Curried Turkey Salad Sandwich
A jazzed-up Curried Turkey Salad Sandwich is a delicious way to enjoy leftover Thanksgiving turkey for lunch. But I won’t fault you if you want it for breakfast or dinner!
This Turkey Salad Recipe can be served on a fluffy bun or in a lettuce cup and is a nice change of pace from ordinary turkey sandwiches.
Why You Must Make
- It’s a delicious way to use up turkey leftovers.
- The variety of textures and flavors make this a memorable recipe worth repeating every year!
- Even though we like to repeat our original Thanksgiving meal the next day, it’s nice to shake things by using some of the leftover turkey in an easy recipe.
I must admit, I’m definitely in a rut when it comes to utilizing our leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Bill is happy to warm up turkey slices, mashed potatoes, and gravy day after day. By day 3, I’m done.
But when I re-purpose what’s left of our holiday bird, it’s nearly always part of a soup or tetrazzini. Year after year. So on a whim, I whipped up this curried turkey salad. I was smitten!
Expert Tips
- This recipe works with white or dark turkey meat or a combination of both. Use what you like.
- I had celery and grapes in the house plus pecans and dried cranberries which are pantry staples. So I whipped up a loaded curried turkey salad for a change of pace. You can easily add whatever ingredients you enjoy in similar recipes like tuna salad or chicken salad.
- Dice, chop, or shred your turkey depending on the texture you enjoy.
- I prefer my chicken and tuna salad with a mix of mayo and sour cream or yogurt. And a touch of fresh lemon juice brings a little zip into the mixture and helps balance the sugar in the mayonnaise.
- PRO-Tip: Even if you aren’t a huge fan of curry, there’s just enough to give a mysterious undertone. It’s subtle, not in your face. You’ll become an instant fan! You can also leave it out or substitute with a fresh herb like rosemary, dill, basil, or parsley.
- The hubby, who loves chicken salad, spotted the pecans and dried cranberries and was not impressed. Of course, he didn’t even take one bite. Sigh. The bonus of those additions: I didn’t have to share this lovely curried chicken salad!
- PRO-Tip: You can definitely leave out the nuts or substitute another nut! Make sure you toast and cool the nuts to bring out their essential oils (more flavor!!!) and make them even crunchier.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you make it with turkey that’s been not been left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, it will be good for 3-4 days.
No, unfortunately, with the addition of mayonnaise, this turkey salad will not freeze well. Just make the amount you can finish off in a few days.
You can chop and package up some of your leftover turkey to use for future turkey salad and freeze that instead.
Different varieties of nuts, scallions, minced or pickled onions, diced apples, or other dried fruit like cherries would be great additions. If you don’t have curry powder on hand, many fresh herbs would be delicious in this recipe. I’ve listed some options below in the tips.
1. Butter your bread or bun if desired. If you love mustard, add some Dijon.
2. Add lettuce and a slice of tomato.
3. Pile on the turkey salad.
4. Top with the rest of the bun or another slice of bread.
5. Dig in!
You May Also Like:
- Turkey Cranberry Pasta Salad from Spend with Pennies
- Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup
- Turkey Tetrazzini
- Turkey Enchilada Casserole
- More Entree Recipes
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Curried Turkey Salad Sandwich
A terrific turkey salad spiced with curry. Perfect for holiday leftovers.
Ingredients
- 2+ cups leftover turkey, cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup grape halves
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1/2-1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add turkey, pecans, celery, cranberries, and grapes to a mixing bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and sour cream or yogurt, curry, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Add about half the dressing to the turkey mixture and mix to combine. Add as much of the remaining dressing to the turkey as desired.
- Chill. Serve on lightly buttered rolls with a leaf of lettuce if desired.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 360Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 312mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 15g
18 Comments on “Curried Turkey Salad Sandwich”
Love the addition of curry powder! It adds that little pop of extra flavor needed in a turkey or chicken salad. We have just a little turkey left and it will be perfect for lunches.
No boring leftovers found here! I love the flavor of this turkey salad, delicious! I have plans of cooking up a turkey breast just to make this, no waiting for turkey day leftovers!
This is so good!! Such a delicious sandwich! It was a huge hit at my house!
Those big chunks of turkey are calling my name! This looks so filling and worth buying a turkey any time of the year to indulge in this.
Such a healthy sandwich option, Liz! Can’t wait to try it. Do you use a homemade mayo? 🙂
No, I don’t, Agness! I’m lazy! But I bet it would make this sandwich even better!
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, Liz! This salad looks so delicious – love the curry!
This is the perfect recipe for leftover turkey!
I see people making this salad sandwich for the next few days 😉
Yum Yum!!! Wow that sounds so good. Happy, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
What a coincidence, I also do a combo of mayo and yogurt with a splash of lemon juice! I toast the curry powder a bit to bring out the flavours but you have to let it cool off before you add it to the mayo and yogurt. I do a very similar salad using chicken but you’ve kindly reminded me that I haven’t made it in a very long time. Looks like I need to dust off the recipe and make it again.
Love these sandwiches. I f course love curry so I am smitten too. And Bill, Bill, Bill…pecans, cranberries and grapes are the best in here 😉
I swear I enjoy the leftovers so much more than the big meal itself, pinning this one for this weekend, thanks Liz!
Love turkey sandwich ! We make turkey usually for Christmas, dear friend of mine have a nice and happy Thanksgiving!!
Your curried turkey salad looks delicious and you are generous with the dressing, just the way I like it! Pity that your hubby does not appreciate pecans and cranberries as I think these two are wonderful in salads.
I really enjoy curry powder and am always looking for more ways to use it. This sounds like a lunch that’s very near in my future! Happy Thanksgiving Liz-enjoy:@)
Great minds think alike! Just two days ago I was experimenting with leftover chicken and curry and made a similar salad! Yours looks delicious!
A great recipe to use up the leftover turkey or chicken!