Leftover Turkey Salad is a quick, creamy, and flavorful way to turn Thanksgiving leftovers into an easy lunch, appetizer, or light dinner. Made in just minutes with turkey, celery, relish, and a tangy dressing, it's perfect on crackers, tucked into pita bread, or served alongside classic holiday side salads.
If you're wondering what to do with all that leftover Thanksgiving turkey, this Leftover Turkey Salad is one of the fastest and most delicious solutions.
It takes just a few minutes to make, uses simple staple ingredients, and delivers big flavor whether served with crackers, inside pita bread, or paired with refreshing sides like potato salad and cucumber dill salad for a light and refreshing dinner!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Five-minute prep: Everything comes together quickly using ingredients you already have on hand.
- Classic flavor balance: The combination of sweet relish, Dijon mustard, and cider vinegar adds brightness, keeping the turkey from tasting heavy.
- Kid-friendly and crowd-approved: Perfect for game days, snacks, lunches, or potlucks.
- An effortless way to repurpose leftovers: No cooking required; mix, chill, and serve.
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
I used the following ingredients for the Leftover Turkey Salad: Leftover turkey (of course!), celery, sweet relish, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sugar, and Cider vinegar.
Making the Turkey Salad
Simple steps, maximum flavor.
- Add the turkey, celery, and sweet relish to your food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse-process the mixture 8 or 10 times to produce a finer chop.
- Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl and add the mayonnaise and mustard. Stir with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated.
- Add the sugar and cider vinegar, then give the mixture one last stir to ensure everything is well mixed.
- Cover the turkey salad and refrigerate until completely cooled.
I served some of the Leftover Turkey Salad with Ritz crackers and used some of it stuffed in pita bread with lettuce and tomato.
The Master Taste Tester's favorite was the trio of the Leftover Turkey Salad, my Southern Style Potato Salad with a Twist, and Cucumber Dill Salad.
This Leftover Turkey Salad has been a longtime PudgeFactor favorite for good reason. It's fast, flavorful, and endlessly adaptable. Whether you enjoy it with crackers, tucked into pita bread, or paired with light and refreshing side salads, it's one of the easiest ways to turn holiday leftovers into a satisfying meal. Yum!
Chula's Test Kitchen Tips
- Don't overprocess. Pulse the turkey, celery, and relish 8-10 times to give the salad a fine chop without over-processing and turning it into a paste.
- Adjust creaminess. If the salad seems too thick, add a teaspoon of mayonnaise at a time until the texture is scoopable but not runny.
- Taste before adding extra sugar or vinegar. Cider vinegar and relish already bring sweetness and tang. Add small amounts at a time to reach the balance you prefer.
- Chill before serving. Chilling the salad before serving helps the flavors to meld and improves the texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Dark meat adds moisture and richness. If using all white meat, you may need slightly more mayonnaise.
Absolutely. It tastes even better after a few hours in the refrigerator and keeps well if covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
White wine vinegar or lemon juice works well, though cider vinegar adds a nice hint of sweetness.
No. Mayonnaise-based salads do not freeze well and will separate.
Try croissants, slider buns, lettuce cups, toasted baguette, or stuffed tomatoes.
Yes. The turkey salad will taste different, but still delicious. It's a matter of preference.
No. For a chunkier turkey salad, cut the turkey into smaller pieces and mix in a bowl with the remainder of the ingredients.
If you're looking for more options for that leftover turkey, check out my Leftover Turkey Crêpes or Leftover Turkey Sliders Two Ways.
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Recipe
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Leftover Turkey Salad
Equipment
- Food Processor with Steel Blade
- medium bowl
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 2 cups (8 ounces) leftover turkey, cut into cubes
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons sweet relish
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Add turkey, celery, and sweet relish to food processor fitted with steel blade. Pulse process 8 or 10 times to produce a finer chop.
- Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sugar, and vinegar. Stir to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate.
- Serve with crackers, stuffed in pita bread, etc.
- Yield: 2 cups.
Rich says
How many cups of turkey?
Chula King says
Rich,
2 cups of turkey - not sure why this didn't show up in the recipe, but I've made the correction. Thanks for letting me know!
Chula
Nancy Lewis says
Hey Chula. I never tried this Turkey Salad recipe before because I never had enough turkey left over. Since I had alot of turkey leftover from this Thanksgiving, I gave it a try. It is sooo good. Thanks for sharing this. I am already thinking about whom I should share this recipe with.
Chula King says
Thanks! So glad that you liked it.
Chula