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Meet your new favorite day-after lunch: the Thanksgiving Sandwich—a sweet-savory stack of leftover turkey, tart cranberry sauce, herby stuffing, and creamy layers on hearty bread. It’s fast, cozy, and every bite tastes like the best parts of your holiday plate.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I have had a similar to this before, and they added stuffing as well! Yum!” – Alicia
“Yep, the stuffing brought it over the top!” – Angelina
Why I Love This Sandwich
I honestly look forward to this Thanksgiving Sandwich the day after Thanksgiving as much as the big dinner. It’s the perfect way to switch up leftovers so no one gets bored after a couple of days. The magic is the contrast—sweet cranberry + savory stuffing + juicy turkey—held together with creaminess (hi, cream cheese) and a little crunch from crisp lettuce.
Serve it with kettle chips, a crisp apple, dill pickles, or a warm cup of turkey gravy for dipping. If you’re feeling fancy, add a simple side salad or a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup (made with leftover turkey).
🩷 Emily
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bread – A sturdy bread works best, hearth bread, brioche, ciabatta, sourdough, or leftover dinner rolls.
- Cream cheese – Softened, acts as a moisture barrier on each slice of bread.
- Cranberry sauce – We have a few options that we love for cranberry sauce to try like our orange cranberry sauce, raspberry cranberry sauce, or a low sugar cranberry sauce.
- Turkey – This is the main ingredient in the sandwich! Making a turkey is easy with our step-by-step instructions.
- Stuffing – Homemade stuffing is best! Try this cranberry sausage stuffing, a classic stuffing, or even gluten-free stuffing!
- Cheese – Provolone blends well with these flavors, but use whatever is your favorite sandwich cheese. I like white cheddar cheese best!
- Lettuce – Romaine lettuce or butter lettuce pulled apart and washed before adding to the turkey sandwich.
- Mayonnaise – Classic mayo (or Miracle Whip if that’s your thing); Dijon is optional.
- Spices – Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Ingredient Additions & Substitutions
- Bread swaps: Kaiser rolls, crusty hoagie, multigrain, gluten-free rolls, or even a tortilla wrap.
- No cream cheese? Use butter, garlic-herb cheese spread, or whipped goat cheese.
- Sauce layer: Add a swipe of Dijon or whole-grain mustard for a little bite.
- Extra Thanksgiving vibes: Add a thin layer of mashed potatoes and drizzle with warm gravy.
- Make it melty: Use two slices of cheese—one on each side—to “glue” the layers.
- Dairy-free: Use a dairy-free cream cheese and skip or sub the cheese.
- More toppings: Tomato slices, red onion, pickles, crispy bacon, blue cheese crumbles or a dash of buffalo sauce.
How to Make a Thanksgiving Sandwich
- Prep the bread: Lightly toast and spread the bottom slice with cream cheese.
- Layer the flavors: Spoon cranberry sauce over the cream cheese, then add warm (or room-temp) turkey.
- Pile on the cozy: Add stuffing and a slice of cheese; top with lettuce.
- Finish & season: Spread mayonnaise on the top slice, season with salt and pepper, and close. Slice and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Moisture management: Cream cheese under cranberry keeps bread from getting soggy.
- Warm or cold: For a hot sandwich, griddle or panini-press until the cheese melts; or warm turkey/stuffing first.
- Layer for stability: Cheese against the bread helps anchor slippery layers.
- Gravy dip: Serve with a small ramekin of warmed gravy—like a holiday French dip.
- Batch-friendly: Set up a build-your-own bar so everyone customizes their stack.
- Texture matters: Use sturdy bread so the fillings don’t squish out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, cheese, a creamy spread (cream cheese or mayo), and crisp lettuce on sturdy bread.
Sourdough, ciabatta, brioche, Kaiser rolls, or a festive loaf like cranberry-pistachio; leftover dinner rolls work too.
Warm turkey and stuffing separately (microwave or skillet with a splash of broth), assemble, then toast briefly on a griddle or panini press. Before starting, use about a tablespoon of butter to spread on the outside of the bread. This will give the bread a golden brown color and a crisp-tender outside as well as lock in more flavor.
Yes—use butter, garlic-herb spread, goat cheese, or just mayo with a little Dijon.
Toast bread, keep cranberry on top of the cream cheese, and add crisp lettuce as a barrier. Assemble right before serving.
Use GF bread/rolls and dairy-free cream cheese/cheese. Just make sure all the remaining ingredients were prepared without gluten or dairy. We have a very tasty option for gluten-free stuffing.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make ahead: Prep components (slice turkey, warm stuffing, stir cranberry) and store separately. Assemble just before eating.
Fridge: Assembled sandwiches are best fresh but can be wrapped tightly and chilled up to 1 day.
Reheat: If chilled, warm turkey/stuffing separately, then reassemble and toast for melty goodness.
Thanksgiving Recipes
If you need to start back with the Thanksgiving menu plan, you are in luck! We have some amazing Thanksgiving recipes all compiled into one post. This post has everything you need from appetizers, to the main course, to pies! It’s our best of the best for the big day!
If you are wanting or needing to plan a lower-calorie Thanksgiving dinner, we have some delicious recipes for that as well. You can find them all in our Low-Calorie Thanksgiving Dinner post.
More Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas
- See our all our Leftover Turkey Recipes.
This Thanksgiving Sandwich turns leftovers into a crave-worthy meal in minutes—sweet, savory, creamy, and cozy. If you try it, leave a comment and star rating and tell me your favorite add-ins (gravy dipper? extra cranberry? bacon?). I love hearing how your family makes it their own! 🍂🍁
Thanksgiving Sandwich (made with leftovers)
Ingredients
- 2 slices Bread (white, brioche, ciabatta, sourdough, or dinner rolls)
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
- 2 slices turkey leftovers or deli turkey
- ¼ cup stuffing
- 1 slice provolone cheese
- 1 leaf romaine lettuce
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Instructions
- Toast bread and spread cream cheese on the bottom slice of bread.
- Add cranberry on top of the cream cheese.
- Top with turkey, stuffing, provolone, and lettuce.
- Spread some mayonnaise on the top half of the bread, then sandwich it together!
Video
Notes
- Structure: Toast bread for extra support; keep cranberry over cream cheese to avoid sogginess.
- Hot option: Warm turkey/stuffing first; press sandwich 2–3 minutes per side.
- Substitutions: Use butter or goat cheese instead of cream cheese; swap provolone for white cheddar or Swiss.
- Extras: Add mashed potatoes + gravy, tomato, red onion, or crisp bacon.
- Storage: Best fresh; wrapped leftovers keep up to 1 day in the fridge.
I have had a similar to this before, and they added stuffing as well! Yum!
Yep, stuffing brought it over the top!