An Easy TurkeyBroth recipe made from the scraps of a turkey carcass and water! Make homemade turkey stock in the crockpot or instant pot! Use the turkey stock to make soup or freeze it for later. This delicious turkey bone broth is so easy and cozy!
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If you’ve never made homemade broth – you’re in for a treat. This Easy Turkey Broth is EXTREMELY simple to make and results in a rich, tasty stock that is seriously delicious.
Chances are you’re here because you have a leftover turkey carcass and you want to make the most of it.
Don’t worry – if you’re new to making broth, I’m going to show you exactly how to do it. Making turkey stock is easy and so worth it!
This turkey stock is made from a leftover turkey carcass (bones, scraps, all of it!) and it is SO rich and flavorful.
You can make it in the slow cooker (my favorite way to do it!), instant pot or on the stove.
If you’re planning your Thanksgiving menu – check out these Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes!
Table of Contents
You might be thinking… if it’s just broth.. what is so great about it? I wrote this entire post about Bone Broth Benefits.
Many people drink bone broth because it’s so nutrient packed. When the bones are cooked low and slow they release their naturally occurring collagen + gelatin which is thought to be great for your gut health, skin + nails!
This turkey broth is great for sipping on, or cooking with!
Turkey Bone Broth Ingredients
To make turkey broth, you really only need:
- turkey bones
- water
I like to throw in some extra veggies and herbs for flavor.
Here I have some carrots, onions + celery as well as some thyme + rosemary.
Things we used in this recipe: crockpot,strainer, ZipTop bags (for storing)
Making the bone broth is really as easy as just filling your pot with water, and turning it on!
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
The best turkey for making Turkey Broth
My favorite way to make bone broth is with leftover bones from a roasted turkey. Our favorite turkeys are from ButcherBox.
I love making the most out of our food and avoiding food waste wherever possible – so when we cook a turkey, nothing goes to waste. After I’ve cooked the turkey, everything goes in the slow cooker and gets turned into broth!
Do you need to roast the bones for bone broth? No – you don’t. Roasting the bones can give the broth extra flavor but it’s totally not necessary!
How to make Turkey Broth
You can make turkey broth in the crockpot, instant pot, or on the stove. I’m showing how to make it in the crockpot below.
- Add all turkey bones + scraps to the crockpot. (veggies are optional)
- Cover with water and cook for 10-18 hours.
- Once the broth cooks for about 16-18 hours (10 at minimum!) You’ll want to strain the broth with a fine mesh strainer to get the bones/any big pieces of veggies out.
- I prefer to strain it again. Using a nut milk bag or a cheese cloth, I will strain the broth again to remove any random fragments or pieces that may have escaped.
There really is no ‘wrong’ way to do it, and you can customize what you put in the crockpot for spices according to your taste.
If you really want to get all the nutrients you can out of the broth, I like to take any veggies I cooked the broth with (onions, carrots, celery, etc) and blend them up with the broth for added flavor, but veggiesare not necessary for making broth.
Turkey Bone Broth Recipe substitutions and variations
Bones – You can use any bones.. chicken, beef, or turkey will all work. We also have a Homemade Beef Bone Broth and How to Make Chicken Broth recipes
Veggies – Carrots, onion and garlic add flavor to the broth but are not necessary
Seasonings – You can add salt, pepper, or whatever other herbs you’d like to the broth. We love to throw thyme + rosemary into our broth!
Apple cider vinegar – Some people add apple cider vinegar to their broth to help coax the nutrients out of the bones. This is not necessary, but if you’d like to add it – feel free!
How to Make Turkey Broth in the Instant Pot
Yes, you can! I prefer to cook my turkey broth in the slow cooker, but you can cook this in your instant pot for 120 minutes on high pressure, and let it naturally release.
You can see our instant pot bone broth recipe or see below for instructions.
Depending on the size of your instant pot, you may need more or less water. Make sure you DO NOT fill above the max fill line! Leave about an inch and a half before the max fill line.
How to store Turkey Broth
You can store turkey broth in a number of ways:
- Souper Cubes are my favorite way to store turkey broth! You can read this Souper Cubes Review for more details on them!
- Mason Jars
- Plastic Containers
- Silicone standing bags
I store my turkey broth in these Souper Cubes. They’re so easy to freeze!
Freezing Homemade Turkey Broth
You can freeze bone broth, and you probably will have to because this makes a lot! For all my freezing tips, check out my post on How To Freeze Soup.
I freeze my turkey broth in SouperCubes. These silicone molds for soup are also the best way to freeze bone broth.
Freezing in glass: Freezing in glass is difficult and I rarely do it because containers are likely to crack. We don’t recommend it. To freeze in glass, fill the bottle leaving about 1-2 inches of room – do not fill to the top because the liquid will expand as it freezes. Put them in the fridge and allow them to completely cool.
Once they have been in the fridge for at least 5 hours and are cold, you can transfer them to the freezer. I leave the lids off and allow the jars to freeze completely, then add the lids on.
We do not recommend freezing in glass ever!
Ice cube trays: I also like to freeze bone broth in ice cube trays. This is perfect for when you’re making a dish and only need a little bit, but don’t want to defrost a whole jar!
How to use Homemade Turkey Broth
You can use turkey stock in so many different ways. Here are some of my favorites:
- Turkey broth soup is the best way to use turkey stock! We love thisLeftover Turkey Soup and Turkey Wild Rice Soup!
- Pour it into a mug and drink it up! It’s packed with protein + veggies and so cozy.
- Add to sauces or stir fries for flavor
- Use in place of water or regular cooking stock
- Freeze it to have for a quick dinner or meal (or for when a cold comes on!)
We hope you love this as much as we do! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how easy + delicious it is!
Here’s the difference between crockpot and instant pot broth (crockpot on the left, instant pot on the right). The crockpot broth is much richer in color and flavor!
Turkey Broth Recipe FAQs
Can you buy turkey broth?
Yes, you can buy turkey broth. This is our favorite store bought turkey broth. However, once you make it.. you’re never going to want the store bought broth again! Homemade is so much better (especially when it’s homemade from the best turkey!)
Is Turkey stock the same as broth?
Yes, turkey stock and turkey broth are the same thing. Some people argue that they’re different – but they’re made the same way and can be used interchangeably. Often, broth is richer than stock… but at the end of the day, bone broth, stock, and broth all mean the same thing: liquid made from leftover bones/scraps. The bones and water cook low and slow, creating an extremely nutrient dense, delicious broth.
My turkey stock didn’t gel?
It’s ok if your bone broth doesn’t gel, and rest assured it will bejust as nutritious! Certain bones/cuts of meat can create a more jello-like consistency with the broth. You could also have added a little bit too much water. Either way, don’t worry – and enjoy it!
How long does turkey broth last?
Turkey broth will last 6-7 days in your refrigerator. If frozen, it can last up to a year – but I’d recommend using it within 6 months for freshness!
Can you cook bone broth for too long?
Technically, yes. If you go past the 24 hour mark – your broth might wind up turning out bitter or getting a weird flavor. I normally cook my slow cooker bone broth for about 14-18 hours, and have never had an issue with it, but I wouldn’t cook it for any longer!
Can you reuse the turkey bones in bone broth?
Yes, you can! Usually, beef/chicken bones do not work as well when you use them a second time, but turkey bones work very well!
The broth definitely is not as rich in color or flavor, but you totally can reuse turkey bones. I’ve also found that bones that come from an all natural turkey produce a much more flavorful broth.
Turkey Bone Broth Recipe
Recipe by: Liz Marino
5 from 11 votes
An Easy TurkeyBroth recipe made from the scraps of a turkey carcass and water! Make homemade turkey stock in the crockpot or instant pot! Use the turkey stock to make soup or freeze it for later. This delicious turkey bone broth is so easy and cozy!
WW Freestyle Points 1
Prep Time : 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time : 12 hours hours
Total Time : 12 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb bones/scraps from cooked turkey use all your scraps from a whole roasted turkey
- 16 cups water approximately, fill to the top of your pot
- 2 cups celery stalks halved, optional
- 1 cup carrots halved halved, optional
- 1 cup onion quartered – optional halved, optional
- sprigs fresh thyme + rosemary optional
- salt/pepper to taste optional
Instructions
Crockpot Instructions
Add all ingredients to a crockpot*, cover with filtered water and cook on low for at least 12 hours (16-18 is best). You may need to adjust the amount of water depending on the size of your crockpot. You can fill to the top of the crockpot!
Once cooked – allow broth to cool slightly. Run through a strainer into a large pot or container. (This will just be easier to do if it is not scalding hot).
Optional, but recommended: I often strain my bone broth through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to catch any miscellaneous small bones or fragments.
At this step, the broth is ready to use, but I like to use up the veggies if you chose to add them in for flavor.
Optional, but recommended: Carefully remove carrots, onions + celery from the strainer and place into blender. Puree in blender until smooth (You may need to add a little broth to the blender depending on its power)
Stir veggie puree into strained broth and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days, or put in the freezer until ready to use!
Instant Pot Instructions
Add all ingredients to your instant pot. (You can use any size instant pot!) Cover with filtered water to one inch under the max fill line. Set your instant pot to sealing, High Pressure for 120 minutes. It will take 30 minutes to come to pressure.
Allow the pressure to naturally release from the broth for 1 hour when it’s done cooking, then manually release the remaining pressure. You do not want to manually release the pressure any sooner as you will lose a lot of liquid
Allow broth to cool slightly (about 30 minutes), and run through a strainer into a large pot or container. (This will just be easier to do if it is not scalding hot).
Optional, but recommended: I often strain my bone broth through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to catch any miscellaneous small bones or fragments. At this step, the broth is ready to use, but I like to use up the veggies if you chose to add them in while cooking.
Optional, but recommended: Carefully remove carrots, onions + celery from the strainer and place into blender. Puree in blender until smooth (You may need to add a little broth to the blender depending on its power)
Stir veggie puree into strained broth and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Storage: Store in airtight containers for up to 4 days, or put in the freezer until ready to use!
Stovetop Instructions
Add all ingredients to a large soup pot. Cover with filtered water and cook at a low simmer for at least 12 hours (16-18 is best). You may need to adjust the amount of water depending on the size of your pot. You can fill to about 1 inch under the top of the pot.
Once cooked – allow broth to cool slightly. Run through a strainer into a large pot or container. (This will just be easier to do if it is not scalding hot).
Optional, but recommended: I often strain my bone broth through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to catch any miscellaneous small bones or fragments.
At this step, the broth is ready to use, but I like to use up the veggies if you chose to add them in for flavor.
Optional, but recommended: Carefully remove carrots, onions + celery from the strainer and place into blender. Puree in blender until smooth (You may need to add a little broth to the blender depending on its power)
Stir veggie puree into strained broth and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days, or put in the freezer until ready to use!
Video
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 2cups estimated | Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 44mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
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