Happy Thanksgiving week to all my US followers! This is without a doubt my favorite time of the year. I know I’ve said this often, but I truly can’t believe how fast this year has flown by! As much as I love Thanksgiving, we all know I am most excited for all things Christmas. That doesn’t mean I will skip over the best part of Thanksgiving – the leftovers! If you have been following me for a while you know my favorite part of Thanksgiving are the leftovers, including enjoying a piece of cold pumpkin pie the morning after. I am excited to share this recipe for Leftover Turkey Salad just in time before your holiday feast! I’m also sharing my FREE printable PDF with several helpful recipes to help you maximize all of your Thanksgiving leftovers.
This Leftover Turkey Salad is similar to chicken salad, but you can use your leftover Thanksgiving turkey! I like to utilize both the dark and light meat, so don’t be afraid to just add it all in this recipe. It is mixed together with a paleo-friendly mayo, coconut milk to make it extra creamy, and poppy seeds for extra flavor and a slight crunch. I also threw in some dried cranberries, which actually plumped back up once marinated in the mayo dressing. I added in some walnuts and celery, but feel free to add whatever you have and omit what you don’t!
How to serve:
You can serve this turkey salad several ways! If you are looking for something lighter, you can serve it over a bed of greens and dress it with my Spiced Maple Cider Vinaigrette from my Roasted Acorn Squash Salad. For something a little more classic, serve it on leftover grain-free rolls or any of my grain-free bread recipes. My favorite version is my Nut-Free Sandwich Bread from page 48 in my cookbook Eat What You Love, but my Blender Bread recipe will work just as well! I think this recipe would also taste absolutely amazing sandwiched between my Cheddar Biscuits, if you are able to tolerate dairy.
You can also use the leftover cranberry sauce and slather it between your choice of bread to make a delicious sandwich. Grain-free crackers of your choice are also an ideal conduit for this salad and makes for a light but delicious snack!
More leftover recipes:
If you haven’t downloaded it already, I have a free printable PDF with all your Thanksgiving leftover recipe needs here! All you have to do is enter your email address and you will be emailed a free copy of my Thanksgiving leftover recipes.
I hope you have a great Thanksgiving week with family and friends! Be sure to tag me on all your beautiful creations on my social media! I can’t wait to see what you make!
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PrintLeftover Turkey Salad
- Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
- Category: lunch
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 3 cups leftover dark and white meat turkey or chicken, chopped
- 3/4 cup walnut pieces, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup apple juice sweetened dried cranberries
Instructions
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, coconut milk, lemon juice, poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Stir in the turkey, walnuts, celery, and cranberries. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Serve over greens with Maple-Dijon vinaigrette, with grain-free crackers, or between two toasted slices of grain-free bread. A little leftover cranberry sauce spread on the toast kicks it up a notch too!
Keywords: Danielle Walker, against all grain, thanksgiving, paleo, salad, lunch, leftovers, dinner, holiday, gluten free, grain free, healthy recipes, clean eating
11/23/21
Leftover Turkey Salad (Paleo & Gluten-Free)
What non-dairy substitute can be used for the coconut milk? I just cannot stand the taste of it in recipes! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Looks great! I’m going to make this
This recipe looks good. Plan on making it and putting it over some greens. Thanks for the recipe. I also plan to use my leftover over turkey to make turkey mole!
Love the turkey mole idea! I might have to steal that one 🙂
Can I use leftover cranberry sauce instead of dried cranberries?
That would probably be tricky. I’d recommend a different dried fruit if needed – like dried cherries maybe
Love this recipe. Makes up easy and quick and takes the thinking out of all the turkey leftovers.
★★★★★
So glad you love it! It’s so tasty – I look forward to it all year for my post Thanksgiving meals