Our Best Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers

Published Nov. 27, 2019Updated Nov. 25, 2025

Once you’ve had your fill of standard Thanksgiving-on-a-roll type sandwiches, make something that tastes absolutely nothing like the holiday. Below are 27 recipes that transform your leftover turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce and more into something delightful and new.

View our collections of recipes for Thanksgiving leftovers and recipes for leftover turkey for more ideas.

Credit…Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.

Fried rice is a quick and easy solution to leftovers fatigue. All you need is some leftover rice, turkey, that bag of frozen vegetables from the back of your freezer, soy sauce and eggs. Or, depending on your holiday sides, Kia Damon suggests using whatever you have on hand — green beans, corn and carrots would be perfect.

Recipe: Turkey Fried Rice

An overhead image of two bowls of turkey pozole, a dark stew. There are two hard-shell taco shells garnishing one bowl. A small bowl of lime wedges and two spoons sit nearby. — Credit…Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.

Pozole rojo is an excellent way to feed a lot of people through the long weekend while using up any leftover turkey. Kristina Felix enriches leftover turkey broth (homemade or store-bought) with dried guajillo, pasilla and arbol chiles. Serve the warming soup alongside tostadas and toppings like chopped onion, cilantro, shredded cabbage, lime wedges and radish slices, and let everyone do their thing.

Recipe: Leftover-Turkey Pozole

A tall sandwich full of stuffing, turkey meat, cranberry sauce and greens on two pieces of white bread. It sits on a wooden serving board. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

For her prized leftovers sandwich, Sohla El-Waylly treats both the white and dark meat with care: The breast is warmed in butter, while the dark meat is shredded and then warmed in gravy. The turkey is layered atop a slab of crisp, fried stuffing, your remaining assorted leftovers and a generous swipe of cranberry mayo.

Recipe: Best Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich

An overhead image of a bowl of pho with turkey meat and garnished with sliced jalapeño, lime wedges and cilantro. There are herbs off to the side and wooden chopsticks sitting atop the bowl. — Credit…Rikki Snyder for The New York Times

If lightness is what you seek post-holiday, make Samin Nosrat’s play on pho gà, the classic Vietnamese chicken noodle soup. The clear broth, spiced with star anise and ginger and seasoned with fish sauce, is paired with rice noodles and a platter of fresh garnishes like cilantro, Thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapeños and lime wedges.

Recipe: Turkey Pho

A cross-section of a Hot Pocket full of stuffing, gravy, white turkey meat and cranberry sauce on a plate. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

If foods taste good together on your Thanksgiving plate, they’ll taste good baked into a pocket. J. Kenji López-Alt wraps his leftovers in store-bought pizza dough and bakes it all together with shredded Parmesan or a few slices of Swiss cheese to create a hand-held treat that’s somewhere between a calzone and one of those Costco chicken bakes.

Recipe: Thanksgiving Leftovers Hot Pockets

Four sandwiched potato scones sit stacked on top of each other. The centers hold a layer of jam or vegetables. — Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Paige Hicks.

These scones, adapted by the historian Eleanor Barnett from a 1940s British wartime pamphlet, use leftover mashed potatoes. There’s less of a rise, since potatoes lack gluten, but the extra starch gives them a soft and delightfully tender crumb.

Recipe: Potato Pete’s Potato Scones

A cross-section of a grilled cheese sandwich, with cranberry sauce oozing out. — Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

The classic grilled cheese sandwich gets a holiday upgrade with the addition of leftover cranberry sauce. Dan Pelosi recommends pairing the sweet and tart condiment with mild or sharp Cheddar, but any cheese would work. Adding in a layer of Dijon mustard and, of course, a few slices of turkey, is also a great idea.

Recipe: Cranberry Grilled Cheese

An overhead shot of a cast-iron skillet full of turkey potpie, with carrots and peas inside. There is a serving spoon in the skillet, and a plate of potpie to the left. — Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Sarah DiGregorio’s recipe is the perfect vehicle for all your Thanksgiving leftovers: turkey, of course, but also whatever leftover vegetables you have on hand, cooked or fresh. Any remaining fresh soft herbs can go into the biscuit topping (which you can also swap for store-bought dough or frozen puff pastry).

Recipe: Turkey Potpie

Stuffing-stuffed cremini mushrooms spread out on a baking sheet, garnished with parsley — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Alexa Weibel’s stuffed mushrooms replace Italian bread crumbs with cornbread, but if you’re lucky enough to have leftover Thanksgiving stuffing, use that instead! You can turn these into a vegetarian main by using large portobello mushrooms instead of two-bite cremini mushrooms.

Recipe: Stuffing-Stuffed Mushrooms

A plate of tikka masala with chunks of turkey meat, garnished with cilantro. In the background, a bowl of rice and a small bowl of more cilantro. — Credit…Rikki Snyder for The New York Times

“I spent three days cooking Thanksgiving dinner for eight guests and their comments, ‘Remember that turkey masala you made last year? Can you make it again?’ It was clearly memorable enough to surmount an heirloom turkey, eight side dishes, four appetizers, two pies, a cake, two homemade ice creams and Champagne. Yep. That good.” Needless to say, Samin Nosrat’s recipe for turkey tikka masala is a reader favorite.

Recipe: Turkey Tikka Masala

An overhead shot of a baking dish of shepherd’s pie covered in burnished mashed potato. To the left, a plate of some pie, and a fork. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

If you find yourself with too many mashed potatoes — it’s a common problem, and mashed potatoes don’t reheat well — make shepherd’s pie. This recipe from Samantha Seneviratne features a combination of ground lamb and ground beef, but she also has a delicious vegetarian version.

Recipe: Shepherd’s Pie

An overhead shot of a blue plate with rice and turkey meat covered in gravy, topped with a fried egg. There is a fork and knife to the left. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

For Chad and Chase Valencia, brothers and owners of the Filipino restaurant Lasa, in Los Angeles, the best time to make this classic Filipino breakfast is the morning after Thanksgiving. Seared leftover turkey with gravy sits on a bed of garlicky rice, which is then topped with a fried egg.

Recipe: Turkey Silog (Garlic Fried Rice With Eggs)

An overhead shot of a wooden bowl of cranberry sauce mixed into whipped cream. There is a spoon in the bowl. — Credit…Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Swirl the last spoonful of Thanksgiving cranberry sauce into a creamy, cooling mix of whipped heavy cream and Greek yogurt. Use it in place of plain whipped cream atop slices of pie for a tart contrast.

Recipe: Cranberries and Cream

An overhead shot of four meatballs on a plate, with a swipe of cranberry sauce. — Credit…Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Dan Pelosi’s turkey meatballs use cubed bread as their binder, but leftover stuffing works great. If you’re turkey-ed out, feel free to swap ground turkey with chicken or pork. Serve with leftover gravy and cranberry sauce, stuffed inside a sandwich or on top of a salad.

Recipe: Turkey Stuffing Meatballs

An overhead shot of a large bowl of red turkey birria soup, garnished with diced onions and cilantro. To the left, corn tortillas on a plate. To the right, a bowl of salsa made with cranberry sauce and diced onions. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Rick A. Martínez makes a quick birria consomé, flavored with canned fire-roasted tomatoes, dried chiles and spices, for his leftover turkey. Warm some tortillas and, if you have any leftover cranberry sauce, throw in some onion, serrano chiles, garlic and lime, and you’ve got yourself a Thanksgiving salsa.

Recipe: Birria de Pavo (Turkey Birria)

A bowl of dumpling soup, with two large dumplings in the center. There are also chunks of sweet potato, kale and turkey meat. There is a spoon in the bowl. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Sohla El-Waylly mashes leftover stuffing with a splash of turkey stock, eggs, flour and baking powder to make these tender dumplings. She uses the turkey carcass to make a simple bone broth, which she then loads up with kale and cubed sweet potato before dropping in dollops of the stuffing-dumpling mix.

Recipe: Stuffing Dumpling Soup

An image of enchilada pie in a glass baking dish, with a slice taken out and a blanket of melted cheese on top. — Credit…Meredith Heuer for The New York Times

Casseroles are always a good idea. This Thanksgiving leftovers enchilada pie from Margaux Laskey is ridiculously easy (it calls for store-bought enchilada sauce). You can tuck leftover turkey, greens, sweet potatoes and even cornbread stuffing in between the tortillas. Paired with this leftover cranberry sauce salsa, it hits the spot.

Recipe: Thanksgiving Leftovers Enchilada Pie

A plate of turkey tetrazzini, with noodles and turkey meat, topped with melted cheese and bread crumbs. There is a fork on the plate. To the right is the baking dish of tetrazzini with a serving spoon in it. — Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Shredded or chopped leftover turkey is mixed into this creamy, cheesy spaghetti casserole from Sarah DiGregorio. The curry powder is optional, but it adds a delicious flair to the dish. Pile it in bowls, sit on the couch and watch your first holiday movie of the season.

Recipe: Turkey Tetrazzini

A serving plate of panzanella salad, with baby romaine lettuce, chunks of stuffing, sliced carrots and sliced pears. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

For Sohla El-Waylly, the best way to reheat leftover stuffing is by pressing it into a pan, cutting it into cubes and frying until crisp. Serve the cubes as croutons atop a fresh salad with a tangy cranberry-mustard vinaigrette.

Recipe: Stuffing Panzanella With Cranberry Vinaigrette

An overhead shot of crispy-edged Korean-style pancakes, cut into triangles and arranged on a plate. Also on the plate is a small bowl of soy dipping sauce. — Credit…Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero.

Sue Li’s crispy but delicate fritters are a riff on pajeon, savory Korean pancakes that are a great way to use up leftover vegetables. Here, leftover turkey and fresh green beans are featured, along with more common pajeon ingredients like scallions and kimchi.

Recipe: Turkey Kimchi Pancakes

A sandwich with BBQ-sauce-glazed turkey meat, pickles, mayonnaise, carrots and cucumbers on a sesame-seed bun. — Credit…Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

This barbecue sandwich from Melissa Clark is incredibly easy to throw together, which is exactly what you want after the cooking marathon that is Thanksgiving. It’s perfect for dark turkey meat and any scraps you may have leftover from the carcass.

Recipe: Turkey BBQ Sandwiches With Pickles and Slaw

A baking dish of enchiladas topped with melted cheese, garnished with pico de gallo. — Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

These American Southwest-inspired enchiladas from Rick A. Martínez are low effort, high reward. Swap the shredded chicken for leftover turkey, use premade (or canned) enchilada sauce, store-bought tortillas and shredded cheese. That’s dinner on the table in about an hour.

Recipe: Chicken Enchiladas

An overhead image of a pot full of turkey soup, with chunks of turkey, celery, carrots, parsley and noodles. There is a metal ladle in the pot. — Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Chicken noodle soup, Thanksgiving leftovers edition. Make roasted turkey stock with the turkey bones and then throw together a big pot of this simple, comforting soup from Lidey Heuck that makes use of leftover turkey and any extra onion, celery or carrots you have lying around.

Recipe: Turkey Soup

A plate of corn tacos with al pastor turkey meat and a cranberry pineapple salsa inside. There are lime wedges on the plate, a small bowl of the salsa in the top left and a plate of the turkey in the bottom left. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Rick A. Martínez trades spit-roasted pork for leftover turkey in this brilliant recipe. The smoky sauce features canned chipotles in adobo to evoke the classic al pastor flavors. Serve as tacos with cranberry pineapple salsa.

Recipe: Pavo al Pastor (Sweet and Smoky Shredded Turkey)

Two large bowls of turkey, farro and chickpea soup with diced carrots and topped with cilantro. There are two spoons on the table. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

This recipe from Melissa Clark, which features leftover turkey, leans toward the heartier, stick-to-your-ribs side of the soup spectrum. Chickpeas and farro give it a stewlike texture, and baharat (or garam masala or curry powder) gives it a fragrant, unforgettable flavor.

Recipe: Turkey, Farro and Chickpea Soup

An overhead shot of a baking dish full of turkey hash, topped with mashed potato and crispy on the edges. There is a spoon in the dish. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

The author Joan Didion’s leftovers hash couldn’t be simpler: Coarsely shredded turkey is tossed with gravy, chopped parsley and cooked celery and onion. The casserole mixture is then put in a shallow baking dish, topped with freshly grated Parmesan and baked until bubbly and golden brown.

Recipe: Turkey Hash

A sliced turkey sandwich sits on a wooden cutting board, with pickles, pepperoncini, melted cheese, sliced turkey meat and ham visible inside. — Credit…Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

In Melissa Clark’s Thanksgiving take on a Cubano, dill pickles are mixed with spicy pickled pepperoncini before being layered with Swiss cheese, deli ham or prosciutto and leftover turkey. No sandwich press required, this Cubano is toasted in the oven between two heated sheet pans topped by a cast-iron skillet.

Recipe: Turkey Cubano

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