Make these Slow Cooker Turkey Legs for a twist on the classic Thanksgiving turkey! So easy to make, this recipe includes a homemade sauce for maximum flavor.
The slow cooker ensures the turkey legs turn out moist and tender for a comforting meal the whole family will love. Perfect for Sunday dinners or for a shortcut holiday feast!
Jump to:
- 🩵 About This Recipe
- What readers are saying...
- 🧂 Gather Your Ingredients
- 🔪 Let's Make Turkey Legs in the Crock Pot!
- 💡 Expert Tips and Tricks
- ❔ FAQs
- 📝 How to Make Thanksgiving Turkey Legs
- 🥡 Storage and Reheating
- 🍴 What To Serve With This Dish
- 😋 More Slow Cooker Recipes You'll Love
- 📋 Recipe Card
- 💬 Reviews and Comments
🩵 About This Recipe
Guys you're going to love this recipe! It is from my Gammy - not Grammy. 🙂 I am not sure why, but we called my grandmother 'Gammy.' It may have been a carryover from my older cousins, I suppose!
My mother still has some of Gammy's recipes, and it is cool when I go back to my parents' house for a visit and see the ones that she wrote out by hand.
There is something so personal about those handwritten recipes. I guess we lose some of that now in the digital age, but the trade-off is that we can exchange recipes and share ideas so much more easily with all the technology!
These juicy turkey legs are fall-off-the-bone tender. Once you've learned how to cook turkey legs in your crock pot, it will be an easy go-to main dish for a weeknight meal! It's like being able to have a mini Thanksgiving dinner anytime, lol. Especially if you are like me and really appreciate dark meat.
I've been making whole chicken in the slow cooker for years, but my mother makes turkey legs in the crock pot, and I found out recently that the sauce was a recipe from my grandmother!
What readers are saying...
I loved making these in the slow cooker. So tender and easy. I did put them under the broiler as you suggested which put them over the top, yummy.
- Eileen
🧂 Gather Your Ingredients
- turkey legs - turkey legs are made up of dark meat and result in a tender and super flavorful meal.
- seasonings - all you need is paprika, salt, and black pepper!
- sauces - a combination of ketchup and mustard gives your turkey legs a balance of tangy, sweet, and savory.
- brown sugar - helps balance out all of the savory with some complex sweetness.
🔪 Let's Make Turkey Legs in the Crock Pot!
(Or click here to jump right to the recipe card with measurements!)
Make Sauce
Combine the ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and paprika in a medium bowl and mix well.
Add Turkey
Place the turkey legs in the bottom of the slow cooker and season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Add Sauce
Pour the sauce over the turkey legs.
Slow Cooker
Cover and cook on low heat. Check the internal temperature to be sure they are cooked. Then enjoy!
💡 Expert Tips and Tricks
- This crock pot turkey recipe is very forgiving, so don't worry! The slow cooker and the barbecue sauce work together so that your turkey legs will not easily dry out.
- The turkey legs are done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the drumstick registers 165 degrees F.
- To get that delicious golden brown crispy skin, place the slow cooked turkey legs on a baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes before serving.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Make sure to include some of the juices for when you reheat!
- Reheat the leftovers in a 350 degree F oven in a covered casserole dish along with some of the juices until very warm (20-30 minutes). You can also microwave them for 1-2 minutes at a time, rotating the legs in between, but the oven method will give you the best results.
❔ FAQs
When the turkey is done, a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the slow-cooked turkey leg will register 165 degrees. If you do not have a meat thermometer, insert a knife into the thickest part of the cooked meat and juices should run clear.
Definitely not! Invest in a good quality instant read meat thermometer. They aren't that expensive and you'll know your meal is ready to serve to your family.
The USDA does not recommend rinsing poultry before cooking. It can easily spread bacteria. Just pat it dry with paper towels prior to cooking.
📝 How to Make Thanksgiving Turkey Legs
- If you are looking for a way to prepare your turkey legs that is a great alternative to cooking a whole turkey for Thanksgiving, you might want a version of this recipe that is a little less barbecue-y.
- In that case, season your turkey leg with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Then place them in the slow cooker and pour about 1 cup of chicken stock into the slow cooker. Then cook as directed in this recipe, on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- If desired, you can also chop a medium onion and put it in the bottom of the slow cooker before you place the drumsticks in, as they will provide even more flavor.
Looking to cook your turkey legs in the oven? Check out this recipe for Roasted Turkey Legs for an easy and delicious holiday dinner!
Kristin’s Kitchen Tip
Don't worry about overcooking your turkey legs - the slow cooker ensures that they're perfectly moist and tender every time!
🥡 Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container or a ziploc bag in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
You can microwave leftover turkey legs, but I'd recommend putting them in a covered casserole dish and reheating them in a preheated oven at 350 until the temp is about 155 degrees.
Of course, that is if you even have leftovers. My family loves this dinner and we rarely have any left over!
Keep It Handy
Don't have time for this slow cooker turkey legs recipe right now? Click on or tap the heart icon on the BOTTOM RIGHT of the screen to save it for later!
🍴 What To Serve With This Dish
Now that you know how to cook turkey legs in your slow cooker, what are the best side dishes to serve with them? Here are some suggestions:
Dessert? Well of course! This Lemonade Pie with a Sugar Cone Crust will have everyone smiling at the end of your meal!
Potato and Grilled Corn Salad - love the crunch that grilled corn gives this salad!
A nice baked russet or even sweet potato is always a great side for crock pot turkey legs. I like to bake them in the oven or even air fry them! You might want to try these delicious air fried baked sweet potatoes!
Boston Baked Beans - always a delicious side dish!
And bread.... you'll definitely need some bread to sop up all that good sauce, right? Check out Slow Cooker Olive and Parmesan Bread or Crock Pot Garlic Parmesan Bread. Both are super easy and SO GOOD!
😋 More Slow Cooker Recipes You'll Love
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Ribs - Another great and satisfying recipe with a blend of sweet and savory flavors.
- Slow Cooker Red Lentil Curry - Made with pantry staples for a budget friendly and flavorful curry.
- Beef Rump Roast in the Crock Pot - This dish includes hearty beef and tender veggies for an all-in-one dinner.
- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast - Can't get enough turkey? Try this super easy slow cooked turkey breast from JZ Eats!
get your copy now!
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Turkey Drumstick Recipe
⭐ Did you make this recipe? Awesome! I would love to hear from you. Please give it a star rating and review below! 👇
📋 Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Turkey Legs
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup brown sugar (loosely packed)
- 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 6 turkey legs
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Combine the ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and paprika in a medium bowl and mix well.1 cup ketchup, ⅓ cup water, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- Season the turkey legs with salt and pepper and place in the slow cooker.6 turkey legs, salt and pepper
- Pour the sauce over the turkey legs, and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Notes
- You can use regular paprika if you don't have smoked paprika handy.
- Typically there is no need to worry about drying out your turkey legs. The slow cooker and the barbecue sauce work together to keep the meat tender and moist. However, due to differences in slow cooker temperatures, the first time you make this, check your turkey legs at the 4 hour mark to make sure they are not drying out.
- Check doneness with a meat thermometer, It should read 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the drumstick.
- Before serving, you may want to place the slow cooked turkey legs on a baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes to get a nice brown color and crispy skin.
- In a hurry? Just use your own premade barbecue sauce, or even store-bought barbecue sauce!
- Store leftovers for a 3-5, along with some of the juices from the crock pot, in a covered container in the refrigerator.
- Oven reheating is best. Place the turkey legs with juices in a covered casserole dish in a 350 degree F oven until very warm (20-30 minutes).
- If you need to reheat quickly, you can use the microwave, 1-2 minutes at a time, rotating the legs in between, until warm enough
- THANKSGIVING VARIATION
- Instead of making the sauce, use 3 tablespoon poultry seasoning (see my easy recipe for homemade poultry seasoning or buy it pre-made at the store) and about 1 cup chicken broth.
- Rub the poultry seasoning all over the turkey legs. You can use more or less seasoning as desired.
- Place the turkey legs in the crock pot and add the chicken broth (the amount of chicken broth doesn't need to be exact).
- Cook on low for for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Optional but recommended: Broil for 3-5 minutes (watch carefully to prevent burning!), then serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
Update Notes: This post was originally published in October 2013, and was republished with tips, step by step photos, and a recipe change in October 2024.
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Anita says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was delicious and the barbeque sauce recipe is also delicious and better than any bottled dressing I've purchased
Kristin King says
Yay, so happy you like this recipe! I have always thought that as well - and it's so easy to make! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
Miss Molly says
Thank you for this delicious sounding recipe I'm trying it tonight for dinner
Kristin King says
I hope you love it! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Jan says
Delicious!! Will definitely make again. How would I adapt this for chicken drumsticks?
Kristin King says
So glad to hear you like this! I haven't tried this for chicken legs, but if I did, I would increase the number of legs, and also keep an eye on the cooking time to make sure they don't get overdone. Enjoy!
mike zielonka says
so good! the timing in the recipe was spot on!
Jack Epstein says
Hi Kristin...I just put this together in the crock pot...I used good maple syrup instead of vinegar...the BBQ sauce looks and tastes really good!! I had 2 small legs & 2 thighs...added a diced onion on bottom of pan and just a 1/2 cup of broth. Can't wait to dig in tonight...I may make dressing!!!! Will add to my review after dinner!! Thanks for this recipe!!
Kristin King says
Yum, that sounds fabulous! I hope it turned out great!
Eileen Ann Kelly says
My son had to miss out family Thanksgiving celebration this year. He loves turkey drumsticks and I found your recipe. I loved making these in the slow cooker. He said they were the best turkey legs he's ever had and he has tried many different recipes. So tender and easy. I did put them under the broiler as you suggested which put them over the top, yummy.
shelby says
I always love the big turkey legs at fairgrounds, but never ever thought about making them at home until I saw this recipe. The best part, the crockpot made it so easy and that sauce is incredible! This is perfect when you don't want to cook a whole turkey. It is a definite keeper!