This turkey club sandwich is layered with colorful vegetables (both quick-pickled and fresh) toasted bread, and a smoky mayo sauce. Plus, It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, and can even be made vegan.

A couple of weekends ago when making our menu for the week ahead, I decided that turkey club sandwiches for dinner seemed like a good idea. This had me thinking of why sandwiches are usually only a breakfast or lunch thing, but rarely ever a dinner thing.

One bite in quickly reminded me that sandwiches are always a good idea, no matter the time of day.

What’s A Club Sandwich?

A club sandwich, also known as a “clubhouse sandwich”, is probably the most American sandwich there is. It includes three slices of bread and is most commonly made on white bread with poultry, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise.

It’s then usually cut into quarters or halves and held together by cocktail sticks. This is likely due to the fact that this monster of a sandwich is easier to eat in smaller bites.

Ingredients

In our turkey club sandwich, meat is more of an afterthought that’s tucked in between colorful vegetables that add texture and layers of flavor to each bite. Here’s what we used:

bread – I love a good seedy bread for even more texture, but use any kind of bread you like
chipotle lime mayo
turkey – either a high quality deli meat or from a roast
sprouts
bacon
quick-pickled red cabbage
romaine or butter lettuce

How to Make A Turkey Club Sandwich

Making a sandwich seems pretty obvious, but it’s helpful to layer a club sandwich somewhat strategically so that it doesn’t topple over if you don’t have a toothpick to secure it.

Also, toasting the bread is a must.

For this sandwich, I like to first add some of the mayo to the bottom layer of toasted bread, followed by the turkey and the sprouts.

Now another piece of toasted bread, a schmear of mayo, the bacon, then top with the pickled cabbage and the lettuce, and then the top piece of toasted bread (with or without mayo – your choice).

Make It Your Way: Ingredient Substitutitons

Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.

How can you make this turkey club sandwich using what you already have? Here are some ideas…

No turkey? ➝ use chicken instead
Gluten-free? ➝ use your favorite gluten-free bread
Plant-based? ➝ sub tempeh or tofu for the turkey, use coconut bacon, etc.
No pickled red cabbage? ➝ you can quick-pickle any vegetable such as red onion or use store-bought pepperoncini or pickles
No mayo? ➝ any sauce will work: ranch, pesto, cashew ricotta or anything else you prefer
Add-ins ➝ cheese, relish, fresh herbs, etc.

Tools Needed

Helpful Tips For Making The Best Turkey Club Sandwich

Best Type of Bread to Use

Club sandwiches typically are made with white bread, but to up the nutrition, I recommend using sourdough or a seedy variety such as Dave’s Killer Bread.

Or you could even get creative and use waffles instead of the bread.

How To Serve

Serve the sandwich with your favorite chips or homemade fries.

Make Ahead

Make this sandwich even easier by quick-pickling the vegetables, cooking the bacon, and making a batch of chipotle lime mayo in advance.

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