This is the best turkey gumbo ever made with a rich, dark roux and lots of turkey and andouille sausage, perfect for leftover turkey, a comforting favorite. Also try my Chicken and Sausage Gumbo!
My Favorite Turkey Gumbo
We're cooking up a big pot of Turkey Gumbo in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen tonight, my friends. Pull up a chair and join us!
Whenever I have leftover turkey, usually from a roasted turkey or smoked turkey from the holidays or some special occasion, I think of gumbo.
Leftover turkey is great for making soups and stews, for making sandwiches, but my favorite way to use it is absolutely for making gumbo.
Leftover turkey gumbo is everything you need.
Let's talk about how to make turkey gumbo, shall we?
Turkey Gumbo Ingredients
- Turkey Breast. You can use raw or leftover cooked turkey.
- Andouille Sausage. Smoked andouille is tremendously delicious. You can use up to a pound of smoked sausage. Try it with Conecuh Sausage.
- Peanut Oil. You can use a neutral vegetable oil.
- All Purpose Flour. To make your roux, 1/2 cup.
- Cajun Holy Trinity. Bell pepper, onion, and celery, plus garlic. You can use jalapeno peppers for a spicier version.
- Okra. If desired. Okra helps to thicken the gumbo, but if you're not a fan of okra, skip it.
- Cajun Seasonings. Use my homemade Cajun seasoning recipe, or this homemade Creole seasoning recipe.
- Chicken Stock. Or use homemade turkey stock (see notes), or vegetable stock.
- Bay Leaves. Plus salt and black pepper.
- Chopped Parsley.
- For Serving. Cooked white rice and filé powder for thickening, if desired
How to Make Turkey Gumbo - the Recipe Method
Season and brown the turkey and andouille first, then set it aside.
If using leftover turkey breast, add it later when you add the stock.
Make a nice dark roux with peanut oil and flour.
For more detailed information, see my post on How to Make a Roux (includes a video).
Next, cook down the peppers, onion, celery and garlic, then add the reserved meats back to the pot.
Add okra, Cajun seasoning and chicken stock, and simmer the gumbo at least 1 hour.
Stir in fresh parsley for the last 5 minutes for a nice pop of fresh flavor.
Remove from heat and stir in filé powder for thickening, or serve it on the side.
Boom! Done! Your turkey gumbo is ready to serve. It's great with rice. I usually make this with leftover holiday turkey, which is easy to pull from the freezer to make it any time we want it.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Leftover turkey is perfect for making turkey gumbo, and there is always so much turkey leftover from the holidays. To use leftover turkey, simply add it when you add the stock and simmer until done. Perfection!
- Smoked Turkey Gumbo. For huge flavor, smoke a turkey and use the smoked turkey meat for this recipe. It's so good!
- If you'd like to go the extra mile for delicious flavor, make a homemade turkey stock for this recipe. Take any leftover turkey carcass from your roasted turkey, cover it with water in a large pot. Simmer on low for several hours until you achieve a nice rich stock. Strain and you're good to go.
Storage & Leftovers
Leftover turkey gumbo will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. To enjoy it again, simply warm it in a pot on the stovetop.
You can also freeze it for 3 months or longer in vacuum sealed containers.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my leftover turkey gumbo recipe. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy Cajun cuisine, I recommend the following cookbook. It has a lot of great recipes.
- Louisiana Real and Rustic, by Emeril Lagasse (affiliate link, my friends!)
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
If you love gumbo, check out some of my other gumbo recipes.
- Seafood Gumbo
- Creole Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Gumbo Z'Herbes - "Green Gumbo"
- Okra Gumbo
- Shrimp Gumbo
- Learn More with How to Make Gumbo - a Guide
- Turkey Stew
Check out my Shrimp Creole Recipe, too. Very delicious!
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Turkey Gumbo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound turkey breast chopped (if using cooked turkey, see recipe notes)
- Salt and pepper to taste I use 1 teaspoon each
- 12 ounces andouille sliced into ¼ inch slices
- ½ cup peanut oil or vegetable oil
- ½ cup flour
- 1 medium bell pepper chopped (use jalapeno peppers for a spicier version)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium celery stalk chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 cup okra chopped
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning or more to taste
- 6 cups chicken stock or use homemade turkey stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 tablespoons chopped parsley + more for serving
- 1 tablespoon filé powder or to taste if desired
- For Serving: Cooked white rice if desired
Instructions
- Heat a pan to medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and heat.
- Season turkey breast with salt and pepper and add to the pan along with the sliced andouille. Cook a couple minutes per side until browned. Set aside until ready to use.
- Add ½ cup peanut oil to a large pot and heat to medium heat. Add flour and stir. Cook for 20-30 minutes, constantly stirring, until the roux browns to the color of chocolate. You can darker if you’d like for more developed flavor.
- Add peppers, onion, celery and garlic. Stir and cook about 5 minutes.
- Add cooked turkey and andouille. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add okra, Cajun seasoning and chicken stock. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom.
- Add bay leaves and cook at medium-low heat for 1 hour to thicken. You can simmer longer if you’d like. Taste and adjust for salt.
- Stir in parsley and cook 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in filé powder, if using.
- Serve into a bowl, over white rice if desired, and garnish with extra parsley.
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 12/18/23 to include new information. It was originally published on 2/4/23.
Tim Czencz says
First time making Gumbo. Used leftover Smoked Turkey. OMG was it Good. Only Gumbo Recipe I’ll ever need. Love your Website and Recipes. Keep them coming
Mike H. says
I will, Tim. Thanks a lot for the inspirational review!
Paul Sussman says
YUM! I cannot get decent andouille sausage. Do you have a favorite source you can share?
Thank you!
Mike H. says
Hi, Paul! If your local shops don't sell it, Amazon could be an option.
baltisraul says
To insure the flavor of turkey (chicken) cook it separate from the rest of the gumbo and add back in the last 5-7 minutes. This way it will retain most of the great taste and be juicy.
Mike Hultquist says
Go for it. Though I've never had an issue with turkey or chicken drying out in gumbo. Enjoy!!
baltisraul says
Maybe drying out was not a good description. Just losing some of it's flavor if sitting too long in the cooking process.
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy.
Heather Soper says
Like the recipe but for the Okra, I don't like Okra!!
Mike Hultquist says
You can skip the okra, Heather, though you'd be missing out. =) I love it. Cheers.
Pat says
It's not Gumbo if there is no okra.
Ramya says
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu / tempeh and vegetable stock i never had turkey gumbo before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Ramya. I hope you like it.
Miroslav Klouda says
I love your spicy meals, Mike. And your lovely videos (if this modifier is OK). Please what can I use instead of okra? Or can I completely omit it? It is not available here (in Czechia).
Mike Hultquist says
Thank you, Miroslav. You can skip the okra if you'd like, or use other vegetables available to you, like squash, eggplant, or zucchini. I hope you enjoy it, and I'm happy you're enjoying the recipes. =)