Leftover Turkey Stir Fry (Thanksgiving Leftovers Series)

Keep your post-holiday dinners simple with Leftover Turkey Stir Fry. The leftover Thanksgiving turkey is combined with aromatics and vegetables, tossed in a tangy stir fry sauce, and served over white rice for a fantastic Thai-style stir fry you can make during the holiday season or year-round.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a lazy evening or I’m in the mood to cook—stir fries always have and always will be one of my favorite dinners. Stir-fried protein-packed meat and nourishing veggies served with a delicious homemade sauce and fluffy rice, all ready in a jiffy—what’s not to love?

I’ll eat stir fry year-round, but this Turkey Stir Fry recipe is especially perfect for the holiday season. It’s easy to make in 30 minutes with your leftover Thanksgiving turkey and a handful of vegetables…OK, maybe a ton of vegetables! Just toss everything together in a wok or large skillet, add a savory stir fry sauce, serve it over cooked rice, and garnish with some Thai basil for freshness! 

I highly recommend making this for an easy weeknight dinner after the rush of the holiday season. Trust me—it’s a lifesaver when you just don’t feel like cooking. It’s a great way to meal prep for the week, too!

Turkey Stir Fry Ingredients

Obviously, leftover roasted turkey is the star of this turkey and vegetable stir fry, but a few key Thai-inspired elements add the classic stir fry flavors you crave. Plus, with lots of substitution and customization options, you can easily make this meal your own!

Here are the ingredients needed: 

• Oil, such as peanut, canola, or vegetable oil.
• Aromatics like fresh garlic and green onions. Fresh ginger also tastes amazing in this mix if you have it!
• Vegetables, such as carrots, green onions, bok choy, red bell peppers, and snow peas.
• Thai chilis. Bird’s eye or serrano chili peppers are my favorites for stir fries like this one
• Leftover turkey. Use only white meat, only dark meat, or a mix of both.
• Stir fry sauce. This easy stir fry sauce uses leftover turkey broth or store-bought chicken stock as a base, while lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and sriracha complete the savory and tangy flavor profile.
• Thai basil leaves. We find ours at the local Asian grocery store, but if it’s hard to find, skip and add extra garlic, ginger, or chilis instead.
• White rice

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

Swaps and Substitutions

Like any stir fry, my turkey stir fry recipe can be customized to your taste buds. Try these options if you need some simple swaps:

• Use any lever vegetables you already have on hand instead of what’s in the recipe card. Fresh, frozen, or leftover veggies will work!
• Use a mix of leftover roasted chicken and turkey if the Thanksgiving leftovers are running low. Lean ground turkey is also an option.
• Swap the soy sauce in the stir fry sauce for tamari or coconut aminos if you need to go gluten free.
• Vegetable broth is a great substitute for the turkey or chicken broth in the sauce.

Whatever you do, don’t stress about following the “perfect” recipe or making the most “authentic” stir fry possible. It’s more about reducing food waste by using leftovers and mastering the cooking technique. It’s OK if your turkey stir fry turns out different than mine!

How to Make Turkey Stir Fry 

This turkey stir fry is one of my easiest leftover turkey recipes because it’s ready to eat after a handful of simple steps:

1. Slice the vegetables into uniform pieces and stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chilis and white parts of the green onion. Sauté until fragrant.
3. Stir the carrots, peppers, and snap peas into the pan. Cook for a few minutes, then add the white parts of the bok choy. Lastly, stir in the ginger, garlic, ginger (if using), and leftover turkey.
4. Pour the stir fry sauce over the veggies and turkey. Toss together to heat through (only about 1-2 minutes) before adding the bok choy greens and some Thai basil. Taste and adjust the flavors as needed.
5. Serve the warm turkey stir fry over a bed of cooked rice. Garnish with green onions and the remaining Thai basil. Enjoy!

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: For best flavor, avoid overcrowding or piling the vegetables and turkey on top of each other in the wok/skillet. This will make them soggy and steamed rather than seared and tender-crisp.​

Turkey Stir Fry Serving Suggestions

Cooked white rice, like jasmine or basmati rice, is my favorite with stir fry! It’s fluffy, starchy, and soaks up the stir fry sauce beautifully. Cooked noodles (like rice, ramen, soba, or udon noodles) would also make a complete meal!

If you’d prefer a slightly more nutritionally dense option, you can serve the turkey stir fry with brown rice, quinoa, or other preferred carbohydrates. Or, serve with rice but add a little bit of cauliflower rice for an extra serving of veggies. 

When it’s time to eat, pile your cooked rice or noodles into bowls, top them with a scoop of turkey stir fry, and finish with lots of garnishes. A lime wedge, fresh basil leaves, and green onions are zippy and refreshing, but you could also add chopped peanuts or cashews for some crunch. You can also add some red pepper flakes or toasted sesame seeds (my favorite).

I find that the protein-rich leftover turkey meat in this stir fry makes one serving quite filling on its own, but you’re more than welcome to pair it with a few side dishes. Enjoy these Leftover Turkey Spring Rolls as a refreshing and slightly filling appetizer, or serve the stir fry with a Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad or Mixed Greens Salad on the side. 

Turkey Stir Fry Storage Tips

Once cool, transfer the leftover stir fry to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. 

To reheat, add as much stir fry as you plan on eating to a bowl and zap it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or until it’s heated through. You can add a splash of turkey broth or soy sauce to the leftovers to make them saucy again, if needed.

Leftover Turkey Stir Fry

5 from 4 votes

Keep your post-holiday dinners simple with Leftover Turkey Stir Fry. The leftover Thanksgiving turkey is combined with aromatics and vegetables, tossed in a tangy stir fry sauce, and served over white rice for a fantastic Thai-style stir fry you can make during the holiday season or year-round.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Print Recipe Rate Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as peanut, canola, vegetable
• 4 green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1-2 Thai-style chilis, such as bird’s eye or serrano, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large knob fresh ginger, optional, 2-3” long peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas
• ¾ cup matchstick carrots, about 1 large carrot
• 2 baby bok choy, sliced, white and green parts separated
• 2-3 cups cooked turkey, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup Thai basil leaves, for garnish
• cooked white rice, for serving

For the Sauce

• ¼ cup leftover turkey broth or premade chicken stock
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar or honey
• 2 tsp sriracha or red pepper sauce, optional

Instructions

• Prep the vegetables by slicing thinly or chopping into similar sized pieces. Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or measuring cup and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Once glistening, add the chili and white parts of the green onion. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the bell peppers and snow peas and stir fry 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Follow with the carrots and the white parts of the bok choy, cooking 2-3 minutes longer. Finally, stir in the ginger (if using), garlic, and leftover turkey. Cook 1-2 minutes to heat through.
• Once the turkey is stirred in, pour the prepared sauce over the mixture. Quickly toss everything together then add the bok choy greens and half of the Thai basil. Stir to combine and adjust seasoning or sauce as needed.
• Serve over cooked rice with a lime wedge. Garnish with the green onion tops and remaining Thai basil. Serve hot.

Notes

Allow approximately one cup or more of rice per serving. Adjust cooking time and portion sizes as needed for your family and lifestyle. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 208 kcal, Carbohydrates: 14 g, Protein: 19 g, Fat: 9 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g, Trans Fat: 0.03 g, Cholesterol: 47 mg, Sodium: 713 mg, Potassium: 492 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 7 g, Vitamin A: 7976 IU, Vitamin C: 102 mg, Calcium: 111 mg, Iron: 2 mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian American

Keyword: Leftover Turkey Recipe, Stir Fry, Thanksgiving Leftovers

Turkey Stir Fry Recipe FAQs

Can I make this stir fry with ground turkey instead?

Yes, you can definitely make this with ground turkey if you don’t have leftover turkey on hand. Just sauté the ground turkey in the wok with the chilis and green onion until it’s browned through. Continue with the recipe as normal from there.

Which vegetables can you use in turkey stir fry?

Practically anything goes in this Thai-inspired stir fry recipe. Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, eggplant, zucchini, baby corn, and green beans would all be a great fit. Or, to keep things simple, opt for a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables instead (no thawing necessary!).

Can you freeze stir fry?

I don’t recommend freezing the leftover stir fry. Once thawed, the vegetables tend to soften and release more water, which will make the stir fry watery. Best to keep any leftovers in the fridge instead!

There are so many ways to use up the leftover roasted turkey in your fridge. Check out my roundup of 30+ leftover turkey recipes whenever you need some inspiration! And if your whole family loves a good stir fry, try my Ground Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry or Sweet Miso Pork Stir Fry.

As always, I hope you enjoy this easy dinner 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!