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Turkey Cranberry Salad
Kneader’s, a cute nearby restaurant/bakery, has a great reputation for fresh bread, soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts.
While my family can’t get enough of their French toast, I’m hooked on their salads and sandwiches–especially this one I’m recreating! The combination of tender pulled turkey, salty sunflower seeds, and a sweet poppy seed dressing is *chef’s kiss*.
And, by the way, the dressing recipe we’re sharing? It might not be the most nutritious, but it’s a spot-on match for the real thing!
Quick Tip
If you happen to have leftover Thanksgiving turkey, this salad is the ideal way to put those leftovers to use! You can also use any extra leftovers to make Turkey Tetrazzini or Turkey Sliders.
Turkey Cranberry Salad Ingredients
Salad:
- Mixed greens: Use a variety for flavor and texture.
- Pulled or shredded turkey (or chicken): Great use for leftover proteins.
- Dried cranberries: Add sweetness and tang.
- Sunflower seeds: Provide a satisfying crunch.
- Thinly sliced red onion: Offers mild onion flavor and color.
- Freshly grated mozzarella cheese: Use freshly grated for best results.
Poppyseed Dressing:
- Red wine vinegar: Adds tanginess and color.
- White sugar: Adjust to taste for sweetness.
- Ground mustard: Provides depth and flavor.
- Canola oil: Use a neutral oil as the base.
- Poppy seeds: Add visual appeal and subtle crunch.
How To Make This Turkey Cranberry Salad
- Prepare the salad: Combine greens, turkey, cranberries, sunflower seeds, red onion, and mozzarella cheese in a large bowl.
- Make the Poppyseed Dressing: Blend dressing ingredients until smooth.
- Dress the salad: Drizzle the prepared dressing over the Turkey Cranberry Salad right before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Protein: If you don’t have leftover Thanksgiving turkey, you can use roasted or grilled turkey or chicken breast.
- Red onion: To remove the bite of red onion, soak it in cold water for about 10 minutes; then drain and use.
- Poppy Seed Dressing: Adjust the sweetness of the dressing by adding more or less sugar to your preference.
- Customize the toppings: Feel free to customize this Turkey Cranberry Salad by adding your favorite toppings like nuts, avocado, or different cheeses.
Storage
Toss right before serving: To keep your Turkey Cranberry Salad fresh, dress it with the Poppy Seed Dressing just before serving. If you expect leftovers, store the salad and dressing separately.
More delicious salad recipes:
- Coconut Shrimp Salad
- Blueberry Corn Salad
- Costco Kale Salad
- Applebee’s Chicken Salad
- Kale Cranberry Pecan Salad
Turkey Cranberry Salad (Kneader's Copycat)
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 1ยฝ cups pulled or shredded turkey (or chicken)
- ยฝ cup dried cranberries
- ยฝ cup sunflower kernels
- ยฝ cup thinly sliced red onion (1/4th of 1 onion) (Note 1)
- ยพ cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese (2.5 oz)
Poppyseed Dressing (Note 2)
- 2ยฝ tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ยฝ cup white sugar
- 1ยฝ teaspoons ground mustard
- ยฝ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- Fine sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- SALAD: In a large bowl, toss together the salad greens, turkey or chicken, sunflower kernels, dried cranberries, shredded mozzarella, and thinly sliced red onion.
- DRESSING: Combine all the ingredients except poppy seeds in a small blender jar. Season to taste (I add ยผ tsp salt and โ tsp pepper). Blend until smooth and fully emulsified. Stir through poppy seeds. Transfer to a covered jar and chill until ready to use. Shake before using. Best made a day in advance!
- ENJOY: Dress the salad with the Poppy Seed Dressing right before serving. If you anticipate having leftovers, store the salad and dressing separately. Add the dressing gradually to personal preference; you may not need/want to use it all at once.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks, Overall I liked the recipe, just not a big fan of canola so I went with EVOO. Next time would likely play with the seasonings just a bit and go with more of a Mediterranean flavor.
Yay! So happy you were able to make this work with your preferences! Thanks so much John! ๐
This looks so good. Definitely going to make this with my leftover turkey!!
Awe thanks Carol!! I hope you love it! <3 Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Chelsea!
Was this your first content? I just listened to your podcast with Bjork on FBP. Kudos to you. And great job on your blog. See you around online.
Jocelyn
Thanks Jocelyn! Appreciate your support! No, this wasn’t my first post published. I believe the stuffed acorn squash on the site is!
This looks divine!! I LOVE salad and this is a great way to use some of that leftover turkey!
Thanks Aubri! ๐
I am a vegetarian so I would omit the turkey but otherwise this looks like the perfect holiday detox meal!
Thanks Mallory!