These Leftover Turkey Meatballs are an easy and delicious way to turn leftover cooked turkey into a completely different meal. The meatballs are crispy and golden on the outside, while the inside stays soft and flavorful thanks to grated carrots and potatoes.
Instead of reheating the same turkey leftovers again, turn them into these bite-sized baked meatballs. They are easy to prepare, require simple ingredients, and are baked in the oven rather than fried.
Serve them as an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce, alongside rice, pasta, or potatoes, or tuck them into wraps and sandwiches for an easy lunch. They’re also a great way to use leftover turkey after Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Why You’ll Love These Leftover Turkey Meatballs
- A great way to use leftover turkey – turn holiday leftovers into a completely new meal.
- Crispy on the outside and soft inside – grated potatoes and carrots help keep the meatballs tender.
- Baked, not fried – they are cooked in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Easy to customize – you can change the herbs, seasonings, or even the vegetables.
- Great for any meal – serve them as an appetizer, lunch, dinner, or snack.
- Freezer-friendly – make a larger batch and save some for another meal.
- Family-friendly – small, bite-sized meatballs are easy to serve with different sauces and sides.
What Kind of Turkey Can I Use?
This recipe is designed for cooked leftover turkey, making it especially useful after Thanksgiving or Christmas.
You can use leftover roasted turkey breast or a combination of white and dark meat. Remove any bones and skin before processing the turkey.
Because the turkey is already cooked, the food processor only needs a few seconds to break it into small pieces. You don’t want to turn it into a completely smooth paste.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cooked turkey – the main ingredient and an easy way to use holiday leftovers.
- Carrots – add moisture, color, and a subtle sweetness.
- Potatoes – help keep the meatballs soft and tender while adding body to the mixture.
- Eggs – help bind all the ingredients together.
- Garlic – adds savory flavor.
- Fresh parsley – brings freshness to the mixture.
- Breadcrumbs – help absorb excess moisture and hold the meatballs together.
- Olive oil – adds flavor and helps the meatballs brown beautifully.
- Salt and black pepper – season the mixture.
How to Make Leftover Turkey Meatballs
- Prepare the turkey and vegetables. Process the cooked turkey briefly until finely chopped. Grate the carrots and potatoes and add them to a large bowl with the turkey.
- Make the mixture. Add the garlic, parsley, eggs, olive oil, and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper and mix until everything is well combined.
- Shape the meatballs. Form the mixture into small balls and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten them slightly if desired.
- Bake until golden. Drizzle the meatballs with olive oil and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15–20 minutes. Turn them over and continue baking for another 15–20 minutes, until golden and crisp.
- Serve warm. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or alongside rice, pasta, potatoes, salad, or in sandwiches and wraps.
Tips for Making the Best Leftover Turkey Meatballs
Don’t over-process the turkey
Pulse the cooked turkey just until it is finely chopped. Processing it too much can make the texture pasty.
Don’t skip the potatoes and carrots
The grated vegetables aren’t just there for flavor. They help add moisture and texture to the meatballs, making them softer inside.
Adjust the breadcrumbs if needed
The moisture in leftover turkey and vegetables can vary. If the mixture feels too wet to shape, add a little more breadcrumbs. If it feels too dry, avoid adding too many breadcrumbs at once.
Flatten the meatballs slightly
You can leave them round, but flattening them a little gives them more surface area for browning and makes them easier to cook evenly.
Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet
Leave some space between the meatballs so the hot air can circulate around them and help them brown.
Turn them halfway through baking
Turning the meatballs allows both sides to become nicely browned and crisp.
Can I Add Cheese?
Yes. A little grated Parmesan, cheddar, or another flavorful cheese can be added to the mixture.
Can I Use Other Vegetables?
Absolutely. These meatballs are quite flexible.
You can experiment with leftover vegetables such as zucchini, sweet potato, or other cooked vegetables. If the vegetables contain a lot of moisture, squeeze or drain them well before adding them.
Can I Make These Turkey Meatballs Ahead of Time?
Yes. You can prepare and shape the meatballs ahead of time and keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to bake them.
Can I Freeze Leftover Turkey Meatballs?
Yes. Allow the baked meatballs to cool completely, then freeze them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag.
For easier serving, freeze them in a single layer first and then transfer them to a container once frozen.
Thaw them in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven until hot.
What Can I Serve With Turkey Meatballs?
There are lots of options. Serve them with:
- Rice
- Mashed potatoes
- Roasted potatoes
- Pasta
- Fresh salad
- Steamed vegetables
- Your favorite dipping sauce
- Tortilla wraps
- Sandwich bread
They’re also great served as an appetizer with several dipping sauces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fry these turkey meatballs instead of baking them?
Yes, but the recipe was developed for baking. Baking keeps the preparation simple and gives the meatballs a nicely browned exterior without needing to cook them in a large amount of oil.
How do I keep turkey meatballs from being dry?
The grated potatoes and carrots help keep these meatballs soft and moist. Also, avoid adding more breadcrumbs than necessary and don’t over-process the turkey.
How do I reheat leftover turkey meatballs?
Reheat them in a moderate oven until heated through. This helps bring back some of the crispness of the outside instead of making them soft and soggy.
More Leftover Turkey or Chicken Recipes
Leftover Turkey or Chicken Cream Cheese Salad – a quick, creamy option for turning leftover turkey into sandwiches, wraps, or an easy lunch.
Chicken Stromboli – another great way to use leftover chicken or turkey, especially when you want something more substantial for lunch or dinner.
Easy Chicken Enchiladas – tender chicken, tortillas, cheese, and flavorful enchilada sauce baked until golden and bubbly.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Baked Falafel
Vegetable Balls
Baked Cheese Balls
Leftover Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (250g) cooked turkey , ground
- 2 medium carrots , peeled
- 2 potatoes , (about 300g)
- 3 eggs
- 2 or 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 or 3 tbsp fresh parsley , chopped
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- sa and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil to drizzle on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F (200C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with oil.
- Add leftover cooked turkey in the bowl of a food processor. Process for few seconds until ground.Transfer to a large bowl. Shred the carrots and potatoes on the large holes of the grater or in your food processor. Add them over the ground turkey.
- Add minced garlic, parsley, eggs, oil and breadcrumbs. Add salt and pepper and stir until well combined.
- Form balls with you hands and place on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten if desired.
- Drizzle some oil over the meatballs and bake for 15- 20 minutes on one side and 15 – 20 minutes on the other side.
- Serve warm alongside your favorite sauce and side dish, like rice, pasta, potatoes, in sandwiches and so on.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @homecookingadventure on Instagram and hashtag it #homecookingadventure.
This looks like the perfect way to use your Thanksgiving left over turkey up 🙂 Looks delicious, will have to try it for sure.
These look so great! What a delicious way to use leftover turkey.
Great idea for leftover turkey Ella! Love it!
These look yummy and I don’t even like turkey very much. Delicious!
What a terrific idea for leftover turkey! I’m always game for a new meatball recipe!
I made these for dinner tonight! They turned out alright, a little dry and maybe a tiny bit bland. Is there a specific sauce you normally serve with them? I served them alongside butternut squash ravioli, which was a good combo, but they definitely needed a sauce.
Yes.. they definitely need a sauce.. I usually use some homemade tomato sauce, like homemade tomato ketchup or chilli jam, or even tzatziki sauce, a hummus might work good as well, avocado salad and the list can go on…You can add some more garlic for extra flavor, the garlic is really important in this recipe. I used like two very large cloves.. but if they are small you can consider using 3-5 cloves. They do go very well with pasta, but I put the meatballs into the prepared pasta sauce.. I also served them alongside rice and vegetable sauce (a simple one made from onions, red peppers, tomato and carrots) or last time we served them with homemade tortillas, tomato sauce and fresh vegetables. My daughters really enjoyed them.
A wonderful idea! Those meatballs look extremely mouthwatering.
Cheers,
Rosa
Made these with leftover turkey I saved in the freezer. Amazing! I added some minced onion for added flavor and some milk as some commented on the meatballs being dry and not very flavorful. So glad I stumbled across this recipe! Serving for Super Bowl snack!!!!
I made this with sweet potato instead of regular potato. It goes perfect with the turkey flavor. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Wonderful recipe. So easy to make and the kids love it????
Thes are utterly delicious, thankyou. We’re eating them again tonight after freezing. I put them straight from the freezer into a 350F/180C oven for 20-25 minutes Andrew served them with mash and salad for the adults and a mini bread roll, cheese and lettuce for the kiddies. Yum!
drooling over these leftover turkey meatballs <3 So amazing
We’re on our second double batch today. Instead of turkey, we use rabbit. Its a great way to get the protein of a beef meatball, and the flavor and fat content of a turkey meatball. We had to sub dried parsley. We used leftover cheesy garlic mashed potatoes instead of grated and dang! It’s a good thing I doubled this because they were gone in a flash. Yum and a huge thanks for this recipe!