Turkey curry is what happens in my kitchen on Boxing Day or the day after — the moment I look at the leftover turkey sitting in the fridge and decide that a warm, gently spiced curry is exactly what is needed.

It takes thirty minutes, uses ingredients I almost always have in the cupboard, and gives a meal that is frankly better than the original turkey dinner in some ways.

The spices transform the mild turkey into something warming and deeply flavoured, and the coconut milk gives a creamy, slightly sweet sauce that works beautifully with leftover roast meat.

I keep this curry mild enough for everyone — warming rather than fiery — but I add a little chilli and a good teaspoon of garam masala at the end to give it some character. If you like more heat, simply add another chilli or a pinch of cayenne.

Ingredients for Mary Berry Turkey Curry

For the Turkey Curry

600g cooked turkey, roughly torn into generous pieces — leftover roast turkey or cooked turkey breast
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3cm fresh ginger, finely grated
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped — or ½ tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 x 400ml tin full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp garam masala — added at the very end
Juice of ½ lime — added at the very end
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Large handful fresh coriander, roughly torn — for serving

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To Serve

Basmati rice, cooked fluffy and hot
Warm naan bread or chapattis
Natural yoghurt alongside
Mango chutney

How to Make Mary Berry Turkey Curry

Step 1 — Cook the Aromatics

Heat the oil in a large, wide saucepan or deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions. Cook for ten to twelve minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden — properly golden, not just translucent. Golden onions give a richer, deeper curry base.

Add the garlic, grated ginger, and chilli. Cook for two more minutes until fragrant.

Step 2 — Add the Spices

Add the ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, and smoked paprika. Stir for one to two minutes until the spices are coating the onions and smell vivid and fragrant. This blooming of the spices in the oil is what gives the curry its depth — do not skip it.

Add the tomato purée. Stir for one minute.

Step 3 — Build the Sauce

Add the tinned chopped tomatoes. Stir well. Cook for five minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced and the tomato smell has mellowed.

Pour in the coconut milk. Stir to combine. Season generously. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for ten minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened and deeply fragrant.

Step 4 — Add the Turkey

Add the torn turkey pieces to the sauce. Stir gently to coat every piece in the sauce. Cook gently for five to eight minutes until the turkey is heated through completely. Do not boil hard — the turkey is already cooked and vigorous boiling makes it tough and slightly stringy.

Step 5 — Finish and Serve

Add the garam masala and lime juice. Stir through. Taste and season assertively. Scatter fresh coriander generously over the top. Serve with rice, naan, yoghurt, and mango chutney alongside.

My Top Tips For Perfect Mary Berry Turkey Curry

Bloom the spices in the oil before adding liquid. One to two minutes of the ground spices cooking in the oil with the onions — before the tomatoes or coconut milk go in — gives a curry with vivid, rounded spice flavour throughout. Spices added directly to liquid give a flatter, slightly less developed result.

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Cook the onions until genuinely golden. Ten to twelve minutes sounds like a lot but it is the difference between a curry with a slightly harsh, slightly raw base and one with a sweet, rounded, deeply flavoured base. Give the onions the full time.

Do not boil the turkey hard once it goes in. The turkey is already cooked. Gentle heat for five to eight minutes warms it through without making it tough. Hard boiling makes leftover turkey chewy and dry.

Garam masala goes in at the very end — always. Garam masala is a finishing spice — its aromatics are volatile and disappear quickly under heat. Added at the very end, just before serving, it gives a vivid, fresh spice note on top of the deeper base spices. Added early, it loses most of its character.

Lime juice at the end brightens everything. The coconut milk and tomatoes give a rich, slightly sweet sauce. The lime juice added at the end gives a brightness and a sharpness that lifts the whole dish and makes every flavour more vivid. Do not leave it out.

Serving Suggestions

With fluffy basmati rice — the most natural and most satisfying pairing. With warm naan bread for scooping. With a spoonful of natural yoghurt to cool and a spoonful of mango chutney alongside.

How to Store Mary Berry Turkey Curry

In the fridge: Store covered for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a covered saucepan over a low heat — add a splash of water or coconut milk if the sauce has thickened too much.

In the freezer: Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight and reheat gently.

Mary Berry Turkey Curry Recipe

Mary Berry’s turkey curry is a gently spiced, creamy curry made with leftover Christmas turkey — quick, warming, and completely delicious.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings: 4 Portions

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Calories: 420

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Turkey Curry:
600 g cooked turkey roughly torn
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 large onions finely chopped
4 garlic cloves crushed
3 cm fresh ginger finely grated
1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
2 tsp each ground cumin and coriander
1 tsp each ground turmeric and sweet smoked paprika
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 x 400ml tin full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp garam masala — at the end
Juice of ½ lime — at the end
Salt and pepper
Large handful fresh coriander
To Serve:
Basmati rice naan bread, natural yoghurt, mango chutney

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Method

Cook onions in hot oil over medium heat 10–12 minutes until golden. Add garlic, ginger, and chilli — 2 minutes.
Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, and paprika — stir 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add tomato purée — 1 minute.
Add tinned tomatoes — cook 5 minutes until slightly reduced. Add coconut milk — season. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened and fragrant.
Add turkey pieces — stir gently to coat. Cook gently 5–8 minutes until heated through. Do not boil hard.
Add garam masala and lime juice. Stir through. Taste — season assertively. Scatter fresh coriander. Serve with rice, naan, yoghurt, and mango chutney.

Notes

Bloom spices in oil before adding liquid — gives vivid, rounded spice flavour throughout.

Cook onions until genuinely golden — the sweet, rounded base makes the whole curry better.

Do not boil the turkey hard — gentle heat keeps it tender and juicy.

Garam masala at the very end — it is a finishing spice and loses its character under heat.

Lime juice at the end brightens everything — do not leave it out.

Freeze for up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use chicken instead of turkey?

Yes — leftover roast chicken or poached chicken breast gives an equally good result. The method is identical.

Can I make this from scratch with raw turkey?

Yes — cut 600g of raw turkey breast into 3cm chunks. Brown in a little oil before adding to the onions at step 2, then simmer in the sauce for 18 to 22 minutes until cooked through.

Can I make this dairy free?

Yes — the curry is already dairy free as written. Serve with coconut yoghurt instead of natural yoghurt alongside.

Can I add vegetables?

Yes — diced sweet potato or butternut squash added with the tinned tomatoes and cooked for fifteen minutes in the sauce before the turkey goes in gives additional substance and sweetness.