Leftover Turkey Instant Pot Pozole Verde Recipe

This leftover Thanksgiving turkey Instant Pot Pozole  is comforting, homey, flavor-packed and delightfully easy. A total departure from Thanksgiving dinner and absolutely the best thing you could to with the leftovers.

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It’s November! And all we really want to talk about is Thanksgiving, of course. We’re talking turkey, sides, tablescapes, and pies galore. What happens after the feast is over however, is just as important because if you do it right, there’s always leftovers. We’ve done turkey tinga sopes and chipotle turkey tortas, but let’s get real, what we really want is pozole.

Pozole is such an integral part of Mexican cuisine and is especially crave-worthy when the weather starts turning chilly.

If you’re looking for red pozole, check out my tender pork pozole recipe. This is leftover turkey pozole in all its salsa verde, charred green chiles, and chewy hominy glory and if you’ve made a smoked turkey this year, even better! And let’s talk about that hominy for a moment—it’s this month’s Challenge Ingredient!

So if you make the pozole, be sure to make it using dried corn, then snap a picture and leave a comment and enter to win a $150 Amazon gift card! Read all entry requirements here.

This Instant Pot Pozole Is:

• An easy way to channel Mexico this holiday season
• A great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey
• Quick & easy, like crazy easy
• The spice level is mild to medium, but could be made spicy if you’d like
• A from-scratch pozole recipe that is ready in under an hour

Tricks To Making The Best Instant Pot Pozole

This isn’t your average pozole. My Instant pot pozole is not only a comforting soup but easy and fast. After lots of recipe testing, here are 3 tricks to guarantee the most flavorful and delicious green pozole you’ll ever make in an Instant Pot.

1. Add Pepitas

Pepitas aren’t a typical ingredient in this traditional Mexican soup, but they add a thickness and richness to the broth that makes for a rich and complex stew.

2. Cook Your Own Dried Corn

Clearly this doesn’t make things “easier” but you can cook the dried corn kernels up to a week in advance and just add it to your soup whenever you get around to making it. Dried corn is this month’s Challenge Ingredient and cooking it from scratch makes for a truly transcendent bowl of pozole.

Read my full tutorial on three ways to cook dried corn at home instead of using canned hominy. It takes some time but most of it is hands-off and is really very simple.

3. Natural Pressure Release

You can do a quick release here but for the most tender and flavorful pozole, allow for a natural pressure release (NPR) after the cooking time is complete. This means letting the pressure release naturally for about 30 minutes before manually releasing any remaining pressure. This allows the flavors to meld.

How To Make This Classic Mexican Soup

See the recipe card for exact ingredients and instructions on how to make this hearty Mexican soup.

1. Char the poblano peppers, jalapeño chile peppers, onions, tomatillos, and garlic cloves under the broiler.
2. Puree the charred vegetables with the kosher salt in the blender or food processor until smooth.
3. Stir together the chile sauce with the cooked hominy and the chicken broth in an 8-quart Instant Pot.
4. Seal the lid and set the pressure cooker on high pressure for 15 minutes.
5. Taste and add more salt if needed. Ladle into bowls, squeeze a little lime juice over your bowl and any other garnishes and enjoy!

Any leftovers keep in the fridge for up to a week.

A little something extra: Pozole is all about the garnishes! Set out a variety of your favorite toppings like shredded cabbage or lettuce, diced onions, radishes, avocado, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, Mexican oregano, and tostadas or tortilla chips. This allows everyone to customize their bowls to their liking. A bowl of pozole is not complete until the garnishes have been added.

Chef’s tip: I suggest charring all the veggies under the broiler on a foil-lined baking sheet instead of doing them on the stovetop. It is much faster and they char all at once like this:

No Leftover Turkey? No Problem

Don’t have any leftover Thanksgiving turkey? Instead of turkey, you can use shredded cooked chicken thighs, roasted pork shoulder, cooked pinto beans, beef, or be a total rebel and leave the meat out. There’s enough flavor in the delicious broth that you don’t even need the meat, especially if you are using from scratch dried corn.

Finally, don’t have an Instant Pot. No problem, see the recipe post notes for how to make it on the stovetop in a Dutch oven or large pot.

More Pozole Recipes You’ll Love

We absolutely love this traditional Mexican stew and there are so many different varieties, here are a few of our favorite recipes:

• White Pozole with Mushrooms
• Beef Pozole Rojo Recipe
• Red Chicken Pozole