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.
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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.
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
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
- Turkey Noodle Soup – an easy twist on the classic
- Chicken Tetrazzini – make it Turkey Tetrazzini
- Pot Pie – make a savory Turkey Pot Pie
- Chicken Avocado Salad (sub with turkey)
- (Turkey) Bacon Avocado Sandwich
- White Sauce Lasagna – use turkey instead of chicken
Leftover Turkey in Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 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
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
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Thank you Natasha, this recipe is amazing! Does it freeze well?
Hi Susan, I haven’t tried freezing it, but I think it would work fine.
Hi, just wondering if this recipe would be good reheated the next day?
Hey Susan! Yes, it reheats well on the stove top.
I just followed this recipe fir dinner tonight. It looks and smells amazing.
Wonderful! Enjoy and I hope it becomes your new go-to recipe.
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.
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.
Can you do this without mushrooms? Son doesn’t like them, and lots of turkey left!?!
Hi Kitty! I haven’t tried it without the mushrooms but I think it would be fine. Let us know if you experiment.
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…
Hi Debra, there are so many good options from soup to salad. One thing is our chicken patties – one of my favorites!
As written this was pretty bland. I added garlic, beef base and Marsala wine, more pepper and it’s pretty good.
Good base recipe
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!
So glad you loved it!
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.
That’s great to hear, Randa! Thank you for sharing.
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.
Thanks a lot for sharing, Michelle.