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Leftover Turkey in Gravy

Leftover Turkey in gravy is the best and easiest way to use up leftover Roast Turkey meat. All you need are some leftover Dinner Rolls to soak up that sauce.

The mushroom gravy makes the turkey meat so tender and juicy all over again and it’s especially good served over Creamy Mashed Potatoes.

Leftover Turkey Recipe in Creamy Mushroom Sauce Gravy served in pan with wooden spoon

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What to do with Leftover Turkey:

We love Thanksgiving leftovers and it is impressive how much turkey meat you can rescue from your Juicy Roast Turkey even after you think there’s nothing left. We plucked away at my Mom’s turkey last year and got about 8 cups of turkey meat (this was after about 12 people ate it).

I made a big batch of this turkey in gravy for my sister’s house for lunch and everyone loved it! It was a big win across the board and they went on and on about how great the turkey gravy tasted over leftover Mashed Potatoes. Best of all, it never tastes like leftovers.

Leftover turkey recipe served over mashed potatoes

Ingredients for Leftover Turkey in Gravy:

The ingredients are so simple – mostly pantry staples: chicken broth, mushrooms, butter, onion, and flour.

  • Mushrooms: Use white or brown mushrooms. Mushrooms add great flavor but if you aren’t a mushroom fan, you can skip the mushrooms.
  • For gluten-free: substitute with a “cup-for-cup” GF flour
Ingredients for turkey in mushroom gravy

To Get the Most Turkey Meat: Focus on the underside of the turkey – this is usually the side that sits in all the turkey juices and much of it is dark meat which is so tender and tasty.

Can I Substitute with Chicken?

You can still make this recipe long-after Thanksgiving is over by using chicken. This is a great way to re-purpose leftover Rotisserie Chicken and you can use both white and dark meat.

Can I use Leftover Gravy?

If you were lucky enough to have leftover Turkey Gravy from your Thanksgiving dinner, here’s a secret trick – just combine the leftover gravy with the shredded turkey and it will be scrumptious!

What can I do with the Turkey Carcass?

If you want to make the most use out of your leftover turkey, be sure to keep the turkey carcass for an incredible turkey Bone Broth. It’s the same process using turkey bones instead of chicken and results in a rich broth to use in Turkey Noodle Soup.

How to Make Turkey Leftovers in Gravy:

1. Heat a large pan over medium heat with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Saute diced onions until golden (4-5 min). Add mushrooms saute until soft and golden (5-7 min), stirring often. Remove mushrooms and onions from the pan.

sauteeing onions and mushrooms to make turkey in gravy

2. In the same hot pan, melt 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, then whisk in 3 Tbsp flour, whisking constantly until roux is golden brown (1 1/2 to 2 min), then whisk in 2 cups chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and season to taste (about 1/2 tsp sea salt and a pinch of pepper).

How to make gravy for turkey in gravy

3. Add mushrooms/onions back to the pan. Stir in turkey and heat until turkey is just heated through. Garnish with finely chopped parsley if desired.

Step by step how to make turkey in gravy

This is one of those recipes that makes us wish we had more turkey leftovers. This recipe can be even juicier and more flavorful than fresh turkey.

How to Make leftover turkey in mushroom gravy in a pan

Leftover Turkey Recipes You’ll Love:

Whether you have leftover turkey breast or leftover dark meat, these turkey leftover recipes are our favorite ways to enjoy that turkey meat without tasting like leftovers.

Leftover Turkey in Gravy Recipe

4.95 from 107 votes
Author: Natasha Kravchuk
Leftover Turkey in Gravy recipe garnished with parsley
This leftover Turkey recipe is by far my favorite way to use up leftover turkey! Turkey in creamy mushroom sauce is so easy and a big win in our family!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 6 servings as a main coars
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted Butter
  • 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, gluten free flour works well too
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken broth, (low sodium)
  • 4-6 Cups leftover turkey meat, torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt , or to taste
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
  • 1 Tbsp Parsley to garnish, optional

Instructions

  • Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and diced onions and sauté until soft and golden (4-5 minutes, stirring frequently). Add mushrooms to the pan and sauté until soft and golden (5-7 min, stirring frequently). Remove mushrooms and onions from pan.
  • In the same hot pan (no need to wash it), add 4 Tbsp unsalted butter. Once melted, whisk in 3 Tbsp flour. Cook, whisking continually until roux is a golden brown (1 1/2 to 2 min) then whisk in 2 cups chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and season to taste (I added 1/2 tsp sea salt and a pinch of black pepper).
  • Add add mushrooms/onions back to the pan. Stir in turkey and heat until turkey is just heated through. Garnish with finely chopped parsley if desired.

Nutrition Per Serving

323kcal Calories7g Carbs29g Protein19g Fat7g Saturated Fat122mg Cholesterol296mg Sodium490mg Potassium1g Fiber2g Sugar325IU Vitamin A3.8mg Vitamin C22mg Calcium1.7mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Leftover Turkey in Gravy Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
323
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
19
g
29
%
Saturated Fat
 
7
g
44
%
Cholesterol
 
122
mg
41
%
Sodium
 
296
mg
13
%
Potassium
 
490
mg
14
%
Carbohydrates
 
7
g
2
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
2
g
2
%
Protein
 
29
g
58
%
Vitamin A
 
325
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
 
3.8
mg
5
%
Calcium
 
22
mg
2
%
Iron
 
1.7
mg
9
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: leftover turkey, turkey in gravy
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 323
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

I’d love to hear your creative ideas for leftover turkey. Let me know about your favorite Thanksgiving leftover recipes in a comment below.

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the creator behind Natasha's Kitchen (established in 2009), and I share family-friendly, authentic recipes. I am a New York Times Best-Selling cookbook author and a trusted video personality in the culinary world. My husband, Vadim, and I run this blog together, ensuring every recipe we share is thoroughly tested and approved. Our mission is to provide you with delicious, reliable recipes you can count on. Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy you are here.

Read more posts by Natasha

4.95 from 107 votes (41 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Susan Andrews
    December 31, 2023

    Thank you Natasha, this recipe is amazing! Does it freeze well?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 1, 2024

      Hi Susan, I haven’t tried freezing it, but I think it would work fine.

      Reply

  • Susan Andrews
    December 25, 2023

    Hi, just wondering if this recipe would be good reheated the next day?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 25, 2023

      Hey Susan! Yes, it reheats well on the stove top.

      Reply

  • Esther Aranda
    December 4, 2023

    I just followed this recipe fir dinner tonight. It looks and smells amazing.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 4, 2023

      Wonderful! Enjoy and I hope it becomes your new go-to recipe.

      Reply

  • Kay Robbins
    November 24, 2023

    Can I substitute something else instead of using mushrooms? I’m not a fan of those but I’m trying to do something with the left over turkey from yesterday. Thanks.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 24, 2023

      Hi Kay, you sure can, I have a note on that in the recipe post: “Use white or brown mushrooms. Mushrooms add great flavor but if you aren’t a mushroom fan, you can skip the mushrooms.” I hope that helps.

      Reply

  • Kitty
    November 23, 2023

    Can you do this without mushrooms? Son doesn’t like them, and lots of turkey left!?!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 24, 2023

      Hi Kitty! I haven’t tried it without the mushrooms but I think it would be fine. Let us know if you experiment.

      Reply

  • Debra
    September 28, 2023

    Hi Natasha, could you make a page or a list of 3 recipes that you could use leftover chicken in, ground beef, turkey, porkloins, etc.? It would be soooo helpful. I am not a good cook, and I am struggling. I keep wasting leftovers due to fogetting about them or not knowing how to reinvent it, and I really, really want to stop being wasteful…

    Reply

  • Madeleine
    December 4, 2022

    As written this was pretty bland. I added garlic, beef base and Marsala wine, more pepper and it’s pretty good.
    Good base recipe

    Reply

  • Taira
    November 26, 2022

    I don’t eat mushrooms, and I had a shallot available so I did shallots and garlic instead of mushrooms and onions. I also have no broth, but I have better than bouillon sauce. Turned out AMAZING!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 26, 2022

      So glad you loved it!

      Reply

  • Randa
    November 26, 2022

    I love your dishes…. Everything I cooked following your instructions came up incredible. Last dish I made your favorite sweet potatoes pecan casserole or more soufflé. It was a hit. It was all gone. Your videos are very easy and yet entertaining, not a dull moment. Thank you and have happy holidays.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 26, 2022

      That’s great to hear, Randa! Thank you for sharing.

      Reply

  • michelle perry
    November 25, 2022

    I have done this with leftover turkey, peas, onions, carrots, and gravy. scrumptious it is and with mashed potatoes it is awesome. I always have lots of leftover gravy. and a special tip if you are doing shepherd’s pie add gravy to the bottom layer of leftover stuffing, then a layer of hamburger with leftover turkey gravy, corn, and mashed potatoes and more gravy a great way to use up leftovers from turkey dinner it is awesome and can always freeze it if you make too much. freezes awesome and can be eaten anytime before next turkey dinner. my Mom taught me this recipe. I love it.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      November 25, 2022

      Thanks a lot for sharing, Michelle.

      Reply

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