Turkey Bone Broth Recipe

Three glass jars filled with turkey bone broth.

5 from 1 vote

This turkey bone broth recipe is a great way to use up leftover turkey bones and vegetable scraps after Thanksgiving dinner. Just add water and some seasonings for a comforting turkey broth you can strain and store for future use.

Prep Time5

Cook Time4

Total Time4 5

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: cups of broth (varies depending on the size of your pot)

Calories: 37kcal

Author: Joy Kincaid

Equipment

Instant Pot optional
slow cooker optional
Stock pot or Dutch oven

Ingredients

1 turkey carcass
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 onion cut in half
1 bulb of garlic cut in half (or 10 peeled and cut in half pieces of garlic)
½ bunch of parsley optional
1 sprig of rosemary optional
1 sprig of oregano optional
1 teaspoon black peppercorns (or add up to a tablespoon)
About 10-12 cups of water *see note

Instructions

Instant Pot

Place the carcass, all veggies, and all seasonings in the pot. Add water to the top of the fill line in the pot. Put the lid on, set the valve to "sealing," and cook on low pressure for 240 minutes. After the cooking time is up, let the pot manually release the pressure by turning the valve to "venting," or you can do a natural release. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, discard solids, and store in jars in the fridge for 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Slow Cooker

Place the carcass, all veggies, and all seasonings in the slow cooker basin. Add water to cover all the bones or all the way to the top. Put the lid on and cook on low for 18-24 hours. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, discard solids, and store in jars in the fridge for 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Stove Top

In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, add the carcass, all veggies, and all seasonings. Add water to cover all the bones or most of the way to the top. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, skim off any foam that has risen to the top, and cook on low, uncovered (while still allowing the broth to simmer) for 6-24 hours. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard solids. Store in jars in the fridge for 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Notes

If you have leftover turkey wings, be sure to add those to the pot as well. This will help get the thickest and most gelatinous bone broth. If you don't have wings, you can also use chicken feet to help the bone broth to gel.
You are most likely not going to need salt if your turkey was seasoned well. I would not add salt until it is done and you’ve tasted it.
*The amount of water will vary depending on how large your Crock Pot/stock pot/ Instant Pot is. I add all the ingredients into my pot and then fill it to nearly the top or fill line of my pot.
This recipe is very versatile, and you can use old and wilted veggies or scraps. Basically, any vegetable you have in your fridge will be fine to add to this recipe. Bell peppers, red onions, sweet onions, green onions, cilantro, etc. I usually keep a bag in the freezer filled with leftover vegetable bits for stock.
Your broth will taste slightly different based on the seasonings used when cooking the turkey. If you had any sort of spicy or red seasonings on your turkey, your broth will be more pink or orange in color.
If your water evaporates too much while slow cooking or cooking on the stove, you can add more as it cooks.
You can also add 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before cooking, as I've mentioned in my Instant Pot Bone Broth recipe.

Nutrition