Easy Leftover Turkey Curry Recipe (2024)

Published on October 18, 2019 by Helen Best-Shaw 24 Comments
Last Updated on December 4, 2023

This easy leftover turkey curry recipe is simple, delicious and the perfect way to use up leftovers from a roast dinner.

My fuss-free British left over turkey curry uses no special ingredients and can be on the table in less than half an hour. Adaptable and easy to pack with vegetables for a healthy boost.

Left Over Turkey Curry

A huge roast turkey is the classic Christmas or Thanksgiving dish, and regardless of however many you are cooking for, you will always end up with leftovers.

See Also

• Turkey and lentil soup is comforting, delicious, lightly spiced and ready in less than half an hour, with no need to blend.
• The classic curried mayonnaise salad that is coronation turkey is a favourite for jacket potatoes, sandwiches or simply served with salad leaves. Simply substitute turkey for chicken in the recipe.
• My leftover turkey recipes roundup has many more easy and delicious ideas for leftover turkey.

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip – How to Deal with Leftover Turkey

First things first! After Christmas or Thanksgiving lunch or dinner, put the remains of the turkey onto a clean plate. Cover it with foil or clingfilm and once cool, store it in the fridge. If there isn’t space to squeeze it in, I leave it overnight in a cool place.

Leftover sides, trimmings and gravy all get covered, or packed into tubs and stashed in the fridge.

Once cold, carve as much of the turkey as you can into slices. Then pick the rest of the meat off the carcass. Don’t be too fussy, though, as anything left on the bones goes into your stock.

Pack what you will eat in the next few days into a tub and keep it in the fridge, and freeze the rest.

To freeze turkey leftovers, I layer the slices into flat Tupperware boxes, with some sheets of greaseproof paper between them to make portioning easy. Pack the smaller pieces into sealed tubs and freeze.

You can either make stock or broth from the carcass immediately, or pull it apart, pop it into a plastic bag and freeze for later. To make your turkey stock, just follow my recipe for chicken stock, using the turkey instead.

Effortless Use of Turkey Leftovers!

I get it – cooking a huge turkey roast with all the trimmings for a crowd of extended family and friends is hard work and takes time.

The last thing that you want is to be back in the kitchen the next day, cooking again!

This easy leftover turkey curry recipe is the solution, because it is so simple to make, with barely any hands on time. It is very easy to double (or treble) the recipe, and it can be frozen for truly effortless meals.

Why you will love this easy turkey curry recipe

• My leftover turkey curry recipe is fuss-free and easy, ready in less than 30 minutes (we can make it in 15) and uses everyday ingredients.
• It is adaptable, so you can vary the flavours to suit your taste.
• It uses up all your Christmas leftovers. As well as the turkey you can add yesterday’s gravy, vegetables and cranberry sauce.
• This recipe works out at under 300 calories for a big bowl.
• It is really easy to add extra vegetables to keep those healthy resolutions on track.
• This recipe is perfect for using up leftovers, but you can make it with fresh turkey too.

Ingredients for Left Over Turkey Curry

• Cooked turkey – You don’t need to use slices here, just the chunks you pulled off the carcass. A mix of white and brown meat is good.
• Curry powder – This is an everyday generic curry, so use your favourite curry powder or paste.
• Flour – I use this to thicken the curry sauce. Any white flour will do – all purpose, plain, self raising, strong bread flour or gluten free. It really doesn’t matter which. You can also use cornflour to thicken the sauce – see the recipe notes for how to do this.
• Cranberry sauce – Adds some extra Christmas flavour to the curry and helps use up the leftovers! I like homemade cranberry sauce. You can also use mango chutney or other fruit chutney.
• Dried fruit – This will add some extra texture, flavours and some sweetness. I’ve used dates, but apricots, or any vine fruit would work.
• Tomato puree – Adds body, depth and colour. Leftover tomato puree can be frozen and used straight from the freezer.
• Turkey stock/broth – Either make your stock with the turkey carcass, or use chicken stock. You can add any leftover gravy along with the stock.
• Garlic & onions – from your pantry.

Optional

• Leftover roast vegetables – Cut these up and add in along with the leftover turkey.

Easy Leftover Roast Turkey Curry: Recipe

Step one – Check you have all your ingredients and find everything you need. This is a very free and easy recipe so don’t worry about exact quantities.

Step two – Heat a little oil in a casserole dish on the stove top, on a medium-low heat. Chop and fry the onion with a pinch of salt until it is translucent.

Then chop and add the garlic. Fry gently for about two minutes.

Then add the spices and flour. Add the roast turkey and stir so that it is well coated.

Step three – Cook for a further 2 minutes, which will get rid of the taste of the flour and bring out the scent of the spices.

Step four – Add a spoonful ofstock, and stir to make a smooth paste. Then add the rest of the stock slowly, stirring as you go. This is important, because it helps to avoid lumps in the sauce.

Step five– Next, add the tomato puree, cranberry sauce (or a spoonful of mango chutney), and dates or other fruit. Stir well to dissolve the sauce.

Step six– Reduce the heat. Cover and simmer over a low heat for about a quarter of an hour.

Serve leftover turkey curry with my easy pilau riceor easy Instant Pot pilau riceand cranberry sauce.

Can I Make it Gluten Free?

Yes, absolutely! To make your left over turkey curry gluten free, don’t use regular flour. Put a teaspoon of cornflour or cornstarch in a small bowl and stir in a tablespoon of stock, mixing it to a smooth paste. Then add this paste along with the rest of the stock.

Don’t worry about paste turning milky white – this is quite normal. It will clear as it cooks, so it won’t change the appearance of the dish.

You don’t need to worry about adding the stock slowly when using cornflour; just fry the spices as normal. Once the spices have cooked, make the paste and then add it together with the stock, all at once.

I find that using cornstarch produces an authentic take-away consistency.

Easy Leftover Turkey Recipes

Here are some more ideas for using up that roast turkey. Remember that you can also substitute turkey in any recipe that uses leftover chicken!

• Turkey pasta bake
• Leftover Roast Turkey biryani
• Stuffed baked potatoes
• Turkey soup
• Leftover Turkey pies
• Turkey frittata
• Thai Curry Turkey croquettes
• Turkey slaw

Hints, Tips and Variations

• This left over turkey curry recipe works with fresh turkey too. If you don’t have roast turkey, use chopped up fresh meat. Add it to the pan after the onions and garlic and fry for a few minutes before you add the spices.
• The curry is thickened with flour by making a roux. It is important to fry the flour for a couple of minutes, then slowly add the stock, stirring all the time so you don’t get any lumps.
• Throw in leftover gravy in place of the stock.
• Add some chopped tomatoes with the stock to bulk out your easy turkey curry and get some extra veg in there. (Fresh and tinned both work well.)
• To make a richer sauce, add some cream or coconut cream.
• Use leftover vegetables from your roast dinner, or add in mushrooms or peppers when you add the turkey. Throw in bite sized pieces of broccoli or cauliflower once you have made the sauce, or stir through a couple of handfuls of spinach just before serving.