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Use leftover turkey and frozen vegetables in this easy Turkey Pot Pie recipe – it’s perfect for your Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers! The homemade filling is quick to whip up and comes with an extra-creamy gravy.
What’s to love
- Use up your leftovers in a delicious way. Almost everyone has leftover turkey around the holiday season, but the recipe works with rotisserie chicken just as well. (I also have a recipe for a fully homemade chicken pot pie, if you’re looking for that.)
- Creamy filling. This makes a very creamy gravy – leftover turkey tends to be dry so the amount of gravy can help counteract this. If you want a less creamy filling, feel free to leave out the butter and/or sour cream.
- Cozy and easy. Pot pies are the ultimate comfort food. They are nice for special occasions, but work just as well as an everyday weeknight dinner. This recipe is super quick and easy (just what you need after a Thanksgiving cooking marathon) and requires no chopping thanks to frozen vegetables.
Turkey pot pie is an excellent, hearty meal by itself. You can round it out by adding a salad on the side, some leftover dinner rolls or leftover vegetables (Brussels sprouts! Sautéed green beans!) for the vegetable lovers in your family.
Printable recipe
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 tablespoons butter (OR oil)
- 2 ½ cups frozen mixed vegetables (no need to defrost)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme (OR poultry seasoning)
- ¼ teaspoon dried garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried onion powder
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1 (14.5-oz) can chicken broth
- ½ cup milk
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional but delicious)
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice (just a squeeze, optional)
- 3 cups cooked and diced turkey
Topping
- 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)
- 1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon milk (for egg wash)
Tips
- Sour cream: You can use cream cheese as a substitute if you don’t have sour cream on hand. We do not recommend using Greek Yogurt, as it tends to split easily.
- Milk: Feel free to use heavy cream, evaporated milk or half-and-half in place of the milk.
- Vegetables: We like to use a classic blend of frozen mixed vegetables with corn, peas, carrots and green beans. California blend (with cauliflower) is also great. Feel free to add a cup of diced potatoes to the filling to make it heartier.
Instructions
- Prep:Heat oven to 425°F. This recipe works well in a ~10-inch oven-safe skillet; alternatively grease a 9-inch pie plate. Get your ingredients ready.
- Cook the filling:Heat butter in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add frozen vegetables, thyme (or poultry seasoning), garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.Cook 4–5 minutes, until the vegetables are thawed and just starting to soften.2 tablespoons butter, 2 ½ cups frozen mixed vegetables, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon dried garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon dried onion powder, salt & pepper
- Make the gravy:Pour in the chicken broth. In a measuring jug, whisk together the milk and cornstarch until smooth. Stir the mixture into the skillet and simmer 3–5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and looks glossy.1 (14.5-oz) can chicken broth, ½ cup milk, ⅓ cup cornstarch
- Finish the filling:Remove skillet from the heat. Stir in Dijon, Worcestershire, butter, sour cream, and a small squeeze of lemon.Fold in the turkey until evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning. Spread the filling evenly across the skillet surface (or transfer to your pie plate.)½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon butter, ¼ cup sour cream, ½ teaspoon lemon juice, 3 cups cooked and diced turkey
- Prepare the puff pastry:On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into an 11-inch square.Cut into squares or diamonds using a sharp knife or pizza cutter.1 sheet puff pastry
- Top the pot pie:Arrange pieces slightly overlapping across the top of the filling (no need to seal the edges).Brush lightly with egg wash for shine.1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon milk
- Bake:Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake 20–25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed, deep golden, and the filling is bubbling at the edges.Let sit 10 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to set slightly.
Video
Easy Turkey Pot Pie
make your kitchen smell like home?Turkey Pot Pie FAQs
No, instead of leftover turkey meat (light and dark), use rotisserie chicken or just poach 1.5 pounds of turkey breast (or chicken breast) for this recipe.
You can either shred or dice the cooked poultry – we prefer it diced in this pot pie.
Pie crust or phyllo sheets are great alternatives for the puff pastry. You can also use canned refrigerated biscuits or even crescent roll dough.
If you prefer a double crust on your pot pie, you can absolutely do so. We would recommend using a pie crust though, not puff pastry.
Keep the puff pastry chilled until you’re ready to roll it out, it should be cold when it hits the oven – warm puff pastry is almost impossible to handle and doesn’t turn out as flaky as it should.
We started making this pie topped with puff pastry squares instead of an entire pie lid, because you get more flaky and crispy edges.
If you have any puff pastry left after covering the pie, you can bake it alongside the pie.
Make sure to fully whisk the cornstarch into the milk, otherwise you’ll end up with a lumpy gravy.
For the same reason, stir the cornstarch slurry into the filling as soon as you add it; otherwise you’ll have one big blob of seized up gravy in your filling and the rest won’t thicken.
Never add dry cornstarch directly to hot liquid, always whisk it into a little cold liquid first.
There’s no need to defrost the vegetables before using them – just add them in the skillet and cook them straight from frozen
Please note: We updated this post on 11/26/2020 and changed the recipe originally published in 2015. Since most readers were using puff pastry instead of the phyllo, we re-wrote the recipe to better serve your needs. We updated the recipe again in 2025 to add a little extra flavor to the filling, and to make the puff pastry topping even better by cutting it into squares for more flaky edges!
Perfect to serve with
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Kelly says
Hello
I was shocked at the amount of cornstarch. 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup liquid. I usually add 1 T of cornstarch to a 1/2 cup liquid. As soon as I added the slurry the mixture went into a thick paste…like glue. Is this the way it is supposed to be? I ended up liquifying it way down and had to add more spices etc…..
Nora says
Kelly, there’s also a 14.5-oz can of chicken broth in there, not just 1/2 cup of milk. Together with the sour cream, that’s almost 2 1/2 cups of liquid. If you usually add 1 tablespoon to 1/2 cup of liquid, you would add 5 tablespoons to the recipe. 1/3 cup is 6 tablespoons, so that’s very close and I can assure you the filling does not turn into paste with all the liquid added!
Naomi says
If adding diced potatoes, do i add them cooked or raw before baking .
Nora says
Naomi – yes, I always pre-cook diced potatoes before adding them to pot pie. Hope this helps!
Holly Carpenter says
I made this using puff pastry. I baked it for 25 minutes and the puff pastry look beautifully golden brown. However, when I began cutting it, the pastry was not crispy all the way through. The flavor of the veggies and turkey and gravy is excellent. I put it back in the oven to bake further. I will update as it is still in the oven.
Pat Lopez says
Made this with leftover turkey the family loved it. I also made two extra fir my brother. New family favorite
Julie says
Discovered your recipe via Pinterest and tried it with turkey my husband had recently smoked–everyone loved it! Thank you for the recipe!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Julie! Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate it!
Cindee Derfus says
Hi Nora, Cindee says This sounded so good, i made it on purpose!! And i was right it was delicious!! A great comfort food on a cold February day. Thanks for sharing!
Margie says
Do you have nutritional info for this dish? Also, could it be made a day ahead and then baked the next day? (or even frozen and then baked?)
Nora says
Hi Margie, we’re not yet sure how we’ll handle nutritional info here on Savory Nothings. I’m not always a fan, because a lot of people assume that low calories equals healthy, while healthy food like nuts or seeds can be high in calories but still so good for us. Did you know you can just copy the ingredient list and paste it in here: https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594 set the serving size and have the calculator estimate the nutritional info for you? I’m sorry I can’t give you a better answer for now, but it’s definitely something we’re working on figuring out.
You can absolutely make the filling a day ahead. Just add the pastry topping right before baking, to prevent a soggy crust. And you can freeze it fully assembled, wrapped well. To bake, don’t defrost – again, the pastry could get soggy. Instead, preheat your oven well and bake for 50-60 minutes straight out of the freezer.
Hope that helps – let me know if you have more questions!
Arlene Blight says
Sounds Great! What type of oil do you recommend using in between the phyllo Sheets?
Nora says
Hi Arlene, I used olive oil. But if you don’t like the taste, you can also use a neutral vegetable oil!
marcie says
I love pot pies, Nora, but never make them because typically I save my pie calories for dessert! 🙂 This version is perfect with the phyllo — guilt-free pot pie! Love it.
Nora says
Haha Marcie, I love me a savory pie but dessert pie calories are pretty important, too 😀 Thanks for stopping by!
Kelly says
Pot pie is a favorite at our house! I love that you used phyllo sheets in yours, Nora! It looks so comforting and delicious!
Nora says
Thank you Kelly!
Mary @ LOVE the secret ingredient says
This looks so flaky and delicious! I agree with you, pot pies are so comforting, but a healthier version like this is a must!
Nora says
Thank you so much, Mary!
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice says
You had me at healthy and easy! This pot pie looks like the most perfect way to use up all of those turkey leftovers that I will have on Friday. And I’m loving that you used phyllo sheets on top, Nora! So creative and such a time saver!
Nora says
Thank you Gayle!