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Make the best turkey salad recipe without mayo! This turkey salad no mayo recipe uses high protein Greek yogurt in place of the mayo. Swapping your mayo for Greek yogurt makes this healthy turkey salad low fat and low calorie while remaining delicious! Serve this simple turkey salad without mayo in lettuce cups or make a turkey salad sandwich with your favorite bread.
Here’s a novel way to use up leftover turkey and get back on track after the Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday. Depending on how it’s served and sweetener used, you can make a high protein turkey sandwich that’s gluten free, low carb, or keto as well. So, let’s get to it!
🦃 Turkey Salad without Mayo Ingredients
What is turkey salad made of? Here are the ingredients you need:
- 3 cups shredded cooked turkey breast (you may substitute with leftover rotisserie chicken or dark meat turkey)
- 2/3 cup honey Greek yogurt (add honey or low carb sweetener to plain Greek yogurt to control the sweetness)
- ¼ cup chopped pecans (halved)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries (you may substitute with dried cherries or raisins for the craisins)
- 3 tablespoons chopped celery
- ¼ cup chopped onion (white, yellow, or red onion)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon each dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder
- Black pepper and salt, to taste
Get a printable recipe card at the end of the post!
In addition to the turkey salad ingredients, you should also have some sandwich wrappers and trimmings on hand. I’m using brioche buns and lettuce. You could also make sandwiches with bread or use lettuce leaves as a low carb lettuce cup.
⭐ How to Make Turkey Salad without Mayo
Here are the step-by-step directions to make turkey salad without mayonnaise:
Shred the leftover turkey with two forks. Mix the turkey, yogurt, pecans, cranberries, celery, onion, lemon juice, herbs, and spices together in a large bowl. Stir well, combining the ingredients.
Serve as no mayo turkey salad sandwiches or in lettuce cups with your favorite fixings.
If your turkey is very dry, add more yogurt (full fat) or stir in some chopped grapes for moisture. Using a mix of dark meat and light meat turkey can also help prevent turkey salad from tasting dry. Chopped apples are another way to change up the flavor and texture.
FAQs
How long does turkey salad last in the fridge?
Turkey salad should last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. If liquid begins to separate from your turkey salad, simply stir it back in before making sandwiches with it.
Can you freeze turkey salad?
Some turkey salad recipes freeze better than others. I don’t recommend freezing this turkey salad without mayo because the yogurt sauce becomes watery when it thaws. You can halve this recipe if needed so you can use it up in a few days.
How many calories are in a turkey salad sandwich?
The precise number of calories in a turkey salad sandwich will vary widely depending on the ingredients that you use. For example, sweetened Greek yogurt adds about 11 calories per tablespoon, while one tablespoon of mayo adds 100 calories to your sandwich. Some bread slices have 40 calories each while others have 150 calories each.
What can I put on a turkey sandwich instead of mayo?
I used seasoned Greek yogurt here, but there are many other ways to make a no mayo turkey salad, some dairy free. Here are a few more mayo substitute for turkey sandwich ideas:
- Make a turkey avocado salad with guacamole or mashed avocado
- Use curry sauce and make a curry turkey salad
- Hummus (thinned with a bit of water if too thick)
- Blended and seasoned silken tofu
- Herbed white bean spread (thinned with water if too thick)
- Red bell pepper spread
- Keto peanut sauce
- Vinaigrette dressing with olive oil, lime juice or lemon juice, and Dijon mustard
👩🍳 More Turkey Recipes
Looking for more healthy recipes using turkey that you can “gobble gobble”? (Ok, ok, that was really bad. Lol) Here are some other delicious turkey recipes that you can try next:
Watch How to Make It!
Turkey Salad Recipe Without Mayo (Turkey Salad No Mayo)
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked turkey breast, shredded
- ⅔ cup honey Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons celery, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Shred the leftover turkey with two forks. Mix the turkey, yogurt, pecans, cranberries, celery, onion, lemon juice, herbs, and spices together in a large bowl. Stir well, combining the ingredients.
- Serve as no mayo turkey salad sandwiches or in lettuce cups with your favorite fixings.
Equipment
Notes
💭 Expert Tips from Dietitian Summer Yule
This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). Is turkey salad good for weight loss? This low fat and high protein turkey salad is a filling low calorie choice if you want to lose weight. Make lettuce wraps instead of using bread to lighten the meal up further. Here are a few more benefits of turkey salad with Greek yogurt:- Turkey is a healthy lean protein, but leftovers can become rather monotonous. Don’t forget that you can use turkey in just about any way that you would use chicken. Soups, salads, sandwiches, and casseroles are all delicious with turkey.
- Using non-fat plain Greek yogurt instead of mayo increases protein and calcium. Mayonnaise is an added fat which has a very small serving size. When you replace mayo with high protein Greek yogurt, you are adding the dairy food group to your meal. Your sandwiches will have more of the nutrients that support healthy bones and muscles, such as calcium and protein.
- This is a low-fat turkey salad recipe. Aside from being more nutrient-dense, this turkey salad with Greek yogurt is a low fat and low-calorie alternative to mayo. Having some lighter recipes to use post-holiday can help keep you on track with weight maintenance or weight loss goals.
nutrition info disclaimer
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
“To taste” means to your preferences, which may have to be visual to follow food safety rules. Please don’t eat undercooked food x
Nutrition
➕ Other High Protein Recipes
Are you looking to eat more protein? This leftover turkey salad without mayo is a great start, but don’t miss these:
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Hello! I’m Summer, a registered dietitian and home chef who loves to cook, eat, and create recipes for you! Every recipe on this site has been tested by me to help ensure your success in the kitchen. All eaters are welcome here 🙂