Leftover Turkey Salad Sandwich
This Leftover Turkey Salad Sandwich recipe is the perfect way to use all your leftover Thanksgiving turkey! The turkey salad mixture is filled with pecans for a perfect crunch and dried cranberries for sweetness. Seasoned with thyme and dijon mustard, your leftover turkey sandwiches just got a delicious makeover!
This recipe is a Thanksgiving twist on my classic Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe. You’ll also love my Avocado Chicken Salad recipe that has corn and bacon in it!
Why This Recipe Works
- Great way to use all that leftover Thanksgiving turkey! Instead of having simple turkey sandwiches with mustard and sliced bread, spruce up your turkey leftovers with this delicious cranberry pecan turkey salad! It’s a great recipe for leftover turkey.
- Uses part Greek yogurt. For those of you who are counting macros, who love Greek yogurt, or who are looking for a healthy turkey salad, this recipe is perfect for you! Using part mayo/part Greek yogurt is the best way to get the perfect creamy texture without the added fat from extra mayo.
- Will remind you of Thanksgiving dinner. Not only is this recipe a great way to repurpose turkey, but it incorporates some ingredients that remind me of our Thanksgiving feast! Pecans and cranberries are always found on our family’s Thanksgiving plate.
Ingredient Notes
- Greek Yogurt: Using a split of mayo and Greek yogurt makes this recipe a lot healthier while not compromising on the creaminess of the turkey salad mixture.
- Pecans: I love a good crunch in a turkey salad recipe. Pecans are my preferred nut of choice for this recipe because the flavor is a bit more reminiscent of Thanksgiving with things like pecan pie and pecan sweet potatoes!
- Dried Cranberries: Similar to the pecans, there is something so perfect as turkey and cranberry! I even love the combination in my turkey meatballs and cranberry chutney recipe. The dried cranberries in this recipe give a nice sweetness to the turkey salad sandwich.
- Leftover Turkey: Use the dark and the light meat. If you don’t have leftover turkey, you can cook turkey tenderloins and shred/cut that to use.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add the turkey, mayo, Greek yogurt, pecans, mustard, sugar, celery, thyme, lemon juice, and dried cranberries in a large bowl.
- Stir until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Portion the mixture onto slices of bread or rolls.
- Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
Recipe Tips
Toast the bread and add some lettuce for additional crunch.
If you don’t have any leftover turkey, you can bake or cook some turkey tenderloins or even use some rotisserie chicken in place of the leftover turkey. No need to wait for the day after Thanksgiving to make this delicious turkey salad!
Adapt this recipe for a crowd by serving it as a cracker dip instead of as a sandwich!
You can also serve the turkey salad on dinner rolls instead of sliced bread.
Storing and Freezing
Store any leftover turkey salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.
I don’t recommend freezing turkey salad because freezing then thawing the mayo could change the texture and flavor. The pecans would also get mushy after being frozen in the mixture and thawed.
For freezing, I’d recommend freezing the cooked turkey and making the turkey salad with the frozen cooked turkey once it is thawed.
FAQs
This cranberry turkey salad will stay good in the fridge up to 4 days. Be sure to store it in an airtight container.
This recipe tastes so yummy alongside some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes such as candied yams and vegetable stuffing!
Turkey salad, like chicken salad, is make from shredded turkey, some cream base (like mayo or Greek yogurt, or both), a nut element and a sweet element. This recipe uses pecans for the nut and dried cranberries for the sweet.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
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Cranberry Turkey Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 4 cups turkey - chopped (leftover Thanksgiving turkey is perfect for this recipe!)
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup pecans - chopped (toasted is great, but not necessary)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar - or honey
- 1/3 cup celery - diced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme - chopped
- 1/2 lemon - juiced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- salt and pepper - to taste
- bread or rolls - for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the turkey, Mayo, Greek yogurt, pecans, mustard, sugar, celery, thyme, lemon juice, and dried cranberries. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Portion the mixture onto slices of bread or rolls.
- Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
Notes
- You can use more mayo or more Greek yogurt if you want your turkey salad very creamy (I usually prefer mine with less mayo/Greek yogurt).
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2 Comments on “Leftover Turkey Salad Sandwich”
I was stressed over what to do with all the leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Our turkey was smoked and this was so good! Fast and easy and delicious, just how I like recipes. Only change I made was dried thyme, just under a teaspoon, instead of fresh.
Glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jamie! Thanks for the positive review!