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
Filed Under
I’d love to hear your creative ideas for leftover turkey. Let me know about your favorite Thanksgiving leftover recipes in a comment below.
Easier left over Turkey. In large pan add tablespoon of butter, stuffing, turkey and gravy…I eyeball how much of each…over medium heat with pan covered, fry about 5 minutes, then take lid off and turn the ingredients till a little browned..serve with leftover cranberry sauce. Sorry if I can’t give precise amounts, I just ask my hubby if that’s enough meat etc. I do the same with my portion. It really is good and easy.
I love the idea of serving with leftover cranberry sauce. Thank you for sharing!
Yummy! Such an awesome way to use leftover turkey! I am always looking for good after Thanksgiving recipes. Thanks so much! 🙂
It really is our favorite way to repurpose leftover turkey without that “leftover” taste. I hope you love it!
Looks so delicious! Need to do this with our leftovers!
Thank you Katie! I hope it becomes a new favorite for you!
Yum!!! This did not taste like left overs. I loved the mushrooms and the gravy with the left over Turkey!
Amazing isn’t it! Thank you for sharing that great review with me, Melissa!
What a good idea! I can’t believe I didn’t think of doing something like this. I get so sick of turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving haha,
I’m so glad you came across this recipe! Thank you for watching.
This was so easy and SO good over mashed potatoes! Great way to use the leftover turkey breast. Next time I’ll either double the gravy or add less turkey. Thanks for the new leftover recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for that awesome review!
Thank you for this recipe, it was very tasty.
Natasha,This recipe is absolutely amazing. It was the best leftover Turkey recipe I have ever made. And having my husband enjoy it was a plus. The only thing I did different from your recipe, I reduced the broth by 1/2 cup and exchanged it for Chardonnay. I will definitely make this again.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Delicious!! Looking forward to leftover turkey next year just so I can make this again…WOW!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Mmmm, so good! Came out perfect and i ate too much lol. The turkey tasted so good and not dry at ALL and it used a LOT of my leftovers i didn’t want to waste. But the recipe sounded simple and good and it was delicious, perfect!
That’s so great! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Delicious! Made it last night with the last of the turkey. Only difference is that I added Swiss chard stems with the onions and added the leaves in with the mushrooms to make it a little healthier. Even my 4 year old liked it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and Swiss chard sounds like a great way to add veggies! 🙂
Fabulous and so easy.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Hi Natash,
I just made your “Leftover Turkey in Creamy Mushroom Sauce”
1st the positive: The way you lay out the recipe, describe it, show pictures is all great! Thank you. And, a variation on Tetrazini with no cheese is a boon!
#2. However, I think your timing for each step is way off! Since I believed you, dinner got on the table much, much later than indictated from the recipe!!!
#3. Re: flavor – it needs more than salt and pepper! Much more! I suggest you either add: For added flavor add herbs and spices as you like or give some suggestions.
I also suggest adding a bit of Mirin, a Rice Cooking Wine by Eden. It adds a wonderful touch, actually to most any dish! It can be found in most Healthfood Stores and/or Wholefoods. We also topped with grated parmesian cheese + cilantro for color as you suggested. I did not have parsley on hand.
Last but not least, thank you for giving another option for left over Turkey. All the best, Pamela
Hi Pamela! The recipe does assume that the turkey meat has been plucked from the carcass so depending on how thorough you are – it can definitely take longer than 10 minutes of prep 🙂 I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
Soooo good.
We used some Schilling Turkey Gravy powder from the packet instead of flour for the roux. We also used turkey bouillon instead of chicken broth.
And finally we added some fresh sage and thyme.
Best use of leftover turkey yet.
That sounds lovely! Thank you for sharing that with me, Damon!
This turkey and mushroom sauce recipe is really good. Made it for my family with my leftover turkey, and it received rave reviews. Definitely a keeper.
It is one of my favorites as well! Thank you for sharing this review with me Dan!!
Thank you for another delicious recipe Natasha ! Great way to use leftover turkey. We really enjoyed it.
Happy Holidays 😊
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for the amazing review! This is definitely one of our favorite leftover turkey recipes!! I always hope for leftovers just for this 🙂
I make something very similar, but add a bit of cognac to it and serve it over Parmesan thyme grits or polenta if you’re not from the South. Totally decadent!
Mmm that sounds like quite a treat!! Thanks for sharing your tip!
This recipe significantly helps after the Thanksgiving as my family have never finished the whole turkey 😅 Yummy! – Natalie
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Just, thank you for the best bake tips. I’m 71 and finally understand beating the eggs for 7minutes to get lift. You demystify baking.
A safe and happy Thanksgiving.
Michele
Hi Michele, thank you so much for writing in and sharing that with me. It is so inspiring! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!
So good! I did not have fresh mushrooms, but had some dehydrated ones. So I rehydrated and used the soaking water in place of one cup of the broth. I used this as the bottom part of a Shepherd’s Pie! It was so yummy. Layered peas on top and then a layer of mashed sweet potato and white potato! Thank you!
Hi Mary! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!