Funeral Sandwiches Recipe - Grilled Cheese Social (2024)

Funeral sandwiches are one of my favorite southern specialties. Salty ham, nutty swiss cheese, and a tangy dijon brown sugar butter glaze is baked into fluffy Hawaiian rolls. They're basically upgraded ham and cheese sliders on hawaiian rolls with a brown sugar dijon caramelized crust and they're completely irresistible!

What areFuneral Sandwiches

So what are funeral sandwiches? Well they're basically Southern ham and cheese sliders that are baked in a brown sugar dijon sauce.

When the sauce bakes, it caramelizes into a sweet and tangy crust that's out of this world.

The sandwiches are hard to explain. They're sort of wet, sort of crispy but they're so dang addicting that you can't eat just one.

Oh, and you definitely don't need a funeral to make these sandwiches! They just call them that because they were once laid out for church spreads during funerals.

You might also notice that the majority of funeral roll recipes require you to soak them overnight.

But with this recipe, you only have to soak them for one hour... or up to 24 hours.

This flexibility means that the funeral rolls can be prepped last minute or a day ahead of time which is great for party prepping.

Ingredients & Substitutions:

• Salty Butter - Regular butter works just fine - just add a pinch of salt. Def don't use margarine though as it creates a more soggy sandwich since the spread is mostly water.
• Brown Sugar - Light or dark brown sugar works perfectly!
• Dijon Mustard - I like to use a tangy dijon mustard but honey mustard and grainy mustards also work.
• Worcestershire sauce - There is no substitution for Worcestershire sauce... If you absolutely had to, I guess you could use soy sauce.
• Hawaiian rolls - Any type of small roll will work - think parker house, pretzel, etc! But Hawaiian is my go-to!
• Ham - You can use any sliced ham you want. Virginia, honey, easter ham - you name it!
• Swiss Cheese - Swiss is def the most classic choice but you could also use white cheddar, havarti, or even provolone.

How to make Ham and Cheese Sliders with Brown Sugar Dijon Glaze

Making funeral sandwiches is super easy!

The only thing you need to take into consideration is how much time you have.

This recipe requires at least one hour of marination if you're in a hurry.

If you have more time, even better! You can also soak them overnight for the same delicious results.

To begin, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, dijon, and Worcestershire.

Next, you'll want to grease a baking dish and pour about 3-4 tablespoon of the sauce mixture into the bottom of the pan - just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.

Next, split the Hawaiian rolls in half and then pull them apart.

Place the bottom half of each bun in the baking sheet.

Then, layer on half of the cheese, all of the ham, and then the remaining half of cheese.

Place the upper half of the buns on top and drizzle with the remaining brown sugar dijon sauce on top.

Just make sure you coat the bread equally and evenly!

If you'd like to use the optional poppy seeds, be sure to sprinkle them on at this point.

Now tightly wrap the buns with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour up to overnight.

When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350F degrees and unwrap the buns.

Place the funeral sandwiches in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center has heated through.

The funeral rolls will be crispy yet slightly soggy in the best way possible!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are they called funeral sandwiches?

They're called Funeral Sandwiches because they were traditionally served after a funeral at the church memorial service.

Can I make them ahead of time or do funeral sandwiches have to sit overnight?

Most of the funeral roll recipes require the buns to soak overnight but with my hack (bringing the brown sugar dijon sauce to a boil) you don't have to wait and can make them right away.

How do you keep funeral sandwiches from getting soggy?

To be honest, these are kind of iconic because they are slightly soggy and wet -- that's what makes them good! If you like them on the dryer side, don't put as much sauce on the bottom of the pan. This will keep the bottoms crisp while the top caramelizes as it cooks.

What to pair them with

Funeral sandwiches are also a great way to use up leftovers from my crock pot brown sugar pineapple ham!

As for sides, I recommend serving them with some of this perfect white cheddar mac and cheese, instant pot black eyed peas, or this southern pimento cheese potato salad!

If you want more old school appetizer recipes, make these Cream Cheese Sausage Balls, thesecajun deviled eggs, ormydried beef cheese ball!

Or if you'd like another amazing ham sandwich recipe, try this English Ploughmans Sandwich or this Eggslu*t Breakfast Sandwich!

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