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Turkey sliders combine gooey cheese, cranberry sauce, and honey mustard butter on soft Hawaiian rolls for an easy appetizer that’s perfect for game day, holiday parties, or any gathering! These are great for reinventing leftover roast turkey and cranberry sauce, or you can use deli turkey, rotisserie chicken, or leftover roast chicken.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy snack or appetizer that feeds a crowd and is always a hit, look no further.
This easy slider recipe starts with sweet Hawaiian slider rolls. Then we add cheese, turkey (get your favorite sliced turkey at the deli, or use leftovers if you have them on hand), and cranberry sauce. But the real magic is in the butter sauce!
We use a honey mustard butter sauce with a touch of Dijon and a little bit of honey. This flavor combination pairs really well with turkey, and makes these sliders completely irresistible.
And no worries if cranberry sauce isn’t your thing. You can easily swap it out for something else, such as thinly sliced apple, marinara sauce, or pesto (only use 1/2 cup if you go with pesto). Or just leave it out!
The best part is, you can make these ahead of time, and they reheat well. They’re perfect for a Thanksgiving appetizer, Christmas party, New Year’s Eve get together, game day event, or any gathering where you need a really good appetizer to nibble on.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Traditional flavors, but updated. It’s a classic flavor combination (turkey + Swiss cheese), but it’s kicked up with a twist. Cranberry sauce adds sweet/tart fruity flavor, and honey mustard butter sauce takes these mini sandwiches over the top.
- Make ahead. You can make these turkey sliders on Hawaiian rolls the day before if you want! Full instructions are in the Notes in the recipe card below.
- Give leftovers a fresh face. This recipe is a great way to reinvent leftovers into a completely different meal. You can use leftover turkey (or rotisserie chicken), cranberry sauce, and you can even add a layer of stuffing!
Hawaiian Roll Cranberry Turkey and Cheese Sliders Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Honey Mustard Butter Sauce Ingredients
- Salted butter – This is the base of our butter sauce; if you don’t have salted butter, use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt.
- Dijon mustard – Adds the mustard flavor to our honey mustard butter sauce.
- Honey – For a touch of sweetness to round out the mustard.
- Worcestershire sauce – For savory depth of flavor.
- Dried minced onion – Bumps up the savory factor.
- Poppy seeds – If you like poppy seeds buns or poppy seed bagels, don’t skip this ingredient.
Baked Turkey Sliders with Cranberry Sauce Ingredients
- King’s Hawaiian Original Sweet Rolls – These have a slightly sweet flavor, chewy texture, and are absolutely delicious; however, any type of slider rolls will work.
- Swiss cheese – This cheese is a classic pairing with turkey, but you can use any type of cheese you like.
- Thinly sliced deli turkey breast – Or use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. If you’re going with deli turkey, you can use your favorite; my personal preference is Boar’s Head Maple Glazed Honey Coat Turkey Breast.
- Cranberry sauce – Homemade cranberry sauce or store-bought cranberry sauce is fine; this adds a delicious sweet/tart flavor to contrast the savory components.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Make the honey mustard butter. Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a small baking tray with foil for easy cleanup. Put the entire tray of rolls onto a cutting board and horizontally slice through them. You should be able to pick up the top of the rolls as a unit.
- Assemble. Place the bottom half of the rolls on the prepared baking tray. Layer on 6 slices of cheese, and then the turkey. Dollop on the cranberry sauce.
- More cheese. Top with the remaining 6 slices of cheese.
- Top. Place the top half of the rolls on top. Spoon on the butter sauce.
- Bake. Cover the rolls with foil and bake for 25 minutes, removing the foil during the last 5 minutes. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, and then serve warm.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Store leftover turkey and cheese sliders covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat at 350F in the oven (10 to 15 minutes) or air fryer (5 to 10 minutes). Cover with foil to prevent over-browning.
Variations
- Cheese – Instead of Swiss cheese, use any type of cheese you like paired with turkey and cranberry sauce.
- Meat – I love using thinly sliced deli turkey because it’s easily available all year, but you can also use leftover turkey or leftover chicken.
- Cranberry sauce – If cranberry sauce isn’t your thing, leave it out! Or instead you can add 1 thinly sliced apple, 3/4 cup marinara sauce, or 1/2 cup pesto.
My Best Tips For Turkey Sliders With Hawaiian Rolls
- Technically any kind of cheese you like with turkey will work here. However, with the bold flavors of honey mustard butter and cranberry sauce, I recommend choosing cheese with a sharper flavor so you can taste it. Swiss cheese is a great option, but sharp cheddar also works well. If you want to taste the cheese, skip milder cheeses like mozzarella, havarti, and Monterey Jack because their flavor tends to get lost.
- The cheese layering is intentional. Instead of adding all the cheese in one layer, we add it in two layers with the turkey and cranberry sauce in the middle. This does a couple things: 1) it makes sure the layer of cheese isn’t too thick, and 2) placing the cheese strategically next to the bread acts as a barrier and helps prevent these sliders from becoming soggy.
- Don’t forget to remove the foil on top during the last five minutes of baking. This helps brown the tops of the Hawaiian rolls and ensures our sliders are crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are quite a few different types of cheese that pair well with turkey on a sandwich. Here are a few ideas:
Swiss or Emmental
Provolone
Havarti
Monterey Jack
Cheddar
Gouda
We use Swiss cheese in this slider recipe, but you can swap it out for any type of cheese that you like paired with turkey.
There are two tricks to avoid soggy sliders:
1. Don’t use too much butter sauce, and
2. Bake them uncovered for the last 5 minutes.
This recipe uses 6 tablespoons of butter, which is perfect for this amount of sliders. Any more than that, and you run the risk of soggy sliders.
And we remove the foil during the last 5 minutes of cooking time, which not only helps brown the tops, but it also helps crisp up the sliders.
Thanksgiving leftovers are perfect for sliders. You can use leftover turkey (or rotisserie chicken) instead of turkey from the deli. You can also use leftover cranberry sauce.
If you want to make turkey sliders with stuffing, it’s easy to do! You will need about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of stuffing; spread it around on the bread before adding the first layer of cheese.
Yes! You can assemble these sliders the day before you want to serve them, just don’t top with the butter sauce.
Cover them well, and then the next day when you want to serve them, let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Top with the butter sauce, cover with foil, and bake as directed.
If you’re serving them as an appetizer, two sliders is a good serving size per person.
What to Serve With Turkey Sliders
You can either serve turkey sliders along with side dishes to make it a full meal, or serve them with more appetizers as a party spread.
To make turkey sliders a full meal, serve them with:
- Blue Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad – a copycat recipe from Outback Steakhouse that’s even better than the original
- Creamy Brussels Sprouts Salad – minimal ingredients, but full of flavor and texture
- Lentil Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette – an incredibly delicious blend of flavors
- Sweet and Smoky Baked Sweet Potato Fries – made crunchy in the oven!
To serve sliders as part of an appetizer spread, serve them with:
- Beer Batter Onion Rings – the best crispy, crunchy onion rings of your life
- Baked Jalapeno Poppers – super cheesy and delicious (and also keto!)
- Quick and Easy Grilled Peppers – they’re also great in the oven
- Three Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms – always one of the first things to disappear off an appetizer table
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Hawaiian Roll Cranberry Turkey and Cheese Sliders Recipe
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Ingredients
Honey Mustard Butter Sauce:
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Turkey Sliders with Cranberry Sauce:
- 12 ounce package King’s Hawaiian Original Sweet Rolls with 12 slider rolls
- 12 slices Swiss cheese 1 ounce each for a total of 12 ounces/340 grams
- 12 ounces thinly sliced deli turkey breast my favorite is Boar’s Head Maple Glazed Honey Coat Turkey Breast (see Notes)
- 3/4 cup cranberry sauce (see Notes)
Instructions
For the Honey Mustard Butter Sauce:
- Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
For the Sliders:
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a small baking tray with foil for easy cleanup.
- Slice the slider rolls. Put the entire tray of rolls onto a cutting board and horizontally slice through them. You should be able to pick up the top of the rolls as a unit.
- Assemble. Place the bottom half of the rolls on the prepared baking tray. Layer on 6 slices of cheese, and then the turkey. Dollop on the cranberry sauce. Top with the remaining 6 slices of cheese. Place the top half of the rolls on top. Spoon on the butter sauce.
- Bake. Cover the rolls with foil and bake for 25 minutes, removing the foil during the last 5 minutes. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, and then serve warm.
Notes
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes 12 sliders; each serving is 2 sliders, for a total of 6 servings.
- Make Ahead: You can assemble these sliders the day before you want to serve them, just don’t top with the butter sauce. Cover them well, and then the next day when you want to serve them, let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Top with the butter sauce, cover with foil, and bake as directed.
- Storage and Reheating: Store leftover turkey sliders covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat at 350F in the oven (10 to 15 minutes) or air fryer (5 to 10 minutes). Cover with foil to prevent over-browning.
- Deli Turkey Substitute: I love using thinly sliced deli turkey because it’s easily available all year, but you can also use leftover roast turkey or leftover roast chicken. Rotisserie chicken also works well!
- Cranberry Sauce Substitute: If cranberry sauce isn’t your thing, leave it out! Instead you can add 1 thinly sliced apple, 3/4 cup marinara sauce, or 1/2 cup pesto.
- To Add a Layer of Leftover Stuffing: You will need about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of stuffing. Spread it around on the bread before adding the first layer of cheese.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on December 26, 2022 and updated on December 29, 2025.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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