The 23 Best Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes on the Web (2024)

1. Leftover Stuffing Waffles

This recipe is best when the stuffing doesn’t have large pieces of meat or vegetables in it. Serve with leftover cranberry sauce and warm leftover gravy.

2. Bacon Stuffing Bites

These tasty bites make a great day-after-Thanksgiving snack. This recipe involves rolling leftover stuffing into balls then wrapping a piece of bacon around each one. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, seam side down, and bake for 30 minutes.

3. Thanksgiving Pizza

The best part about this Thanksgiving Pizza recipe is that you can use whatever leftovers you have on hand. Start by pressing a thawed puff pastry sheet into a greased pie pan. Spread mashed potatoes on the bottom, drizzle gravy on top then add corn and green beans. Top it off with leftover turkey, stuffing, another drizzle of gravy, cheddar cheese, and French fried onions.

4. Chocolate Mashed Potato Cupcakes

To make this incredibly original recipe, plan on using basic mashed potatoes without skin or any other inclusions that would ruin the texture and flavor of the cupcake.

5. Thanksgiving Leftovers Salad

This salad recipe is all about the cranberry dressing. Fill a bowl with mixed greens, leftover turkey, and some soft cheese if you have it. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together cranberries, orange juice, olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Best of all, you’ll love the pieces of cranberry in your salad.

6. Spiced Sweet Potato Hummus

For this spiced up hummus recipe, add together a cooked sweet potato, chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, Sriracha, and a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon. Blend it all in a food processor until you get a consistency you like. Serve with crackers from Thanksgiving, or pita chips.

7. Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich with a Moist Maker

Anyone can make a leftover Turkey sandwich, but have you ever made one with a moist maker? Made popular by the show “Friends,” this sandwich goes from ordinary to extraordinary thanks to a piece of bread soaked in gravy. To make this turkey sandwich recipe, build your sandwich with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and anything else you like, then place a piece of gravy soaked bread in the center. Push it all together and enjoy.

8. Drop Donuts

These donuts are great for breakfast or as a snack and are made with mashed potatoes, sugar, egg, and sour cream. According to the recipe, you’ll want to roll each doughnut in sugar while they’re still warm from the fryer for an extra dose of deliciousness.

9. Turkey and Stuffing Dumpling Soup

For this flavorful and hearty soup recipe you’ll need a turkey carcass, an onion, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, and leftover cooked turkey chopped up. Use leftover stuffing, eggs, and flour for the dumplings.

10. Cran-Sorbet

The recipe includes using an ice cream or sorbet maker, but if you don’t have one, this site offers instructions on how to do it without a machine.

11. Mashed Potato Pancakes

Here’s a recipe that shows the versatility of potatoes. Throw in spinach or any leftover veggies for extra nutrients. And don’t forget to top it off with some of that leftover delicious gravy—or ketchup works too if you like it on your potatoes.

12. Leftover Turkey and Stuffing Stuffed Peppers

Make this semi-healthy recipe, with a delicious infusion of bell peppers, by combining egg, turkey, and stuffing together then spooning it into the peppers and topping it off with mozzarella. Bake at 350 for about a half hour. It’s that easy.

13. Orange Cranberry Parfait

Whip up this tasty dessert recipe using leftover cranberry sauce, vanilla or plain Greek yogurt, and something crunchy like granola (apple and cinnamon rice cakes work too!).

RELATED: 17 Easy Ways to Make Your Thanksgiving Kids Table More Fun

14. Ultra Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies

In this lightened up brownie recipe, the sweet potatoes add depth and moisture, making them doubly delicious. You’ll need sweet potato puree, peanut or almond butter, vanilla extract, flour, chocolate chips, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Bake for 20 minutes at 325.

15. Leftover Roast Turkey Pho

This Vietnamese soup recipe is all about the broth and is a nice change from traditional turkey soup. You’ll need four cups of turkey meat plus the whole turkey carcass. Add in onion, garlic, ginger, anise pods, chicken broth, and cinnamon sticks for a rich broth. Then use rice noodles, bean sprouts, basil, jalapeño, and hoisin sauce for a hearty meal.

16. Meatball Heroes from Leftover Stuffing

This meatball sandwich recipe will have you wishing you had even more leftover stuffing. Use any spare Thanksgiving rolls for a tasty Italian treat that’s surprisingly easy to make.

17. Cranberry Sauce Oatmeal Muffins

The recipe calls for mixing flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. You’ll also need cranberry sauce and vanilla yogurt.

18. Two-Ingredient Sweet Potato Tater Tots

The kids will love these tater tots, and you’ll love how easy the recipe is. Serve with ketchup or try this chipotle mayonnaise.

19. Turkey Corn Chowder

Here’s a recipe that takes care of all the leftover turkey, corn, and potatoes. Throw in a big slice of bread left over from Thanksgiving, and you have yourself a very filling meal.

20. Thanksgiving Leftovers Stromboli

Whether you like leftovers or not, you’ll love this irresistible Stromboli recipe. Serve with leftover gravy. Delicious!

21. Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

Create a delectable pumpkin pie milkshake with this recipe by blending vanilla ice cream, milk, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Then add pie chunks and blend some more. Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream and cinnamon. Serve immediately.

22. Turkey Hash with Sunny-Side-Up Eggs

The 23 Best Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes on the Web (22)

Via Delish

This is the ultimate day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast. This recipe is super easy to make. You’ll need potatoes, onions, garlic, fresh thyme, leftover turkey for the hash. Then throw all the cooked ingredients on a plate and top with eggs sunny-side-up.

23. Turkey and Leeks Shepard Pie

What better recipe than a Shepard’s Pie (which was originally created to use up leftovers). For this hearty recipe, you’ll need turkey, sage, white wine, chicken broth, peas—or leftover green beans would work, too—leeks, and mashed potatoes.

UP NEXT: The Easiest Mini Pumpkin Pies You’ll Ever Make

The 23 Best Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes on the Web (2024)

FAQs

What ratio of Americans like leftovers better than the Thanksgiving meal itself? ›

A next-day Thanksgiving sandwich tastes better than the freshly served dinner, according to 66 percent of 2,000 U.S. residents surveyed by research group OnePoll in mid-November.

How long does leftover turkey last in the fridge? ›

How long do the turkey and trimmings stay safe in the refrigerator or freezer? The answer is simple: leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days. This means you have until the Monday after Thanksgiving to eat all those delicious leftovers or place them in the freezer to enjoy later.

Are the leftovers the best part of Thanksgiving? ›

Out of 2,000 U.S. residents surveyed who celebrate Thanksgiving, 70% said they believe leftovers taste better than their original meal served on Thanksgiving day, according to survey results from Stasher. More than half of the same participants said their Thanksgiving holiday would be ruined if there were no leftovers.

What is made from Thanksgiving leftovers? ›

Instead, try turning your leftovers into a casserole, like our turkey divan, our chicken stuffing casserole, or our turkey pot pie; a soup, like our turkey noodle soup, our leftover turkey & wild rice soup, or our homemade turkey stock (made from your turkey carcass); or something lighter or more flavorful than before, ...

Which president refused to celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday? ›

While Thanksgiving technically isn't a religious holiday, the “giving thanks” part of it struck Jefferson as being far too religious for his tastes. As our nation's third president, he stirred controversy by refusing to recognize Thanksgiving.

What is America's least favorite dish at Thanksgiving and what percentage? ›

"For the third year in a row, cranberry sauce takes first place as the most disliked traditional Thanksgiving food. Over 31% of respondents, 82 million American adults, do not want cranberry sauce for their Thanksgiving dinner.

Is a 3 year old frozen turkey still good? ›

Frozen Turkey

Turkeys can be kept in the freezer indefinitely. However, cook turkeys within 1 year for the best quality.

Can you eat turkey after 7 days in the fridge? ›

USDA recommends using cooked turkey within 3 to 4 days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. Turkey can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Although safe indefinitely, frozen leftovers can lose moisture and flavor when stored for longer times in the freezer.

Can I freeze cooked turkey after 3 days? ›

If your turkey has been properly handled, you can refrigerate and eat it for up to four days. If you are planning to freeze it, it's best to freeze it within one day of cooking for optimal texture and taste. However, leftover turkey can be frozen after three days and it will be fine.

What is the least favorite side dish for Thanksgiving? ›

And the least favorite side dish for Americans on Thanksgiving is -- green bean casserole. 31.4 percent of people surveyed do not like it.

What is the day after Thanksgiving usually called? ›

Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving, has evolved into one of the busiest shopping days in the United States. Contrary to popular belief that the term originated from businesses going from "in the red" to "in the black" in profits after Thanksgiving, it actually traces back to 1960s Philadelphia.

What two food items were not present at the original Thanksgiving? ›

It is also worth noting what was not present at the first Thanksgiving feast. There were no cloudlike heaps of mashed potatoes, since white potatoes had not yet crossed over from South America. There was no gravy either, since the colonists didn't yet have mills to produce flour.

What are 4 commonly consumed foods at Thanksgiving other than turkey? ›

Cornish game hen, goose, duck, ham, beef, salmon, and mushroom recipes make worthy centerpieces for holiday meals.

What are 3 foods that are eaten on Thanksgiving? ›

Millions of people across the United States will sit down to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, potatoes, squash, corn, and cranberries. These foods have become synonymous with Thanksgiving, but how did they end up on tables from Maine to California?

What percent of Americans prefer Thanksgiving leftovers? ›

According to the survey, an overwhelming majority of Americans, 94 percent, dine on a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich.

How many Americans prefer leftovers on Thanksgiving? ›

But what about all of those leftovers? While 80% of people love next-day turkey and fixings, the other 20% are indifferent or hate them.

What percent of Americans eat leftovers? ›

72% of Americans say they enjoy eating leftovers. For many, their weekly diet always consists of leftovers. In fact, the survey found the average weekly diet is made up of five home-cooked meals, three leftover meals, three takeout meals and three meals out at restaurants.

What percentage of people don't eat leftovers? ›

Three in 10 Americans Toss Uneaten Leftovers Weekly
How often does your household …At least once a weekLess than once a week
Eat leftovers as a meal by themselves76%24%
Use leftovers or partially used food as ingredients in future meals48%52%
Throw away leftovers because no one wanted to eat them31%70%
Nov 22, 2023

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