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Made with sliced turkey, sweet apples, dressed mixed greens, and sharp cheddar cheese this Turkey Apple Sandwich is reminiscent of Panera's seasonal roasted turkey sandwich. It is tangy, sweet, tart, savory, and absolutely delicious!
Whether made with Thanksgiving leftovers or prepped with deli turkey for a quick and easy lunch, everyone can agree this is the best turkey sandwich ever.
While Panera may have discontinued their delicious seasonal Turkey Apple Sandwich, it doesn't mean you need to give it up! You can easily recreate a similar masterpiece at home.
Using thinly sliced roasted turkey or deli turkey, cranberry walnut bread, sharp white cheddar, sweet apples, and dressed greens, this turkey sandwich is filled with incredible flavor and a symphony of textures.
With the addition of apples and sweet and chewy cranberry walnut bread, this turkey and cheese sandwich is elevate to the BEST turkey sandwich recipe of all time!
Notes on Ingredients Needed
- Turkey: Use thinly sliced deli turkey or thinly sliced leftover Roast Turkey, or Instant Pot Turkey Breast.
- Bread: Cranberry Walnut Bread is an amazing base for this sandwich. It is chewy and the flavors of cranberry and walnut make the sandwich pop. However, whole wheat bread, cinnamon raisin bread, or sourdough bread all are other suitable options for this sandwich.
- Sharp White Cheddar Cheese: White cheddar pairs amazingly well with sweet apples, as it is sharp and flavorful. Muenster or Sharp Cheddar work if you do not have white cheddar cheese.
- Gala Apples: Sweet, firm apples are a must for this sandwich. Gala is a great option, as is Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Golden Delicious. I do not recommend Red Delicious or Granny Smith for this turkey sandwich.
- Greens: The seasonal Panera Turkey Sandwich had a combination of kale and broccoli slaw on the sandwich. Sometimes, I use all broccoli slaw, sometimes I use all kale, and sometimes I take a shortcut and use a bagged Sweet Kale Salad which includes both.
- Poppy Seed Dressing: Use your favorite store-bought or homemade poppy seed dressing. If you opt to use a bag of Sweet Kale Salad for the greens, use the dressing included in the salad kit.
Substitutions
- Add Red Onions: While not original to the Panera Turkey Sandwich, sliced red onions add a nice sharp flavor to the sandwich and pair well with the sweet apples.
- Try it with Honey Mustard: If you aren't a fan of poppy seed dressing, dress this sandwich with honey mustard, which will add just the right sweet and tangy flavor to the overall sandwich.
- Mix up the Greens: Skip the broccoli slaw and kale combination and use green or red leaf lettuce.
- Try it with Ham: If you have leftover baked ham or Instant Pot Ham, use it in place of the turkey. It will be delicious!
- Change up the Cheese. If you happen to have leftover baked brie or whipped brie, slice it up and use on this sandwich--the brie pairs beautifully with the turkey and apples.
More Copycat Panera Recipes
- Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Copycat Panera Greek Salad
- Puff Pastry Quiche Cups
- Instant Pot Egg Bites
- Cranberry Walnut Bread
If you enjoyed this Turkey Apple Sandwich, I would love for you to leave a review and comment below.
Copycat Panera Turkey Apple Sandwich
Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped kale leaves
- ½ cup broccoli slaw
- 1 tablespoon poppy seed dressing
- 8 slices cranberry walnut bread, or whole grain bread of your choice
- 8 slices sharp white cheddar cheese
- 1 large gala apple, thinly sliced (or other sweet apple)
- 8-10 ounces sliced roasted turkey breast, or deli turkey
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl combine ½ cup broccoli slaw, ½ cup chopped kale, and 1 tablespoon of poppy seed dressing. Toss well to combine.
- To assemble the turkey sandwiches, place a slice of cheddar cheese on 4 slices of the bread. Top the cheese with a thin layer of the slaw mixture, followed sliced turkey, sliced apples, and an additional slice of cheese. Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread. Slice and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published in September 2017, updated November 2023.
That looks better than Panera!!
Diana, I would have to agree it is better than Panera :)Hope you try!
I love it when restaurant dishes are easy to figure out how to recreate. I did that once with a mussels and chorizo dish, and our homemade version was so delicious that we've made it multiple times since that first attempt.
Oh boy Kathryn--that mussel and chorizo dish sounds fabulous!
I toasted the bread, added garlic sandwich sauce, and warmed up the Turkey for 35 seconds with thin layer of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese on top 🙂 delicious!
Oh, this is my favorite sandwich from Panera! I love the idea of making it at home for a quick and easy lunch.
Thanks Ashley. It is my favorite too--I think you will LOVE it!
Thanks for posting this! My kids love to eat Panera sandwiches, and this would be a great one to make at home this weekend. Yum!
Your kids will devour this one! I hope you try it out soon!
Gorgeous sandwich Kristen! Love apples and cheddar with turkey, such a treat. Will have to remember this post-Thanksgiving! Glad you found what you needed after a super long day (including inspiration!) and glad things went well at your appointment. xo
Thanks Allie--it was a good appointment and a great sandwich (but homemade better!) Hope you give this a try post-T day 🙂
This is my all time favorite sandwich from Panera- Making it!
YEA!!! I hope you LOVE it as much (or more than Panera!!)
It sounds delicious, Kristen! I love Panera sandwiches too...a good copycat sounds fabulous to me!
YOu will love it Michelle!
I used to work at Panera Bread you can buy cole slaw mix and fuji apple dressing and use fuji apples to make the apples slaw they use. You can even just eat the slaw as a side too.
Very true, my version is just a bit cheaper and cleaner 😉 And the slaw is delicious as a salad! Great suggestion!
I knew it had coleslaw, but didn't know about the fuji apple dressing. Please elaborate. Thanks.
Hi Monica! This recipe does not have the coleslaw, but instead replicates the flavor by using sliced apples and a honey mustard dressing. Feel free to mix some shredded cabbage with the honey mustard and add diced apples and use that for this sandwich. Enjoy!