Leftover Turkey and Dumplings (Thanksgiving Leftovers Series)

Learn how to turn your leftover Thanksgiving turkey into dreamy and ultra-comforting Turkey and Dumplings! A creamy stew is filled with vegetables, savory turkey stock, seasonings, and leftover turkey, then topped with fluffy buttermilk drop dumplings. Each slurp will warm your soul!

Not sure what to do with all of that leftover Thanksgiving turkey in your fridge? This is the perfect recipe for you! Just like my Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup, this Leftover Turkey and Dumplings Recipe is savory, comforting, and a great way to use up that turkey instead of settling for another sandwich.

The rich and creamy turkey “stew” combines vegetables, aromatics, broth, seasonings, and leftover turkey before it’s topped with soft and fluffy dumplings. Everything comes together in one pot to give you a truly unforgettable and heartwarming family dinner that’ll always warm you up on those chilly evenings. 

Leftover Turkey and Dumplings Ingredients

No need to waste any Thanksgiving leftovers when this recipe is in your back pocket. It shows you how to take the leftover turkey in your fridge and repurpose it into a comforting and soul-warming stew. 

Here are the ingredients needed: 

• Butter
• Vegetables and aromatics, such as onions, carrots, celery, frozen peas, and garlic.
• Turkey broth. I love using my Homemade Turkey Stock but store-bought broth works well, too.
• Flour
• Leftover turkey. Use both white and dark meat and make sure it’s chopped into small, bite-sized pieces. Frozen leftover turkey also works well. Just remember to thaw the meat in the fridge before adding it to the pot.
• Apple cider vinegar
• MSG
• Fresh or dried thyme
• Dumplings. These homemade drop dumplings are easy to make with all-purpose flour, fresh chives, garlic cloves, salt, an egg, buttermilk, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Salt and pepper

(full ingredient list and quantities listed in the recipe card below)

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: If you’re running low on leftover turkey, feel free to replace the rest with leftover shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken. You won’t even notice the difference!

Swaps and Substitutions

This turkey and dumplings recipe is very forgiving and can be customized in several ways.

First and foremost, it’s so important to use a good-quality, flavorful broth for turkey stew and dumplings. Store-bought is fine but I really love my Homemade Turkey Bone Broth because it takes on the rich and savory flavors of the roasted turkey and has extra collagen from the turkey bones. 

Another fun way to jazz up the base of the stew is to replace 1 cup of broth with your leftover Thanksgiving gravy. It thickens up the consistency and adds a nice burst of umami!

Here are some more very simple substitutions and variations you can use to make this recipe your own:

• Add any of your favorite veggies, such as leeks, cubed white or sweet potatoes, corn kernels, green beans, mushrooms, or diced butternut squash.
• Feel free to add additional fresh or dried herbs such as sage, rosemary, parsley, or oregano. 
• A sprinkle of red pepper flakes will add a touch of heat that complements the turkey and rich stew.

Don’t have buttermilk for the dumplings? You can use plain or Greek yogurt as a swap.

For my gluten-free friends, swap out the all-purpose flour in the stew and dumplings for your favorite gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.

How to Make Leftover Turkey and Dumplings

The hardest part about making turkey and dumplings is chopping all of the veggies. But once that’s done, all you have to do is throw everything into a pot!

Follow the steps below to make the best turkey and dumplings:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, then add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté until the onions are translucent. 
2. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and MSG and cook for 1 more minute. Transfer the veggie mix to a bowl.
3. Melt the remaining butter in the now-empty pot and reduce the heat. Add the flour and stir until it’s absorbed into the butter. Continue cooking until you have a blonde roux.
4. Pour in the turkey broth and scrape up any brown bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Heat to a gentle simmer. Once it’s thickened slightly, stir in the vinegar, leftover turkey, and peas. 
5. Meanwhile, combine the dumpling ingredients in a bowl and whisk the egg and buttermilk together in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until the dough is loose and shaggy.
6. Scoop out a piece of the dough and drop it into the pot with the turkey stew. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving space in between each dumpling.
7. Turn down the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and cook until the dumplings are cooked through.
8. Garnish the turkey soup and dumplings with fresh chives, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

A steaming hot bowl of turkey soup with drop dumplings on top is a warm and cozy meal all on its own!

I highly recommend digging your bowl of turkey and dumplings this while it’s still piping hot. That’s when the soup is the most comforting and the dumplings are the fluffiest. Yum!

To complete the meal, pair each bowl with soup crackers or a hunk of crusty bread for dunking. You can’t go wrong with this Kale Caesar Salad or Mixed Greens Salad on the side, too! Both are light and refreshing alongside the comforting and fluffy dumplings.

And since this dish is all about reducing your food waste, why not put the rest of your Thanksgiving dishes to use? A side of Maple Mustard Brussels Sprouts and Baked Apple Cranberry Stuffing always goes great with this leftover turkey recipe.

Storing Turkey and Dumplings

Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. The dumplings tend to soak up the broth as they sit, so the sooner you enjoy the leftovers, the better.

To reheat, warm as much turkey soup and dumplings as you plan on eating in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or until they’re warmed through. You can also reheat the leftovers in a saucepan over low to medium heat. If the dumplings absorbed most of the broth, add another splash to loosen the stew.

See the FAQs below for instructions on freezing the stew and dumplings.

Leftover Turkey and Dumplings

5 from 7 votes

A creamy stew is filled with vegetables, savory turkey stock, seasonings, and leftover turkey, then topped with fluffy buttermilk drop dumplings. Each slurp will warm your soul!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Print Recipe Rate Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup onions, diced (yellow, white, or sweet onion recommended)
• 1 cup carrots, diced or thinly sliced
• 1 cup celery, sliced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3-4 cloves or garlic, minced
• 6 cups turkey broth, see notes
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp AP flour
• 3 cups cooked turkey, shredded or chopped (white and dark meat)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ¼ to ½ tsp MSG
• 1 tsp dried thyme or ½ tbsp fresh thyme

Garlic and Chive Drop Dumplings

• 190 grams AP flour, about 1 ½ cups
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Prepare the veggies by dicing or slicing into similar sized pieces. Set aside. Measure ingredients for the dumplings and set aside (separately).
• Using a heavy bottomed braising pan or Dutch oven, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Saute 6-7 minutes or until the onions are translucent and fragrant. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and MSG and cook 1 minute more, then transfer the veggie mixture to a bowl.
• Melt the remaining butter in the same pan and reduce to low or medium heat. Stir in the flour until it’s fully absorbed. Once smooth, cook for 7-10 minutes to form a blonde or light roux.
• Pour in the turkey broth, whisking to scrape the frond from the bottom of the pan. Raise the heat back to medium-high to bring to a low simmer. Once thickened, stir in the vinegar, turkey, and peas.
• Meanwhile, mix the AP flour, chives, garlic, salt, baking powder, and baking soda for the dumplings. Whisk the egg with the buttermilk, then pour it in and mix with the dry ingredients to form a loose, shaggy dough (do not overwork). Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough onto the turkey mixture, leaving space between to allow for expansion as they cook. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 15-20 minutes or until the dumplings are fully baked. Garnish with additional chopped chives (option), season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Notes

**Option to use 5 cups turkey or chicken broth + 1 cup leftover gravy.

If using frozen leftover turkey, fully thaw in advance to avoid watering down and diluting the stew.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 296 kcal, Carbohydrates: 39 g, Protein: 25 g, Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g, Trans Fat: 0.01 g, Cholesterol: 86 mg, Sodium: 1482 mg, Potassium: 513 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 6 g, Vitamin A: 3945 IU, Vitamin C: 14 mg, Calcium: 129 mg, Iron: 3 mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Leftover Turkey, Leftover Turkey Recipes, Turkey and Dumplings

Leftover Turkey and Dumplings FAQs

Are drop dumplings the same as biscuits?

Drop dumplings for stew are different from classic buttermilk biscuits. Drop dumpling dough is fluffy, doughy, and a little wet from being cooked on top of liquid, like soups and stews. Biscuits are traditionally baked in the oven, which gives them a flakier and buttery texture.

Can I make the dough for the dumplings ahead of time? 

Yes, the dumpling dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. Wrap the dough in plastic and store it in the fridge before it’s time to eat. 

Remember to take the dough out of the fridge 30 minutes before dropping the pieces on top of the stew to give it time to come down to room temperature. 

Can I make the dumplings ahead of time?

Sure. The dumplings will hold their shape for up to 6 hours before being dropped in the stew. Keep them in a covered container in the refrigerator, then remove them from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

How do I know when the dumplings are done cooking?

Drop dumplings shouldn’t take longer than 15 to 20 minutes to cook through. To double-check for doneness, make sure the tops no longer look doughy and cut into one to check if the dough is fluffy and no longer raw inside.

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

I haven’t tested this recipe in the slow cooker and cannot say if it will work or not. If you’re looking for a slow cooker turkey and dumplings recipe, you might enjoy this one from the Magical Slow Cooker.

Does it freeze well?

Yes, both the dumplings and leftover turkey stew are freezer-friendly. Place the dumplings in a freezer-safe bag or container and transfer the stew to a separate freezer-safe container. Both freeze well for up to 3 months.

Before serving, thaw the leftovers overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat the soup and dumplings together on the stovetop or in the microwave.

And if you’re looking for more dishes made with leftover turkey, check out my roundup of 30+ delicious leftover turkey recipes! I’m a huge fan of these Leftover Turkey Ramen Bowls and these Leftover Turkey Spring Rolls.

As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Leave me a comment or rating to let me know what you think!

Thanks for stopping by the Street Smart Nutrition blog. Cheers to more fearlessly nourishing meals!