Turkey sandwich cut in half and skewered with a toothpick. Laying at an angle on a wooden plate.

Tips and Tricks

Can you use leftover roasted turkey instead of deli turkey? This recipe will work great with leftover roasted turkey from Thanksgiving or any other time you make it. That’s a great way to use turkey to make a sandwich that doesn’t involve cranberry and stuffing. I know after Thanksgiving I like to have different flavors after eating so much of them on the day of! This is a great air fryer way to use up leftover turkey.

What do you serve with a sandwich? I like to serve this toasted sandwich with either chips, a side salad, soup, fries or just some fruit. It’s a great sandwich for lunch because it doesn’t take long to make but it is still super satisfying. The options are limitless with what you can pair a turkey sandwich with, I often use whatever is in the house.

Ingredients

What’s the best type of bread to use? This recipe calls for marbled rye bread because I like the heartiness and flavor of marbled rye. However, you can use whatever bread you prefer from a white bakery style bread to sourdough or anything in between. I’d avoid using a sweeter bread like cinnamon raise or apple bread. Any sandwich bread will work.

What’s a good substitution for spinach? Spinach pairs great with pesto and goat cheese but you can absolutely substitute any raw leafy green like red leaf lettuce, romaine for some crunch or arugula. It adds some nice freshness to the sandwich and really takes it to the next level.

Method

How do you make an air fryer turkey sandwich? Preheat the air fryer to 360 F. Mix together goat cheese and pesto in a small bowl until well mixed and set aside. Once the air fryer is preheated, add the two pieces of bread in a single layer and lightly spray with oil. Cook for one minute until lightly toasted. Remove bread from the air fryer and spread goat cheese mixture on one piece of toasted bread (on the toasted side). On the other piece of bread add pieces of turkey. Place the sandwich back in the air fryer, open faced with the turkey and goat cheese exposed in a single layer. Cook for two minutes until turkey is just warmed and goat cheese is soft. Remove the sandwich and add bacon and spinach. Press together and cut in half.

A collage of 4 photos to show the process of assembling the sandiwch. Photo 1 is the goat cheese and pesto mixed together in a small bow, 2 is 2 peices of bread in an air fryer, 3 is the goat cheese mixture on one piece of bread and the turkey on the other on a plate and finally 4 is 2 pieces of bread with turkey and bacon on the top piece and goat cheese mixture and spinach on the bottom one on a plate.

Do you have to cook the bacon first? Yes, absolutely cook your bacon before making this sandwich. Even if you were to add the bacon to the air fryer while the cheese is getting gooey, it wouldn’t cook in time. My favorite way to cook bacon is in the oven.

Can you make this in the oven instead of an air fryer? Yes, you can make this in the oven or toaster oven if you don’t have an air fryer. Times will vary but start by toasting the bread lightly in the oven. Next add on the goat cheese mixture and turkey and heat until just warmed through, about five minutes. Finally, assemble with bacon and spinach and enjoy!