Enjoy a quick and easy leftover turkey curry ready in about 40 minutes — my favourite Boxing Day recipe.
It’s mild, fragrant and creamy, perfect for the whole family. This curry is also great with other leftover roast meats such as chicken, lamb or beef.
This comforting, creamy turkey curry is an ideal way to use up leftover turkey from Christmas or Thanksgiving. It uses pantry staples, comes together quickly and can be adjusted to suit your taste.
✔️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- Transforms leftover roast turkey into a tasty new meal.
- The sauce is built from simple pantry ingredients.
- Mild and creamy for family-friendly eating, but easy to spice up.
- Flexible with vegetables or meat swaps.
- Freezer-friendly for easy future meals.
🛒 Ingredients
- Turkey – 300–400g leftover cooked turkey, chopped (or fresh turkey pieces, see notes)
- Onion – 1 large, finely chopped
- Garlic – 3 cloves, finely chopped
- Fresh ginger – 1 tsp, grated
- Coriander stalks – chopped
- Mild curry paste (such as korma) – use madras for a spicier curry
- Turmeric – 1 tsp
- Mushrooms – about 250g, sliced
- Courgette – 1, halved and chopped (or substitute red peppers)
- Ground almonds – 50g, to thicken the sauce
- Chicken stock – 400ml (or leftover turkey gravy)
- Mango chutney – 2 tbsp, for a fruity note
- Double cream – 60ml (or coconut cream/milk for dairy-free)
- Baby spinach – 75g, to wilt into the sauce
- Salt & pepper – to taste
- Coriander leaves – chopped, to garnish
🔪 How to make creamy leftover turkey curry
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and timings.
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan or shallow casserole. Gently cook the chopped onion, garlic, ginger and coriander stalks for 5 minutes until soft.
2. Stir in 4 tablespoons mild curry paste and 1 teaspoon turmeric, cooking briefly to release the flavours.
3. Add the sliced mushrooms and chopped courgette and fry for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften.
4. Stir in 50g ground almonds, 400ml chicken stock and 2 tablespoons mango chutney. Season with salt and pepper, then simmer on a low–medium heat for 15–20 minutes to thicken and develop flavour.
5. Add the chopped cooked turkey, 75g baby spinach and 60ml double cream. Warm through for 5 minutes until the turkey is heated and the spinach has wilted.
6. Serve topped with chopped coriander and a side of rice or flatbreads.
Top Tips
- Use leftover turkey gravy in place of stock for extra depth.
- No double cream? Coconut cream or coconut milk work well as a substitute.
- For a thicker sauce, add 1 tbsp thickening granules or a cornflour slurry.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve with pilau rice, naan or flatbreads, raita and extra mango chutney. For a lighter option try brown rice and wholemeal chapatis. You can also serve a vegetarian curry alongside for variety.
📖 Variations
- Use leftover roast vegetables (cauliflower, roasted Brussels sprouts, peas) instead of fresh veg.
- For more heat use madras paste and reduce the cream; tikka masala paste gives a medium spice level.
- Swap paste for curry powder and finish with a sprinkle of garam masala just before serving.
- If using fresh turkey pieces, add them after the onions and cook until done.
- To cut fat, omit the cream and add a tin of chopped tomatoes.
- Try turkey mince to make an easy turkey mince curry variation.
🥡 Storage
Store: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Reheat: Reheat on the hob or in the microwave until piping hot. Avoid reheating more than once — if the turkey was cooked on one day and reheated in this curry the next, do not freeze and reheat again.
❓ FAQs
Leftover turkey is versatile: try turkey curry, bolognese, soup, nachos, pasta bake, toasties, sandwiches or a pie.
Yes. Add all ingredients except cooked turkey, cream and spinach to the slow cooker and cook on low for about 6 hours. Stir in turkey, cream and spinach for the final 20 minutes. Thicken the sauce if needed with cornflour or thickening granules.
😋 More curry recipes to try
-
Easy Chicken Pasanda Curry Recipe
-
Easy Leftover Chicken Curry
-
Easy Quorn Curry
-
Fruity Mango Chutney Chicken Curry
More leftover recipes
- Leftover Turkey Curry
- Leftover Roast Beef Stroganoff
- Leftover Gammon Pasta
- Leftover Chicken Tacos
Tried it? Leave a rating and tag @effortlessf00d on Instagram — I’d love to see your photos!
Recipe
Easy Leftover Turkey Curry
A simple, delicious leftover turkey curry, ready in about 40 minutes — a great Boxing Day meal.
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Shallow casserole or frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp chopped coriander stalks
- 4 tbsp mild curry paste (korma) — or madras for heat
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 250g chestnut or closed-cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 courgette, halved and chopped
- 50g ground almonds
- 400ml chicken stock (or leftover turkey gravy)
- 2 tbsp mango chutney
- ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper
- 60ml double cream (or coconut cream/milk)
- 300g leftover turkey, chopped
- 75g baby spinach
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or shallow casserole. Cook the onion, garlic, ginger and coriander stalks gently for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the curry paste and turmeric, cooking briefly to release the aromas.
- Add mushrooms and courgette and fry for 5 minutes until beginning to soften.
- Stir in the ground almonds, chicken stock and mango chutney. Season, then simmer on low–medium heat for 15–20 minutes.
- Add the cooked turkey, spinach and double cream. Warm through for about 5 minutes so the spinach wilts and the turkey is heated.
- Serve with chopped coriander and rice or your preferred sides.
Notes
Top tips:
- Use leftover turkey gravy instead of stock if available.
- Substitute coconut cream for double cream for a dairy-free option.
Variations: Use leftover roast veg, change the paste for different spice levels, or swap cream for tomatoes to reduce fat. This recipe also works with chicken, lamb or beef.
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat once until piping hot and avoid reheating multiple times.
Nutritional Information (Approximate)
Calories: 419 kcal | Carbohydrates: 24 g | Protein: 30 g | Fat: 23 g (approximate)