Turkey Cranberry Sliders — Leftover Turkey and Stuffing on Hawaiian Rolls
The Day After the Big Dinner, This Is What I Make
These turkey cranberry sliders are what I make with the leftover turkey the day after our big holiday meal. Hawaiian rolls get layered with turkey, a little crumbled leftover stuffing, cranberry sauce, and Swiss cheese, then brushed with a garlic mustard butter and baked until they’re warm and bubbly. The stuffing is my secret. It makes every one of them taste like Thanksgiving in one little bite.
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Watch me layer and bake these turkey cranberry sliders — or scroll down for the full printable recipe card.
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Turkey Cranberry Sliders
Start CookingIngredients
- 12 Hawaiian rolls one 12-count package
- 2 cups cooked turkey sliced or chopped
- 1 cup leftover stuffing crumbled
- 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
- 6 slices Swiss cheese
- 4 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon poppy seeds
Don’t Want to Plan? I Got You.Every Saturday I share a full week of dinners, sides, and a dessert — with the grocery list already done. Come grab this week’s Weekly Meal Plans!Equipment
Method Start Cooking
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Keep the rolls in one piece and slice the whole sheet in half through the middle, so you have one big bottom layer and one big top layer. Set the bottom layer in a 9×13 pan.
- Lay the turkey over the bottom rolls. Fit the pieces together like little puzzle pieces so every roll is covered.
- Crumble the leftover stuffing into small pieces and scatter it evenly over the turkey. A good covering is plenty — you don’t want any one thing to take over.
- Spoon the cranberry sauce over the stuffing in a thin layer.
- Lay the Swiss cheese over the top, then set the top layer of rolls back on and press down gently.
- Stir the melted butter, mustard, and garlic powder together. Pour it over the rolls and spread it around so every roll gets some, then sprinkle on the poppy seeds.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 3 to 5 more minutes, until the tops are golden and a little crispy.
- Slice into individual sliders and serve warm.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Four Weeks of Family-Friendly FoodWhen people gather, I cook. Four weeks of the dinners my crowd asks for — planned, tested, and shopped for. Come see what’s in the cookbook →Why These Turkey Cranberry Sliders Work
Keep the Hawaiian rolls in one piece and cut the whole sheet in half through the middle, so you have one big bottom and one big top. Then the turkey goes down first. I just fit the slices together like little puzzle pieces until every roll is covered. My husband did the carving this year, and I was very grateful, because I do not love to carve. If you need turkey to start with, my roaster oven turkey leaves plenty.
Next comes my favorite part: the stuffing. I crumble my doctored-up Stove Top stuffing into tiny pieces all over the turkey, crispy fried onions and all. It is so herby and so good. Then a thin layer of cranberry sauce, and Swiss cheese on top. If you’re thinking those don’t go together, trust the process. Give it at least one bite where you get the tart, the sweet, the savory, and the meaty all at once.
The top gets melted butter stirred with yellow mustard and garlic powder, poured over and spread around so every roll gets some. The mustard gives it a little tang. Cover it with foil and bake at 325°F for 15 minutes, then uncover it for a few more minutes so the tops get golden and a little crispy.
These were inspired by Blackberry Babe’s turkey cranberry sliders, and I’ve made them my own. The layer of leftover stuffing is what makes them mine.
A Few Things That Make Turkey Cranberry Sliders Even Easier
- Don’t separate the rolls. Slice the whole sheet in half at once. It is so much faster, and they bake as one big pan.
- Crumble the stuffing small. Little crumbles all over the top mean every slider gets some. Wash your hands first and just get in there.
- Go easy on each layer. You don’t want any one thing to overpower the others. A good covering is plenty.
- Leave the cranberry off half. If someone in your family isn’t sure about cranberry, skip it on half the pan. You can custom make these.
- Bake them in a disposable pan. A disposable 9x13 pan means the day after the big dinner, there is nothing to scrub.
Turkey Cranberry Sliders FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
My package of Hawaiian rolls has 16. Can I still make these?
Yes. The recipe is written for a 12-count package, but mine had 16 the day I filmed, and they were just fine. Use them all, stretch the fillings a little, and use up to 6 tablespoons of butter so every roll gets covered.
Can I use jellied cranberry sauce instead of whole berry?
You sure can. The recipe calls for whole berry, but the day I filmed I only had jellied, and you still get the same flavor. Just slice it thin and spread it over the stuffing.
What if I don’t have poppy seeds?
Sprinkle the tops with a little salt and pepper instead. I was out of poppy seeds when I filmed, and they were still delicious.
How long is leftover turkey good for turkey cranberry sliders?
The USDA says leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. That’s why these are on our table the day after the big dinner.
How long do they bake?
Covered with foil at 325°F for 15 minutes, then uncovered for 3 to 5 more minutes until the tops are golden. Prep only takes about 5 minutes, so they’re on the table in about 25.
Can I make these with something besides turkey?
The possibilities are endless with these. You’ve probably seen them with ham and Swiss, and leftover ham from the holiday works great. If you leave out the mustard, you lose a little of that tang, but they’re still good.
🛒 Complete Shopping List
Everything you need to make these Turkey Cranberry Sliders — click any item to shop on Amazon. The turkey and the stuffing come from your leftovers.
Ingredients
Equipment
🦃 Hosting the big dinner these leftovers come from?
The Holiday Table for 25 is my whole holiday dinner for 25 — the menu, the one-oven schedule, the day-of timeline, and every recipe, so you get to sit down and eat with everybody else.
And here’s everything I use to host — the roaster, serving pieces, paper goods, and decor.
More Holiday Recipes You’ll Love
- Roaster Oven Turkey — the turkey that keeps my oven free for the sides, and leaves plenty for these sliders.
- Doctored-Up Stove Top Stuffing — the stuffing with crispy fried onions that goes inside every slider.
- Cranberry Apple Salad — my mother-in-law’s warm holiday side, and another way to use up the cranberries.
- Knockoff Monte Cristo Sandwich — my favorite thing to do with the leftover ham.
📬 Come to the table on Saturday
Every Saturday morning I send a printable meal plan and full grocery list — the whole week, formatted for the fridge and the grocery run — plus new recipes and whatever’s happening at the Longstreth house. Drop your email below and I’ll save you a seat.
Turkey Cranberry Sliders — About Stephanie’s Recipes
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.
Leftover turkey sliders are the perfect day-after solution – tucking the stuffing right into the stack is genius and saves reheating a plate of everything separately. Hawaiian rolls keep it all soft and a little sweet, which works so well with cranberry. Bookmarking this for the holiday weekend!