Can You Freeze Leftover Turkey? (Here’s How to)

Can you freeze leftover turkey? Yes! You can freeze your leftover turkey; this will help preserve it to be used for other recipes for a long time.

Having leftover food in your house, especially after a huge ceremony like thanksgiving, can pose a big problem for some people, and this is because many have no idea of preserving them. While tossing all away may be the first option on your mind, we will like you to stop and think of using the refrigerator.

Speaking of refrigerators, there is some food that we didn’t know can last longer and be better preserved by freezing. One of such is turkey. Let’s face it, it is almost certain now that every celebration we have, it is unlikely that you will finish the whole turkey there, instead of tossing it away, you might want to explore the option of freezing it.

Are we saying you can freeze your leftover turkey? Absolutely! Freezing your leftover turkey allows you to preserve and keep for as long as 4 months. It also allows you the option of saving your money whenever you need a turkey for a recipe.

How To Safely Freeze Leftover Turkey

1. Separate The Turkey From The Bones: You should toss your turkey into the refrigerator as soon as possible, this will determine how long it will last in the freezer. Separating the flesh from the bones also helps preserve it longer. You can shred it further into smaller pieces and then spread it into a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

2. Freeze The Cuts For An Hour: While still in the baking sheet, you should place it in the refrigerator for about an hour, you can call this flash freezing, this will prevent the turkey from joining together when you finally place them in the freezer. 

3. Move To A Plastic Bag: Since each shred of turkey can stand on its open, you should move them into a plastic bag and place them finally into the freezer. 

And you’re done! It doesn’t take so much time to get your turkey into the freezer for preservation.

If what you are worried about is what to cook with the leftover turkey. Will they still be useful? Of course, they will be useful to you; there are loads of recipes to try out with turkey. This will give you the avenue to try them out. Here are some of them;

1. Bacon turkey ranch sliders 
2. Turkey noodle soup 
3. Turkey noodle casserole
4. Bacon brie turkey grilled cheese.
5. Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels
6. Turkey soup
7. Grilled turkey sandwich 

Freezing Leftover Turkey FAQ

Leftover Turkey Recipes To Freeze

While there are so many recipes to make from your leftover turkey, it’s such a delight to know that you can also freeze them when there are leftovers of them too. The following are some leftover turkey recipes;

1. Turkey pot pie
2. Turkey casserole
3. Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels
4. Turkey soup
5. Turkey noodle soup
6. Grilled turkey sandwich
7. Turkey and rivel soup.

These and many more are leftover turkey recipes that you can freeze

Can I Freeze Cooked Turkey That Was Previously Frozen? 

Yes, you can do this. You should only note to return it to the freezer once it cools down. If your previously frozen cooked turkey is left outside the freezer for too long I.e. Days, then it cannot back into the freezer.

How Long Can You Freeze Cooked Turkey Breast? 

It can last 3 to 4 days If it is simply placed inside the refrigerator without a bag. However, once it is in a plastic bag, it can be frozen for 3 to 4 months.

Final Thought 

Freezing your turkey is an amazing way to preserve it. We are aware that there is a saying that cooked meat shouldn’t be frozen, we are glad to tell you that it is untrue. You can get keep your turkey for a long while after the first time it was made. This also applies to chicken.