Turkey pizza is the easiest way to turn leftover holiday turkey into a homemade dinner nobody complains about, and it’s ready in under 30 minutes with a premade crust. Pizza is about as far from a plate of turkey and gravy as you can get, so after Thanksgiving it feels like an actual change of pace instead of one more round of the same leftovers.
Every year, my fridge is packed with turkey and half a dozen containers of sides by the Friday after Thanksgiving, and turkey pizza is one of the first things I make to work through it. It is a great way to use up what you already have. Making your own pizza is budget-friendly too, because once you’re paying for each topping one at a time, a large pizza adds up fast.
The trick to a good turkey pizza is keeping the meat moist and the crust crisp. I’ll show you how to pre-bake the crust and drain your toppings so the bottom never goes soggy. Those two things are what go wrong with most leftover turkey pizzas, and both are easy to avoid.
This recipe is built for the days right after a big turkey dinner, but it works any week of the year. Swap in deli turkey or a rotisserie chicken and you’ve got the same dinner without waiting for a holiday. I also include four ways to change it up depending on what you’re craving, from BBQ to a full on Thanksgiving-leftovers version.
Keep reading, and I’ll walk you through the toppings and how to keep the crust from turning soft when you reheat it. It’s the kind of dinner that makes leftover turkey feel like something new instead of another round of sad and boring leftovers.
If you like turkey on pizza, you’ll probably also like my chicken bacon ranch pizza or my pulled pork pizza: same easy premade-crust method, different toppings.
Ingredient Notes
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
- Refrigerated pizza dough: Use the tube or bag of dough from the dairy case, not a store-bought baked crust. It needs the full stretch-and-pre-bake step below to hold up to the toppings.
- Spinach: Fresh spinach works better than frozen here since it releases less water.
- White sauce: A jarred Alfredo is the easiest default and what I’d reach for first.
- Cooked bacon
- Leftover turkey
- Onion
- Bell peppers
- Mixed Italian cheese: I like to use a mix of mozzarella, parmesan, and romano, but just mozzarella works too.
How to Make Turkey Pizza
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Getting it fully preheated matters here; the high heat is what gives you a crisp crust instead of a soft one.
- Stretch the dough out on a pizza pan and bake it alone for 6 minutes. This pre-bake keeps the crust from turning soggy once the wetter toppings go on.
- While the crust bakes, sauté the spinach in a skillet for 2 to 3 minutes, just until wilted. Drain off any extra liquid.
- Pull the crust out and spread the white sauce on it, going light (4 ounces is plenty to cover it, with room to spare). Layer on the turkey, bacon, peppers and onion, then finish with the cheese.
- Bake 12 minutes more, until the cheese is fully melted and starting to brown in spots.
- Let it rest 5 minutes before slicing. This gives the cheese a chance to set instead of sliding off with the first cut.
Ways to Change It Up
The base recipe already covers the classic turkey pizza toppings, bacon, spinach, peppers, and onion, but turkey takes on other sauces and toppings well too. Here are a few of my favorite variations.
BBQ Turkey Pizza
Swap the white sauce for BBQ sauce and use smoked gouda in place of some or all of the Italian cheese blend. It turns the whole thing into something closer to a barbecue chicken pizza, but with turkey.
Buffalo Turkey Pizza
Use buffalo sauce instead of the white sauce and drizzle ranch over the top once it comes out of the oven. Add a little extra turkey since buffalo sauce is thinner than the white sauce and won’t hold as much on the crust.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Pizza
Skip the white sauce and spread leftover gravy instead. Scatter a spoonful of stuffing over the turkey, then add a few dabs of cranberry sauce before it goes in the oven. This version tastes like a plate of Thanksgiving dinner rearranged onto a crust.
Mediterranean Turkey Pizza
Top with crumbled feta instead of the Italian cheese, add sliced kalamata olives, and swap in chopped tomato for the peppers. The white sauce still works here, or use a thin layer of plain pizza sauce for more tomato flavor.
Serving Ideas
My favorite way to serve this is straight out of the oven with a simple green salad on the side. It’s a full dinner in one pan, and there’s almost nothing else to make. A side of ranch or a little extra cranberry sauce for dipping is always welcome.
How to Store
Leftover turkey pizza keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in foil.
You can also freeze baked slices. Let them cool completely, then wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
How to Reheat Turkey Pizza
The oven method still works best for reheating a few slices at once. Set it to 350°F for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the toppings are hot through. For a single slice, use the air fryer at 370°F for 3 to 4 minutes.
Tips & Tricks
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- The thing that trips people up most with this pizza is a soggy crust, and it almost always comes down to too much moisture. Pre-bake the crust the full 6 minutes, drain the spinach well after cooking, and go light on the sauce.
- No leftover turkey? While this is a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers, you can make it any time of year. Diced or shredded chicken works the same way, and deli turkey sliced thin is an easy stand-in.
- Any white sauce works here. I usually reach for jarred Alfredo, but plain pizza sauce, ranch dressing, or cream of mushroom soup (thinned with a splash of milk) all work too.
- I sauté the spinach in the same skillet I’ll use for anything else that night, one less pan to wash.
- Don’t skip preheating the oven all the way to 500°F. It’s what gets you a crust that’s actually crisp instead of one that stays soft in the middle.
Reader Questions
Yes. Refrigerated pizza dough is already a shortcut, but you can stretch it onto the pan and pre-bake the crust a few hours ahead, then finish it with the toppings closer to dinner.
Yes, a sheet pan works fine if that’s what you have. You’ll end up with more of a rectangular pizza, and it may need an extra minute or two in the oven since the dough will be a little thicker in spots.
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Leftover Turkey Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 refrigerator pizza crust
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 4 ounces white sauce like Alfredo sauce
- 4 slices bacon cooked
- 1 ½ cups leftover cooked turkey
- 1 small onion sliced
- ½ cup bell peppers sliced
- 1 ½ cups mixed Italian cheese Parmesan, Romano & Mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 F.
- Stretch the pizza dough out on a 16 inch pizza pan.1 refrigerator pizza crust
- Once the oven is preheated put the untopped crust in the oven and cook for 6 minutes.
- While the pizza crust bakes heat a small skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and add the spinach. Cook, stirring for about 2-3 minutes, until the spinach wilts.2 cups fresh spinach
- After 6 minutes take the pizza crust out of the oven. Spread it with the pizza sauce.4 ounces white sauce
- Then top the sauce off with the shredded turkey, crumbled bacon, bell peppers and onion.4 slices bacon, 1 ½ cups leftover cooked turkey, 1 small onion, ½ cup bell peppers
- Sprinkle the cheese over the top.1 ½ cups mixed Italian cheese
- Return the pizza pan to the oven and bake for 12 more minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown.
- Let rest 5 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- The thing that trips people up most with this pizza is a soggy crust, and it almost always comes down to too much moisture. Pre-bake the crust the full 6 minutes, drain the spinach well after cooking, and go light on the sauce.
- No leftover turkey? While this is a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers, you can make it any time of year. Diced or shredded chicken works the same way, and deli turkey sliced thin is an easy stand-in.
- Any white sauce works here. I usually reach for jarred Alfredo, but plain pizza sauce, ranch dressing, or cream of mushroom soup (thinned with a splash of milk) all work too.
- I sauté the spinach in the same skillet I’ll use for anything else that night, one less pan to wash.
- Don’t skip preheating the oven all the way to 500°F. It’s what gets you a crust that’s actually crisp instead of one that stays soft in the middle.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
Delicious way to use up thanksgiving leftovers. Thank you.