This Southern turkey salad recipe is for the week after Thanksgiving, when everyone begrudgingly heads back to work and school and the last of the leftover turkey needs a new job. It takes just 15 minutes, makes 5 sandwiches or wraps, and turns packed lunches and busy weeknight dinners into something everyone actually looks forward to.
It is loosely based on my Mom's Southern chicken salad recipe, with finely diced red bell peppers I added for crunch and texture (and because I needed to use it up). This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to use up the leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.
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Why You'll Love This Turkey Salad Recipe
- Ready in 15 minutes. The eggs boil while you dice everything else, so it all comes together fast.
- It uses up leftover turkey. White meat, dark meat, or a mix of both (the way we like it).
- Southern-style flavor. Hard-boiled eggs and sweet pickle relish make it creamy, tangy, and balanced but not overly sweet.
- Crunch in every bite. Finely diced red bell pepper and onion add texture.
- Made ahead for the week. It keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge, so sandwiches and wraps are ready when you are.
- Super flexible. Add cranberries, toasted almonds, or chives. You can add a little more mayo if you like it creamier, or make a lighter version with less.
Turkey Salad Ingredients
- Cooked turkey. Leftover roast turkey, a mix of white and dark meat or your preference. My 1-hour oven-roasted turkey works perfectly here.
- Eggs. Large eggs, hard-boiled while you prep everything else, then peeled and finely diced.
- Mayonnaise. Just enough to bind everything together, not so much that it drowns the turkey.
- Sweet pickle relish. For a less sweet turkey salad, use a little less, or swap in dill pickle relish for a non-sweet turkey salad recipe.
- Onion or shallots. Finely diced.
- Red bell pepper (optional). Finely diced, for color and crunch.
- Salt and black pepper. Pink Himalayan or sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.
Full ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Turkey Salad
Step 1. Hard-boil the eggs. Cover the eggs with about 1 inch of lightly salted water in a small pot and bring it to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain and run cold tap water over the eggs until they are cool to the touch. Remove the shells, finely dice the eggs, and set them aside.
Step 2. Prep the turkey and vegetables while the eggs cook. Finely dice the onion and red bell pepper. Then remove any skin and bones from the turkey and finely chop it into small, even pieces.
Step 3. Mix everything together. Add the turkey, eggs, mayonnaise, relish, onion, red bell pepper, salt, and black pepper to a large bowl and stir until evenly combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve or refrigerate.
Want it creamier? I'm not a fan of overly mayonnaised turkey salad (or macaroni salad or chicken salad), because to me too much mayo ruins a good thing. If you like yours creamier, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of mayonnaise. This recipe is super flexible, so make it your own.
Less sweet or more sweet? The recipe card uses ¼ cup of sweet pickle relish. For a less sweet turkey salad, use 3 tablespoons, or swap in dill pickle relish.
Turkey Salad Variations
Once you have the base recipe down, change up the flavor and texture with one of these easy add-ins.
- Turkey salad with cranberries. Stir in ¼ cup diced dried cranberries, or swap half of the sweet pickle relish for leftover cranberry sauce.
- Crunchy almond turkey salad. Add ¼ cup chopped toasted slivered (or sliced) almonds.
- Fresh chive turkey salad. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives.
- Dill pickle turkey salad. Use dill pickle relish in place of the sweet relish for a turkey salad that's not sweet.
- Thanksgiving turkey salad. Combine the dried cranberries and toasted almonds for all the holiday flavors in one sandwich.
- Healthy turkey salad. Use 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise instead of 2, or swap 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise for extra virgin olive oil, for a lighter turkey salad that's still creamy.
How to Serve Turkey Salad
- Turkey salad sandwiches. Pile it onto soft bread, a toasted bun, or a croissant.
- Turkey salad wraps. Roll it up in a flour tortilla with lettuce for an easy lunch.
- Lettuce cups. Spoon it into crisp lettuce leaves for a lighter option.
- With crackers. Serve it as a dip or spread for snacking.
How to Store Turkey Salad
- Refrigerate. Store turkey salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, per the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart.
- Make ahead. Make it ahead for easy lunches and dinners all week, and stir it well before serving.
- Making this the week after Thanksgiving? Freeze your leftover turkey within 3 to 4 days of roasting, then thaw it overnight in the fridge before making the turkey salad.
- Do not freeze. Mayonnaise-based salads do not freeze well, and hard-cooked eggs should not be frozen.
Turkey Salad FAQs
My Southern turkey salad is chopped leftover roast turkey, finely diced hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, onion or shallots, and a secret ingredient for extra crunch, then seasoned with salt and black pepper.
Yes. Make it ahead and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days, then stir before serving.
Either works. I use a mix of white and dark meat, but use whichever you prefer or have left over.
Use 3 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish instead of ¼ cup, or swap in dill pickle relish for the sweet pickle relish.
Turkey salad keeps 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
It's not recommended. Mayonnaise-based salads like egg salad and chicken salad don't freeze well, and hard-boiled eggs turn rubbery once frozen. Freeze the leftover turkey instead, then thaw it in the fridge and make a fresh batch.
This recipe makes about 1 ¼ pounds (575g) of turkey salad, enough for 4 stuffed-to-the-gills hearty sandwiches or 5 normal sandwiches.
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Turkey Salad Sandwich Recipe (Using Leftover Turkey)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 5 Servings (1 ¼ pounds)
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten Free
Description
This Southern turkey salad recipe is for the week after Thanksgiving, when everyone begrudgingly heads back to work and school and the last of the leftover turkey needs new flavor. It takes just 15 minutes, makes 5 sandwiches or wraps, and makes packed lunches and busy weeknight dinners a breeze.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups cooked turkey meat, chopped or diced, a mix of white and dark meat or your preference (11 ounces, 315g)
- 3 large eggs, hard-boiled and finely diced (150g)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (30g) *add 1 to 2 more tablespoons for a creamier turkey salad
- ¼ cup sweet pickle relish (60g) *for a less sweet turkey salad use 3 tablespoons (45g), or sub dill pickle relish
- ¼ cup finely diced onion or shallots (35g)
- 2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper (18g)
- 1 teaspoon salt (pink Himalayan or sea salt), or more or less to taste (4.5g)
- freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Hard-boil the eggs. To a small pot, add the eggs and cover with about 1 inch of water and a little salt and bring the water to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain the water and run cold tap water over them until they are cool to the touch. Remove the shells, finely dice them, and set them aside.
- Prep the turkey and vegetables. While the eggs boil, finely dice the onion or shallots and the red bell pepper. Remove any skin and bones from the turkey, then finely chop or dice it into small, even pieces.
- Mix the turkey salad. Add the turkey, eggs, mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, onion, red bell pepper, salt, and black pepper to a large bowl. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
- Taste and adjust. Taste and add more salt, black pepper, relish, or mayonnaise if desired.
- Serve or store. Serve right away on bread, buns, or croissants, or cover and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days.
Notes
- Variations: Find the cranberry, almond, chive, dill pickle, and lighter versions in the post above.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Turkey salad does not freeze well.
- Leftover turkey: Use cooked turkey that has been refrigerated no more than 3 to 4 days. Cooked, frozen, then thawed turkey also works great in this recipe.
- Freeze leftover turkey within 3 to 4 days of cooking, and thaw it in the fridge before using.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Sandwiches + Panini + Wraps, Sandwiches + Wraps
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American, Southern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup (115g)
- Calories: 214
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 570mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 21g
- Cholesterol: 164mg
Food Safety
- Use turkey within its window. Cooked leftover turkey keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge. To make turkey salad later, freeze the turkey within that time and thaw it in the fridge before using (USDA FSIS leftovers guidance).
- Keep it cold. Refrigerate turkey salad within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when it is above 90°F (32°C), the USDA danger zone rule.
- Picnics and lunch boxes. Pack turkey salad with an ice pack and keep it cold until serving.
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