Cheesy Cranberry Bacon and Turkey Sliders – These festive and flavorful little sliders are the perfect party food for your holiday potluck – and also a great way to use up those holiday leftovers!
It’s time to get serious about what to bring to that holiday party… If you’re like me, whatever you bring must be quick and easy and it must be a crowd pleaser. After all, you don’t want your dish to be the lonely one on the table that nobody touches.
These Cheesy Cranberry Bacon and Turkey Sliders have just what you’re looking for in holiday party food. I made my sliders with leftover dinner rolls, cranberry, and turkey from Thanksgiving, but if you’re planning this for a Christmas or New Year’s Eve party, deli meat turkey works as a tasty substitute. In addition to being a great way to use up leftovers, this recipe is easy to put together. It’s as easy as making a sandwich and tossing it into the oven for a few minutes. Check out the step-by-step photos below.
The end result is cheesy, bacon-y, and buttery, warm little mini sandwiches. It’s a powerful combination that no party goer can resist! All to say, don’t be distracted by the cheese, bacon and butter, because the turkey and cranberry are still the stars of the show. The two give these sliders a holiday flavor and festive red look for the season.
It’s fair to assume that these sliders will be a hit at your holiday party and won’t be found sitting all lonesome and untouched on the potluck table. The only problem may be that there’ll be no leftovers to take home for yourself!

Cheesy Cranberry Bacon and Turkey Sliders
These festive and flavorful little sliders are the perfect party food for your holiday potluck - and also a great way to use up those leftovers!
Ingredients
- 16 dinner rolls or slider buns*
- 1 1/4 C cranberry sauce or cranberry jelly
- 2 C sliced leftover turkey or deli meat turkey
- 8 pieces cooked bacon
- 7 slices havarti cheese
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Arrange the bottom halves of 16 slider buns on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. If some of them are stuck together, I find that they come out of the pan more easily when you’re ready to serve if you pull them apart ahead of time.
- Next, arrange the layers of the sliders. First the cranberry, next the turkey, then the bacon, and finally the havarti cheese.
- Place the bun tops onto each slider. Melt the butter in the microwave on 50% power for 1 minute, adding 15 second increments as needed until completely melted. Stir the poppy seeds into the melted butter and then evenly spread the poppy seed butter over all of the slider bun tops until the mixture is used up.
- Bake in a 350º F oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The sliders are done when the cheese is melted and the centers of the sandwiches are hot. Serve immediately.
Notes
*I used leftover King’s Hawaiian Dinner Rolls. They were good in this recipe, as their sweetness added a nice touch. You can buy fresh rolls, but this is also a great way to use up leftovers from your holiday dinner.
**One serving is two sliders.
Some more holiday flavors to enjoy…
[…] is a good thing, because you’ll want to make these festive sandwiches from Simple Seasonal. Cheesy Cranberry Bacon and Turkey Sliders have all your favorite holiday flavors in one little […]