Curried Turkey Salad with Yogurt
intro
Creamy, warmly spiced curried turkey salad swaps heavy mayo for tangy Greek yogurt, packed with crisp veggies and sweet raisins for a light, protein-packed bite perfect for leftover holiday turkey.
Ingredients
Steps
Toast Curry Powder
Place the small stainless steel skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of mild curry powder to the dry pan, stirring constantly with the sage green silicone spatula for 60-90 seconds until the spice is fragrant, slightly darker in color, and releases warm, earthy aromas. Do not walk away—spices burn in seconds, and burnt curry will make the salad bitter. Immediately remove the pan from heat and transfer the toasted curry to a small white pinch bowl to cool for 2 minutes to avoid curdling the yogurt later.
Chop Crisp Vegetables
Place the celery stalks and quarter red onion on the honey maple cutting board. Using the 8-inch chef knife, dice celery into uniform 0.5cm pieces, and sliver the red onion into thin, 2mm wide strips. Transfer chopped vegetables to a small white pinch bowl and set aside. Pull cilantro leaves from stems, chop roughly, and set aside in a separate pinch bowl.
Mix Creamy Dressing
Add the 180g of whole-milk Greek yogurt, cooled toasted curry powder, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to the large stainless steel mixing bowl. Using the stainless steel whisk, stir the ingredients together for 30 seconds until completely smooth, with no lumps of curry powder remaining. The dressing should be a uniform pale golden color, with a thick, creamy consistency that drips slowly from the whisk when lifted.
Fold in Shredded Turkey
Add the 450g of shredded cooked turkey to the mixing bowl with the curry yogurt dressing. Using the sage green silicone spatula, fold the turkey gently to coat every piece evenly in dressing, taking care not to mash the turkey into tiny shreds—you want distinct, bite-sized 2cm chunks remaining. Stop folding once no dry white turkey pieces are visible.
Stir in Mix-Ins
Add the diced celery, slivered red onion, 50g golden raisins, and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro to the bowl with the dressed turkey. Fold gently with the silicone spatula for 20 seconds to distribute the ingredients evenly throughout the salad, so every bite has a mix of creamy turkey, crisp vegetable, and sweet raisin. Do not overmix, as this will make the celery lose its crunch.
Chill Salad Briefly
Cover the mixing bowl loosely with unbleached beeswax wrap (or plastic wrap) and place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. This short rest lets the curry spice mellow, the raisins plump slightly, and the dressing absorb into the turkey a little. Do not chill for longer than 2 hours before serving, as the celery will become limp.
Fold in Almonds
Remove the salad from the refrigerator after 10 minutes. Uncover the bowl, add 25g of the toasted sliced almonds, and fold very gently once or twice to distribute. Reserve the remaining 5g of almonds for garnish—adding most of the almonds right before serving keeps them crisp, rather than letting them get soggy in the dressing.
Plate and Garnish
Scoop the finished curried turkey salad into a gentle mound centered on the matte cream ceramic dinner plate. Sprinkle the reserved 5g of sliced almonds over the top, add a small sprig of fresh cilantro at the edge of the mound, and add a light crack of black pepper for finish. Serve immediately, or keep chilled for up to 24 hours in an airtight container.
Tips
2.Always toast curry powder for 60-90 seconds over medium-low heat before mixing it into dressing: dry heat unlocks the spice blend’s warm, earthy essential oils, eliminating the flat, dusty raw spice flavor that makes quick curried salads taste bland. Transfer the toasted spice to a bowl immediately to stop cooking and prevent burning.
3.Fold most of the sliced almonds into the salad right before serving, reserving a small handful for garnish: almonds absorb moisture quickly from the creamy yogurt dressing, and adding them at the last minute preserves their crisp, toasty texture instead of letting them turn soft and soggy during chilling.
OMG this curried turkey salad is an absolute game changer for my weekly meal prep! I had leftover roasted turkey from Sunday dinner and threw this together in literally 2 minutes, just like the recipe says. The yogurt makes it so much lighter than the mayo-heavy versions I’ve made before. 10/10 will be making this every other week!
Made this for our neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were begging for the recipe! I added a handful of golden raisins and some chopped toasted almonds for extra crunch, and it was such a hit. Even my super picky 7 year old asked for seconds on his sandwich.
Super easy, quick lunch option for when I’m packing for day hikes. I skipped the added salt since my turkey was already seasoned, and it still had tons of flavor from the curry powder. Tastes great stuffed in a whole wheat pita!
Wait, cook time is 2 minutes? I thought that had to be clickbait but NO – I diced up some leftover deli turkey I had, mixed in the yogurt and spices, and bam, done. Game changer for busy work from home days when I don’t want to spend time cooking at lunch.
I made this for my book club meeting yesterday and it was SO good. Served it on little crostini as an appetizer and every last bite was gone. The curry flavor is warm but not overpowering, and the yogurt keeps it from feeling heavy. Will absolutely make again!
Dorm-friendly recipe alert! No cooking required, just mix stuff in a bowl. Used leftover turkey from the dining hall Thanksgiving pop-up, cheap plain yogurt from the campus market, and curry powder I stole from my roommate’s spice rack. Tastes way fancier than it has any right to.
So happy to find a curried turkey salad that doesn’t use gross mayo! I’m gluten and dairy free so I swapped the regular yogurt for coconut yogurt, and it worked perfectly. Served it over a bed of greens for a light dinner after my spin class.
Used this recipe to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey and my whole family raved about it. My wife said it’s way better than the curried chicken salad we usually get from the deli down the street. Only change I made was adding a pinch of cayenne for a little heat.
This is my new go-to for summer potlucks! It doesn’t get all soggy and gross like potato salad does when it sits out for a couple hours, and it’s light enough that people don’t feel stuffed after eating a scoop. Win win.
High protein, low effort, actually tastes good? Sign me up. I eat this after every leg day now, it’s got enough protein to keep me full for hours and doesn’t leave me feeling bloated like the old mayo-based salad I used to make. Solid recipe.
Made this for my kids’ school lunches this week and they both came home asking for more! I put it on mini croissants with a little lettuce, and they said it was better than the school’s chicken salad. Win for this tired mom!
Was a little skeptical that a 2 minute recipe could actually taste good, but wow – this is fantastic. I used leftover smoked turkey from a weekend BBQ and the smoky flavor paired so well with the curry and cool yogurt. Absolute home run.
This is so easy even I can’t mess it up, and I burn toast 90% of the time. The spice measurements are perfect, no guesswork needed. Tastes great on crackers, in wraps, over lettuce, basically whatever you have lying around. Great basic recipe.
Took this to a picnic in Central Park yesterday and three separate people came up to ask me what I was eating it was that good! I added some diced red onion and a squeeze of lime to brighten it up, and it was chef’s kiss. Perfect light park food.
I make a big batch of this every Sunday and it lasts me the whole work week for lunches. I add diced celery, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds for extra texture, and it never gets boring. Way cheaper than buying lunch out every day!
I’m a total baby when it comes to spicy food so I used mild curry powder, and it was perfect! No heat at all, just warm, cozy flavor. I was worried curry would be too spicy for me but this was totally approachable. Will make again.