This Turkey Salad is a fresh, satisfying dish loaded with fruit, veggies, and nuts. It comes together quickly and is the perfect way to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!
Looking for other delicious ways to turn holiday leftovers into a whole new meal? Try these turkey cranberry sliders, this comforting turkey noodle soup, or an easy turkey casserole next!
Turkey Salad Recipe
The taste of turkey salad is incredibly delicious! Infused with the delicious flavors of your leftover Thanksgiving turkey, this twist on your classic chicken salad recipe is going to knock your socks off! This recipe is easy to mix together with cooked turkey, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, green onions, celery, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and salt & pepper. It’s a wonderful satisfying lunch, and it’s great served at parties, potlucks and other special events. Enjoy it spooned on your favorite bread, lettuce wrap or a croissant roll (our favorite!).
A turkey salad sandwich is the perfect meal after you’ve enjoyed the big Thanksgiving feast. It’s great for lunch or a light dinner, and takes hardly any effort to mix together. Simply, chop up the turkey, mix in all the other ingredients, and let it chill until you’re ready to eat. It’s a great make-ahead dish and is delicious on buttery croissants or just served on sandwich bread or in a tortilla wrap. We even love to enjoy it with crackers!
What You Need for Turkey Salad
Aside from the turkey, this turkey salad recipe uses common ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen. If you don’t happen to have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, you can use thick-sliced turkey deli meat, or even leftover cooked chicken.
- Turkey Meat: Chopped leftover turkey meat is best, but you could sub with chicken or a thick-sliced deli meat.
- Dried Cranberries: For a pop of chewy sweetness in every bite!
- Pecans: Chopped pecans add a nutty crunch to this otherwise creamy salad.
- Green Onions: Adds dimension and a lovely kick.
- Celery: Be sure the celery is finely diced for fresh, crisp texture.
- Mayonnaise: The base that helps bind all of the ingredients together. Use real mayo for the best flavor.
- Lemon Juice: For brightness, add fresh lemon juice.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds the perfect amount of zippy flavor!
- Salt & Pepper: Brings all of the flavors together.
How to Make This Recipe
One of the best things about this recipe, is it’s great for using up leftover turkey! There’s no extra cooking or baking! It’s so simple to just mix everything together, and you have yourself a delicious meal!
- Mix Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl combine the turkey, dried cranberries, pecans, green onions, and celery.
- Make the Dressing: In another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon, and Dijon mustard.
- Combine Dressing with Turkey Mixture: Add the mayonnaise mixture to the turkey mixture. Stir to combine, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: Enjoy with croissants, romaine, or with crackers.
Tips and Variations
Crunchy, creamy, savory, and a little bit sweet, turkey salad is one of our favorite lunch recipes!
- Chill Salad: For best results, allow the salad to chill in the fridge for at least an hour, so all of the flavors meld together.
- Meat: If you don’t have turkey, rotisserie chicken is a convenient, flavorful option.
- Nuts: Pecans are a classic but you can use walnuts, almonds, or cashews. Roast them for a bit of extra flavor.
- Mayonnaise: If you are not a fan of mayo, you can use sour cream or non-fat Greek yogurt. You can even use half mayo and half Greek yogurt to lower the calories.
- Different Fruit: Want to change it up? Instead of dried cranberries, add about 1 cup quartered grapes or chopped apples.
Serving Suggestions
This turkey salad tastes amazing spread over a flakey croissant. You can also serve it with sandwich bread, crackers or in lettuce cups for a lighter option. Here are some tasty side options to make it a hearty meal!
Leftover Turkey Salad
Turkey salad tastes even better the next day! If you have leftovers, place them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to about 4 days.
More Turkey Recipes
Looking for more delicious ways to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving? I’ve got you covered with some tasty options!
Turkey Salad
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups leftover turkey meat, chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a medium-sized bowl combine the turkey, dried cranberries, pecans, green onions, and celery.
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In another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon, and Dijon mustard.
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Add the mayonnaise mixture to the turkey mixture. Stir to combine then season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve with croissants, romaine, or with crackers.
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