Learn how to make rich and flavorful homemade turkey stock after your Thanksgiving dinner, to use in soups, casseroles, risottos, or freeze. It’s so easy to make turkey stock on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot, and I will share a few tips and tricks on how to make the process easy, and almost effortless.
A Thanksgiving Turkey is a fabulous thing, I mean, you get to eat the turkey meat on Thanksgiving day, and then you get leftovers to make a leftover turkey soup, a turkey casserole, and even sliders. And then you end up with the leftover turkey bone and bits, that you can also use to make flavorful and nutritious turkey broth.
I almost never buy canned stock or broth (although it’s easy to find high quality ones), but I do it just because it’s so easy to make my own homemade stock with ingredients I already have on hand. It’s also way healthier to make your own homemade stock, and you get to season it however you like.
You can make homemade stock over the stovetop, and it’s great but keep in mind that it will be simmering for a couple of hours. A shortcut is to use the Instant Pot, which I do most of the time just because it takes about half an hour to make and that’s it.
Check out my Instant Pot Vegetable Stock Recipe, I’m sure that you’re going to love it!
The Best Turkey For Turkey Stock
You can use any turkey carcass to make turkey stock. You can even use the turkey neck, and buy additional turkey wings to roast and use in turkey stock if you like. My favorite turkey stock is made with roasted, smoked, or grilled turkey. But feel free to use the carcass of a deep-fried turkey or a bacon wrapped turkey as well.
Ingredients Notes
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Turkey Carcass: Use the bones and bits of meat left on it. If it doesn’t fit your pot, use kitchen shears to break it up a little.
- Vegetables: I like to use ribs of celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. To season the turkey, I add fresh herbs (you can use dried) such as thyme, rosemary, parsley, and sage. You can tie the herbs together for easy removal.
- Seasonings: For even more flavor, I throw in some peppercorns and a couple of bay leaves that I get from my mother’s garden!
- Cold Water: To make a clear and gorgeous stock, always start with cold water. Hot water will make your stock cloudy.
Tip!
Prep veggies for the stock as you prepare your Thanksgiving sides. Peel and chop up some extra carrots as you make glazed carrots, and save a few celery ribs as you make the stuffing.
How to Make Turkey Stock
- To a stockpot, or a dutch oven, add the turkey carcass, vegetables, herbs, and cover with water. Place over medium high heat, and bring to a boil. Skim off the fat, and reduce heat to simmer.
- Simmer gently for at least an hour and half, and up to 4 hours. The longer you simmer the stock, the more flavor you will get.
- Remove from heat, and strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer or a cheese cloth. If not using immediately, divide between jars, seal and refregirate or freeze.
Tip!
For super clear turkey broth, strain the broth through a cheesecloth or a coffee filter a few times into a clean large bowl.
Instant Pot Turkey Stock
It’s much quicker to make turkey stock in the Instant Pot. Here’s how you do it:
- To the Instant Pot add all of the ingredients, cover with cold water and cover with the lid (make sure that you don’t reach higher than the max level”. Make sure that the vent is in SEALING position.
- Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time at 20 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 10-15 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, allow the steam to be released naturally to avoid splatter.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer or a cheese cloth, and divide between jars if not using immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Yield: This recipe makes 2-3 quarts of stock depending on how much water you add.
- Storage: To store the turkey stock, divide between jars and seal (I use 16-ounce jars) don’t forget to leave half an inch of head space. Store in the fridge for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 6 months. I recommend labelling the jars with the date.
- Use Frozen Stock: To use the frozen stock, thaw in the fridge overnight or leave on the counter for a couple of hours to thaw.
- Use the Slow Cooker: If you prefer to use a slow cooker, cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours.
How To Use Turkey Stock
Homemade turkey stock can be used interchangeably with chicken stock. So you can use it in any recipe that calls for chicken stock. It’s great for making soups, try it in this delicious Turkey Soup with Rice that uses turkey leftovers. Another great leftover recipe is this Creamy Turkey Casserole with Buttery Ritz topping.
Now that you know how to make a delicious turkey brine, you’ll make it every time you roast a turkey. Don’t forget to pin this recipe to easily find this recipe later.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Homemade Turkey Stock
Equipment
- Stockpot or Instant Pot (any size)
- Fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 1 turkey carcass
- 2 ribs celery
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 yellow onion quartered
- fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, parsley, and sage
- 10 peppercorns
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 2 quarts/liters cold water Note 1
Instructions
- To a stockpot, or a dutch oven, add the turkey carcass, vegetables, herbs, and cover with water. Place over medium high heat, and bring to a boil. Skim off the fat, and reduce to simmer.Simmer gently for at least an hour and half, and up to 4 hours. The longer you simmer the stock, the more flavor you will get.
- Remove from heat, and strain through a fine mesh strainer or a cheese cloth. If not using immediately, divide between jars, seal and refregirate or freeze.
Instant Pot Turkey Stock:
- To the Instant Pot add all of the ingredients, cover with cold water and cover with the lid. Make sure that the vent is in SEALING position.Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time at 20 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 10-15 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, allow the steam to be released naturally to avoid splatter.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer or a cheese cloth, and divide between jars if not using immediately.
Notes:
- To make a clear and gorgeous stock, always start with cold water. Hot water will make your stock cloudy.
- Yield: This recipe makes 2-3 quarts (8-12 cups) of stock depending on how much water you add.
- Storage: To store the turkey stock, divide between jars and seal (I use 16-ounce jars). Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months. I recommend labeling the jars with the date.
- Use Frozen Stock: To use the frozen stock, thaw in the fridge overnight or leave on the counter for a couple of hours to thaw.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Peggy says
Does anyone pick out the bones and keep the celery, onions and Turkey meat left?