This cozy Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuits is an easy twist on a classic recipe. In just 35 minutes, assemble this creamy one-pan meal in advance, and bake just before serving for a comforting weeknight dinner. It's the perfect way to use leftover turkey!
We often think of turkey as a holiday-only protein option, but truth be told, it's a favorite for me all year long. Turkey is flavorful and low-in-fat, making it an ideal addition to some of my favorite easy dinners.
In fact, I love to meal prep by making this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast Recipe. It turns out so moist and juicy! I can enjoy it as a main course and then chop or shred leftovers to use in Turkey Tetrazzini or Turkey Pot Pie with Homemade Gravy and Crust.
Why you'll love this turkey pie with biscuits
Leftover turkey is also a key ingredient in this favorite Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuits Recipe. There's so much to love about this easy, home cooked dish:
- Flavorful: This pot pie is filled with creamy gravy that's packed with leftover turkey and garden veggies. Plus, it's seasoned with Worcestershire sauce and bouillon for extra umami flavor.
- Biscuit topping: Soft homemade biscuits line the top of this pie. They're easy to make, lightly seasoned, and turn a lovely golden brown as they bake.
- Easy, anytime meal: With very easy prep, you'll have a filling weeknight meal that can be made in advance and enjoyed anytime of the year.
Jump to:
Ingredients
The ingredients for turkey pot pie with biscuits are pantry staples. All you need to add is cooked turkey. Check out these ingredient tips as you gather everything you'll need.
For the filling
- Diced veggies: I added diced potatoes, onion, and carrot to the gravy. For even cooking and easy eating, I like to chop the veggies into ¼ to ½ inch chunks.
- Salt: I prefer to use kosher salt.
- Unsalted butter: It's best to use unsalted butter or the gravy might become too salty. If you only have salted butter, leave out the ½ teaspoon of salt listed for the filling.
- All-purpose flour: To thicken the gravy and make it creamy. Use can also use your favorite gluten-free flour, if desired.
- Cornstarch: Helps to thicken and smooth the gravy.
- Broth: I tend to use chicken broth because turkey broth is harder to find. If you want to boost the turkey flavor, try making Homemade Turkey Stock. You can also swap in vegetable broth to make the pot pie vegetarian.
- Worcestershire sauce: Gives the gravy more umami flavor.
- Better than Bouillon: Use chicken or turkey flavored Better than Bouillon for extra flavor! You can also substitute it with their vegetable base.
- Herbs: The filling can be seasoned with dried thyme or dried sage, as well as, dried parsley.
- Ground black pepper
- Cooked turkey: Use diced or shredded cooked turkey. Looking for a vegetarian option? Replace the turkey with cooked mushrooms, beans, or a meat substitute.
- Frozen peas
For the biscuit topping
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder: Helps the biscuits rise and gives them a soft texture.
- Seasonings: I added salt, onion powder, and dried thyme to the biscuits to give them depth of flavor.
- Unsalted butter: To make the best biscuits, the butter should cold and cubed.
- Whole milk: I highly recommend using whole milk for the topping. The extra fat in the milk adds rich flavor to the biscuits. To make the topping dairy-free, use an unsweetened plant-based milk.
See recipe card for quantities.
Prep and freeze leftover turkey
- Hint: If you end up with leftover turkey after a holiday meal, and know you won't use it all immediately, dice or shred it so that it can be frozen for later use. First, divide the meat into 1¾ cups portions and freeze them in freezer-safe containers or bags. Just thaw in the refrigerator before use.
How to make biscuit turkey pot pie
Let's make this together! Use this helpful step-by-step photo tutorial to make the best pot pie ever.
Make the turkey filling
- Mix vegetables, salt, and water: Pour 1½ cups diced potatoes, 1¼ cups onion, 1 cup carrot, and ½ teaspoon salt into an Instant Pot or pressure cooker with 3 tablespoons water.
- Tenderize vegetables: Pressure cook the vegetables until tender, 2 minutes. Then manually release the pressure when the time is up. Alternately, steam or microwave the vegetables until just tender if you don't have a pressure cooker.
- Mix butter, flour, and cornstarch: Before beginning the filling, heat oven to 400ºF. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Whisk 2½ tablespoons flour and 2½ tablespoons cornstarch into the butter and continue whisking until combined and smooth.
- Add broth: Pour 2¼ cups chicken or turkey broth into the butter mixture.
- Keep whisking: Whisk vigorously until the broth is fully incorporated into the butter mixture and there are no lumps.
- Add flavoring: Incorporate 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and ½ teaspoon Better Than Bouillon into the mixture, whisking until combined.
- Add seasonings: Whisk ¼ teaspoon dried thyme (or sage), ½ teaspoon parsley, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt into the gravy.
- Bring to boil: Cook, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Continue stirring and boiling for 1 additional minute, then remove from heat.
- Finish the filling: In a large mixing bowl, stir together the softened vegetables, gravy, 1¾ cups diced turkey, and ¾ cup peas. Taste and season with additional salt if needed.
- Fill skillet: Pour the filling into a 2½-to-3-quart capacity cast iron skillet and smooth into an even layer.
- Step: Add the diced potatoes, onion, carrot, salt, and water to a pressure cooker.
- Step: Cook for 2 minutes until tender but not mushy.
- Step: After melting the butter over medium heat, add the flour and cornstarch.
- Step: Whisk the butter, flour, and cornstarch into a smooth paste.
- Step: Pour in the chicken broth and whisk to combine.
- Step: Continue whisking vigorously until the broth is fully incorporated (no lumps).
- Step: Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce and Better than Bouillon.
- Step: Mix in the dried thyme (or sage), dried parsley, ground pepper, and salt.
- Step: Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring constantly. Let boil for one minute and remove from heat.
- Step: Pour the gravy over the chopped turkey, peas, and softened vegetables.
- Step: Gently stir the filling until evenly combined.
- Step: Pour the filling into a cast iron skillet and smooth into an even layer. Set aside.
Make the biscuit topping and bake
- Combine dry ingredients and butter: In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and ⅛ teaspoon ground thyme. Then add 6 tablespoons cold, cubed butter. (Alternately, combine the dry ingredients in a food processor and then add the butter.)
- Form coarse crumbs: Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until coarse crumbs form. (Or, pulse several times in the processor to make coarse crumbs.)
- Pour in milk: Add 1 cup milk, reserving the rest for brushing on the dough.
- Make shaggy dough: Stir or pulse until the mixture comes together as a shaggy and slightly wet dough.
- Shape the dough: With generously floured hands, shape biscuit dough into a rectangular disc.
- Shape the biscuits: Use a knife or pastry cutter to score the rectangle into 8 or 9 sections. Break off a section and shape it into a 1-inch-thick disc. Place the shaped biscuit on a lined plate or baking pan, and repeat until all the sections have been shaped.
- Top the pie: Arrange all the shaped biscuits on top of the filling. Then brush the tops of the biscuits with the remaining 2 tablespoons milk.
- Bake and cool: Bake the pie for 25 minutes at 400°F. Keep the pot pie in the oven and turn the heat up to 425°F. Continue baking until biscuits are golden brown, about 5 to 6 more minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Step: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, onion powder, and ground thyme. Add 6 tablespoons cold, cubed butter.
- Step: Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until coarse crumbs form.
- Step: Pour in the milk.
- Step: Stir to make a shaggy, slightly wet dough.
- Step: Gather the dough together.
- Step: Score into 8 or 9 sections and shape each section into a 1-inch thick round biscuit.
- Step: Top the pot pie with the shaped biscuits and brush the tops with the remaining milk. Sprinkle with extra herbs.
- Step: Bake 25 minutes at 400°F. Then turn up the heat to 425°F and bake 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Tara's top tips
- Make the pie with leftovers: This recipe is very easy to adapt, and perfect for using up leftovers. Swap the turkey with cooked chicken or browned ground turkey/chicken. You can also swap the veggies with leftover cooked vegetables you already have on hand.
- Use different vegetables: This recipe is so versatile you can leave out the veggies you don't love and add the ones you do. For variety try adding celery, green beans, mushrooms, corn, pearl onions, different varieties of potatoes, and bell peppers.
- Replace the biscuits: If you don't have time to make homemade biscuits, you can use store-bought biscuit dough instead. You can also top the pot pie with pie crust if desired.
Biscuit Pot Pie Substitutions
This biscuit-topped turkey pot pie can be adjusted to fit special diets. Check out these simple substitutions.
- Dairy-free: Use a plant-based butter in place of the unsalted butter and an unsweetened plant-based milk in place of the whole milk.
- Gluten-free: The pie can be made gluten-free by substituting gluten-free all-purpose flour in the gravy and biscuit dough.
- Vegetarian option: In place of the turkey, use cooked mushrooms, beans, or a meat substitute. You'll also want to use vegetable broth and the Better than Bouillon vegetable base.
Equipment
Using the right tools can make all the difference in how well your pot pie with biscuits turns out. Here are my equipment recommendations:
Instant pot If you don’t have a pressure cooker, steaming or microwaving the vegetables in a covered bowl with 2 tablespoons of water until tender, works just as well.
Cast iron skillet with a 2½-to-3-quart capacity, (9-or-10-inches). You can also make this in a deep dish pie plate, or a 9-by-9-inch baking pan.
Pastry brush use a natural bristle or a silicone style brush.
Better Than Bouillon a favorite broth concentrate that adds a rich umami flavor.
How to store turkey pot pie with biscuits
Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Reheating: Cover the skillet with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes until warmed through. Individual portions can also be microwaved for 1 to 2 minutes or warmed in an air fryer on the reheat setting.
Make-ahead option: Make the filling up to 2 days in advance. Store it in the refrigerator and simply reheat it slightly just before you're ready to bake the pie. Then fill your skillet, and proceed with the biscuit topping and baking instructions.
FAQ
Leave a little space between the biscuits so air can circulate around the edges and crisp them up. The bottom of the biscuits will be soft and soaked with gravy, but should be cooked through. If they aren't cooked, rather doughy, the pot pie should be cooked longer.
The filling for this recipe includes flour and cornstarch; both ingredients help with thickening. If your gravy seems too thin, try mixing a teaspoon or two of cornstarch in a little chicken broth. With the gravy in a saucepan over medium heat, whisk the slurry (cornstarch mixture) into the gravy and keep whisking as the gravy simmers. You should notice the gravy thickening.
Also, keep in mind that the gravy will thicken more as it cooks in the oven and the gravy is absorbed by the veggies and biscuits.
Yes! Just make sure to tenderize the veggies before getting started and drain off any excess liquid so that the gravy doesn't get watered down.
Begin with the end in mind! It's important to follow the directions for making the biscuits as written in the recipe card. It may be tempting to make the biscuits thicker than instructed but thicker biscuits might not bake evenly.
As the biscuits bake, it's important to watch for signs of browning at the end. This is a good indicator that the biscuits have baked all the way through. If you are worried, you can also test the biscuits by inserting a fork or butter knife. When removed, there should only be a few moist crumbs remaining on the utensil.
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📖 Recipe
Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuits
Ingredients
Turkey filling:
- 1½ cups peeled, diced potatoes (diced ¼ to ½ inch)
- 1¼ cups diced onion (from 1 medium onion)
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (DIVIDED)
- 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter
- 2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2¼ cups chicken broth (or turkey broth or vegetable broth)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon Better than Bouillon (chicken, turkey or vegetable flavor)
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme (or dried sage)
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1¾ cups diced or shredded cooked turkey (or cooked chicken)
- ¾ cup frozen peas
Biscuits:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for hands)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (270ml) whole milk (DIVIDED)
Instructions
Make the filling:
- Combine the potatoes, onion, carrot, and ½ teaspoon salt in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Add 3 tablespoons water. Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes and manually release the pressure when time is up. Alternatively steam or microwave covered vegetables, with 2 tablespoons of water, until just tender but not overly soft. They will continue to cook in the pie.
- Heat oven to 400ºF. In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the flour and cornstarch and whisk until combined and smooth.
- Whisk in the chicken broth, whisking vigorously until smooth and incorporated. Add the Worcestershire, Better Than Bouillon, thyme (or sage), parsley, black pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is boiling. Boil for 1 more minute while stirring continuously. Remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl (or Instant Pot insert) combine the cooked vegetables, gravy, turkey, and peas. Taste mixture and season with salt to taste.
- Transfer filling to a 9-or-10-inch cast iron skillet or deep dish pie plate. You can also use a 9-by-9-inch baking dish or pan (it should be a 2½-to-3-quart capacity).
Make the biscuit topping and bake:
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, onion powder and thyme together in a large bowl or use a food processor. Add the cold butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or pulse several times in the processor. Cut/pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add 1 cup milk (reserve the rest for brushing on dough), and then stir/pulse until the dough comes together. Dough will be shaggy and a little wet.
- With generously floured hands, shape biscuit dough into 8 or 9 1-inch-thick discs. Place shaped biscuits on a lined plate or baking pan.
- Arrange biscuits on top of the filling. Brush the tops of the biscuits with remaining 2 tablespoons milk.
- Bake for 25 minutes, and then, keeping the pot pie in the oven, turn oven up to 425°F and bake until biscuits are just golden brown on top, another 5 to 6 more minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
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