Homemade turkey pot pie from scratch is one of our favorite ways to repurpose leftover turkey into a delicious recipe that everyone loves. And the best thing about this recipe is its versatility! You can completely customize it to your family’s taste preferences.

Pot pies are such a great way to use up leftovers. If you meal prep, you can have a from homemade turkey pot pie (or chicken!) in a hurry! Look at all the things you can make ahead of time:

• homemade flaky pie crusts
• homemade stock
• cooked turkey or chicken
• cooked veg

Once you have all of these ingredients, it’s super easy to put your homemade turkey pot pie in the oven for a delicious from-scratch comfort meal.

Ingredients in Our Turkey Pot Pie Recipe

Make sure you have these ingredients on hand to make your turkey pot pie.

Turkey: Cooked and diced or shredded; ideal for using leftovers.

Vegetables: Carrots, peas, and onions are classic, but we prefer carrots, potatoes, peas or green beans.

Stock or Broth: Turkey, chicken or vegetable broth all work for the liquid base.

Flour: To thicken the filling.

Butter: Adds richness to the filling and is used in the roux.

Milk or cream: Enriches the sauce.

Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and thyme are popular; sage, rosemary, or poultry seasoning also work well.

Pie crust: Homemade or store-bought, used for the top, and sometimes also for the bottom of the pie.

Delicious Variations on this Turkey Pot Pie

While we generally prefer a class take on turkey pot pie, the best part of this recipe is how versatile it is. Here are a few ways you can change up this recipe and make it more interesting!

Vegetarian Lentil Pot Pie

Substitute cooked lentils for the turkey if you’d like a delicious vegetarian option. You can also add mushrooms for a meaty texture and umami flavor.

Gluten-Free Turkey Pot Pie

If you can’t have gluten, make a crust using almond flour or a premade gluten-free pastry. Thicken the filling with cornstarch or a gluten-free flour blend instead of using flour

Switch out the Veggies for Seasonal Eating

Seasonal vegetables can transform the flavor profile to suit the time of year, from root vegetables in winter to zucchini and bell peppers in summer.

Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie

Leftover roasted vegetables are also delicious in pot pie! Any of your favorite vegetables can be used in this easy recipe.

Now that your creative juices are flowing, here are a few frequently asked questions about making this recipe.

How do I prevent the bottom crust from getting soggy?

No one likes a soggy bottom crust. If you want to avoid that problem, pre-bake (blind bake) the bottom crust for about 10 minutes before adding the filling. This helps to create a barrier that keeps the crust flaky and prevents it from becoming soggy.

How do I make the top crust golden and crispy?

It’s easy to make your top crust a beautiful golden brown. Just brush the top crust with a beaten egg or milk before baking. This will give it a beautiful golden color and help it become perfectly crispy.

Can I freeze homemade pot pie?

Yes! Pot pies freeze exceptionally well. We often double the recipe and put one in the freezer for another day. To free homemade pot pie, follow recipe instructions. Cool the pie completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze. When ready to eat, you can bake it from frozen. Just add extra time to make sure it’s heated through.

Making pot pies from scratch is not that hard, but it does take a while if you make everything, including stock and crusts. My best tip is to batch cook everything! Have premade pie crusts already in the freezer! Start cooking the stock on Thanksgiving day and freeze it in 2 cup portions. (Make sure you don’t forget that super important ingredient in your homemade stock!

My recipe is here.) Making everything as you have time will help you whip out a homemade pot pie from scratch with seemingly little effort. Best of all, if you’d prefer chicken or beef pot pies (or veggie pot pie for that matter) you can use these same directions to guide you!

How to Make Homemade Turkey Pot Pie from Scratch

First, prepare your favorite double pie crust. I recently found a new recipe which I love – it’s the perfect flaky, buttery pie crust. It’s my grandma’s secret pie recipe, but updated to use coconut oil instead of lard. You can find the recipe here. I like to batch make these and freeze pie balls.

If you click on my grandma’s pie recipe link, you’ll also see that she used pie crusts for a delicious homemade strawberry shortcake! So good!

To make a delicious and creamy filling, cook 4 cups of chopped potatoes, carrots, and green beans in 2 cups of homemade turkey stock for about 6-8 minutes. You just want to pre-cook them a bit so they bake faster in the oven. You can also use leftover or frozen vegetables if you want to make this turkey pot pie recipe even easier!

Next you’ll make quick roux by melting 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in 2 tablespoons flour, and add 1/2 cup milk. Stir until thickened, usually 4-5 minutes or so. 

Then add the bubbly mix of stock and veggies, 2 cups chopped meat (light or dark meat are both delicious in this recipe), and a cup of peas. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir until combined. Pour the pot pie filling into the pie crust and spread out nicely.

Put on the top pie crust, crimp the edges, and make slits in the pie crust. Brush the pie crust with whisked egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 5 -10 minutes, and Enjoy!

I’m going to confess now that I used to think those 45 cent individual turkey pot pies you can buy at the grocery store were the most wonderful treat ever. {that was a long time ago…} Let me tell you, they don’t even compare to this homebaked goodness!

Wondering how else to repurpose Thanksgiving Leftovers? Here you go!

Whole Wheat Potato Bread

Homemade Pierogi 

4 Uses for Leftover Ham

Don’t forget to make homemade stock

Immune Boosting Chicken Stew (works great with turkey too!)