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 108 votes
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.

4.95 from 108 votes (41 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Carolina
    October 19, 2016

    Just made this tonight with left over turkey. It came out delicious and will use this idea again in the future. I didn’t have chicken broth or stock on me so I just used water and some of the turkey fat drippings into the mixture to add some flavor. Also added different spices like basil, oregano, marjoram, garlic powder etc. Overall, great little recipe to clean out the leftover meat!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 20, 2016

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂

      Reply

  • kathy
    May 20, 2016

    You might want to correct the spelling of roux in this recipe too. French and English – such difficult languages when it comes to spelling.

    I am going to try this with some left over chicken tonight and will probably add some fresh rosemary or basil.

    Thank you for this lovely recipe. I have been looking for some good sauces and gravies and I think your site is the place to find them!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 20, 2016

      Thank you so much for pointing that out!! That’s awesome of you (I have no idea what I was thinking! :-O) Seriously, thank you! 🙂

      Reply

  • Liz
    April 23, 2016

    Is there something I could substitute the butter with so it can be cholesterol friendly?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 23, 2016

      Hi Liz, it should work fine with oil as a substitute. You may only need 3 Tbsp if using oil. Enjoy!

      Reply

  • Camille Deal
    February 16, 2016

    This was delicious! Quick dinner that comes together perfectly. Thank you so much. My teenage son loved it.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      February 16, 2016

      Camille, thank you for the great review and you are welcome 😀.

      Reply

  • Jenny
    January 27, 2016

    Made this today with leftover chicken. It’s so fast and simple but really delicious. It was a big hit with everyone. I added peas after reading the recommendation of one commenter. Thanks for another great recipe.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 27, 2016

      I love the ideas of using chicken and adding peas. Thank you for sharing your awesome review!

      Reply

  • Margarita
    January 5, 2016

    Can I substitute the turkey with chicken? Also, would one of those small organic chickens be enough?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 5, 2016

      That will work fine. I’m not sure how small you mean but you can add as much or as little chicken as you want 🙂

      Reply

  • Corinne
    January 3, 2016

    Mmmmmm very good recipe, i added frozen peas and a little bit of white wine.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 4, 2016

      Those sound like great add-ins! Thanks for sharing that with me 🙂

      Reply

  • Desiree
    December 31, 2015

    This was so yummy!! Thank you for sharing. Would this be an okay dish to freeze?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 31, 2015

      You know, I haven’t tried freezing it, but I think it would work fine.

      Reply

  • Larisa
    December 4, 2015

    All I can say is Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 4, 2015

      I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks Larisa 🙂

      Reply

  • marina
    December 2, 2015

    I made this today and OMG was it good!! I added dill instead of parsley and served it over white rice. Super delicious. Five stars.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 2, 2015

      Thank you so much for the fantastic review!! 🙂 I love the idea of using dill. You’re making me hungry!

      Reply

  • marina
    December 2, 2015

    I just bought mushrooms and I will try this recipe. My turkey is from Sunday, I hope it’s not too dry!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 2, 2015

      It’s very nice and not dry at all. Also, it reheats well on the stove top. I hope you LOVE it! My sister has made it a couple times already since Thanksgiving :).

      Reply

  • Ginny
    November 30, 2015

    Hey! Did you know you were mentioned in Season 2 Episode 14 of the Young and Hungry? SUPER cool! Just thought you’d like to know :).

    http://amzn.to/1QQq8cC

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 30, 2015

      I did see that and thank you! 🙂 It’s still very exciting. 🙂

      Reply

  • Cindy
    November 29, 2015

    Loved this Creamy Turkey recipe. It came out so yummy. I served it over noodles and we had some left over so I mixed the few noodles that were left along with a small amount of leftover stuffing and served it over rice. It was even better the second time on rice. I don’t know how I found this site but so glad I did.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 29, 2015

      I’m so glad you did too! Thank you for your awesome review 🙂

      Reply

  • Al F.
    November 29, 2015

    I made it and it came out great. I was thinking that this would go well stuffed into traditional (English) Yorkshire puddings. OR, for convenience maybe lining a muffin pan with puff pastry, baking until golden and then filling the pastry cups. Hmmmm… Thanks Natasha.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 29, 2015

      Wow that does sound really really good! Thank you for the great idea!

      Reply

  • Cindy
    November 27, 2015

    This recipe looks yummy. Going to try it as we had a 12# turkey for 3 people. Made the turkey from your recipe and it was insanely good. Even today reheated with gravy it was yummy. Love your recipes and the pictures of your beautiful family.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 27, 2015

      Thank you Cindy for such a nice compliment 😀 . We had same thing for lunch today 🙂 .

      Reply

  • Natasha @ Salt and Lavender
    November 27, 2015

    It’s so funny – here in Canada we already celebrated our Thanksgiving (it’s in October), but I am kinda sick of turkey by association (like seeing it all over Pinterest). This is a creative way to use up leftover turkey for sure haha… I am glad I don’t have any leftovers to worry about, though 😀

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 27, 2015

      Yeah that would be a little weird to celebrate Thanksgiving and then watch everyone else celebrate it another month. Keep this one in mind for next year. It sure is good 🙂

      Reply

  • lily
    November 27, 2015

    hello, i was wondering if you have a kartoplaniki recipe?

    Reply

  • Teresa
    November 26, 2015

    Looks wonderful. I love your recipe like this with chicken, I’m sure turkey will turn out just as great!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 26, 2015

      Thank you Teresa! 🙂

      Reply

  • Ziz'ka
    November 26, 2015

    Thank you in advance for sharing this recipe. Definitely will try it…

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 26, 2015

      You’re so welcome. I hope you love it as much as we do! 🙂 I kept the recipe since last year because I was too late to post it last year but I knew it was worth keeping for this year 🙂

      Reply

  • Marina
    November 26, 2015

    What a great idea!! I will definitely buy a turkey or two after thanksgiving. This looks so so good and comforting. I can’t wait to try! Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 26, 2015

      Thanks Marina 😀 , blessings to you and your family!

      Reply

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