This is the best leftover turkey recipe everyone will love! Like our leftover ham recipe, these super easy and flavorful turkey dumplings made with crescent rolls are a finger food dinner idea that even your kids will love! Great for Thanksgiving leftovers.
This is seriously the best leftover turkey recipe everyone will love. With crescent rolls and cheese inside, we make these each year now! Not only did my picky husband give it a thumbs up, but the kids loved it too! 😉 (affiliate links present)
How long is leftover turkey good for in the fridge?
You really should use it within 3-4 days. If you too have leftover Thanksgiving turkey I know you’re wondering what to do with it. I always have a ton of leftovers and hate to throw any of it away. I fiddled around with different ideas over the years and finally came up with an easy cooked turkey recipe.
This year I came up with this yummy leftover freezer turkey pot pie and this recipe! They kinda’ look like little turnovers with crescent rolls or pockets that everyone enjoyed!
Jump to:
- How long is leftover turkey good for in the fridge?
- Can you freeze turkey after 3 days?
- What can you make with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving?
- What is the best leftover turkey recipe?
- Other than sandwiches what are some other things to make with leftover turkey?
- What can you do with over cooked turkey?
- Can you use leftover ham recipes but with turkey?
In general the refrigerator will slow the growth enough that cooked meat can be kept safely for several days. Typically I have enough different meals to use it in that there isn’t anything left after that. This timing really applies to all Thanksgiving sides; pressure cooker mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, turkey stuffing, Instant Pot cranberry sauce, gravy, you name it.
Can you freeze turkey after 3 days?
If you don’t use it all though, in the freezer your cooked meat can be stored for 2-3 months. If you want to freeze food you should really do it as soon as possible after cooking to maximize the amount of time it will keep in the freezer well.
Roasted turkey freezes very well but you should remove the meat from the bones first. Then freeze each one separately in airtight containers or freezer bags.
Yes of course you can make sandwiches with it, and more sandwiches, but that is BORING!! Once is about my limit I tell you. It is time to get way more creative than that. This leftover turkey recipe everyone will love!
What can you make with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving?
Ready for the best leftover turkey recipe now? You have come to the right place! Refrigerated dough is a great wrap to use, and the fillings can be mixed up with other things too. Dried cranberries are fun, diced pecans you have on hand add a bit of crunch, experiment along the way.
What is the best leftover turkey recipe?
This is!! We always have leftovers and I just hate throwing food away. I thought that beyond turkey sandwiches there had to be some other simple ways to use this delicious meat. Below is the printable recipe for you and what you’ll need to make these fun leftover turkey dumplings we call them.
- Refrigerated crescent rolls
- Leftover turkey
- Mayonnaise
- Cheese – we like Swiss or mozzarella
Use any and all seasoning you usually throw into everything – we like dill, salt, and pepper. If you want to meal prep and use everything you have left at the same time, make our ——–recipe too, there are freezer directions in there so it can be enjoyed next month.
Other than sandwiches what are some other things to make with leftover turkey?
Day after I will typically make a batch of our Instant Pot turkey tetrazzini, which is always a hit. Then day 2 these are a win. Ok here we go. Instructions to make these are as follows: All you do is cube the turkey and cheese, add the rest of the ingredients and stir in a bowl.
- Then lay each crescent roll with the larger part of the triangle inside the muffin tin and the smaller end hanging out.
- Scoop the mixture inside the muffin cup, and fold the smaller end over the top and tuck it underneath a bit.
- Bake as directed on the crescent roll container, take out when they are golden brown on the top, and waaallaahhhhh…..they were great!
Ours takes about 10 minutes per batch. I have a muffin pan that holds 12 so I usually make that many. Crescents come in 8 so if I want more I’ll throw the other 4 in after I scoop these out.
What can you do with over cooked turkey?
Once you try the best leftover turkey recipe you see here, I have a few other ways of using your leftover turkey or ham this year too! If it has dried out by sitting or on day one it was cooked too long you’d want to cook it with a chowder like broth to get it tender. Our turkey pot pie soup without the crust is a great solution for that.
We are all about soup during the Fall and Winter months. Instant Pot turkey soup is a fun choice to make that has deep tomato flavors and something totally new I bet.
This is what these leftover turkey dumplings look like when they’re golden brown and ready to be eaten!! Prepped and baked in about 20 minutes, it’s a great post Thanksgiving dinner to try. Let us know what y’all think, we’d love to hear your families reactions.
If you made them with with refrigerated pie crust you could but it would be better to freeze before you cook them. Using crescent rolls like we did here wouldn’t freeze well because when defrosted the dough will become sticky. Instead cool, refrigerate overnight and reheat in an air fryer at 400 for 2 minutes.
Can you use leftover ham recipes but with turkey?
I also have recipes using leftover ham as well. Many of them you can substitute turkey for ham for more ideas! Below is a video of how we make this family friendly recipe. What should you serve with these turkey dumplings?
- I love to use up all my other items in the fridge like the little bit of green beans that didn’t get finished etc.
- A side of veggies is always a plus.
- Side salads are easy to throw together too.
Best Leftover Turkey Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Bowl
- 1 muffin tin
Ingredients
- 2 c Leftover turkey, cooked, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 c mayonnaise, or more if you want more moist
- 1 c swiss, or mozzarella cheese, shredded, or more
- 1 pkg Crescent rolls, 8 which was enough for the 5 of us
- 1 tsp dill, pinch of each
- salt
- pepper
- thyme
- optional * dried cranberries or walnuts
Instructions
- Spray non stick cooking spray into muffin tin.
- Push large side of crescent triangle into bottom of each muffin tin.
- Mix leftover turkey and all other ingredients together and spoon into each muffin tin hole.
- Fold small piece of crescent triangle over top of turkey mixture. Bake as directed on crescent roll container, or until lightly browned on top.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
wallllah? I think you mean VIOLA, lol. Great recipes, though.
I have those refrigerator biscuits… any ideas how I can use those instead of crescent rolls? Thank you –
You would need to flatten, best if rolled in between two pieces of parchment paper to flat. Spray tin, push inside, fill, pinch together on top, bake until golden brown
Love Love Love this recipe! I make them all the time. I use Rotisserie chicken and they are so good. Always make extra and freeze them for a night I don’t have time to cook. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Just made these, not really expecting the two men in the house to like them. I was wrong. I don’t usually make any changes until I have tried the original recipe, but as I had low expectations, I added some canned chopped green chilies. They were a big hit. We all loved them. Thank you for sharing
Yeah for great surprises, we love them too
Delicious! Perfect for leftovers. I was wondering about the dill and mayo but they were great! Approved by kids too. Thank you!
glad it was a hit!
Loved the idea of this recipe! But the Mayo was a no go. So I decided to mix up turkey with stuffing, dried cranberries and then gravy. The gravy did the trick. It was Christmas dinner in a crescent roll.
Thank you great twist on the basics!
Oh good twist too!