A hearty turkey pot pie is an ideal way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. With a rich, creamy sauce, tender vegetables, and roasted turkey tucked under a flaky crust, it’s classic comfort food for dinner.
Whether your Thanksgiving was an intimate meal or a huge family gathering, leftover turkey is almost guaranteed. This turkey pot pie is one of the best leftover turkey recipes — it takes everything you love about chicken pot pie (the flaky crust, diced vegetables, and creamy filling) and swaps in turkey for a delicious, comforting variation.
Easy Turkey Pot Pie Recipe
This recipe works best with diced or shredded leftover roasted turkey, but any cooked turkey — even crockpot turkey breast — can be used. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the filling so every forkful has a good balance of turkey, vegetables, and sauce.
Many of the ingredients pair naturally with what’s often left after a holiday meal: onions and celery from the dressing, carrots from side dishes, fresh thyme, and butter from mashed potatoes or gravy. If you have time, simmer the carcass for homemade turkey stock to intensify the pot pie flavor, but store-bought chicken or turkey stock works fine as well. If you use a salted broth, remember to reduce additional salt to taste.
Ingredients For Turkey Pot Pie
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
- Unsalted butter – use salted butter and reduce added salt if needed.
- Onion – yellow or white, or substitute shallots.
- Carrot
- Celery
- Frozen peas – can swap for green beans or lima beans if desired.
- Leftover roasted turkey – white, dark, or a mix, diced or shredded.
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken or turkey stock
- Heavy cream – yields a rich sauce; half-and-half can be used for a lighter result.
- Dried oregano
- Fresh thyme – sage or rosemary can be used alone or alongside thyme.
- Kosher salt & black pepper
- Pie crust – store-bought saves time, but homemade crust works great too.
Variations
Try these simple variations to suit your pantry or preferences:
- Substitute cooked chicken for turkey — a rotisserie chicken makes this quick year-round.
- Change the vegetables: add corn, mushrooms, or chopped green beans.
- Make individual pot pies in 4-inch tins or ramekins for a more elegant presentation.
- Use crescent roll sheets, puff pastry, or biscuit topping in place of a traditional pie crust.
How to Make Turkey Pot Pie
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Start the filling: In a Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in peas, turkey, and flour and cook 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Make the sauce: Gradually add the stock while stirring constantly, cooking until the mixture thickens, about 5–6 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook another 4–5 minutes until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add oregano and thyme, then season with salt and pepper. Tip: adding the stock slowly helps prevent lumps in the filling.
- Assemble: Transfer the filling to a deep pie pan or baking dish. Roll the pie dough to overlap the dish by about 1 inch, trim the excess, and crimp the edges. Cut a few slits in the top crust to vent steam.
- Bake: Bake 40–45 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. Let the pie rest 10 minutes before slicing so the filling sets and slices hold together.
How to Store Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, wrap the assembled pie tightly and freeze for 2–3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Reheat slices in the microwave for 2–3 minutes or warm the whole pie in a 350ºF oven for 10–15 minutes until heated through.
Quick Tip
Allow the baked pot pie to rest before cutting. A 10-minute rest helps the filling thicken and makes neater slices.
FAQs
Serve it with a simple green salad and crusty bread or sourdough to soak up extra sauce. Steamed or roasted vegetables also make a nice, light side.
Yes. Assemble and tightly wrap the pie, then freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking, or bake from frozen and add about 10 extra minutes to the baking time.
Yes. Use thawed puff pastry in place of pie dough for a lighter, flakier top crust.
Yes. Spoon the filling into a baking dish and top with unbaked biscuit dough, then bake according to the biscuit package or recipe directions until the biscuits are cooked through and golden.
More Easy Turkey Recipes
Soups and Salads
Leftover Turkey Soup
Main Dishes
Leftover Turkey Casserole
Lunch
Leftover Turkey Sandwich
Thanksgiving
Classic Turkey Gravy
Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
Holidays
The Best Turkey Brine Recipe
Turkey Pot Pie
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Deep pie pan or baking dish
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup onion, diced
- ½ cup carrot, diced
- ½ cup celery, diced
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 3 cups leftover roasted turkey, diced or shredded
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken or turkey stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- Kosher salt & black pepper to taste
- 1 9” store-bought pie crust, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the peas, turkey, and flour and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the stock and stir constantly until thickened, about 5–6 minutes. Add the cream and continue to cook for 4–5 minutes until thick. Add the oregano, thyme, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour the filling into a deep pie pan or baking dish.
- Roll out the pie dough until it is 1” larger than the dish. Lay the dough over the top, trim the excess, crimp the edges, and cut 3–4 slits for venting.
- Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 40–45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Nutrition
| Calories: 431kcal
| Carbohydrates: 28g
| Protein: 23g
| Fat: 25g
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