe.

What to serve with French dip sliders

I like to serve these tasty little sandwiches as a meal with roasted Parmesan carrots or garlic roasted asparagus and homemade air fryer potato chips.

When I serve them at a party, I serve them alongside hot dips such as hot pizza dip, hot taco dip, and swiss onion dip or cold salads like macaroni salad or Instant Pot potato salad (neither of those salads has any veggies in them, so there's nothing crunchy).

Pin

Storing leftover French onion dip sliders

Like all sandwiches, French dip sliders are best when freshly prepared.

You can store leftovers, however. When fully cooled to room temperature, transfer the sliders to an airtight container or zippered plastic bag and keep in the fridge for up to 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to one month.

To reheat refrigerated sliders, place in a baking pan and heat in a 350ºF oven for about 10-15 minutes. Cover tightly with foil to avoid them drying out.

Allow frozen sliders to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before attempting to reheat them.

Pin

Try these other delicious party foods while you're here:

• World's Best Chili with Bacon
• Green Chili Chicken Soup (Stovetop or Crockpot)
• Gluten-Free White Chicken Chili (Slow Cooker or Stovetop)
• Spicy Jalapeño Pimento Cheese Dip
• Hot Taco Dip
• Hot Swiss Onion Dip
• Italian Sausage Sandwiches
• Prosciutto-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
• Hot Pepperoni Dip
• Homemade Cracker Jacks - Copycat Caramel Corn with Peanuts Recipe

Recipe