As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Homemade Turkey Bone Broth is an amazing way to use up every last bit of your roasted turkey. Learning how to make this turkey stock recipe is a very simple, delicious, and sustainable process!
Everyone knows that the best part of making an amazing turkey dinner is the delicious bone broth you can make from leftovers. Because let’s face it…turkey on its own is kinda boring.
This recipe will walk you through stovetop, Instant Pot, or slow cooker options.
Use any leftover meat for puff pastry turkey pot pie, turkey rice casserole, turkey noodle soup, and turkey shepherd’s pie but the rest of the turkey carcass is about to be transformed into an incredible homemade turkey bone broth.
How to Make Turkey Bone Broth
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Grab the absolute largest stockpot you can find. In the photos below, I’m actually using my 23-quart pressure cooker, but with the gauge removed so that I can use it as a stockpot.
Add the turkey, veggies, and herbs to the stockpot and add water until it covers everything by ~2 inches. The total amount of water will depend on the size of your turkey and the size of the pot that you’re using.
Bring everything to a boil for 1 minute and then immediately reduce it to a simmer. Place a lid on the stockpot slightly ajar. Allow the turkey bone broth to simmer for 12-24 hours.
Let things cool a bit and then place a large strainer in a large bowl in the sink. Carefully pour the bone broth into the strainer, and if you desire, strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer to remove all the bits of herbs and other ingredients.
Transfer the cooled stock to storage containers. After it has been in the refrigerator and fully cooled, a layer of fat will develop on the top of the stock. You can use a spoon to remove it prior to storing it in the fridge or freezer.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT
Storing Leftovers: Allow the turkey bone broth to fully cool before storing it covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating Leftovers: You can reheat the stock on the stovetop on medium-low for 4-5 minutes or for 1-2 minutes in the microwave.
Freezing: There are many options for freezing your turkey stock recipe. You can place fully cooled stock in a wide-mouth canning jar, leaving 1 inch of space between the top of the stock and the top of the jar. Freeze until solid.
I’m a big fan of freezing in 1-cup Souper Cubes or 2-cup Souper Cubes for when I don’t need a lot of turkey stock for a recipe. You can also freeze in freezer-safe bags or other freezer-safe containers.
Turkey bone broth will last for ~6 months in the freezer.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Bone broth that is cooked at too high of a temperature may produce foam on the top. You can skim that off and discard it to produce a deeper and cleaner stock.
- If you don’t want to freeze your awesome homemade turkey stock, you are able to can it! Follow the steps and instructions in this post on canning chicken broth. The processing time is the same for turkey.
- The fat that you skim off the cooled bone broth can be used for cooking or roasting veggies. You can also discard it.
Turkey Bone Broth
Equipment
- stockpot
Ingredients
- 1 turkey carcass
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 cups veggie scraps carrots, onions, and celery {5 cups total, not of each veggie}
- water to cover
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the largest stockpot you have. You may need to break down the carcass to get everything to fit. Add herbs and veggies.1 turkey carcass, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 3 bay leaves, 5 cups veggie scraps carrots, onions, and celery
- Slowly add water until it reaches about 2 inches over the turkey. Pro tip: the amount of water will vary depending on the size of your stockpot and the size of your turkey.water to cover
- Bring it to a boil for 1 minute and then and immediately reduce to a simmer. Cover with the lid, but set it slightly ajar.
- Allow the bone broth to simmer on low for 12 to 24 hours.
- Strain the bone broth through a colander fitted over a lid.
- Fill jars or storage containers and transfer to the fridge.
- After it has been in the refrigerator and fully cooled, a layer of fat will develop on the top of the stock. You can use a spoon to remove it prior to storing in the fridge or freezer.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add everything to the Instant Pot insert.
- Fill with water to the “max fill” line. Flip the steam release handle to “sealing”.
- Press manual>high pressure>120 minutes
- When it has finished cooking allow it to do a natural release. Given the volume of the liquid in the pot, it may take 30-60 minutes to fully depressurize.
- Follow instructions 5-6 in the stovetop instructions.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Place all ingredients in your slow cooker. You may need to break down the carcass to get everything to fit. Add herbs and veggies.
- Slowly add water until it reaches about 2 inches from the top of your crock. Pro tip: the amount of water will vary depending on the size of your slow cooker.
- Cover with the lid and cook on low for 12-18 hours.
- Follow instructions 5-6 in the stovetop instructions.
Notes
- If you are going to freeze the broth, use only wide-mouth canning jars and leave 1 inch of headspace to allow for the liquid to expand while it freezes. To prevent cracking, make sure the broth has fully cooled before placing it in the freezer.
- Store for up to three days in the fridge or six months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m curious, what does the apple cider vinegar do to the broth?
Hi Kelly, it is meant to help draw more good stuff out from the bones. It’s anecdotal and optional so feel free to leave it out if you’d like.
I didn’t see that you added any salt to the broth while it was being cooked. Just wondering why.
Just personal preference, Rebecca. I primarily use it in soups and savory dishes, so I salt those to my preference. I find it gives me more flexibility in my cooking if the stock/bone broth is unsalted.
If you’re someone who drinks bone broth daily, I’d absolutely salt the batch when I was making it.
Question: won’t the glass jars break in the freezer? Can you use freezer bags?
As long as you use wide-mouth jars and leave 1 inch of space at the top of the broth, they won’t break. Don’t put them (still) frozen in hot water or the microwave and they’ll be great.
Yes, you can use freezer bags if that’s what you prefer. Or other freezer containers, etc.
So totally *ALWAYS* cook down the carcass (I don’t like that word) of even bone-in chicken breasts after dinner; or, more typically, the next day. I add the usually wilted carrots from the crisper and a handful of whatever herbs are about-ready-to-wilt and simmer for a little while with water and S&P, then strain. The stock may not be as beautiful as your bone broth, but it is part of my Everlasting Meal philosophy.
I love it! And I’m a huge fan of saving the veggies and herbs that are headed for the great crisper in the sky.
For years, I’ve put the turkey bones (along with veggies and herbs I put inside the turkey while it roasts) in my biggest stock pot right after the Thanksgiving dishes are done, and simmered it for hours. By the next morning, I have the stock for Italian Wedding Soup, which I serve at Christmas. I love your idea of saving scraps to add to the stock pot.
I would love to have your Italian Wedding soup recipe! Would you mind sharing it?