This Leftover Turkey Salad is a fresh and delicious way to use up Christmas or Thanksgiving leftovers. Tender roast turkey, juicy clementines, creamy avocado, beetroot and pomegranate are tossed with leafy greens and a simple balsamic dressing.
Ready in just 10 minutes, it's a colourful, flavour-packed lunch that's perfect when you fancy something lighter after all the festive food.
After all the Christmas cooking, I love having something that doesn't involve switching the oven on again. This is one of those easy fridge-raid meals that makes leftovers feel like something completely different and it's so easy to adapt too.
Recipe update: This recipe was originally published on 17 December 2020 and was fully retested in October 2026 to check the preparation time and ingredient quantities. The original recipe still worked well, but I've expanded the instructions, tips and FAQs.
For more leftover turkey recipes, try our leftover turkey pasta, leftover turkey sandwich or our creamy turkey fricassee.
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Why You'll Love It
- Ready in 10 minutes - No cooking needed, apart from quickly toasting the pine nuts.
- Perfect for Christmas leftovers - Uses up cooked turkey, clementines and even cheese from the festive cheeseboard.
- Fresh and full of flavour - Sweet citrus, tangy balsamic dressing, creamy avocado and crunchy nuts.
- Easy to adapt - Add whatever vegetables, fruit or leftover roast dinner ingredients you have available.
Recipe Overview
- Type of salad: A fresh, leafy turkey salad with citrus and balsamic dressing, rather than a creamy mayonnaise-based salad.
- Serves: 2 as a main meal or 4 as part of a buffet.
- Preparation: Use cold, cooked leftover turkey and ready-cooked beetroot. The only cooking is toasting the pine nuts.
- Best served: Freshly assembled, with the dressing added just before serving so the leaves stay crisp.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Salad leaves - We use a mixture of spinach, rocket (arugula) and watercress. It gives the salad lots of flavour, but any mixed salad leaves will work.
- Turkey - Use leftover cooked roast turkey, shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces. White or dark meat both work. You could also use leftover roast chicken.
- Beetroot - Ready-cooked beetroot makes this really quick. Choose plain cooked beetroot rather than pickled, which can overpower the other flavours.
- Clementines - These add a lovely burst of sweetness and citrus flavour. Satsumas, mandarins or orange segments work too.
- Avocado and pomegranate - Avocado adds a creamy texture, while pomegranate seeds give little pops of sweetness and crunch.
- Pine nuts and goat's cheese - Toasted pine nuts add crunch and goat's cheese adds a delicious tangy flavour. Walnuts, pecans, Brie or Stilton are good alternatives.
- Dressing - A simple mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. It adds flavour without covering up the sweetness of the fruit. You can add a little Dijon mustard if you like.
Variations
One of the best things about this turkey salad recipe is how easy it is to adapt with whatever you have left after Christmas or Thanksgiving.
Other leftovers - Leftover roast beef or chicken work instead of turkey. You could also add a little leftover stuffing, as long as it has been safely stored.
Make it more filling - Add some leftover easy roast potatoes, reheated thoroughly and allowed to cool, or roasted butternut squash. Cooked pasta, orzo, rice or giant couscous are good options too.
Change the toppings - Try walnuts, pecans or pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts. Brie or Stilton are delicious if you have some left from your Christmas cheeseboard.
How to Make Leftover Turkey Salad
- Toast the pine nuts: Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until lightly golden. Keep them moving so they don't burn.
- Dress the salad: Add the salad leaves to a large mixing bowl. Pour over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper.
- Add the turkey: Add the shredded cooked turkey.
- Add the final ingredients: Add the cooked beetroot, avocado, pomegranate seeds and sliced clementines.
- Mix the salad: Gently mix everything together.
- Serve: Serve topped with the toasted pine nuts and crumbled goat's cheese.
Serving Suggestions
This leftover turkey salad is filling enough to enjoy on its own, but it's also delicious with some bread on the side.
Try our soft bread rolls or garlic and rosemary focaccia.
We also love adding homemade sourdough croutons for extra crunch.
Storage
Store: This salad is best eaten fresh, as the leaves can become soggy and the avocado may brown once mixed with the dressing.
Store any leftovers promptly in an airtight container in the fridge, and eat them within 48 hours of the turkey originally being cooked, not 48 hours after making the salad. Only use turkey that was cooked, cooled and refrigerated safely.
Make ahead: You can prepare the dressing, toast the nuts and chop the vegetables in advance. Store everything separately in the fridge and assemble just before serving. Prepare the avocado just before eating for the best colour and texture.
Freeze: The assembled salad isn't suitable for freezing because the fresh vegetables, avocado and dressing won't retain their texture. You can freeze leftover cooked turkey separately while it is still safe to use.
Dannii's Top Tips
- For extra flavour, grill some bacon until crispy, chop it and scatter it over the salad.
- Use leftover grapes from the Christmas cheeseboard. Halve them and add with the clementines for more sweetness.
- Add the beetroot last if you don't want the dressing, leaves and other ingredients turning purple.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for the best flavour. Watch them carefully, as they can burn quickly.
- Dress just before serving to keep the leaves fresh and prevent the salad becoming soggy.
- Use ripe but firm avocado so it keeps its shape when everything is mixed together.
Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Salad is soggy | The leaves were wet or the dressing was added too early. | Dry the leaves thoroughly and add the dressing just before serving. |
| Turkey tastes dry | Leftover turkey breast can dry out after cooking. | Shred the turkey into smaller pieces and toss with a little dressing before adding it to the salad. |
| Dressing tastes too sharp | Too much balsamic vinegar or slightly sour clementines. | Add a little more olive oil or some extra sweet clementine segments to balance the flavour. |
| Beetroot turns everything pink | The beetroot was mixed in too vigorously. | Drain and pat the beetroot dry, then gently fold it through at the end. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but keep the dressing and salad ingredients separate until you're ready to serve. Cut the avocado at the last minute to prevent browning, and only use turkey that is still within its safe storage period.
Absolutely! Leftover roast chicken works just as well, making this a delicious salad to enjoy throughout the year rather than just at Christmas.
Yes. Simply leave out the pine nuts or replace them with toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds for extra crunch. Check the other ingredients if preparing it for someone with an allergy.
More Salad Recipes
If you've tried this turkey salad with leftovers, then let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy and use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Leftover Turkey Salad
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 120 g (4 ¼ oz) of Salad leaves
- 150 g (5 ¼ oz) of Cooked beetroot - diced
- 180 g (6 ⅓ oz) of Leftover turkey - shredded
- 1 Avocado - sliced
- 2 tablespoons of Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon of Fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon of Ground black pepper
- 3 Clementines - peeled and sliced
- 25 g (¼ cup) of Pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons of Pomegranate jewels
- 50 g (1 ¾ oz) of Soft goat's cheese - crumbled
Instructions
- Toast the pine nuts: Toast 25 g of Pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until lightly golden. Keep them moving so they don't burn.
- Dress the salad: Add 120 g of Salad leaves to a mixing bowl. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of Olive oil, 2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar, ¼ teaspoon of Fine sea salt and ½ teaspoon of Ground black pepper.
- Add the turkey: Add 180 g of Leftover turkey (shredded).
- Add the final ingredients: Add 150 g of Cooked beetroot, 1 Avocado, 2 tablespoons of Pomegranate jewels and 3 Clementines (peeled and sliced).
- Mix the salad: Gently mix everything together.
- Serve: Serve with the toasted pine nuts and 50 g of Soft goat's cheese (crumbled).
Recipe Notes
- For extra flavour, grill some bacon until crispy, chop it and scatter it over the salad.
- Use leftover grapes from the Christmas cheeseboard. Halve them and add with the clementines for more sweetness.
- Add the beetroot last if you don't want the dressing, leaves and other ingredients turning purple.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for the best flavour. Watch them carefully, as they can burn quickly.
- Dress just before serving to keep the leaves fresh and prevent the salad becoming soggy.
- Use ripe but firm avocado so it keeps its shape when everything is mixed together.
Nutritional Information
Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
Soniya says
Oh wow! What a excellent way to use leftovers Turkey! This looks amazing.. Can't wait to make it.