This Leftover Turkey Sandwich is the BEST way to use up Christmas or Thanksgiving leftovers. Layers of tender roast turkey, crispy bacon, smoked cheese, cranberry sauce and fresh salad are piled into a huge sourdough club sandwich. It's quick, filling and a brilliant way to turn leftover turkey into something everyone will look forward to.
I always think the best thing about cooking a big Christmas turkey is the leftovers! After all the cooking and washing up, I want something that takes very little effort, but still feels like a proper meal.
Whether you make this for Christmas evening, Boxing Day lunch or the day after Thanksgiving, you can add all your favourite festive leftovers to make it your own.
Recipe update: This recipe was originally published on 9 December 2022 and was fully retested in September 2026 to check the times and ingredient quantities. The original recipe still worked well, but I've expanded the instructions, tips and FAQs.
For more leftover turkey recipes, try our quick leftover turkey salad, easy leftover turkey soup or our creamy turkey risotto.
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Why You'll Love It
- The best use of leftovers - An easy way to use up roast turkey, cranberry sauce and any extras from Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner.
- Ready in minutes - A quick lunch that needs very little cooking, especially if you already have cooked bacon.
- Packed with flavour - Smoky bacon, creamy cheese, sweet cranberry sauce and savoury turkey are such a good combination.
- Easy to adapt - Add leftover stuffing, gravy, Brie or whatever you have left in the fridge.
- Hearty and filling - A proper double-decker sandwich that makes a satisfying lunch all on its own.
Recipe Overview
- Serves: 2 generously filled, double-decker sandwiches.
- Time: Around 10 minutes if cooking the bacon, or just a few minutes if it's already cooked.
- Best turkey to use: Leftover roast turkey breast or dark meat, served cold or reheated until steaming hot.
- Best bread: Sturdy sourdough, lightly toasted if you prefer a crispier sandwich.
- Perfect for: Boxing Day lunch, Christmas leftovers or the day after Thanksgiving.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Bread - We use sourdough because it's sturdy enough to hold all the fillings. Lightly toasting it also helps stop the sandwich getting soggy.
- Turkey - Leftover cooked turkey breast is ideal, although dark meat works too. You can use turkey from our roast turkey breast or slow cooker turkey crown recipes.
- Cranberry sauce - Adds sweetness and a little sharpness, which works really well with the salty bacon and cheese.
- Mayonnaise - Keeps everything creamy and helps stop the turkey tasting dry. You could use mustard mayonnaise for something different.
- Bacon - We use bacon medallions, cooked until crispy. Streaky bacon works well too.
- Cheese - Smoked cheese is our favourite for this sandwich. You could also use cheddar or leftover Brie from your Christmas cheeseboard.
- Lettuce and tomato - Add freshness and a bit of crunch to balance all those rich festive flavours.
What to Put in a Leftover Turkey Sandwich
The best thing about a Christmas leftover sandwich is that you can use whatever you have left in the fridge.
Our favourite combination is turkey, bacon, cheese and cranberry sauce, but there are plenty of other delicious additions.
Leftover Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner
Add a little leftover stuffing, a couple of slices of air fryer pigs in blankets or some well-drained red cabbage. You could also serve the sandwich with warm leftover gravy for dipping.
Bread
Try ciabatta, a crusty roll, a bagel or even a croissant. For a proper club sandwich, I prefer three slices of sourdough because they hold the layers together.
Extra Flavour and Crunch
Try thinly sliced gherkins, crispy onions, caramelised onions, spinach or peppery rocket. Leftover roasted vegetables can work too, as long as they aren't too wet.
Make it a Hot Turkey Sandwich
Toast the bread, reheat the turkey until steaming hot and add the cheese while the turkey is warm. Add your lettuce and tomato just before serving. You can also serve hot gravy on the side.
How to Make a Turkey Sandwich with Leftovers
- Cook the bacon medallions in a frying pan until golden and crispy.
- Spread mayonnaise over the first two slices of bread. Divide half the turkey and half the cranberry sauce between them.
- Add the lettuce, then place another slice of bread on top of each sandwich. Add the cheese and cooked bacon.
- Add the remaining cranberry sauce and turkey, followed by the tomato slices. Finish with the final slices of bread. Cut in half and serve.
Serving Suggestions
This turkey sandwich is a meal in itself, especially with three layers of bread and all those fillings. We usually serve it with some crisps, which give it a lovely extra crunch.
If you want to make more of a meal of it, these sides would go really well:
Storage
Store: This sandwich is best made fresh, as the cranberry sauce, mayonnaise and tomato can make the bread soggy. Keep the turkey and other ingredients separate in the fridge until you're ready to assemble it.
Cooked turkey should be cooled and refrigerated within two hours of cooking, then eaten within 48 hours or frozen, following UK Food Standards Agency guidance.
Make ahead: You can cook the bacon and prepare the fillings in advance, keeping everything refrigerated. For the best texture, assemble the sandwich just before serving.
Freeze: Don't freeze the assembled sandwich. You can freeze leftover cooked turkey separately in portions, then defrost it in the fridge when you need it.
Reheat: If you want to serve the turkey warm, reheat it until steaming hot throughout. Only reheat cooked leftovers once.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Use sturdy bread - Sourdough is ideal for holding all the layers together. Toast it lightly if you want a bit more crunch.
- Don't overfill it - This is a big sandwich already! Keep the fillings fairly evenly spread and leave a small gap around the edges so everything doesn't fall out.
- Keep the turkey moist - Mayonnaise and cranberry sauce help, but a little warm gravy for dipping is especially good if your turkey is on the dry side.
- Try the Friends-style 'moist maker' - For a different version, soak the middle slice of bread in a little warm gravy before adding it to the sandwich, just like Ross's famous Thanksgiving sandwich. Eat it straight away so it doesn't become soggy.
- Cut it carefully - Use a sharp serrated knife and secure the sandwich with cocktail sticks if needed. Just remember to remove them before eating.
Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Bread is soggy | Too much sauce or wet fillings | Lightly toast the bread, drain the tomato and assemble just before serving. |
| Turkey tastes dry | The leftover turkey breast has lost moisture | Add a little extra mayonnaise or serve with warm gravy for dipping. |
| Sandwich falls apart | Too much filling or bread that's too soft | Use sturdy bread, spread the fillings evenly and secure with cocktail sticks before cutting. |
| Sandwich is too sweet | Too much cranberry sauce | Reduce the cranberry sauce and add a little Dijon mustard or some sliced gherkins to balance the sweetness. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! As long as the turkey was cooked properly, cooled and stored safely, you can use it straight from the fridge. This is how we usually make our turkey club sandwich.
Yes. Try mayonnaise with a little Dijon mustard, or use leftover Christmas chutney instead. Cranberry sauce is our favourite because its sweetness works so well with the smoky bacon.
Absolutely. Leftover roast chicken works just as well. You can also use freshly cooked turkey breast if you don't have any Christmas or Thanksgiving leftovers.
You can prepare the ingredients in advance, but I wouldn't fully assemble it until you're ready to eat. Keeping the sauces and tomato separate will stop the bread becoming soggy.
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
If you've tried this Leftover Turkey Sandwich, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy and use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Leftover Turkey Sandwich
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 6 slices of Sourdough bread
- 200 g (7 oz) of Turkey breast - cooked; sliced
- 1 Tomato - sliced
- 4 tablespoons of Cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons of Mayonnaise
- 2 Little gem lettuce leaves
- 4 Bacon medallions
- 2 slices of Smoked cheese
Instructions
- Cook 4 Bacon medallions to your desired crispiness.
- Build your sandwich by spreading 2 tablespoons of Mayonnaise over the first two slices of bread. Add 100 g of Turkey breast and 2 tablespoons of Cranberry sauce between them.
- Add 2 Little gem lettuce leaves, then place another slice of bread on top of each sandwich. Add 2 slices of Smoked cheese and the cooked bacon.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of Cranberry sauce and 100 g of Turkey breast, followed by slices of 1 Tomato. Finish with the final slices of bread. Cut in half and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Lightly toast the sourdough for extra crunch.
- Add leftover stuffing or serve with warm gravy for dipping.
- Swap smoked cheese for leftover Brie or cheddar.
- Add avocado, radish, pickled beetroot or crispy onions for extra flavour.
- Best assembled immediately before eating.
- Refrigerate cooked turkey within two hours and use within 48 hours or freeze.
Nutritional Information
Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
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