Turkey Salad
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This quick and easy Turkey Salad is something special! Made with leftover holiday turkey folded into a creamy mayo Dijon mixture along with some dried cranberries for a touch of sweetness and fresh dill that makes the flavors pop! It’s the perfect turkey sandwich solution to feed the family the day after Thanksgiving!
The Best Leftover Turkey Salad Recipe
The iconic turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving! Sure you could just put some sliced turkey slathered with cranberry sauce between some brioche bread or you could make this amazing Turkey Salad recipe! It’s bursting with flavor and takes just 10 minutes to make!
It’s special because it’s got dried cranberries and fresh dill. The cranberries add some sweetness that blends delightfully well with the savory flavors of the mayo, Dijon, and turkey. Yet, the real star ingredient in this recipe is the fresh dill, which elevates the flavor profile. It has a pungent somewhat citrus-like taste that is unexplainably good. And when combined with the turkey and dried cranberries it’s incredible. I know it may sound odd at first but once you try it you are going to want to put fresh dill and dried cranberries in everything!
This simple quick and easy turkey salad is also super versatile. It can be served spread on a croissant, on top of a fresh green salad, or just eaten by the spoonful with a handful of crackers!
Why You’ll Love This Turkey Salad
- Quick And Easy! It takes just 10 minutes to make this fantastic recipe! All you need is one bowl, some leftover Thanksgiving turkey, and 8 simple everyday ingredients.
- Cranberry Dill Surprise! The combination of cranberries and fresh dill added to the turkey salad mixture is unbelievably good adding the perfect amount of sweetness and herby dill pop.
- Crowd Pleaser! Got a full house to feed around the holidays or a potluck on your calendar!?! This turkey salad will impress with its simple, yet complex layers of flavor.
- Turkey – You will need some cooked turkey cut up into chunks. You can also make this recipe with chicken if you like.
- Celery – Adds a lovely crispy crunch to the salad.
- Dried Cranberries – Used to add a bit of sweetness. Dried cranberries create a lovely savory and sweet aspect to the turkey salad.
- Red Onion – I used red onions which are a tad sweeter, but any type of onion will work.
- Mayonnaise – Regular or light mayo is perfect, but you can also use plain yogurt too if you prefer. Better yet, try out my recipe for easy homemade mayonnaise.
- Dijon Mustard – It has a bit of wine in it that blends well with the sweetness of the cranberries.
- Dill – Fresh dill highlights all the other ingredients with its bright pungent flavor.
- Seasonings – Salt and ground black pepper help meld all the flavors together.
It’s simple! The salad is pretty much already made once you’ve cooked a turkey. The rest is literally just a 1-step process that takes about 10 minutes or less!
Make The Turkey Salad
This is the one step to tastiness! Put the cubed or shredded turkey into a large bowl along with the celery, dried cranberries, red onion, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, fresh chopped dill, salt, and black pepper. Then stir all the ingredients together with a rubber spatula until they are fully combined. At this point, you can taste the salad and add more salt if you like. But that’s it!
Serve And Enjoy
To serve, make sandwiches, wraps, or a top salad with the mixture! I like to serve this turkey salad as a sandwich garnished with some lettuce and tomato along with a side of my Baked Zucchini Chips and a bowl of my Curried Butternut Squash Soup.
What Else Can I Add To My Turkey Salad?
Anything you like! You can doctor it up by adding some cooked bacon, chopped pecans or walnuts, diced apples, or any herbs or spices you like. You can also make chicken salad with this recipe by using rotisserie chicken instead of turkey. It can even be turned into a turkey pasta salad. Just double the amount of mayo and Dijon to coat the pasta. Feel free to be as creative as you like.
Can I Substitute The Mayo?
Yes! If you don’t want to use the mayonnaise, you can easily use Greek yogurt, mashed avocado, or hummus in its place.
Expert Tips
- White and dark meat. Use white and dark turkey meat for the most flavor and best texture.
- Fresh dill matters. While dried dill will work, nothing compares to the taste of freshly chopped dill.
- Taste for salt. Once you fold all the ingredients together, taste once more to see if it needs more salt. Tasting right before serving it is the key to perfectly seasoned food.
Storage
Leftover turkey salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 days in an airtight container. However, leftovers do not freeze well at all.
Other Leftover Turkey Recipes To Try
- Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
- Turkey Rice Casserole
- Leftover Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
- Turkey Bites
- Turkey Tetrazzini.
- Turkey Noodle Casserole
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Turkey Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked turkey
- 1 stalk celery (chopped)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 small red onion (chopped)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix well using a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Serve on bread or wraps.
Notes
- White and dark meat. Use white and dark turkey meat for the most flavor and best texture.
- Fresh dill matters. While dried dill will work, nothing compares to the taste of freshly chopped dill.
- Taste for salt. Once you fold all the ingredients together, taste once more to see if it needs more salt. Tasting right before serving it is the key to perfectly seasoned food.
- Leftover turkey salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 days in an airtight container. However, leftovers do not freeze well at all.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I just made this for lunch! Since I used all celery, I substitute apples for it. I wanted reduce fat, so, I used partially Greek yogurt for mayo. Added some leftover pecan! Thanks, it was so delicious!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This was easy an delicious. I added chopped walnuts.
Glad you enjoyed it!