Easy Leftover Turkey Salad Recipe

Turn Leftover Turkey into the Best Turkey Salad Recipe!

• Quick and easy. Dice up your leftover turkey and toss it together with juicy apple pieces, celery, pecans, fresh tarragon, and a simple, creamy mayo-mustard dressing.
• Light, crunchy, creamy. This turkey salad is super flavorful thanks to the herbs and fresh crunch. It’s refreshing after a plate of stuffing and mashed potatoes drenched in gravy!
• Customizable. There are so many ways to make this turkey salad recipe your own. You can make it with any turkey, no matter the seasoning, whether it’s a maple-smoked turkey or a classic dry-brine turkey. Bulk up your turkey salad with cranberries, different nuts, spices, veggies, and more.

Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe

This recipe comes together super fast because you’ll already have the turkey on hand. So it’s just a matter of cutting it up. Below is a look at the ingredients I use. Scroll to the recipe card for the printable recipe amounts and detailed instructions.

• Turkey: I like to chop my turkey in this recipe instead of shredding it, but you can do either.
• Onion: Use red onion; it’s a little sweeter. Another sweet, mild salad onion, like Vidalia onion, also works nicely.
• Celery: Make sure it is very finely diced so you get that fresh crunch in every bite. You can swap celery for another veggie if you’d like, like bell peppers or green peas.
• Pecans: Roughly chopped raw pecans. Walnuts and almonds also go great in this recipe. If you have spiced candied nuts leftover from your holiday charcuterie board, try chopping those!
• Apples: My favorite apple is Honeycrisp, so that’s what I used here. A few other apples that would work in this recipe are Granny Smith, Gala, and Pink Lady apples.
• Mustard: I use Dijon mustard, like Grey Poupon, because I like the zing it gives.
• Mayonnaise: I add a small amount to make the salad dressing creamy. You could also use mashed avocado instead of mayo, as I do in my paleo avocado chicken salad.
• Herbs: Fresh tarragon makes this salad pop. Feel free to use any fresh herbs you have in the fridge, including basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, chives, and dill.

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How to Make Turkey Salad

This turkey salad recipe is the definition of no-frills, and it comes together fast!

• Combine, toss, and enjoy. Add chopped leftover turkey, celery, red onion, apples, pecans, tarragon, Dijon, and mayonnaise to a large bowl. Toss everything together to coat. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

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Recipe Tips, Tricks, and Variations

• Chop the ingredients so they’re similar in size. Size is key in chicken salad and turkey salad recipes. I try to make sure that every element of this salad (turkey, apples, pecans, and veggies) is the same size. This ensures there’s a little bit of everything in every bite.
• Choose the right mustard. I would NOT use yellow mustard in this turkey salad recipe. It totally changes the flavor. I highly recommend using Dijon mustard or stone-ground mustard.
• Adapt the herbs. First off, I absolutely love tarragon in this salad. However, I realize that tarragon has a slight licorice flavor that people either love or hate. If you’re not a fan, you can use thyme or basil instead.
• Paleo-friendly. As mentioned earlier, you can make this salad paleo by swapping out the mayonnaise with mashed avocado.

Ways to Serve Turkey Salad

Honestly, this recipe is so flavorful on its own. I’ve often eaten it as-is, straight out of the container! However, it’s also delicious on a buttery croissant, in a lettuce cup, on top of a salad, or between bread for a classic turkey salad sandwich. Enjoy a tomato cucumber salad, or fruit salad on the side, or serve with a bowl of roasted cauliflower soup or creamy carrot ginger soup.

How to Store

• Refrigerate. Because this recipe contains mayo, you’ll need to store this turkey salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will be at its freshest for 3-4 days.

More Easy Turkey Recipes

• Turkey Meatballs
• Classic Turkey Burger 
• Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
• Turkey Tostadas