This turkey stir-fry is such an easy and tasty way to use up leftover turkey. Simply add some vegetables and a tasty sauce and quickly saute.
This recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes, it's very simple to make, and the sauce is wonderfully flavorful!
This delicious turkey stir-fry is one of my most requested leftover turkey recipes. All my family members love it, and I love how easy it is to make.
Other good recipes to make with leftover turkey include turkey carcass soup, turkey curry, turkey chili, and turkey hash.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need to make this stir-fry. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.
Cooked turkey meat: I typically use turkey breast, but dark meat is fine too. Just make sure to remove the skin.
Frozen stir-fry vegetables: I like to use a frozen mix that I get at Whole Foods (link provided in the recipe card below). It contains broccoli, carrots, green beans, onions, red bell peppers, and mushrooms.
Sauce: A mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch.
Avocado oil: I use it for frying. It's an excellent cooking oil with a neutral flavor and a high smoke point.
Aromatics: Garlic and ginger. It's best to mince the garlic and grate the ginger by hand, but jarred garlic and ginger will work too. I don't recommend using their powders, though. They're not as flavorful.
For garnish: Sesame oil and chopped scallions.
Variations
- I love this recipe as is - it has lots of umami flavor from the soy sauce and just the right level of heat. However, it's definitely spicy, so use just ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes if you don’t like your food spicy.
- It's not a bad idea to balance out the flavors by adding just a bit of sweetness. A teaspoon of honey (real or sugar-free) is a nice addition to the sauce that my family really likes.
- Instead of red pepper flakes, I sometimes add a teaspoon of sriracha to the sauce.
- Needless to say, this recipe works beautifully with leftover chicken!
Instructions
This turkey stir-fry is ready fast, especially if you use a frozen vegetable mix. Please scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- To make the sauce, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch. (Photo 1).
- Cook the frozen veggies, garlic, and ginger in avocado oil. (Photos 2-3).
- Add the cooked turkey meat and the sauce. (Photos 4-5).
- Stir-fry until the sauce thickens. (Photo 6).
- Drizzle the dish with sesame oil, sprinkle it with scallions, and serve.
Expert Tip
An important tip when making this stir-fry is to cook it minimally. After all, the meat is already cooked, and you don't want to dry it out.
So at the last step, when you add the meat and sauce to the skillet, really do cook the whole thing no more than the time it takes to heat through. That should take about 2 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Of course. I use frozen veggies for convenience, but you can use fresh ones. Any sturdy vegetables will work in a stir-fry recipe, including broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, green beans, and bell peppers.
Yes. I typically use turkey breast, but you can use dark meat. Whatever you use, remember to remove the skin. Its texture won't work in a stir-fry.
It depends. You'll need to check the bottle and see what the recommended cooking temperature is. Refined sesame oil can be used for cooking, but dark unrefined sesame oil should only be used as a finishing oil. Its smoke point is too low.
Serving Suggestions
I often serve this dish on a bed of cauliflower rice. It's also good on top of mashed cauliflower (omitting the parmesan), on sauteed spinach, and even on a bed of raw spinach leaves - the hot stir-fry wilts the spinach just enough to lightly cook it.
Storing Leftovers
Since you're making this stir-fry with leftover turkey, you should take into account how long that meat has already been in the fridge when you decide how long you can store it.
Cooked poultry can be kept in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. As for reheating the leftovers, you can reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
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Recipe Card
Turkey Stir-Fry
Ingredients
Sauce:
- ¼ cup light soy sauce - (or use a gluten-free alternative)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes - (¼ teaspoon if you don’t like your food spicy)
Stir-fry:
- 1 lb. cooked white turkey meat - skinless, cut into thin strips (about 3 cups)
- 1 (1 lb.) package frozen stir-fry vegetables*
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root - minced
Garnish:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup green onions - thinly sliced, green parts only
Instructions
- Whisk the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large, deep skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring often, until the veggies are defrosted and tender, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Give the sauce another stir, then add the turkey meat and the sauce to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until everything is well-coated and the sauce thickens, for about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the turkey stir-fry to a serving platter. Drizzle with the sesame oil and scatter the scallions on top. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Terry
Delicious, so easy and fast. I had a small bag of stir fry veggies so threw in fresh red pepper and zucchini. Heat was just right for me with lower amount of pepper flakes. Great way to use up my Christmas in July turkey leftovers! This will be my go to recipe for stir fry. Thank you!
Vered DeLeeuw
You're very welcome, Terry! I'm so glad you enjoyed this stir-fry. Thank you for sharing your delicious tweaks.
Fabunmi Aiku
This seems to be a great recipe BUT I hesitate to use the bag of frozen veggies. I've purchased them before and they have mostly carrots and very few other veggies. I think I should chop my own mix.
Vered DeLeeuw
Absolutely! It's always better to use fresh veggies than frozen. You can use one pound. It's just that frozen is so convenient. 🙂