Making homemade turkey pot pie is one of my favorite ways to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey! It’s really easy to make at home and will likely have you ditching store-bought frozen pot pies for good. After a few easy stovetop steps to make the creamy sauce, pour the mixture into a pie crust, top it, and bake!
Though I love making this recipe with homemade crust, store-bought is totally fine to use if you want to save time. I like to shred turkey left from a holiday meal and pair it with frozen vegetables to quickly make the filling. If you’re light on leftovers, you can make it with freshly roasted chicken or turkey breast, too. You really can’t go wrong with this comforting dish! For more leftover turkey recipes, check out my turkey noodle soup, turkey casserole, and turkey stock.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Leftover Turkey — the star ingredient of this leftover turkey pot pie! You will need 2½ cups of shredded or chopped turkey. Use any combination of white and dark meat.
Frozen Mixed Vegetables — the classic mix of frozen corn, carrots, and peas works great for the filling. If needed, you can also use just frozen peas and carrots or a mix with green beans. You do not need to thaw the veggies before cooking them.
Chicken Broth — this is the base of the turkey filling, adding lots of savory flavor. Use store-bought or homemade chicken broth or chicken stock. To make total use of your Thanksgiving leftovers, you can even use homemade turkey stock! Warm the broth or stock until warm to the touch before using.
Heavy Cream — a key ingredient for a filling with a rich and silky texture. Warm it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave before adding. If needed, you can substitute half-and-half or whole milk, but the filling won’t be as creamy.
All-purpose Flour — this is used as the thickening agent for the filling. Flour and butter combine to make a roux, which thickens the broth and heavy cream, creating a luscious pot pie filling.
Seasonings — poultry seasoning, salt, and freshly ground pepper season the filling simply but perfectly.
Pie Crust — if making homemade pie crust, I recommend making it at least a few hours before you want to assemble the pot pie so it has time to chill, though you can make it up to 3 days in advance. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it. Otherwise, store-bought sheets of pie dough will work for this recipe.
A Great Use for Leftover Turkey
This recipe is a fantastic way to use up leftover Thanksgiving roast turkey. If you don’t have leftovers or are making this recipe another time of year, you can also make Air Fryer Turkey Breast and chop it up for the filling.
How To Make Turkey Pot Pie
1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion and potatoes, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
3. Slowly pour in the broth and heavy cream. Add the poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low.
4. Stir in the frozen vegetables and turkey.
5. Cook the filling for 5 minutes. Pour the filling into a bowl to cool.
6. Roll one pie crust to a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a deep 9-inch pie plate. Pour in the cooled filling.
7. Roll out the remaining pie crust and place on top of the filling. Trim the excess crust within 1 inch of the edge of the pie plate. Tuck the edges under and crimp as desired.
Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl, creating an egg wash. Brush the pie crust with it.
8. Cut a few slits in the top of the crust to vent steam. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking until the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling bubbles, about 30 minutes. Let the pie cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
How to Store
Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Reheat them in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or in the microwave for 1-2 minute intervals until hot. You can also reheat individual servings in the air fryer. Place a slice in an oven-safe dish and air fry at 275°F for 10-15 minutes.
Can I Freeze Turkey Pot Pie?
Yes! To make this ahead of time, you can freeze the turkey pot pie filling in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. You can also freeze a homemade pie crust – wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it in a freezer-safe container. Defrost both overnight in the refrigerator before assembling and baking the pie.
Pot pie leftovers can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Defrost them in the refrigerator overnight before reheating them in the oven or microwave.
Can I Make Mini Pot Pies?
Yes, make individually sized pot pies by dividing the mixture among ramekins or mini pie tins. Cut the pie crust into circles large enough to cover the top of the filling and place the top crust over the filling inside the ramekin. You can also cover the filling with dough cutouts or lattice. Bake the pies at 425°F for 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 350°F, and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Cool the filling before assembling. The filling needs to be cool to prevent the fat in the pie crust from melting prematurely, resulting in a dry or tough crust. You can even make the filling the night before and chill it overnight.
- Add extra flavor. If desired, add extra flavor by swapping ½ cup of the chicken broth for dry white wine (such as chardonnay or sauvignon blanc) and add the zest of 1 lemon to the sauce with the other seasonings.
- Vegetable swaps. To use fresh veggies instead of frozen, cook ½ cup each of diced celery and carrots with the onions and potatoes in step 1. If you like green beans, swap them for frozen corn and cut them into 1-inch pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Certainly! You can use just about any chopped vegetable in the filling, such as broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, or butternut squash.
Yes! Just swap 2½ cups of leftover roasted chicken, shredded rotisserie chicken, or other chopped cooked chicken for the turkey. Or, try my delicious chicken pot pie recipe!
Nope! You can make this with just a top crust. Place the filling in a baking dish and lay the top crust over it. Don’t worry about having excess to crimp the edges—you can trim the crust to cover just the filling or to the edge of the dish. Or, skip the crust altogether and top the filling with mashed potatoes like shepherd’s pie.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Turkey Pot Pie recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Turkey Pot Pie Recipe
Equipment
- 9 inch pie dish
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (56g)
- ½ sweet onion diced
- 2 small potatoes diced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (40g)
- 1¾ cup chicken broth warm (420ml)
- ½ cup heavy cream warm (120ml)
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas) (about 130g)
- 2½ cups leftover turkey (about 340g)
- 1 large egg
- 2 pie crusts
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion and potatoes, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. While stirring, slowly pour in the broth and heavy cream. Add the poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low.
- Stir in the frozen vegetables and turkey, and cook for 5 minutes. Pour the filling into a bowl to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Beat the egg with 1 teaspoon of water.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one pie crust to a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a deep 9-inch pie plate. Pour in the cooled filling.
- Roll out the remaining pie crust and place on top of the filling. Trim the excess crust within 1 inch of the edge of the pie plate. Tuck the edges under and crimp as desired. Brush the pie crust with the beaten egg. Cut a few slits in the top of the crust to vent steam. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking until the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes.
- Let the pie cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with flaked salt and pepper.
Notes
- Cool the filling before assembling. The filling needs to be cool to prevent the fat in the pie crust from melting prematurely, resulting in a dry or tough crust. You can even make the filling the night before and chill it overnight.
- Add extra flavor. If desired, add extra flavor by swapping ½ cup of the chicken broth for dry white wine (such as chardonnay or sauvignon blanc) and add the zest of 1 lemon to the sauce with the other seasonings.
- Vegetable swaps. To use fresh veggies instead of frozen, cook ½ cup each of diced celery and carrots with the onions and potatoes in step 1. If you like green beans, swap them for frozen corn and cut them into 1-inch pieces.
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