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Home » Recipes » Holidays

Leftover Turkey Salad with Cranberries

Published: Nov 19, 2018 Last Updated: Jul 2024 by Lindsay This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and enjoy. 9 Comments

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5 from 10 ratings
Leftover Cranberry Turkey Salad Recipe from funnyloveblog.com
Leftover Cranberry Turkey Salad Recipe from funnyloveblog.com

Delicious, easy leftover turkey salad made with cranberry sauce and mayo. This is the BEST use for leftover turkey, hands down! It's also gluten free and done in 10 minutes, huge win. Make this soon, and if you have even more turkey, turn it into turkey pot pie!!

bowl of pink cranberry turkey salad on striped napkin with spinach leaves on the side.

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YUM YUM YUM. 

I've said it a gazillion times, but turkey is definitely not my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Appetizers and casseroles and wine are. Clearly. 

I think that's because turkey can be underwhelming, or dry, and it DEFINITELY doesn't hold up as well in terms of leftovers like, say, some kind of buttery cheesy casserole does. Leftover turkey can be chewy and tough and just bland, but I'm NOT here to celebrate food waste, ever. So we had to do something wonderful with leftover turkey. 

Mayonnaise, obviously was the answer. This turkey salad is so different from roast turkey from Thanksgiving day, and the addition of cranberries livens up the flavor for such a fun different twist. This would be so yummy for a brunch, or on crackers/with greens for lunch or a snack. Plus: it's pink!

Uses for Thanksgiving Leftovers

The leftovers we use here are turkey and cranberry sauce. If you hate cranberries or don't have them you can skip them; the result will be different but more like a traditional southern chicken salad (not a bad thing).

Sidebar, if you have lots of extra cranberries, use them to make a cranberry pie!

Turkey Recipes for Thanksgiving

In case you need inspiration for your turkey, here are my three favorite ways to make it! I also make drunken cranberry sauce; that's what's in these pictures.

  • plate of sliced smoked turkey with rosemary garnish on navy blue napkin.
    Smoked Turkey Breast (Without Brine)
  • sliced roasted turkey breast on wooden cutting board.
    1 Hour Roasted Turkey Breast + Gravy
  • Foolproof 4-Ingredient Roasted Turkey

Ingredients and Method

ingredients for leftover turkey salad in white bowl.

THEN, we combine the turkey and cranberry sauce with just a leetle bit of sour cream and mayo, and flavor comes from onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and chives. 

small white bowl with cranberry turkey salad on a plate with crackers and spinach.

Mix everything up, taste it + add more salt if you'd like, and done! 

side view of leftover turkey salad toped with chives and spinach leaves in the background.

I LOVE this. It's the perfect easy leftover turkey recipe, first. I also really like tangy things in general, and the cranberry sauce and lemon juice add so much zip that cuts through the fat of the mayo and sour cream.

The result tastes mainly like a chicken salad that you've had a thousand times but with some extra brightness and tis the season, bitches, from the cranberries and turkey. 

Give the turkey skin to your dogs, enjoy this fun season, and waste not/want not. 

Enjoy!

Recipe

Leftover Turkey Salad with Cranberries

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings
Use up Thanksgiving turkey and cranberry sauce in an unexpected way, perfect for lunches or happy hours for the whole long weekend. This takes 10 minutes and has so much holiday flavor. A perfect leftover turkey recipe!
5 from 10 ratings
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • Measuring Cups And Spoons
  • Glass Mixing Bowl
  • Chef Knife

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cups shredded cooked turkey
  • ⅛ cup sour cream
  • ⅛ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions
 

  • Combine the turkey with the rest of the ingredients. Taste, and adjust the seasonings to your preference. If the mixture seems dry, add a few small spoonfuls of mayo and/or sour cream.
  • Serve with bread, crackers, or over salad greens. Enjoy!

Notes

I love this with any turkey, dark meat or white meat. This is EXTRA delicious, though, with leftover smoked turkey breast.
If you are vegetarian but love cranberries, try a veg version by swapping the turkey for lightly smushed drained canned chicken peas.
This keeps in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

More Holidays

  • Small white bowl of cream cheese and scallions.
    Scallion Cream Cheese
  • Bowl of crab rangoon dip swirled with sweet chili sauce and fried wonton chips.
    Crab Rangoon Dip
  • Table set for Thanksgiving with yellow sunflowers and several platters of food.
    Favorite Easy Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Steamed small yukon gold potatoes with rosemary in a large white bowl.
    7 Yummy Potato Dishes for Easter

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Natalie

    November 08, 2021 at 4:04 am

    5 stars
    Delicious salad. I will definitely save this recipe to give it a try. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/

    November 07, 2021 at 12:39 pm

    5 stars
    Super idea for the holidays season!

    Reply
  3. Toni

    November 06, 2021 at 3:19 pm

    5 stars
    This is really good! So tasty and easy to make!

    Reply
  4. Tyanne Johnson

    November 05, 2021 at 9:57 pm

    5 stars
    The perfect combo of cranberry and turkey!

    Reply
  5. Jessica

    November 05, 2021 at 7:25 pm

    5 stars
    This turkey salad is not only delicious but pretty. Can't wait to make this again with Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.

    Reply
  6. Pam Greer

    November 05, 2021 at 11:43 am

    5 stars
    Saving this for after Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  7. Kayla DiMaggio

    November 05, 2021 at 11:07 am

    5 stars
    Loving this leftover turkey salad! It was so delicious!

    Reply
  8. Anna

    November 05, 2021 at 10:33 am

    5 stars
    I know what I'm making with my turkey leftovers this year! This looks delicious!

    Reply
  9. Jamie

    November 05, 2021 at 10:29 am

    5 stars
    This will be perfect for after Thanksgiving!

    Reply
5 from 10 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Image of Lindsay Howerton-Hastings smiling sitting on dark gray couch wearing chambray blue shirt.

Hi! I'm Lindsay. I'm a maternal mental health therapist, a recipe developer, food writer, and taker of all kinds of pictures. Thank you so much for being here! This blog is about how to take care of yourself and your people without taking anything too seriously.

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Leftover Cranberry Turkey Salad Recipe from funnyloveblog.com
 

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