Not sure what to do with all your leftover turkey? Baked turkey croquettes are the perfect way to use up your leftover holiday turkey!
Baked Turkey Croquettes
Thanksgiving leftovers get repurposed with these delicious baked turkey croquettes, a favorite of mine. Leftover turkey gets mixed with mashed potatoes and herbs, breaded and baked in the oven. I love them with leftover gravy and some veggies on the side. And if you still have more turkey leftover, try this Turkey and Sweet Potato Frittata or Turkey Noodle Soup!
My Mom always made turkey croquettes with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Only difference was she deep-fried hers. I was hoping to make them lighter, so I decided to try baking them in the oven instead. And and the results? Amazing. We didn’t even miss the fried ones.
The key to success is to spray them generously with oil before baking so the crumbs get golden. After I top them with some turkey gravy or chicken gravy and serve it with a vegetable on the side. Dinner is done!
These also make great appetizers. You could substitute chicken breast for turkey if you wish to make them anytime of the year. Enjoy!
What is a croquette?
Potato croquetttes are small finger foods, usually fried and rolled in breadcrumbs. They’re made of mashed potatoes, veggies and eggs mixed with any meat like ham, chicken, veal, turkey, beef, shellfish, fish, etc. Often times perfect for any leftover meat and served at holiday parties.
Try These Leftover Thanksgiving Recipes:
- Turkey and Sweet Potato Frittata
- Leftover Turkey Tacos with Brussels Sprout Slaw
- Leftover Turkey Harvest Cobb Salad
- Turkey Noodle Soup
- Leftover Turkey Cuban Sandwiches
Baked Turkey Croquettes
Ingredients
- 12 oz cooked turkey breast, chopped fine (a food processor or chopper is great for this)
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- salt and fresh pepper
- 1/2 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
- 1 egg, whisked
- olive oil spray
- leftover turkey gravy for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mash potatoes with 1/4 cup broth, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Saute garlic, and onions in oil over low heat. Add parsley, salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add turkey, and remaining broth, mix well and shut heat off.
- Add turkey to mashed potatoes and using your clean hands mix well. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Measure 1/4 cup of mixture then form into croquettes. Place on waxed paper. Repeat with remaining mixture.
- Dip each croquette in egg mixture, then breadcrumbs and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet for easy cleanup. Spray generously with olive oil (about 1 tbsp worth). Bake in the oven about 15 minutes, or until golden.
- Optional, serve with leftover turkey gravy.
Very tasty, and reasonably easy to make
Mom used to make these each year! Out of 11 family members, I was the only one who loved mashed turnips (actually, rutabagas!), There was always a bowl of them, just for me, Yum!
Just made these! I will definitely make them again. I did have to tweak a bit. They only thing I had on hand was Plain Panko so I used that and added some italian seasoning to the crumbs. I also added some cheese as others had mentioned. Excellent!!
Made these with left over turkey from Thanksgiving and we liked them better then the original turkey. We love these. I want to try to freeze half of them and hope they are just as good heated up in the oven later on. A favorite.
These are really good. My mother used to make them with leftover dressing instead of potatoes. They were always baked. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
this is a very good recipe. i added a cup of shredded cheese, coriander and thyme. baked for 20 minutes. i got 10 nice sized patties using a 1/3 c measuring cup
Can these be done in airfryer? if so what temp and time? tjamls/
Hi, This recipe sounds exactly what I have been looking for. I like the idea that they are not deep fried. My question is can I freeze these and if so should they be frozen before or after baking.
Thank you,
Did you try to make ahead? I’m wondering the same thing about baking before or after. Would love to hear what you ended up doing. Thanks!
Did this actually come out as 18 for anyone (6 servings of 3 croquettes)? I got 13 using a 1/4c as a measure…
i got ten using a 1/3 c measure. i did add a cup of shredded cheese to the mixture.
I was so excited to make these, unfortunately, they were horribly bland. 4 of us ate them and no one was happy with the outcome.
i added coriander and thyme to the mixture. made sure the potatoes were well seasoned. added montreal steak seasoning to the bread crumbs. added a cup of shredded cheese.
Gina! You have come through, again! Your’s is my go-to collection of recipes and most often referenced site! Looking for a way to use up the Easter turkey breast and this is a definite keeper! I decided to use the suggested baked potato on another review; this worked great as it was not as moist as traditional mashed potatoes. And added a pinch of sage and used dried parsley. These were easy to form, and so easy to bake to a perfect turn in the air fryer! Served with turkey gravy and steamed broccoli. Hubs was impressed as croquettes are not a favorite of his! I halved the recipe and still got 12 out of it; just guessed at the amount of potatoes and cut an extra 2 oz of turkey. Yeah! Second supper this week! I’m not big on leftovers more than once. So this is just perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
If you freeze them, what do you think the best way to reheat them would be?
I’d reheat in the oven or air fryer.
The top of this recipe states 1 WW point under the purple plan, however it states 5 points for three at the bottom of the recipe.
Can you please clarify.
Hi Martha, I just double checked and it is showing 1 for purple at the top and bottom of the recipe.
I’ve been making chicken or turkey croquettes for years. Our favorite is with added curry powder. Curried croquettes-yummy! I’ve always fried them, so I’m happy to have this oven-baked alternative.
This is a delicious way to have a turkey dinner! When I visited Spain, tapas were a staple food. At the first tapas bar that I went to, the croquette was my first experience. Even though I did not like it at first, they began to grow on me. One thing that I might add to this recipe is to make sure to keep the gravy on the side as when it is left on for too long, the croquettes get soggy, losing their delicious crunch.
Has anyone added any veggies? I’m thinking about putting some peas or broccoli in.
this recipe was good. I will say that the first night I made this it was a pile of mashed potatoes that I couldn’t form into balls at all. I put in fridge and the next night i was able to form into balls and cook. I used Premade mash potatoes and heated them up ahead of time. I think that might have been the problem? I would def recommend letting cool before cooking and to made homemade as In recipe. Served with the stuffing muffins which were yummy!
About how much mashed potatoes should you have to make this? Or what potato weight should I do? Thank you
about 8 ounces each
Thank you!
Frances
For breadcrumbs like Panko that don’t brown well in the oven, I “toast” them dry in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds or so until light golden brown. They finish brightening in the oven with little to no additional oil. Same for the air fryer.
Do you think these would freeze well?
Sure
I’m wondering if the potatoes can be changed with sweet potatoes
Sure
Made these last night for dinner – used chicken instead of turkey. Added approx 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese to add a bit more flavour. A great way to use up leftovers. Will make again.
Awesome
Yummy! I think I will try it with half potatoes and half riced cauliflower. I put it into the recipe builder and it comes out to only 1 point on the Purple Plan! 💜
These sound great! If i have left over mashed potatoes to use, how much would I need?
How about directions for using the air fryer for these croquetts
350 about 10 min
I would like to try the Croquettes with sweet potato.
Love your reciped!!
I am sure they would be sweet but tasty
Hi – will you be gearing your points calculations for WW for all three plans? Currently I am going with the green plan but your points don’t correspond with that plan and I love your recipes. Please let me know!
I haven’t decided yet. I am away so when I return I will look into it.
If you just plug the ingredients into your recipe builder, it will adjust the recipe for the plan you chose. It would be a lot of work for her to have to convert all of her recipes for the various plans offered and I wouldn’t expect her to. I’d rather her spend time coming up with more delish recipes! ❤️
Can you use riced cauliflower instead of potatoes?
Would these also work with ground turkey? 🙂
Sure but better with shredded.
Trying for the first time, me and my five sisters had them when we were kids. I’ll let you know.
Do you think these would work in the air fryer?
yes!
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What a delightful recipe. Filling, tasty and low in points. Can’t ask for more. Mine looked just like yours:)
Wondering if you could use ground turkey for these
Not sure?
Have been wanting to make these for awhile, and wanting to take some things to my 96 year old parents thought this would be good. Used left over frozen turkey mostly dark meat however, so I figured would have to add some calories to the dish, but tried to make up for it a bit with egg white and didn’t use oil to saute, just some of the broth. Added a bit of poultry seasoning and thyme, too. Loved these. Great use of leftovers that makes turkey shine again. Thank you.
can you use ground turkey?
It should be fine but it will change your cooking time as you will have to brown the turkey as opposed to using leftovers.
Can I use sweet potatoes
I used your recipe as a guideline – I used leftover mashed potatoes (3 cups) and a little more chopped turkey (probably 14 oz instead of 12) I used a food scale to measure that. Also used dried parsley as I had no fresh. Formed them into patties and I did fry them (sorry) in olive oil. They were pretty good. My husband really liked them. I'll make these again when I have leftover turkey or chicken.
Would it work ok with cooked low fat turkey mince?
SO this may be a dumb question but I want to make this for dinner tonight and bought all the ingredients but realized I don't know how to make the "12 oz cooked turkey breast, chopped fine". I am not using any leftover turkey so I bought fresh, raw, turkey breast at my meat counter but how do I cook it for this recipe? Do I bake? Boil it? Do I season it? Please help if you have made this before and have tips! Thanks!
Roast it in the oven.
I wanted to make a dipping sauce for this dish. What would you recommend?
It would be great with turkey gravy.
I made these last night for our Halloween party at work. Everyone seemed to enjoy them. I did make a few adjustments though. I used chicken instead of turkey because that is what I had roasted the day before but instead of using potatoes I used roasted cauliflower. Which turned out well. I added too much chicken and it over powered the cauliflower but everyone still ate them up. Since this was my first attempt I now know how to adjust this to continuie to make it w/the cauliflower. and because I the mixture was pretty moist i did not have to dip them in egg before the bread crumbs they stuck and cooked perfectly. Thank you for the site. It has been new discover for me and I have been sharing it w/everyone!
Thank you I was wondering if you could replace the potatoes (since I'm allergic) with something … cauliflower! Fantastic!
I made these with salmon recently and they were a big hit! I heard a tip on a PBS cooking show this weekend that I think I will incorporate next time. The chef suggested using a baked potato instead of boiled which made sense to me as it would be more dry. (He was making crab cakes.) Anyway, I served these with a little mayonnaise and dill. Thanks for posting it.
I just made this recipe. I used chicken because I don't have any left over turkey and it is fantastic. I added celery too because wanted to use some up and I was happy with the outcome. I love your site. I have tried so many recipes on here and am impressed with every one. You make me motivated to stay on Weight Watchers by giving me all these great idea that my whole family loves and that keep me on track. Down 42 pounds so far and I credit your recipes for helping me get there.
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes Gina! I had so much leftover turkey from Christmas and was very excited to try this recipe. I only had 3 smallish/med potatoes so I added in 1/3 head of a big cauliflower and they came out SO good! They were a bit mushy to work with but no one noticed any mistakes after they were baked ~.~ I LOVE your blog!
I made these last night with the last of the Thanksgiving turkey. Very flavorful- we liked it a lot! I've never made croquettes before so this was something new for me. Very impressed and will make again! Thank you!
~Amy 🙂
This recipe will be good with left over salmon or steelhead trout as well. Maybe add some dill and a touch of dijon mustard to the mix. I will be making them as written for supper tonight, with left over Sweet Potato Brulee, cranberry sauce (thinned a bit for dipping) and broccoli.
Thank you for your recipes. Being a long time Weight Watcher, I am always on the look out for recipes easily modified (if at all necessary) for Simply Filling/Core.
Yes this would freeze good, before or after you bake it. I make this with Leftover chicken, beef, turkey, even with cod fish!
Hi Gina; I have leftover turkey and would love to try these. Do you think they would freeze well? Would you freeze them before cooking or after?
Thanks, I have enjoyed every recipe I have tried!
Made this for dinner tonight! I used 99% lean ground turkey and dried parsley (as I didn't have any fresh) and panko crumbs. I whipped up some gravy using whole wheat flour, butter and chicken broth, served with a side of veggies and a dollop of mashed potato. So good! Even my husband liked it, and he's a pretty picky eater! My recipe made only 12, so about 100 calories each. Leftovers will be good tomorrow for lunch!
Tried with with 93% lean ground turkey, and they were wonderful. Just might need to cook it a little longer. Also for dipping sauce, I made a mix of coke zero bbq sauce with some hot sauce. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe Gina!
I made these last night with ground turkey and boxed mashed potatoes (I know, I know) but they were a little mushy and hard to form into a ball. I don't think it was the ground turkey that made it like that, must have been the potatoes. Still very good, if a little messy to prepare.
I suppose they would work, but I've never actually tried it that way.
Gina,
Do you think these would work with ground turkey? I didn't have leftover turkey and thought since you put it in the food processor it would work the same. I was planning on trying it tonight, but a bit wary about the ground turkey.
Thanks!
You could use Yukon gold, russet, Idaho, not sure how they would taste with sweet potato though.
These look great- would it be possible to make with sweet potato as well?
Hi Gina!! What kind of potatoes are you using? (Do you have the weight?) I normally use small red potatoes…I am assuming you mean regular Idaho? Thank you!!! Shaunna
Just made these. I cut the recipe in half, because I was just cooking for myself. They are quite tasty! For dipping sauce, I used some low fat ranch dressing and added some chipotle Tabasco sauce for a little kick (I'm in Texas, Tabasco is a must). It was delicious! Thanks!
That's great to know, thanks!!
Ann, good question, let me think about that one!
I made these last night and they were a hit! Three cups of leftover mashed potatoes works out perfectly. I did find that I didn't need the egg wash to get the breadcrumbs to stick (and we couldn't taste a difference between the two). 🙂 Thank you for another winner, Gina!
Yum! Sounds like a great hearty appetizer. Any ideas for a dipping sauce?
Glad you all enjoyed them!
I made this last night for dinner, used up some of the dark meat since nobody was eating it so it added a bit of fat, but everyone enjoyed them – and I was serving some picky eaters! 😉 Thanks for the recipe!
Great recipe! Thanks!
Oooops…should I have used 3 smaller potatoes? I ended up with way more than 12 1/4 cup croquettes. They smell wonderful and I can't wait for them to be done. I'm sure they will be delicious anyway. Sue
5 pts per serving on the new PointsPlus system! 🙂
Sarah, as long as they taste good, that's all that matters!!
I tried them yesterday and they definitely tasted great! 😀 Thanks for writing the recipe!
Yours are definitely a lot prettier than mine turned out. They are super yummy though! Great way to use up the leftovers!
Bet this would be great with sweet potato too!
So excited to try these!! My mother in law used to make my husband "chicken balls" on special occassions and he loves and misses them. Now I get to make my own "turkey balls" for him without all the heavy cream and frying, and without having to compete with her recipe!! YAY!
That's great Tanya!
Mom mom used to make them with cod fish, never had them with tuna. I love them with fish!
Gina,
I absolutely LOVE your recipes. Thank you SOOO much. My daughter is 9 months old and thanks to Weight Watchers I've lost all my pregnancy weight (and then some!). This recipe looks awesome. My Mom used to make these with tuna growing up. I will try both the tuna and turkey using your recipe! Thank you SOO much for your blog!
Mother Rimmy, No I haven't tried it with panko. Great idea!
Melissa- good question! Maybe 3 cups. I'm sure that would work.
Jasmin- it's great with chicken too!
That's a great idea. Thanks Giving or not. I'll have to try that with chicken also.
If you are using leftover mashed potatoes, about how much do you think = 3 potatoes?
Maybe 1 1/2 cups
I've never seen this use for leftover turkey. Great idea. Have you tried panko bread crumbs? I love them for baking. They give food that crunchy "fried" texture, without frying. Happy Thanksgiving!