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    Home » Recipes » Salad

    Leftover Turkey Salad

    Published: Nov 10, 2022 · Modified: Nov 13, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This leftover turkey salad is a delicious way to use up your Thanksgiving leftovers. It's meant to be made with leftover ingredients from your Thanksgiving dinner — no cooking or trip to the store required!

    Leftover turkey salad with dressing.

    About This Recipe

    This recipe is very similar to a classic chicken salad, but it uses turkey instead of chicken (plus a few other Thanksgiving-inspired ingredients)!

    Leftover turkey salad is perfect to make after Thanksgiving because it's quick to make in one bowl (no cooking required); and you'll probably have all the ingredients on hand (no trip to the store required).

    Ingredients

    Here's what you'll need to make this recipe. The full recipe and ingredient list can be found at the bottom of the page.

    • Leftover turkey
    • Green onions
    • Celery
    • Mayonnaise
    • Pecans
    • Cranberries
    • Apple cider vinegar
    • Honey
    • Dijon mustard
    • Salt & pepper
    Leftover turkey salad with dressing.

    How to Make Turkey Salad

    Here's how to make this recipe in 3 simple steps:

    1. Make the salad: add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir together with a fork until combined.
    2. Taste & adjust: taste and season with additional salt, pepper, or honey (for sweetness) as desired.
    3. Serve: serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container. The turkey salad will stay good for up to 3 - 4 days from when the turkey was cooked.

    Substitutions

    Here's some of the most popular substitutions and additions for this recipe:

    • Turkey: traditionally this recipe is made with white breast meat but you could also add in some darker meat. Simply cube up your turkey leftovers into bite-sized pieces (leave on any skin and seasoning if you like).
    • Pecans: these can be swapped out for walnuts or almonds if you prefer.
    • Cranberries: raisins would also be tasty.
    • Honey: maple syrup can be used in place of honey.
    • Poppy seeds: a teaspoon of poppy seeds is a tasty addition to this recipe.

    Overall, this recipe is very versatile! Feel free to add what you have on hand and leave out what you don't — the goal of this recipe is to be an easy way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.

    Leftover turkey salad with dressing.

    Storage

    • In the fridge: store your turkey salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days from when you cooked your turkey.
    • In the freezer: it's not recommended to freeze turkey salad because it will change the texture.

    Top Tips

    • Cut everything small for the best texture: your turkey should be cut into about half inch cubes, but everything else should be chopped or diced finely.
    • Taste and adjust: once your turkey salad is mixed, feel free to taste and adjust the flavors to your personal taste by adding more salt, pepper, honey (for sweetness), dijon (for tanginess), etc.
    • Use what you have: if you're missing some of the fresh ingredients like celery or green onion, it's OK to skip them. Add a little extra of other ingredients that you do have and this salad will still be tasty.
    Leftover turkey salad with dressing.

    How to Serve Turkey Salad

    Turkey salad is best served cold. You can eat it plain or in a sandwich (using regular bread or a croissant) or even in a lettuce wrap.

    Similar Recipes

    For other salads with fall-inspired ingredients, check out these favorites:

    • Fall Cobb Salad
    • Fall Quinoa Salad
    • Fall Harvest Salad
    • Collection: The 35 Best Fall Salad Recipes
    Leftover turkey salad with spoon.

    If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment & rating at the bottom of this page!

    Print
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    Leftover turkey salad with dressing.

    Leftover Turkey Salad


    • Author: Megan
    • Total Time: 10 minutes
    • Yield: 6 servings 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This leftover turkey salad is a delicious way to use up your Thanksgiving leftovers. It's meant to be made with leftover ingredients from your Thanksgiving dinner — no cooking or trip to the store required!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 3-4 cups cubed leftover roasted turkey
    • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
    • 2 stalks celery, finely diced
    • ¾ cup mayonnaise
    • ½ cup chopped pecans
    • ½ cup dried cranberries
    • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

    Instructions

    1. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir together with a fork until combined.
    2. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, or honey (for sweetness) as desired.
    3. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container. The turkey salad will stay good for up to 3 - 4 days from when the turkey was cooked.
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 0 minutes
    • Category: Salad
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: turkey salad, turkey, mayonnaise, leftover, cranberries, pecans, thankgiving, fall, autumn, holidays, christmas, creamy

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag us @her.wholesome.kitchen — we can't wait to see what you've made!

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    Hi, I'm Megan! I'm a health coach & I love to create salad recipes that are simple and delicious.

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