Leftover Turkey: How Long It Keeps, Plus Three Recipes

Cooked turkey keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge, so turkey roasted on Thanksgiving Thursday should be eaten by Sunday or Monday. Anything you will not get to by then goes in the freezer. Get it there quickly, too: leftovers need to be in the fridge within 2 hours of the turkey coming out of the oven. Below are the storage rules, then three recipes that use up a lot of turkey: a soup made from the carcass, a toasted turkey and cranberry melt, and a skillet pot pie.

How to store leftover turkey safely

These times follow USDA and FoodSafety.gov guidance:

Leftover	Fridge, at 40°F (4°C) or below	Freezer, at 0°F (−18°C), for best quality
Cooked turkey, sliced or pieces	3 to 4 days	2 to 6 months
Turkey covered in broth or gravy	3 to 4 days	up to 6 months
Gravy and turkey broth	1 to 2 days	2 to 3 months
Stuffing	3 to 4 days	about 1 month

Freezer times are for quality only. Food kept frozen at 0°F (−18°C) stays safe, but it dries out and loses flavour over time.

The steps that make the biggest difference:

1. Take the meat off the bone first. A whole carcass holds heat for hours. Sliced or pulled meat in shallow containers, no more than about 2 inches (5 cm) deep, cools fast enough to stay out of the temperature range where bacteria multiply. Our guide to carving a turkey shows how to get the meat off neatly, including the bits underneath.
2. Refrigerate within 2 hours of the turkey leaving the oven. Warm food can go straight into the fridge; you do not need to cool it on the counter first.
3. Label and date it. Write Thursday's date on every container so nobody has to guess on Monday.
4. Freeze in meal-sized portions, flat in freezer bags with the air pressed out. A splash of broth or gravy in the bag keeps the meat moist.
5. Reheat to 165°F (74°C), covered so it heats through evenly. Bring gravy and soup to a rolling boil.

Thaw frozen turkey in the fridge overnight, or use the microwave's defrost setting and cook it right away.

1. Turkey carcass soup

Serves: 6 · Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 3 hours, mostly simmering Allergens: gluten (egg noodles), eggs (egg noodles). Swaps below.

• 1 turkey carcass, broken into pieces, with any skin and scraps
• 14 cups (3.3 L) cold water
• 2 onions, 1 quartered for the stock, 1 diced (about 10 oz / 280 g each)
• 4 carrots (about 14 oz / 400 g), 1 cut in chunks for the stock, 3 sliced into coins
• 3 celery ribs (about 6 oz / 170 g), 1 cut in chunks for the stock, 2 sliced
• 1 bay leaf and 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
• 3 cups (about 400 g) cooked turkey, shredded or diced
• 6 oz (170 g) wide egg noodles
• 1½ teaspoons (9 g) fine salt, or to taste, and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1. Put the carcass in a large stockpot with the water, the quartered onion, the carrot and celery chunks, bay leaf and thyme. Bring just to a boil, then simmer very gently, uncovered, for 2½ hours. Skim off any foam in the first 20 minutes.
2. Strain the stock; you should have about 10 cups (2.4 L). Pick any meat off the bones and add it to the turkey. Skim the fat from the stock.
3. In the empty pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat and cook the diced onion, sliced carrots and celery for 8 minutes until softening.
4. Add 10 cups (2.4 L) of the stock and simmer 15 minutes, until the carrots are tender.
5. Add the noodles and cook as the package directs, usually 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the turkey for the last 3 minutes to heat through. Season with salt and pepper, and add the parsley.

Storing: 3 to 4 days in the fridge. The noodles keep soaking up broth, so if you plan to keep it, cook the noodles separately and add them to each bowl, as in our chicken noodle soup. The soup without noodles freezes well for 2 to 3 months.

Swaps: use rice or gluten-free pasta for gluten-free and egg-free soup.

2. Turkey and cranberry melt

Makes: 4 sandwiches · Prep: 10 minutes · Cook: 8 minutes Allergens: gluten (bread), dairy (cheese, butter).

• 8 slices sourdough or country bread
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) soft butter
• ½ cup (140 g) cranberry sauce
• 8 oz (225 g) sliced cooked turkey
• 4 oz (115 g) sliced Swiss, white cheddar or provolone cheese
• A handful of baby spinach or arugula, optional

1. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Turn 4 slices butter side down and spread them with cranberry sauce.
2. Layer on the turkey, the greens if using, and the cheese. Top with the remaining bread, butter side up.
3. Cook in a large skillet over medium-low heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula, until the bread is golden and the cheese has melted. Low heat gives the turkey time to warm through before the bread burns. Check that the turkey in the middle is steaming hot.

Swaps: gluten-free bread; dairy-free cheese and olive oil for the butter. Leftover stuffing, pressed into a thin layer, can replace one slice of bread on an open-faced version.

3. Skillet turkey pot pie

Serves: 6 · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 40 minutes Allergens: gluten (flour, pastry), dairy (butter, milk; most puff pastry), eggs (egg wash).

• 4 tablespoons (56 g) butter
• 1 onion (about 10 oz / 280 g), diced
• 2 carrots (about 7 oz / 200 g), diced
• 2 celery ribs (about 4 oz / 110 g), diced
• ⅓ cup (42 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (480 ml) turkey or chicken stock
• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
• 3 cups (about 400 g) cooked turkey, diced
• 1 cup (140 g) frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 sheet (about 9 oz / 250 g) frozen puff pastry, thawed in the fridge
• 1 egg, beaten

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Melt the butter in a 10 to 12 inch (25 to 30 cm) ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots and celery for 8 minutes until soft.
3. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 2 minutes. Slowly stir in the stock, then the milk, and simmer 5 minutes until thick. This is a quick version of the roux in our make-ahead turkey gravy, and leftover gravy can replace up to 1 cup (240 ml) of the stock.
4. Stir in the turkey, peas and thyme. Season well; the pastry adds no salt.
5. Lay the pastry over the skillet, trim the overhang, brush with egg and cut a few slits for steam. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry is puffed and deep golden and the filling bubbles.

Storing: 3 to 4 days in the fridge; reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven until the filling reaches 165°F (74°C).

Swaps: for dairy-free, use olive oil and unsweetened oat milk and check that the pastry is made without butter. Brush the pastry with milk instead of egg to leave out the egg.

Turkey you will not get to in time

On Friday or Saturday, look at what is left and be honest about what you will eat by Monday. Freeze the rest then, not on day four, so it goes in at its best. Frozen turkey goes straight from the bag into the soup pot or pot pie filling, no thawing needed, as long as the dish is simmered until everything is steaming hot.