Turkey Salad

Name: Turkey Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup mayonnaise (I prefer avocado oil mayo); 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard; 1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed ); 1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic (minced); 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 cups cooked turkey meat (diced (10 oz)); 1/2 cup celery (diced); 1/4 cup red onion (chopped); 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped); 1/4 cup feta cheese (crumbled)

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This tasty and creamy turkey salad is so easy to make. It's ready in just 20 minutes and it has this irresistible combination of creaminess and crunch.

If you happen to have some leftover turkey, this is probably one of the easiest ways to use it up!

Turkey salad served in a dark bowl with a spoon.

The week after Thanksgiving is a challenge. Starting at the piles of leftover meat in the fridge, I sometimes despair. How are we going to finish it all off before it goes bad?

This flavorful turkey salad comes to the rescue! It's one of my favorite ways to use up leftover turkey. My entire family enjoys it, so it's become one of our week-after-Thanksgiving traditions. And it's so easy to make!

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Ingredients
Variations
Instructions
Expert Tip
Recipe FAQs
Serving Suggestions
Storing Leftovers
More Turkey Recipes
Recipe Card

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty salad. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Mayonnaise: I like to use avocado oil mayonnaise.
Dijon mustard: This traditional French mustard is creamier and less vinegary than yellow mustard.
Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is the most flavorful.
Minced garlic: Mince it yourself, or use the stuff that comes in a jar. Both work, although freshly minced garlic does taste better.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use by half.
Cooked turkey meat: Make sure it's skinless. The skin will feel rubbery in a cold salad.
Veggies and herbs: I use diced celery, chopped red onion, and chopped cilantro.
Cheese: I like to use crumbled feta cheese.

The ingredients needed to make a turkey salad.

Variations

The celery adds a wonderful crunch. But if you're not a fan of celery, you can use cucumber instead.
Use 1 teaspoon of vinegar instead of lemon juice. Both options work equally well.
Replace the red onions with chopped scallions. They are milder than red onions, especially if you only use the green parts.
Replace the feta with crumbled goat cheese. I love both options!
Add chopped hard-boiled eggs.
Add minced dill pickles.
Use parsley instead of cilantro. Parsley has a milder flavor.

Instructions

Making this turkey salad is as simple as mixing together a few ingredients in a bowl, adding a simple dressing, then allowing the flavors to meld.

Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

Add the salad ingredients to a large bowl.
In a jar or a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients.
Pour the dressing on top of the salad.
Gently mix and serve.

A five-photo collage showing the steps for making a turkey salad.

Expert Tip

Although you can certainly enjoy this salad immediately after making it, I find that it actually tastes better the next day, after the flavors have had a chance to meld.

Recipe FAQs

Should I use dark meat or white meat in a turkey salad?

This is entirely up to you! Both work, as long as you remove the skin. I tend to use white meat, but dark meat works too.

Can you make this salad without mayo?

Yes. You can omit the mayo and use olive oil instead. Place the dressing ingredients in a small jar, seal it well, and shake until they emulsify into a dressing.

Can I freeze this salad?

I don't recommend freezing it. The dressing and the veggies won't survive freezing and thawing. It's best to only make as much as you can consume within a few days.

Serving Suggestions

I love serving this salad on a plate or in a bowl - a fork is all I need!

It's also very good on cloud bread or on a keto English muffin, serving as a bun of sorts, or sandwiched between thick slices of almond flour bread.

Or you could spoon it into lettuce cups or roll it in a lettuce wrap sandwich.

Storing Leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. But if the turkey you use already spent some time in the fridge, you should take that into account when counting those four days.