The Best Leftover Turkey Salad Recipe (Easy And Creamy)

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Are you wondering what to do with your Christmas or Thanksgiving leftovers? Try my best leftover turkey salad recipe! It’s an easy and delicious way to use up that extra turkey.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: The Best Turkey Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes, no cooking needed
Servings: 8
Main Ingredients: Leftover turkey, Miracle Whip or mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, celery, and red onion
Dietary Info: Gluten free if your mayo and mustard are gluten free. Dairy free.
Difficulty Level: Easy

With just a few pantry staples, you can whip up this flavorful turkey salad in no time. It’s perfect for a quick lunch or a light dinner, making your leftovers something to look forward to.

I love to cook a whole turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas and we always have lots of leftover turkey meat to use up. Actually, the week after a big meal is always my favorite. There are so many leftovers to use, and it makes putting together a quick dinner so much easier during a busy time of year.

But sometimes you want more than just reheated holiday dishes. Thankfully, there are so many delicious ways to use holiday leftovers, like this turkey pasta bake or turkey and stuffing casserole.

One of my favorite ways to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey is this turkey salad recipe. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and can be used in so many ways. You can enjoy turkey salad sandwiches, serve it on a bed of lettuce, and make lettuce cups or wraps.

It’s such an easy dinner recipe that you’ll want to keep turkey on hand just to make this yummy salad.

A sandwich bun filled with homemade turkey salad and fresh lettuce.

Why You’ll Love This Turkey Salad

Uses Up Leftovers: It’s one of the easiest ways to make sure no holiday turkey goes to waste.
No Cooking Needed: Just chop, stir, and serve. It’s ready in about 10 minutes.
Simple Pantry Staples: You probably already have everything you need in your fridge and pantry.
So Many Ways To Serve It: Enjoy it on a bun, in a wrap, in lettuce cups, or on a bed of lettuce.

Ingredient Notes

This easy recipe uses simple ingredients that you likely have in your pantry but it’s so flexible it’s easy to make substitutions to use up what you have on hand.

Turkey salad ingredients in small bowls, diced turkey, onion, celery, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and black pepper.

Leftover turkey – You can use white or dark meat or use a mixture of both types of turkey meat. I usually cook up whole turkeys but you can also roast a turkey breast and save the meat to use in your salad. Once you’ve picked the meat off the bones, use the carcass to make homemade turkey stock.

Miracle Whip or mayonnaise – I prefer to use Miracle Whip as the base of the dressing because it tastes a bit sweeter and spicier than regular mayo.

But you can use whatever mayo you prefer. I use 1 cup in this recipe because I like a nice creamy turkey salad. If you would like a drier salad, reduce the Miracle Whip to 2/3 of a cup or to taste.

Dijon mustard – Mustard gives a little spice to the recipe and pairs wonderfully with the other flavors. Dijon is my favorite, but you can substitute your favorite mustard. Honey dijon also works well.

Lemon juice – Use bottled or fresh lemon juice. The acid helps to bring out the flavor of the turkey.

Sugar – A little sugar helps to add a touch of sweetness and makes the dressing taste so much better. If you decide to use honey Dijon mustard you can leave the sugar out.

Celery – Finally diced celery adds a lovely crunch to the salad and a nice green color.

Red onion – Red onions are my favorite to use in salads. They have a slightly sweet taste and add a pop of color against white salad dressings. But you can substitute green onions, shallots, or any sweet onion that you prefer.

Salt and black pepper – Seasonings to enhance the overall flavor of the dressing.

How To Make Turkey Salad

Step 1: Mix The Turkey And Vegetables

A white mixing bowl with diced turkey, celery, onions, spices and mustard.

In a large mixing bowl, add your cooked diced turkey, sugar, lemon juice, celery, onions, salt, and pepper. Chop the turkey into small, bite-size pieces so it’s easy to spread on bread.

Step 2: Add The Dressing

Mixing bowl with cooked turkey, celery, red onion, spices and mayo before mixing.

Then add the Dijon mustard and the mayonnaise.

Step 3: Stir, TAste, And Chill

Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Taste and make any seasoning adjustments to suit your tastes.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

A bun filled with homemade turkey salad on a white plate. Text overlay says The Best Ever Turkey Salad With Simple Ingredients.

How To Serve Turkey Salad

There are so many ways to enjoy this turkey salad:

On a bun or bread: Pile it on your favorite bread, a soft bun, or a croissant for a classic turkey salad sandwich.
In a wrap: Roll it up in a tortilla with some fresh lettuce.
In lettuce cups: Spoon it into crisp lettuce leaves for a lighter lunch.
On a bed of lettuce: Serve a scoop over mixed greens.

For an easy lunch spread, serve it alongside a creamy bacon pasta salad.

Recipe Notes & Tips

Chop the turkey small. Bite-size pieces mix better with the dressing and are easier to eat in a sandwich.
Start with less dressing. If your turkey is very moist, add the Miracle Whip a little at a time so the salad doesn’t get runny.
Taste before serving. Leftover turkey can be salty or mild depending on how it was seasoned, so adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Chill it first. The flavors blend even better after the salad sits in the fridge for a little while.

Substitutions

Miracle Whip: Use regular mayonnaise. Reduce it to 2/3 cup for a drier salad.
Dijon mustard: Use your favorite mustard or honey Dijon. If you use honey Dijon, you can leave out the sugar.
Red onion: Use green onions, shallots, or any sweet onion.
Turkey: Use white meat, dark meat, or a mix of both. Leftover roast chicken works too.

Variations

Cranberry turkey salad: Stir in a handful of dried cranberries for a sweet, festive twist.
Add some crunch: Mix in chopped pecans or walnuts.
Fruity turkey salad: Add halved grapes or diced apple.

How To Store Turkey Salad

Turkey salad should be stored in an airtight container and kept refrigerated. If your turkey is freshly cooked the salad will last for up to 4 days in the fridge. If you are using leftover turkey that’s a few days old use the salad up as soon as possible.

FAQ’s

If your turkey was freshly cooked, it will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container. If your leftover turkey is already a few days old, eat the salad as soon as you can.

I don’t recommend it. Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip dressings separate when they thaw, and the celery gets soggy. Freeze the plain cooked turkey instead, then make the salad after it thaws.

This recipe uses 4 cups of chopped cooked turkey and makes about 8 servings.

Yes, you can make it a day ahead. Keep it covered in the fridge and give it a good stir before serving.

Yes, leftover roast chicken works great in this recipe.

More Leftover Turkey Recipes

The Best Turkey Salad Recipe

This easy leftover turkey salad is creamy and tangy, with crunchy celery and red onion in a simple Miracle Whip and Dijon dressing. A quick, no-cook way to turn your Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers into delicious sandwiches and wraps!

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Serving Size servings

Ingredients

4 cups cooked turkey chopped
1 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 TBS. lemon juice
2 tsp. sugar
2 stalks celery finely diced
1/2 cup red onion finely diced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl add the cooked turkey, celery, red onions, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Then add the Dijon mustard and Miracle Whip and stir until well mixed.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

Nutrition

These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.

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Kim

Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.