Turkey Appetizers with Cranberry Sauce

These Turkey Appetizers with Cranberry Sauce are a creative and elegant way to use those Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.

A few years ago, we went out of town for Thanksgiving, switching things up a bit. We have lots of friends and family on St. Simons Island, so we decided to have everyone over for a cocktail party the day after Thanksgiving.

As we made our plans, Mom said the main goal was to get rid of the turkey leftovers as we were leaving the next morning.  So, I came up with this easy little turkey appetizer and it was a huge hit with everyone there.

Not only was I using up the turkey leftovers, but the cranberry sauce too!

Jump to:

• Why you'll love these turkey appetizers
• Ingredients for Turkey Appetizers with Cranberry Sauce
• Substitutions and Variations
• How to make these turkey appetizers
• Recipe FAQs
• More Thanksgiving ideas
• Looking for more crostini recipes?
• 📖 Recipe
• Finger Foods

Why you'll love these turkey appetizers

• They are easy! Seriously, all you're doing is layering Thanksgiving leftovers on a slice of bread.
• They are quick- You'll be able to throw together enough of these to serve a crowd in just 15 minutes or less.
• You'll use up those leftovers- Ok, we love having Thanksgiving leftovers, but sometimes enough is enough! This is a creative way to use them up.

Ingredients for Turkey Appetizers with Cranberry Sauce

• Baguette- This will form the foundation for your crostini.
• Cream cheese- Softened
• Poultry seasoning- This herb mix usually has sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, nutmeg, and onion powder
• Turkey- Just one cup of shredded turkey is all you need
• Cranberry sauce- Use leftover cranberry sauce, or buy some at the store

Substitutions and Variations

• If you don't have poultry seasoning, just use a teaspoon of dried sage, a ¼ teaspoon of thyme, and a dash of nutmeg
• Substitute the cream cheese for fat free cream cheese to lighten up these turkey appetizers
• Not a fan of cranberry sauce? According to our beloved Flavor Bible, apple, cherry and orange all go great with sage and turkey, so try a jam or chutney made with any of those fruits!

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How to make these turkey appetizers

1. Slice a French baguette to make the toasts and bake them at 375 for about 10 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and a teaspoon of poultry seasoning and salt to taste.
3. Spread the cream cheese mixture on each crostini, and topped it with a pinch of shredded turkey and a teaspoon of cranberry sauce!

Recipe FAQs

More Thanksgiving ideas

We do love our Cajun fried turkey, but if you have a few extra people who love the white meat you'll want to check out this recipe for Slow Cooker Turkey Breast.

It's so easy to have it cooking while you make the rest of the meal. And the gravy is divine!

If you have leftover ham, check out our Black Bean Soup with Ham.   Or if you need a brunch recipe for that leftover ham try Ham and Potato Frittata.

Looking for more crostini recipes?

If you love crostini as much as we do, you'll want to try our Greek inspired Steak Crostini and Shrimp Crostini.

For a fun and quick look at this recipe check out the Google Web Story.

📖 Recipe