Made with slices of roast turkey, brie, and green apples, this Turkey Brie Grilled Cheese is a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers! Ready in just a few minutes, this sandwich is perfect for a quick lunch the day after the holidays.

Don’t deprive yourself of this sandwich throughout the year, either – you can easily make it with packaged deli turkey meat!

Easy Thanksgiving Leftover Grilled Cheese

When it comes to Thanksgiving leftovers, we always have extra roast turkey and cranberry sauce. Luckily, there are so many fun ways to use up the leftovers that don’t just feel like you’re eating Thanksgiving dinner on repeat.

This Turkey Brie Grilled Cheese is one of my favorite ways to use leftover turkey and cranberry sauce. Brie + cranberry + turkey is such a delicious trio (also marvelously paired together in my naan pizza.) For this recipe, I also add a few slices of tart green apple. It not only looks beautiful against the red cranberry sauce and white-ish cheese and turkey, it balances out the other flavors as well.

You can make this turkey grilled cheese in about 15 minutes, which means lunch the day after the holiday is quick and easy – AND leftovers are getting used up. Win-win.

Ingredients Needed

This turkey grilled cheese recipe requires just 6 ingredients, including the Thanksgiving leftovers.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

• Cranberry sauce – Leftover homemade cranberry sauce or jarred cranberry sauce both work.
• Butter – Helps achieve perfectly golden bread.
• Bread – You’ll want a sturdy bread, like French or Italian, that can hold all the fillings.
• Brie cheese – Buttery and soft, brie cheese compliments tart cranberry sauce perfectly. Remember to remove the rinds.
• Apples – I like green apples, unpeeled, for the contrast of color but any apple works and go ahead and peel them, if preferred.
• Turkey breast meat – Thinly sliced roasted turkey so it heats through easily. You can also make this with deli turkey meat, of course, to enjoy it year-round.

How to Make Turkey Brie Grilled Cheese

Making this Thanksgiving leftover grilled cheese is super easy. The perfect no-stress lunch for the days after the holiday!
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

1. Butter the bread. Butter 1 side of each bread. Spread half of the cranberry sauce on the buttered side of each one.
2. Assemble the sandwich. Place the first slice of bread in the skillet, butter side down. Top with a slice of brie, the apple slices, turkey, and the second brie slice. Finish with the second bread slice, butter side up.
3. Cook. Cook for about 4 minutes per side, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted, flipping once. Cut in half and enjoy!

Can I Make This In The Air Fryer?

Yes, this turkey grilled cheese can also be made in the air fryer. Assemble as directed above but before placing it in the air fryer, stick a few toothpicks in the center to prevent the top piece of bread from flying off. Heat in the air fryer at 350F for 5-6 minutes. Depending on your air fryer, you may want to flip it once so take a peek to make sure both sides are browning nicely.

Tips for Success

Here are a few tips for making the best turkey grilled cheese.

• Use a sturdy bread. As mentioned above, you’ll want a sturdy bread for this grilled cheese. The cranberry sauce can cause other bread to get too moist and be unable to hold the other ingredients.
• Try to flip the bread just once. The best way to make a grilled cheese is to only flip it once. Allow the first side to brown, then flip it to the other side to brown.
• Adjust the heat, if necessary. Take a quick peek under the bread to ensure it’s not browning too quickly or burning. If it’s browning before the cheese melts, turn down the heat.
• Experiment with other ingredients. Cranberry + brie is one of my favorite flavor combinations. That said, Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese is also delicious in this sandwich. Also feel free to add other ingredients to your grilled cheese, like gravy or even stuffing.

Video: Turkey Brie Grilled Cheese

Serving and Storage

This turkey brie grilled cheese sandwich is best enjoyed immediately, as grilled cheese doesn’t reheat the best and the bread can get soggy. However, if needed, you can pop it in the air fryer for a few minutes or reheat on the stovetop – just keep an eye on it to avoid burning the bread.

More Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes:

• Thanksgiving Nachos
• Cranberry Turkey Enchiladas
• Turkey Cranberry and Brie Pizza
• Leftover Turkey Salad
• Turkey Tetrazzini

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!