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A rich and lightly spiced creamy curry with no ‘bits’. This easy leftover turkey curry has flavours similar to butter chicken. A great way to use up those shreds of leftover turkey. Ready in 30 minutes!
“This recipe was seriously delicious, and I can’t wait to make it again. Everyone commented on how tasty it was, and I was just lucky to fight off the competition for the last portion of it. “
Nicky’s Notes
I always buy a ludicrously large turkey for Christmas as I LOVE turkey leftovers.
We end up eating turkey for weeks afterwards!
That doesn’t mean it has to be the same meal over and over though. We have plenty of leftover turkey recipes, such as Leftover Turkey Bolognese and Leftover Turkey Risotto (I’ve made a little photo gallery of more leftover turkey recipes further down).
This Leftover Turkey Curry is so rich, creamy, and saucy, and on the table in 30 minutes! The whole family loves it!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
Turkey – shreds or chunks of leftover cooked turkey. Even those little tiny bits of turkey are great – so be sure to get as much meat of as you can.
Curry Powder – I used a milder curry powder but you can go hotter if you like more spice.
Chicken Stock – Using water plus a stock cube is fine, but you can use Homemade Chicken or Turkey Stock too.
Cardamom Pods – sew them together with a piece of string so you can easily fish them out later.
Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
Blend the onion and garlic to a paste, fry in butter with the ginger until lightly golden. Stir in the spices, then add stock, passata, tomato purée, sugar and cardamom; simmer for 5 minutes. Fish out the cardamom, fold in the leftover turkey and cream, heat through, and serve.
Recipe Tips
Use the leftover turkey bones to make your own flavourful stock, just follow the same steps as making Homemade Chicken Stock, substituting the Chicken with your leftover turkey.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItBoxing Day Turkey Curry is the BEST tradition!
🍽️ What to serve it with
- This goes perfectly served over a bed of Pilau Rice, with a large chunk of Homemade Peshwari Naan, and some Tomato and Onion Salad for a touch of freshness!
I love this with some fresh chopped coriander and mini popadoms too!
🍲 More fantastic leftover turkey recipes
Leftover Turkey Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 450 g (1lb) leftover cooked turkey
- 1 large onion peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp mild curry powder (or hotter depending on your palate)
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 120 ml (½ cup) chicken stock water plus a stock cube is fine
- 400 ml (14 oz) passata
- 2 tbsp tomato puree (paste for US)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 6 cardamom pods sew them together with a piece of string so you can easily fish them out later
- 175 ml (¾ cup) double cream (heavy cream)
To Serve:
- boiled or pilau rice
- chopped coriander (cilantro)
- thinly sliced red onion or store-bought crispy fried onions (or both!)
Instructions
- Chop or shred the leftover turkey into chunky pieces.450 g (1lb) leftover cooked turkey
- Place the roughly chopped onion and the garlic into a food processor and blend until smooth.1 large onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat.3 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp oil
- Add the minced onion-garlic mixture and the ginger to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion starts to brown at the edges of the pan.2 tsp minced ginger
- Add the salt, garam masala, curry powder, paprika, and cinnamon. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the spices start to release their fragrance.1/4 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tbsp garam masala, 1 tbsp mild curry powder, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp cinnamon
- Add the stock, passata, tomato puree, sugar, and cardamom.120 ml (½ cup) chicken stock, 400 ml (14 oz) passata, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 2 tsp sugar, 6 cardamom pods
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the cardamom then stir in shredded turkey and the cream and allow to heat through, whilst stirring occasionally. This should take about 5 minutes.175 ml (¾ cup) double cream (heavy cream)
- Serve over rice, sprinkled with some freshly chopped coriander and thinly sliced red onion.boiled or pilau rice, chopped coriander (cilantro), thinly sliced red onion or store-bought crispy fried onions (or both!)
Notes
Can I replace the cream with something else?
Yes, you can replace the cream with canned coconut milk or canned coconut cream. The coconut milk will give a lighter finish, the coconut cream will be richer.For a lighter curry, stir in natural yogurt instead. If using yogurt, add right at the end and heat through gently. Don’t bring it to the boil or the sauce may split.
Can I add in vegetables?
Yes! Add in vegetables such as chopped peppers, mushrooms or green beans once the onions are lightly browned. Cook the vegetables for a couple of minutes before continuing with the rest of the recipe as written.You can also add quick cook vegetables – such as spinach or frozen peas in the last couple of minutes of cooking. Nutritional information is per serving (this recipe serves 4).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Leftover Turkey Curry Recipe was first posted in Dec 2024. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
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Your recipes are truly fantastic! I have just batched cooked your Dhansak which is as good as any Indian takeaway with a good reputation!
keep it up (have ordered your book)!
I made this with leftover turkey after Christmas and it was delicious, similar taste to butter chicken makhani.
The leftover turkey recipe is fabulous. Best curry I have ever made. Thank you.
This recipe was seriously delicious, and I can’t wait to make it again. Everyone commented on how tasty it was, and I was just lucky to fight off the competition for the last portion of it. I have one suggestion regarding the preparation; I was unable to liquidise the onion and garlic without adding some water, but as soon as I added about 20ml water it made a perfectly smooth paste.
Hello Nicky,
I cook for one person and I like to batch cook where I can. Is it possible to freeze the ‘Turkey Leftover Curry’ or will the cream or coconut milk spoil.
Thanking you in advance.
Janice.