Turkey Cranberry Sliders: Take Thanksgiving leftovers from boring to brilliant! Tuck turkey, creamy Brie cheese, and tangy cranberry sauce into soft Hawaiian rolls, brush them with a savory poppy seed butter, and bake them until toasty and golden!
Slider recipes are a favorite around here because they’re easy, perfect for entertaining and bite-size appetites. If you’re looking to try multiple slider recipes, these salmon sliders are not only delicious but they’re a great protein twist. Or these roast beef sliders are easy to make and so full of flavor too!
Let’s talk turkey! Whether you made a whole bird or cooked a turkey breast in the Instant Pot or turkey breast in the air fryer, odds are, you will have leftover turkey.
Are you someone who cooks a larger roasted turkey and makes extra sides just so there are leftovers for the next couple of days? Me too! And boy, do I have one of the best leftover turkey recipes for you today!!
You can also extend cranberry season by stirring some dried cranberries into fresh scones.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Let’s say it again: holiday leftovers! These baked mini turkey sandwiches are my new favorite way to repurpose leftovers (even that leftover cranberry sauce) into a whole new meal! (Or if you have leftover chicken, you can make chicken sliders too!)
Turkey sliders are the perfect quick meal to refuel after Black Friday shopping. Just pop them in the oven while you are reheating all those Thanksgiving side dishes.
You can channel your favorite Thanksgiving flavors any time of the year with this recipe. So, go ahead and make these Hawaiian roll turkey sliders whenever the mood strikes!
Jump to:
Ingredients
Even if you are low on leftovers, a quick trip to the grocery store will produce all of the simple ingredients needed for this slider recipe.
- 12 King’s Hawaiian rolls – Savory Butter variety
- ¾ lb. sliced turkey
- 1 cup whole cranberry sauce
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon poppy seeds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- fresh thyme, optional for garnish
See the printable recipe card below for ingredients, nutrition information and detailed recipe notes.
How to Make Turkey Cranberry Sliders
We just a few minutes of prep and our easy-to-follow instructions with step-by-step pictures, you will have a pan full of the best turkey cranberry sliders ready to eat in no time!
- First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare the bottom of an 8×11 or 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Next, using a bread knife or serrated knife, slice the Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally, taking care not to slice the bottom buns too thin.
- Then, place the bottom buns into the greased baking dish.
- Add the sliced turkey on top of the buns in an even layer.
- Next, spread the cranberry sauce over the turkey.
- Top the cranberry sauce with the slices of Brie.
- Then, place the tops of the buns over the cheese.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter, mustard, poppy seeds, and salt. Microwave until fully melted and stir to combine.
- Now, use a silicone or pastry brush to spread the butter mixture evenly over the tops of the buns, making sure to scrape any poppy seeds from the bottom of the bowl.
- Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes.
- Finally, cut the sliders into individual sandwiches, garnish with fresh thyme and serve out of the oven.
Oh my word! The tender turkey, that melty Brie, the gorgeous bright red cranberry sauce and the baked butter topping have me wishing it was Thanksgiving every day!
Variations
Everyone’s Thanksgiving table and pantry may look a little different, so here are a few ways to adapt this recipe to your favorite flavors and preferences!
- Rolls – We use the savory butter variety for these Hawaiian roll turkey sliders, but you can use the original sweet Hawaiian rolls for a slightly sweeter slider.
- Turkey – This is the perfect recipe to use that leftover Thanksgiving turkey! But deli turkey slices will work in a pinch if you have already nibbled all of that turkey away.
- Cheese – While we used Brie cheese, use your favorite cheese for these turkey and cheese sliders. Havarti cheese, provolone cheese, sliced Swiss cheese or any mild melting cheese will be delicious.
- Mustard – You can use yellow mustard, spicy brown mustard or stone ground mustard for a little different flavor.
- Flavor the butter – Speaking of flavor, you can add onion powder, garlic powder or minced garlic to the butter. A dash or two of Worcestershire sauce adds a little tang and depth to the savory butter sauce as well. If you like a sweeter glaze, mix a tablespoon of brown sugar into the butter mixture.
- Stuffing – I love the idea of adding a little leftover stuffing on top of the cranberry sauce to add one more layer of Thanksgiving flavor to these sliders!
- Toppings – For a little extra wow factor, sprinkle the tops of the sandwiches with more poppy seeds, sesame seeds or everything bagel seasoning before popping them into the oven.
FAQs
You may hear a sandwich made with Thanksgiving leftovers called a Gobbler or The Pilgrim.
We recommend eating or freezing Thanksgiving leftovers in 3 or 4 days, so keep Monday on your radar to eat or share all of that great food! These Thanksgiving sliders are perfect for eating it up in time!
Storage
These delicious turkey cranberry sliders are really best when eaten fresh and toasty from the oven. While you can store leftover sliders in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, we find the bottom buns do soften and can get a little soggy.
We don’t recommend freezing the leftover sliders, but once you taste them, I really don’t think you’ll have to worry about leftovers.
More Slider Recipes
We are huge fans of sliders around here, and are constantly trying to find a way to make new ones!
Reader favorites are these sloppy joe slider sandwiches, these cheeseburger sliders in the oven, hot Italian sliders (or smoked Italian sliders), and these breakfast sliders!
More Recipes for Thanksgiving Dinner
From appetizers to desserts, we have your Thanksgiving dinner menu covered!
- Pumpkin Deviled Eggs – don’t worry, these deviled eggs just look like pumpkins!
- Our Pumpkin Fluff Dip is a little sweet treat to tide everyone over until dinner is ready.
- This really is the BEST green bean casserole – you can’t go wrong with bacon and cheese, right?!
- Our corn casserole and Southern broccoli casserole are family favorites for Thanksgiving, too.
- Pass on the pumpkin pie and make these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars or Pumpkin Patch Brownies instead!
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
Turkey Cranberry Sliders
Ingredients
- 12 Hawaiian Rolls
- ¾ lb sliced turkey
- 1 cup whole cranberry sauce
- 8 oz. Brie cheese sliced
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon poppy seeds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- fresh thyme optional for garnish
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare the bottom of an 8×11 or 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Next, using a bread knife or serrated knife, slice the Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally, taking care not to cut the bottom buns too thin.
- Then, place the bottom buns into the greased baking dish.
- Add the sliced turkey on top of the buns in an even layer.
- Next, spread the cranberry sauce over the turkey.
- Top the cranberry sauce with the slices of brie.
- Then, place the tops of the buns over the brie.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, combine the butter, mustard, poppy seeds and salt. Microwave until fully melted and stir to combine.
- Now, use a brush to spread the butter mixture evenly over the top of the buns, making sure to scrape the poppy seeds out of the bottom of the bowl.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes.
- Finally, cut the sliders into individual sandwiches, garnish with fresh thyme and serve hot out of the oven.
Notes
- This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.
- You can use yellow, dijon or stone ground mustard for the butter mixture.
- If you like garlic, you can add a little garlic powder or minced garlic to the butter as well.
- These are best eaten fresh and do not reheat well. If you store the leftovers, refrigerate them for up to 3 days. (The bottom buns may soften or get a bit soggy.)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Andie says
I’m drooling just remembering how good these tasty sandwich bites are! I tested these out for Thanksgiving, and I will be making these with our leftover turkey!
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Journa Liz Ramirez says
This is a brilliant idea! Thanks Jessica I’ll surely use this recipe again for Thanksgiving leftovers or any other occasions.