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Who doesn’t love a goodroast turkey? Afterwards, there’s the leftover turkey sandwichesandcasseroles. Before you know it, you’ve sliced, picked and nibbled your way right down to the carcass. But wait, you’re not done yet — it’s time for homemade turkey stock and it’s easier than you think! This simple turkey broth recipe uses the bones, skin and carcass for a silky, rich turkey bone broth you can use in soups and stews. Get out your stock pot, Instant Pot or slow cooker and let’s get started.
Here’s a familiar “before” and “after”. This was our Thanksgiving turkey, a beautiful, proud looking bird that fed the entire family for that meal and several subsequent lunches and dinners. A few days later, it was nothing but scraps. If this resembles the current situation of your refrigerator, you’re not alone and this easy turkey broth recipe will make good use of what’s left.
Table of Contents
- 1 Basic turkey bone broth ingredients:
- 2 Prepping for the broth recipe
- 3 How to make homemade turkey broth from a leftover turkey carcass
- 4 What about salt?
- 5 How do I know when the turkey broth is done simmering?
- 6 Strain the bones and solids from the turkey stock
- 7 FAQ’s
- 8 Homemade Turkey Stock
Basic turkey bone broth ingredients:
- Turkey Carcass
- Celery
- Onions
- Carrots
- Bay Leaves
- Salt
- Peppercorns
- Allspice Berries
- Fresh Parsley
- Fresh Thyme Sprigs
- Water
Prepping for the broth recipe
- Before you start assembling the turkey broth recipe, be sure to pick off any bigger pieces of meat from the bones and set aside to use in a soup, stew or pot pie.
- You’ll want to use the bones, any skin and fat along with any drippings or jelled turkey concentrates collected in your storage container for the turkey bone broth.
- Aromatics, herbs and whole spiceswill add flavor and depth to the turkey broth. If you just used the carcass and water, the broth would be pretty one note.
How to make homemade turkey broth from a leftover turkey carcass
This versatile recipe is easy to make on the stovetop, with a pressure cooker or
How to make turkey broth on the stovetop in a stock pot or dutch oven
- Add the chopped vegetables (onions, carrots and celery) to the stock pot.
- If the turkey is too big for your pot, break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Use a sharp chef’s knife to break down the breast into 2-4 pieces, if necessary. Add the turkey to the pot with the vegetables.
- Add the peppercorns, allspice berries, thyme, bay leaves and parsley to the pot.
- Add enough water to cover most of the turkey pieces (about 8-10 cups or more, depending on how large the carcass is).
- Place the lid slightly askew on the pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a rapid simmer and let cook for about 2 hours to concentrate the flavors and draw out the natural fat and collagens from the turkey bones, skin and carcass.
How to make turkey bone broth in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker
- “Max Fill” line.
- Seal the pressure cooker and bring to high pressure.
- Cook for 25 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally and proceed to the straining step.
How to make turkey broth recipe in a Crock Pot or slow cooker
- Assemble all the ingredients in the pressure cooker and fill the water just to nearly cover the turkey carcass.
- Cover and set the slow cooker to “Low” and cook for 6-8 hours or “High” and cook for 4 hours.
- Strain the bones and solids from the turkey broth as discussed below.
What about salt?
Salt is an important ingredient for a flavorful homemade broth or stock, however, it’s important to be mindful of how much salt to add. One of the determining factors for me, is what I plan to do with the turkey bone broth.
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If it’s going in a soup that only needs a quick 45 minute simmer, more salt isn’t a bad thing. If you’re planning on using it for an all day crock pot stew or braise, you may want to go a little lighter.
Why? During long simmers the liquids evaporate, concentrating the salt flavor in the remaining broth. If you’ve salted the broth and then simmer for a few hours, it may lean toward too salty.
How do I know when the turkey broth is done simmering?
So, are there any tell-tale signs that the homemade turkey stock is ready?
- After a few hours of simmering, you’ll see that the color of the turkey bone broth has turned a golden hue and the aromas will be prominent.
- The bones will either be completely clean of any meats or any remnants of meat will easily fall off the bones.
- Cartilage and connective tissue will have melted into the turkey broth and the ends of the leg bones will be clean, or pretty close to clean.
Strain the bones and solids from the turkey stock
- Use a pair of tongs to remove the large pieces of the carcass from the pot of turkey stock and discard.
- Set a large mesh strainer over a large bowl (look for one that holds at least 8-10 cups).
- Ladle the turkey broth and any veggies, herbs and detritus into the strainer. When it’s about half full, use the back of a wooden spoon to press on the solids and remove as much liquid stock as possible. Discard the solids.
- Continue to ladle and press until you’ve strained all of the turkey broth.
- Transfer the bone broth to a storage container. Let the stock cool before sealing and refrigerating.
FAQ’s
How long will turkey broth last?
It’s good for a week to ten days stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Can I can homemade turkey stock?
Yes, so long as you follow good canning practices.
Can I freeze the broth?
Yes. You can freeze broth for up to two months. I recommend freezing in 2-4 cup plastic containers or zip top freezer bags. Do not freeze in glass because liquids expand when you freeze them and if the jar is too full, it can break.
What’s the best way to freeze turkey broth in a freezer bag?
Fill the bag about halfway full, press out most of the air and lay it flat on a sheet pan. Freeze the bag on the sheet pan and when it’s totally set, you’ll have a flat package that will be easier to stack in your freezer.
Recipes using chicken or turkey bone broth:
- Creamy Turkey Vegetable Soup
- Leftover Turkey Alphabet Soup
- Southwestern Style Turkey Casserole
- Leftover Turkey Bean Soup with Kale
- Turkey and Pepper Biscuit Pot Pie
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4.25 from 12 votes
Homemade Turkey Stock
Don't throw away that carcass - Homemade Turkey Stock is just a few vegetables and water away! Rich and delicious, it's SO worth it!
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword stock, turkey
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 2 hours hours
Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Servings 6
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 turkey bones I used a whole carcass, split into large pieces
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 2 carrots roughly chopped
- 2 stalks celery roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 10 whole peppercorns
- 4 whole allspice berries
- water
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4-5 sprigs fresh parsley
DIRECTIONS:
FOR STOVETOP METHOD:
In a large, heavy stock pot or dutch oven, add the carrots, celery and onion. Add the turkey carcass, bones, skin and any reserved gelatin or drippings. Add enough water to cover most of the turkey parts - 8-10 cups. Add the kosher salt , peppercorns, allspice, thyme, parsley and bay leaves.
Bring the pot to a boil, turn down the heat to a simmer and cover with the lid so that it's slightly askew and steam can escape. Cook at a rapid simmer for 2 hours.
Place a large strainer over a large bowl. Remove the big pieces of turkey carcass and discard.Pour the stock through the strainer and into the bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon to press on the solids in the strainer to press out as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
FOR INSTANT POT OR PRESSURE COOKER:
In your Instant Pot or standard pressure cooker, add the carrots, celery and onion. Add the turkey carcass, bones, skin and any reserved gelatin or drippings. Add enough water to reach the Max fill line in the pressure cooker.
Note: depending on the size of your pressure cooker, you may have to split the recipe into two batches as the entire carcass may not fit with the other ingredients.
Add the kosher salt , peppercorns, allspice, thyme, parsley and bay leaves. Seal the pressure cooker and bring to high pressure. Cook for 25 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
FOR CROCK POT OR SLOW COOKER:
Add the carrots, celery and onion to the slow cooker. Add the turkey carcass, bones, skin and any reserved gelatin or drippings. Fill the cooker with enough water to cover most of the turkey parts - 8-10 cups. Add the kosher salt , peppercorns, allspice, thyme, parsley and bay leaves.
Place the lid on the pot and turn the slow cooker to "Low". Cook for 6-8 hours or cook at "High" for 4 hours.
Place a large strainer over a large bowl. Remove the big pieces of turkey carcass and discard.Pour the stock through the strainer and into the bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon to press on the solids in the strainer to press out as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
TO STORE:
Refrigerate in a sealed container for a week to 10 days.
Freeze in plastic 2 to 4 cup containers or freeze in plastic freezer bags. To freeze in bags, fill with turkey broth, about 3/4 full. Squeeze out any excess air. Lay the bag flat on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. You'll be able to stack the bags easily in the freezer. Frozen stock will keep for up to 2 months.
If you'd prefer to can your stock, use your preferred canning methods.
NUTRITION:
Calories: 39kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 25mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3455IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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