Creamy Leftover Turkey Curry with Coconut Milk

This creamy leftover turkey curry with coconut milk is the easiest and tastiest recipe to make with your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey leftovers. Ready in just half an hour, this creamy curry has a delicious creamy sauce and is the perfect meal to surprise your family with after the holidays.

Wondering what to do with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving or Christmas? This creamy leftover turkey curry with coconut milk is your answer!

If you're like most people, you might be asking, "what can I make with leftover turkey" after just about any major holiday.

And you'd be right.

Leftover turkey is great in sandwiches, but sometimes, you have a couple of pounds of leftover turkey meat. And there are so many turkey sandwiches you can eat.

Enter this creamy turkey curry.

All you have to do to use up all that turkey is to make delicious curry sauce that's super creamy and goes well with your favourite rice or naan.

Why you'll love this leftover turkey curry with coconut milk

There are so many reasons you'll love this curry:

• It's made with already cooked turkey, which means it'll be ready double-quick.
• It's the perfect meal easy meal for those post-Thanksgiving or Christmas days.
• The sauce is extra creamy — think of it as a sort of butter chicken, only with turkey.
• You can adjust the spices and greens as you like to make it your own.

Ingredients and substitutions

Cooked turkey - If you had a huge roast turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas, chances are you end up with leftovers.

Carve the leftovers carefully and keep them in the fridge in an airtight container for sandwiches and dishes like this curry.

Shred the leftovers before adding them to the curry. You can use a mix of breast and leg meat or any chunks you may have pulled off the carcass.

Olive oil + butter - A mix of olive oil and butter will give this curry the best texture and the right amount of creaminess. You can substitute this mix with ghee.

Onion — Any kind of onion works here, so feel free to use either brown or red.

Garlic and ginger — Use fresh garlic and ginger if possible as that's the ticket to perfect flavour. If you don't have any, substitute with frozen or a garlic/ginger paste.

Curry powder - I typically make this curry sauce with medium curry powder, but you can use your favourite. Mild or hot are great options, too. Alternatively, you can use your favourite curry paste.

Garam masala - A bit of garam masala will add some extra flavour to the sauce. Skip it if you don't like to combine garam masala with curry powder.

Tomato paste - This will add colour and flavour to the curry while keeping the sauce creamy. You can also use chopped tomatoes if you don't mind chunky bits in the sauce.

Stock - Chicken stock is a good option here, but if you're making your own stock from the turkey carcass, you can definitely use that instead.

Coconut milk - I like to cook a bit lighter after the holidays, so I use coconut milk in leftover turkey curry. You can definitely use double (heavy) cream instead if you like. Coconut cream is another idea for an even creamier sauce.

Baby spinach - I like baby spinach in this type of curry because it wilts very quickly. Feel free to add kale instead if you like, but you'll need to cook it for 2-3 minutes.

How do you make leftover turkey curry?

• Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan and then melt the butter in it. Saute the onion for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until softened.
• Stir in the garlic and ginger and continue to cook for another minute until fragrant. Next, add the spices and stir to combine.
• Cook for another minute, then add the tomato paste, chicken stock and coconut milk. Stir to combine, then simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
• Stir in the turkey leftovers, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens further.
• Add the baby spinach to the pan, cover with a lid and simmer for 2 minutes until the spinach wilts.
• Serve topped with fresh coriander, over rice and with naan bread, if you like.

Recipe notes and tips

• You can add some dried fruit such as apricots or dates to the sauce for a Christmassy feel.
• The curry pairs great with freshly steamed basmati rice and naan bread. If you'd like a low-carb choice, cauliflower rice is also excellent. Alternatively, you can serve it with my Easy Indian Pilau Rice.
• If you don't have any leftover turkey but still think this curry is a good idea, you can make it with leftover chicken instead.

If you liked this creamy leftover turkey curry recipe, you might also like some of my other easy curry recipes:

Easy Thai Red Fish Curry

Pumpkin Tofu Curry

Easy Salmon Thai Green Curry

Easy Lentil and Chickpea Curry

Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes

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