Why I love this turkey salad
There always seems to be too much turkey at Thanksgiving – even if it’s the best brined turkey you’ve ever made and you planned for the perfect amount per person – the homemade stuffing always wins. So every year, I’m looking for new ways to use the leftovers.
My go to is usually soup. Last year, I made this amazing pho recipe, and I love using turkey in my chicken and dumplings recipe, but this year, I wanted to do something different.
This turkey salad recipe is a different take on my cranberry chicken salad, but instead of pine nuts, I used pecans I had leftover from my mini pecan pies. I think they’re perfect for fall, and, as an added bonus, they’re a bit cheaper than pine nuts.
→ More holiday leftover recipes: baked stuffed pork chops / turkey wild rice soup / Thanksgiving turkey tacos / cranberry sauce bars
Ingredient notes:
- Green onion – If you don’t have green onion, you can swap a sweet chopped onion or chives. If you are using chopped onion, make sure to give it a quick rinse in cold water to take out the bite.
- Mayonnaise – This is kind of necessary for the dressing, and since we can’t use yogurt, this isn’t really something you can skip if you want a creamy turkey salad. You can use vegan mayo if you want or need this to be egg free.
- Pecans – You can swap this for another type of nut, or even toasted pepitas if you need it to be nut free. The pecans are my favorite, but we love toasted almonds or pine nuts in this recipe.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
Nope. You definitely don’t need to, but toasting them really amps up their flavor and changes they way they taste (for the better), but if you’re feeling lazy or don’t have the time, this recipe will still be great without toasting.
Turkey salad should last for 3 – 4 days in the fridge, depending on the freshness of the ingredients you use.
Yes. You can technically freeze this recipe, but I don’t recommend freezing turkey salad (or any mayo based salads) because of the egg structure in the mayonnaise.
More turkey recipes: White turkey chili / turkey club sandwich / mini meatloaf / turkey sloppy joes / grilled turkey breast
Leftover Turkey Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 – 4 cups chopped cooked turkey
- 1 rib celery, thinly sliced
- 1 – 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup pecan pieces, lightly toasted
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise, or vegan mayo for egg free
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, or 1 – 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 – 2 tablespoons water
- Salt & pepper, to toaste
Instructions
- Prep your ingredients. Start by chopping your celery, green onion and turkey. Then, toast the pecans in a small skillet over low heat until warmed and fragrant.
- Make the salad. Combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir until the ingredients are evenly coated with mayonnaise and the seasoning has blended into the sauce. If needed, adjust seasoning with salt & pepper, to taste.
- Chill and serve. Cover and chill the salad for about 30 minutes, or until ready to serve. Letting the salad rest will enhance the flavor. Serve on a bed of lettuce or as a turkey salad sandwich.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
We periodically cook a turkey breast in a crock pot and were looking for something different to do with the leftovers. This recipe was fantastic! We added some glazed pecans that kicked it up a little more. Thanks for the recipe!!
My husband loved it!! I’m vegetarian so I don’t do taste test, I just followed the recipe!!!
This salad is so delicious. It has protein, veggies, and fruit. It’s flavorful with a great texture. I want to buy a turkey just to make this salad. I did use a bit more mayonnaise for my liking, I can’t wait to make more! I would love to share a picture, but it’s all gone.
Recipe is fantastic! Delicious and moist… yummy… however, (and this might be a glitch) it says this recipe is dairy and gluten free…. This is not true. Mayonnaise has egg but there are vegan options to substitute so that it can be dairy free. And yes, eggs are considered a dairy ingredient.
Eggs are not a dairy product. Here is a full post explaining Are eggs dairy free?. Eggs are however not vegan.