Easy Chopped Leftover Turkey Salad with Cranberries

Make the best turkey cranberry salad with crisp salad greens and leftover turkey combined with sweet, tart, crunchy, and chewy mix-ins. Drizzle with cranberry vinaigrette for a delicious dinner.

Looking for a tasty recipe for Thanksgiving leftovers? This delicious turkey salad is the perfect way to use cooked turkey from Thanksgiving dinner. Plus, you can use leftover cranberries as the base of the dressing for the salad. 

Toss in a few other seasonal ingredients for a hearty salad that makes a great lunch or light dinner during the holiday season.

Jump to:

• Variations
• Substitutions
• How to Make Cranberry Turkey Salad
• What to Serve with Easy Turkey Salad
• How to Store Leftovers
• Craving More Salad?
• Recipe
• Comments

Turkey Salad Ingredients

Just a handful of simple ingredients make up this delicious leftover turkey salad recipe.

• Turkey. Shred or cube leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Use a mixture of white and dark meat for flavor and variety.

• Salad greens. Try Romaine lettuce, arugula, baby spinach, or a mixture of all of them.

• Tart apple. Use any apple that is a little tart. My favorite apples for this salad are very tart Granny Smiths or crisp Braeburn apples.

• Cranberries. Dried cranberries like Craisins add a touch of sweetness and chewiness.

• Red onion. Adds color and a little kick.

• Crumbly cheese. Try sharp, tangy blue cheese or salty, tangy feta cheese.

• Pepita pumpkin seeds. Give the salad a satisfying crunch and a bit of fall flavor.

• Cranberry vinaigrette. Make it with olive oil, cranberry sauce, lime juice, Dijon mustard, mayo, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.

Variations

• Make a leftover holiday turkey salad sandwich. Shred leftover turkey meat and combine it with a Miracle Whip, fresh herbs, black pepper, and salt.
  
  Spread it on bread for turkey sandwiches or roll it in lettuce leaves for lettuce wraps. Delicious cranberry pecan turkey salad sandwich is a lunch favorite.

• Make turkey Cobb salad. Instead of the fruit, add hard-boiled eggs, avocado, and shredded cheddar cheese.

• Add additional toppings like chopped red bell pepper, crunchy celery, or pomegranate seeds.

Substitutions

• Use turkey deli meat instead of shredded turkey breast. 

• Try shredded rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken in place of the turkey.

• Swap out the pumpkin seeds and use nutty pecans or walnuts instead.

RELATED: You may also be interested in this great recipe for turkey soup. Filled with a bit of turkey, potatoes, and leeks in a flavorful broth. It's the perfect thing for cold weather.

How to Make Cranberry Turkey Salad

STEP 1: MAKE THE CRANBERRY VINAIGRETTE

• Juice the lime.

• Blend the rest of the ingredients together in a food processor until smooth.

• Taste and adjust the seasonings. Set the vinaigrette aside.

STEP 2: PREP THE SALAD INGREDIENTS

• Wash the lettuce and apple.
  Optional: Peel the apple.

• Tear the lettuce or slice it into ribbons. Chop the apple. Slice the red onion.

• Shred the turkey leftovers into smaller pieces or cut them into cubes.

STEP 3: COMPOSE THE SALAD

• Make a bed of greens in a large bowl.

• Add the apple, red onion, Craisins, cheese, and pumpkin seeds to the bed of lettuce.

• Toss all the ingredients together.

• Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve right away.

• Optional: Sprinkle on poppy seeds before serving.

What to Serve with Easy Turkey Salad

• Bread. Try a dinner roll, muffin, breadsticks, or cornbread.

• Fruit salad. Ambrosia salad or cranberry raspberry jello salad.

• Soup. Butternut squash soup or pumpkin soup.

How to Store Leftovers

Store the cranberry turkey salad recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The salad will last 1 to 2 days. It's the perfect turkey salad to take to work for lunch.

RELATED: You may also be interested in turkey sliders. It's one of my family's favorite ways to eat leftover turkey.

Craving More Salad?

More delicious salads coming your way. Try these crowd-pleasing favorites.

• Catalina taco salad with Doritos. Doritos hide salad veggies in plain sight in this main dish taco salad recipe with Catalina dressing.
  
  It's like a sweet, spicy, savory bowl of tacos. It is a quick and easy weeknight meal.

• Cobb salad. Ultimate Cobb salad recipe with chicken makes a complete meal with greens, protein, vegetables, and a fresh vinaigrette.
  
  Cook proteins ahead of time for fast assembly.

• Ambrosia salad with Cool Whip or classic 1950s Ambrosia salad. Effortlessly make the best ambrosia salad recipe with Cool Whip or whipped cream.
  
  This quick and easy dessert salad is perfect for potlucks, parties, and dinner tonight. Make it with canned fruit, marshmallows, coconut, and nuts (or not) in a creamy dressing.

• Cornbread salad. This easy layered salad has cornbread cubes, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, green onions, cheese, and bacon. Drizzle with ranch dressing for a tasty and filling side salad.

• Classic chicken salad. Mix cooked chicken breast with crunchy celery, pecans, and craisins with a mayonnaise sour cream dressing. Then make a sandwich with your favorite bread for chicken salad.

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