Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich: 2 Classic Builds (Cold + Warm)
Some look forward to the Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich more than the meal itself. Here's how to make the classic next-day indulgence, two ways!
Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich at a Glance
- Two builds: the cold classic (turkey, stuffing, cranberry, mayo, lettuce) and the warm leftovers burrito (turkey, mashed potato, gravy, stuffing, cranberry, tortilla).
- Bread that holds the load: sturdy whole-grain, crusty baguette, leftover dinner roll, or potato bread. Skip thin sandwich bread, it collapses under cranberry.
- Layer order matters: mayo against the bread, turkey next, salt and pepper, cranberry on the top slice, stuffing in the middle. Keeps the bread from going soggy.
- Food safety: use leftover turkey within 3 to 4 days; reheat the burrito mix to 165°F per USDA guidance.
- Best day to make it: the day after Thanksgiving, by lunch. Stuffing texture and cranberry tang both peak in the first 24 hours.
Nothing tastes as good as the Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich, that perfect assembly of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry on two slices of bread, built quietly at the kitchen counter while the rest of the house sleeps off pie. Some people look forward to the next-day Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich more than the Thanksgiving meal itself, and they have a point: the flavors marry overnight in the fridge, the bird gets a second life, and you get the whole feast in five minutes.
Everyone has their own way of building one, and no two are quite alike. Here are our two favorites, one served cold (the classic), and one served warm (a Thanksgiving leftovers burrito). Either way, the goal is the same: get the holiday plate into a single, portable handful that you can eat standing up by the open fridge.
A quick note on safety before you build. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s turkey guide says cooked turkey keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge at 40°F or below, and reheated dishes should hit 165°F. Past that window, freeze it and use it in soup, do not put it on a sandwich.
2 Thanksgiving Sandwich Recipes
One cold, one warm. Build whichever matches your morning.
Classic Thanksgiving Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients:
- Whole grain bread, crusty baguette, or leftover Thanksgiving dinner rolls
- Mayonnaise
- Turkey
- Salt and black pepper
- Cranberry sauce
- Stuffing
- Lettuce
Instructions:
- To make one sandwich, grab two slices of bread of your choice.
- On the bottom slice, spread a layer of mayo.
- Add the turkey slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Spread cranberry sauce on the top slice of bread.
- Add stuffing
- Add lettuce if desired
- Assemble sandwich
- Slice in half and enjoy!
Pro tip: warm the cold turkey for 20 seconds in the microwave, just enough to take the chill off, then build cold. The bird still tastes like Thanksgiving, the bread does not go gummy, and the cranberry stays sharp against it.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Burrito Recipe
Ingredients:
- Turkey
- Cranberry sauce
- Stuffing
- Gravy
- Mashed potatoes
- Whole wheat or white flour tortillas
Instructions:
- Cut up several pieces of leftover turkey into bite sized pieces.
- In a frying pan, toss the turkey together with a few spoonful’s each of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy, and warm them up.
- Layer the mixture onto a flour tortilla, top with cranberry sauce, and roll it up into a burrito. Serve warm.
Pro tip: warm the tortilla 10 seconds in the same pan before you fill it, the gluten softens and the burrito rolls tight instead of cracking. Cranberry goes on last, on the inside, never on the outside of the wrap.
Three More Builds Worth Trying
- The Bobbie: the Pennsylvania-deli classic. Toasted seeded roll, turkey, stuffing, cranberry, mayo, no lettuce. Plain, perfect.
- The Monte Pilgrim: turkey + stuffing + brie between two slices of brioche, pan-fried in butter like a Monte Cristo. Cranberry on the side.
- The grilled turkey-and-stuffing melt: sharp cheddar, turkey, stuffing, a swipe of cranberry, sourdough, grilled in butter until the cheese crawls out the side.
Cooking for the Holiday?
A snow-day or warm-spell Thanksgiving makes a difference to travel and grocery runs. See our long-range outlook for your region.
See Your Extended ForecastFrequently Asked Questions About the Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich
How long are Thanksgiving leftovers safe to put in a sandwich?
Cooked turkey, stuffing, and gravy keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge at 40°F or below, per USDA guidance. After that, freeze any unused portion. A sandwich on day five is a soup-pot turkey, not a counter turkey.
What’s the best bread for a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich?
Sturdy bread that won’t collapse under the cranberry. Whole-grain seeded loaf, crusty baguette, sourdough boule, leftover dinner rolls, or potato bread all work. Thin sliced sandwich bread tends to soak through within an hour.
Should I serve the Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich cold or warm?
Either is fine. The classic build is cold (or barely chilled), the burrito build is warm. If you go cold, take the chill off the turkey for 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave first so the bird tastes fresh. If you go warm, build with stuffing, gravy, and potato in the pan and the cranberry on after, off heat.
Do you put gravy on a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich?
For the cold classic, no, the gravy soaks the bread. For the warm burrito or a hot turkey open-face, yes, the gravy is the glue. Save the gravy for any build you’re going to eat with a fork.
Where did the Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich come from?
The most famous version is the Bobbie, served since 1976 by Capriotti’s, a Delaware-and-Pennsylvania deli chain that built its whole identity on a turkey, stuffing, and cranberry hoagie. Home cooks were building looser versions long before that, but the Bobbie put the leftovers sandwich on the national map.
Can I freeze Thanksgiving leftovers for a sandwich next week?
Yes, sort of. Turkey, gravy, and stuffing freeze well for 2 to 3 months. Cranberry freezes fine. Mashed potato gets a little grainy when thawed. Once thawed, build and eat within 24 hours.
What lettuce works best in a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich?
Romaine or iceberg holds crunch. Tender butter lettuce wilts on warm turkey. Skip baby spinach, the leaves stick to the cranberry and turn the bite muddy.
Join The Discussion
What is your favorite way to build a Thanksgiving sandwich? Cold or warm, white bread or sourdough, lettuce or no? For more next-day holiday cooking, see our pieces on what the Pilgrims really ate, 5 fun turkey facts, and when Thanksgiving falls this year.
Share your tips and tricks with your community here in the comments below!
Get the Full Farmers’ Almanac Year
All-Access members unlock the long-range forecast for Thanksgiving travel, the holiday cooking calendar, and the full recipe archive.
Join All-Access
This article was published by the Staff at FarmersAlmanac.com. Any questions? Contact us at questions@farmersalmananac.com.
- Farmers' Almanac Staff
- Farmers' Almanac Staff
- Farmers' Almanac Staff
- Farmers' Almanac Staff
Great recipes for leftovers!!
My mother made it was called Prosperity sandwiches. A side note she and my father both grew up during the Depression. Anyhow, she would make the prosperity sandwich the Friday after Thanksgiving.
She bought fancy bread just for the sandwich. I believe either a sourdough or French loaf from the bakery.
She would get a cookie sheet and cover it with the bread. Then she spread mustard on it. Then ham, turkey and cheese. (Sometimes Mom would also top the turkey with Campbell’s cheddar cheese soup and then place the regular cheese on top)
She would then put them in the oven and cook them until the cheese was all bubbly.
She didn’t put cranberry sauce on the sandwiches because we had a different type of cranberry sauce. We would grind a bag of cranberries and two oranges together through a grinder. Then she would pour some sugar on it. It was pretty tangy.
The sandwiches seem good, but useless to some. How about some gluten free choices?
Sounds great can’t wait to try this.!
The Thanksgiving meal is always delicious. But I agree it’s the leftover Thanksgiving sandwich that I look forward to every year. This year I bought a separate turkey breast specifically for sandwiches because there is never enough leftover turkey.
Great burritos and I throw in some tabasco peppers finely chopped (no seed) Seeds will make ya open your mouth and become very conversational speaker of the house! hahaha