French Dip Sliders

Oh my goodness these are delicious. These french dip sliders are made with Hawaiian rolls, roast beef, provolone cheese, and caramelized onions. Then it is baked until the cheese is melted. When they finish baking, you have the most perfect little melty french dip sliders which are ready to be dipped into delicious au jus! I make a lot of slider recipes, and this is definitely one of the best varieties I have made.

Easy French Dip Sliders

I love making sliders. I have a few slider recipes that have gone viral, including these Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders, Reuben Sliders, and Cheesesteak Sliders. I love taking famous sandwiches and turning them into slider recipes. They are the perfect snack to bring to a potluck or serve when you have guests.

French Dips are one of mine and Allison’s favorite sandwiches. We love the combination of beef and cheese inside the sandwich and love dipping it into gravy even more. Check out my recipe below to see what ingredients I chose for this iconic sandwich.

French Dip Sliders with Roast Beef

Using store-bought deli sliced roast beef in your french dip is very convenient. Normally I buy my roast beef at Trader Joe’s. They sell the Columbus brand but they also sell their own version. In my opinion, their store version is perfect for these little sandwiches. They don’t have much fat on the slices, they are easy to seperate, and they are also easy to fold which makes assembling these sandwiches really easy.

If you are buying your roast beef in the deli section of a grocery store, look for slices that do not have a lot of fat on them. This will make sure your sandwiches are perfectly meaty.

I added provolone on these roast beef french dip sandwiches because that is what my family enjoys. Provolone has a strong taste, which I love. It can be too sharp for some people, so you can choose whichever cheese you prefer. Swiss cheese is traditional for french dips, so if you like swiss cheese, you can go that route. I have also heard of cheddar being added to a french dip, but if you do choose cheddar, I think a white cheddar would look like it belongs on there more than the orange version.

French Dip Sandwiches with Au Jus

French Dip sandwiches get their name “dip” because you dip the sandwich into a delicious and rich brown gravy sauce(au jus) as you eat it. Normally you make the au jus from the beef drippings that are created as you are cooking your meat. I didn’t cook the meat, as I used store-bought roast beef, so I made my gravy from a packet.

For this recipe I used a good ol’ Au Jus Packet by McCormick. I knew I could trust it and since I was already making and filming this recipe, using the packet fit better in my schedule. I know a lot of people grew up making au jus from a packet so I also knew it may be comforting.

If you would like to make your gravy homemade, that would be great, I am just letting you know there is another option in case you are short on time.

How to Make a Mini French Dip

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 pack Hawaiian Rolls 12 mini rolls
• 1 large Yellow Onion
• 1 tbsp Salted Butter
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 lb Roast Beef Deli Sliced without a lot of fat
• 12 slices Cheese Swiss, Provolone, or White Cheddar
• 1 pack Au Jus
• Fresh Thyme optional
• flour optional thickener for the au jus

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Caramelizing the onions is easy, but it takes about 45 minutes of frequent stirring. Cut your onion in half, and then slice each half into thin thin slices. Add the slices to a pan on medium low heat with 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir frequently for about 45 minutes until onions are a deep golden color.
• Make your au jus sauce and set it aside.
• Cut your Hawaiian rolls in half while keeping the sheet of rolls in tact so that you have a sheet of roll tops and a sheet of roll bottoms. 
• Cut your cheese into quarters, which will give you 48 quarters. Add 2 quarters into each sliders. 
• Fold up each slice of roast beef neatly. Add two folded up slices of roast beef on top of your cheese. Then, distribute your onions evenly over the roast beef. Add a very little bit of gravy on top of the onions, approximately 1/2 teaspoon of gravy.
• Top with another 2 squares of cheese. And then, top with the Hawaiian Roll tops. Brush a little gravy over the tops of each bun and then add a little fresh thyme on top of the gravy if you are using it. DO NOT cover the buns as aluminum foil will stick to the gravy.
• Using the middle rack, bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted throughout all of the slicers and the tops of the buns are nice and golden. Serve with gravy.