Leftover Turkey and Cranberry Sauce Salad

Not sure what to do with all of those Thanksgiving leftovers? Repurpose them in this Leftover Turkey and Cranberry Sauce Salad! It’s delicious and a healthy alternative for the days after Thanksgiving leaving no food to go to waste.

If you haven’t noticed, it’s been all things Thanksgiving here on THM! As I talked about in my Cauliflower Stuffing post, I am a full-fledged Canadian (okay half Canadian) who is obsessed with all things US Thanksgiving. So I am very much going to draw the process out for as long as possible. I also just love that there’s something in between Halloween and Christmas because in Canada Michael Bublé’s Christmas album comes out full swing on November 1st.

It’s also been fun to revisit some classic recipes around here. This turkey and cranberry sauce salad recipe was originally posted in November of 2014 when I was very much living in Canada. I can’t even tell you how challenging it was to find turkey and cranberry sauce off season. But I made do. Luckily things were much easier this go-around and we happily enjoyed this salad for lunches all week.

What You Need for Leftover Turkey Salad

Leftover Turkey – feel free to sub leftover chicken if you don’t have turkey or are making this not during Thanksgiving.
Celery – for crunch! Don’t leave this out.
Green onions – white and light green parts only. Feel free to sub a 1/4 cup of chopped red onion if that’s all you have.
Walnuts – I recommend toasting them as it really brings out the flavor.
Mayonnaise – for creaminess. You can sub equal parts greek yogurt if you don’t have mayonnaise or don’t like mayonnaise.
Cranberry sauce – bonus points for homemade!
Spices – paprika, salt + pepper
Lemon – just a splash lemon juice to build out the flavor

How to Make Turkey Cranberry Salad

This turkey cranberry salad could not be easier!

STEP 1: SHRED TURKEY

pick about 3 cups of meat off your turkey carcass. Chop or shred it if it comes off in bigger chunks.

STEP 2: TOAST WALNUTS (OPTIONAL)

toast your walnuts on the stovetop or in the oven for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees F. (highly recommended though optional)

STEP 3: MIX TURKEY SALAD

mix your turkey, walnuts, celery and onion. top with mayonnaise, cranberry sauce and lemon juice.

STEP 5: SERVE!

This tastes great on bread, a lettuce wrap or just on its own!

How to Serve Leftover Turkey Salad

1. Sandwich – Just scoop about 1 cup of this turkey salad onto your favorite bread. Option to add lettuce or extra onion. Bonus points if you put it on a croissant – yum!

2. Lettuce wraps – no bread on hand? Just use lettuce! Bibb lettuce works best but you can use whatever large lettuce you have on hand. Then just pick up with your hands to eat

3. Salad – Eat this leftover turkey salad over a bed of lettuce or even on its own!

–>FAQs

Can you use chicken in place of turkey?

Absolutely! This turkey cranberry salad tastes delicious year-round, even if you can’t get your hands on some turkey. Just use the same amount of shredded chicken in place of turkey. And if you can’t get fresh cranberry sauce, reach for canned – just try to find one without a ton of sugar added!

What can I use to replace mayo?

If you don’t have or don’t like mayonnaise you can easily replace it with plain Greek yogurt or an avocado mayo.

Will my turkey salad turn pink?

As you can see from the photos your turkey cranberry salad may have a pinkish hue. That’s just what happens when you mix it with cranberry sauce. It still tastes delicious.

Storage Instructions

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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