How to Reheat Turkey While Keeping It Juicy

Updated: Dec. 02, 2023

Pottery Platter with Sliced Turkey White Meat

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Don't ruin your leftovers by making them dry! Our methods for reheating turkey will keep the bird as juicy and moist as it was for Thanksgiving dinner.

It’s so hard to estimate the right amount when you’re cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving. With all the filling side dishes and desserts looming in the background, sometimes the main dish earns a smaller-than-expected portion on the plate.

The good news is that turkey leftovers taste great—we can think of all kinds of clever ways to enjoy them. Unfortunately, it’s easy to overcook leftover turkey, resulting in a dry and unappetizing bite. You don’t have to suffer from this sad fate, though, if you know the best ways to reheat turkey.

Here’s how to reheat other Thanksgiving leftovers.

How to Reheat Turkey Without Drying It Out

To not dry out a turkey, you need to add moisture when you reheat the meat. You’ll see in our reheating methods that we add homemade gravy, chicken stock or butter to the turkey before heating it up low and slow. This ensures that juices in the turkey won’t escape as steam when they’re exposed to heat. Cutting the meat into smaller pieces also helps.

We also recommend covering turkey as it reheats. Use an aluminum foil pouch in the oven or a microwave-safe dish in the microwave. If the juices stay in the turkey instead of evaporating off into your kitchen, the leftovers will taste so much better!

How to Reheat Turkey in the Oven

This is our preferred reheating method because leftovers almost always taste best when they’re reheated using the original cooking method. That said, you won’t want to turn the oven up as high as you did for the original roasting. When reheating large pieces of turkey, it’s a good idea to use an instant-read thermometer to make sure each piece reaches 165°F.

Step 1: Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 300°—low enough to prevent the heat from drawing moisture away from the meat, but high enough that it won’t take hours to reheat.

Step 2: Add moisture

Place your leftover portions in aluminum foil and add a few spoonfuls of gravy or chicken stock over the meat. Add a pat of butter and close the foil tightly. Alternatively, you can use a casserole dish, but make sure to cover it tightly with aluminum foil to prevent the steam from escaping.

Step 3: Reheat the turkey

Cook the turkey for 30 to 45 minutes, until it’s warmed all the way through.

How to Reheat Turkey in the Microwave

This method is great if you’re reheating one or two servings of turkey. It’s really best to cut the turkey into bite-size pieces first, which decreases the chances of the outside drying out before the inside heats all the way through.

Step 1: Put turkey in container

Place the turkey pieces in a microwave-safe container.

Step 2: Add chicken stock

Add a few spoonfuls of chicken stock and a pat of butter. Cover the container with a lid.

Step 3: Reheat the turkey

Cook the turkey on 70% power for one minute for each reheated pound.

Turkey Reheating FAQs

How do you store turkey properly?

Don’t just toss it on a plate and stash it in the refrigerator; exposing the meat to air overnight is the quickest way to create a dry crust on the surface. Once cooled, keep leftover turkey tightly covered or—better yet—in a sealed container. If you’re looking to keep it in the fridge longer, turkey is also luckily one of those Thanksgiving leftovers you can freeze.

How many times can you reheat turkey?

It’s not a good idea to reheat turkey more than once. Technically, as long as it reaches 165° each time, it’s safe to eat. That said, it’s a food safety hazard to some degree, since every time you heat and cool food, it passes through the danger zone (between 40° and 140°). Bacteria thrive in this range, and giving them multiple opportunities to grow just isn’t a good idea. It’s best to err on the side of caution and reheat leftover turkey only once.

Can you cook a turkey the day before and reheat it?

Absolutely! If you’re looking for a stress-free Thanksgiving, go ahead and roast the turkey and let it rest like normal, or use our flavorful method for grilling turkey. Then, carve it and cover it tightly with a lid or plastic wrap before placing it in the refrigerator. Reheat it using one of the methods above, and dinner is served.

The oven method works best here, mostly because it fills your kitchen with the irresistible aroma of cooked turkey. Your dinner guests will think you spent all morning cooking!

Our Best Ideas for Leftover Turkey

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Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini I make this recipe with leftover turkey, and it's a whole new meal! We look forward to having it after Christmas and Thanksgiving and other times when I roast a turkey for a family gathering. —Susan Payne, Corner Brook, Newfoundland Go to Recipe

Turkey Sandwich With Raspberry Mustard Spread Exps Sddj19 214388 E07 17 7b 14

Turkey Sandwich with Raspberry-Mustard SpreadMy hearty sandwich has different yet complementary flavors and textures. It is filled with flavor and nutrients, without all the unhealthy fats, sodium and added sugar many other sandwiches have. And it’s absolutely delicious! —Sarah Savage, Buena Vista, Virginia