Easy 30‑Minute Leftover Turkey Curry Recipe

This easy turkey curry is packed with flavour and is one of the best ways to use up leftover roast turkey after Christmas or Thanksgiving. You can also make it with cooked chicken if that’s what you have on hand.

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Post updated September 2026

A fantastic way to use up that endless supply of leftover turkey. If you prefer a curry without coconut milk, try my leftover chicken curry (made without coconut milk) .

This curry has a gently sweet flavour from the brown sugar, which you can easily adjust to taste. It’s beautifully balanced with warm spices and creamy coconut milk.

Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients — most of them are simple spices, and the recipe is very easy to make.

Important – please read!

Because the turkey has already been cooked and reheated, this recipe is not suitable for freezing or reheating.

Money‑saving tips

I use Mutti tinned tomatoes. If you can, buy good‑quality tinned tomatoes — they make a noticeable difference to the finished dish.

Mutti and Cirio can be pricey, but they’re often half‑price at Tesco or Waitrose. When they are, I stock up!

Right after Christmas (or even on Christmas Eve), supermarkets often reduce frozen turkeys to half price. You can cook them and freeze the meat for later use.

For more festive ideas, take a look at my Seasonal & Holidays recipes .

But before you freeze anything, don’t forget that turkey sandwiches are absolutely the way to go on Boxing Day.

Ingredients you'll need

🫗 Vegetable oil

🧅 Onion

🫚 Fresh ginger

🧄 Garlic

🌶️ Red chillies

🧂🌿Ground coriander

🧂🌰 Cumin

🔥 Chilli powder

🧂🍂 Cinnamon

🍅 Tomato purée

🥫 Tinned tomatoes

🥥 Coconut milk

🧂🟫 Brown sugar

🍗 Cooked turkey

🍗🫗Chicken stock

🧂 Salt & black pepper

🌿 Fresh coriander

Step‑by‑step overview

These are the quick visual steps — the full detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.

Sauté the onion in ghee or oil until softened. Add the ginger, garlic, chillies, and spices, then cook briefly to release the flavours.

Pour in the tomatoes, coconut milk, sugar, and stock. Simmer until slightly thickened. Stir in the cooked turkey and heat through.

Serve with rice and fresh coriander.

No leftover turkey?

No worries — you can use a ready‑cooked rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. Just avoid the ones cooked in BBQ or other sauces.

One of my favourite Boxing Day dinners with leftover turkey is mashed potatoes served with Piccalilli and pickled onions 😋 What’s yours?

Storage

Because the turkey has already been cooked once and reheated in the curry, this dish is not suitable for freezing or reheating.

Serving suggestions

Serve with fluffy basmati rice, naan bread, or even chips for a cosy Boxing Day dinner. A sprinkle of fresh coriander finishes it beautifully.

Have you tried this recipe?
Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below!

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leftover turkey curry, turkey curry recipe, curry with coconut milk, what to make with leftover turkey, easy turkey curry

Christmas, Boxing Day, Curry, Mains

British

Yield: 4

Author: Jan Bennett

Leftover Turkey Curry

A quick and easy way to use up leftover turkey. This creamy, mildly spiced curry is ready in around 30 minutes and is perfect for a comforting weeknight meal.

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 35 Min

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 large brown onion
• 2 tsp fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 red chillies
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1–2 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 × 400g (14oz) tin good‑quality tomatoes
• 400ml (14oz) full‑fat coconut milk
• 2 tsp soft brown sugar
• ½ Knorr chicken stock cube
• 4 small handfuls cooked turkey
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the ghee or oil in a large frying pan. Peel and finely dice the onion, then add it to the pan and cook for 5–6 minutes until softened but not browned.
2. Peel and finely chop the ginger, peel and mince the garlic, and deseed and finely chop the chillies. Add them to the pan along with the ground coriander, cumin, chilli powder, garam masala, cinnamon, and tomato purée.
3. Cook for 2 minutes to release the flavours, then add the tinned tomatoes (including the juice), coconut milk, and brown sugar. Crumble in the stock cube, season with black pepper, and bring to a boil.
4. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
5. Add the cooked turkey and simmer for 2–3 minutes until heated through.
6. Serve with rice and chopped coriander.

Notes

IMPORTANT: This recipe is NOT suitable for freezing or reheating again, as the turkey has already been reheated once.

If the sauce seems thin, simmer longer to reduce.

Adjust sweetness to taste.

You can swap turkey for cooked chicken.

If you prefer a spicier curry, add extra chilli powder or fresh chillies. If you prefer it less sweet, reduce the brown sugar.

Serve with chopped coriander (cilantro) for a fresh finish, if you like.

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