November 23, 2022 — last updated February 8, 2024 by Kalyn Denny42 comments »
Here are all my tips about How to Make Turkey Stock, and this post also has ideas for turning that turkey stock into tasty turkey soup. And I think turning the turkey carcass into turkey stock and making soup with it is one of the best things about Thanksgiving!
PIN How to Make Turkey Stock so you’ll have it later.
Thanksgiving is almost here and soon a lot of you will have leftover turkey, so I’m sharing this updated post so you’ll have it when a big turkey carcass is staring you in the face!
One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is making the house smell good with a big roasting pan of turkey bones and veggies simmering on the stove. And turkey soup is a Thanksgiving tradition in many families, and personally I believe you can’t really make good turkey soup without turkey stock.
I’ve been making stock from my leftover turkey for years, but I’m not a stock purist; I think a little Penzeys Turkey Soup Base is a good thing, both for turkey gravy and turkey stock. But even if you didn’t remember to order that in time or you don’t want to use it, read on; there are more tricks to making turkey stock taste good.
What ingredients do you need for turkey stock?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- turkey scraps, skin, and bones from the turkey carcass
- onion
- celery
- carrots
- water
- turkey soup base, probably optional but I always use a bit of Penzey’s Turkey Soup Base (affiliate link) or Better than Bouillon Turkey Base (affiliate link)
- dried thyme, preferably Ground Thyme (affiliate link)
- Dried Sage (affiliate link)
Is Turkey Stock Gluten-Free:
Even though I always use either Penzey’s Turkey Soup Base (affiliate link) or Better than Bouillon Turkey Base (affiliate link) I do want to caution that after researching it a bit I can’t confirm that either of those are completely gluten-free. (I’d love to hear about it in the comments if anyone has more information.) So be sure to use a turkey base that’s gluten-free if that’s needed in your household.
Tips for How to Make Turkey Stock:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Start with turkey scraps, including things like skin and bones.
- Don’t add turkey “giblets” which often come packed inside the turkey.
- Add a generous amount of onion, celery, and carrots.
- I leave the vegetables in fairly big pieces so they’re easier to scoop out.
- Put the turkey scraps and bones, carrots, celery, and onion into a soup pot, add some thyme and sage and a bit of Penzey’s Turkey Soup Base (affiliate link) and cover with water.
- If you don’t have Penzeys Turkey Soup Base, another brand I’ve used is Better than Bouillon Turkey Base (affiliate link), which is sold in many grocery stores. (Edit: Shirley from Gluten Free Easily tells me that Better than Bouillon no longer guarantees their products are gluten-free.)
- If you have a big roasting pan you cooked your turkey in, simmer the stock right in the pan.
- Let the stock simmer and reduce all day, until the flavor is as concentrated as you’d like it.
- Then strain and put it into containers for the freezer and you can enjoy turkey soup all winter long!
Yield: varied amounts
How to Make Turkey Stock
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 10 minutes
Here are my tips for making Turkey stock, one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions!
Ingredients
- turkey scraps, bones, and skin from the turkey carcass (not giblets)
- onion
- celery
- carrots
- water to cover turkey and vegetables
- turkey soup base, preferably Penzeys Turkey Soup Base
- dried thyme (preferably ground thyme)
- dried sage (rubbed sage)
Instructions
- Start with as many turkey scraps as you can possibly save from the turkey, including things like skin and bones that you might otherwise throw away.
- Don’t add turkey “giblets” which often come packed inside the turkey.
- Along with the turkey scraps and bones, be sure to include a generous amount of onion, celery, and carrots. This is a good place to use things like the celery ends or leaves that get cut off.
- I leave the vegetables in fairly big pieces so they’re easier to scoop out at the end.
- Put the turkey scraps and bones, carrots, celery, and onion into a large soup pot, add some thyme and sage and a bit ofPenzey’s Turkey Soup Base(affiliate link)and cover with water.
- If you don’t havePenzeys Turkey Soup Base, another brand I’ve used isBetter than Bouillon Turkey Base, which is sold in many grocery stores.
- If you have a big roasting pan that you cooked your turkey in, simmer the stock right in the pan, which will let all those browned bits of turkey and skin get cooked off and they’ll add flavor to your stock.
- Let the stock simmer and reduce all day, until the flavor is as concentrated as you’d like it.
- Then strain and put it into containers for the freezer and you can enjoy turkey soup all winter long!
Weekend Food Prep:
Making things like turkey stock from food that would have been thrown away has to be the ultimate Weekend Food Prep idea! This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Favorite Soup Recipes using Turkey Stock from Kalyn’s Kitchen:
- Low-Carb Turkey Soup with Zucchini Noodles
- Turkey, Sweet Potato, and Black Bean Soup
- Turkey Mushroom Soup with Zucchini Noodles
- Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Kale and Sweet Potatoes
- Coconut-Lime Turkey and Rice Soup)
- Slow Cooker Turkey (or Chicken) Soup with Spinach and Lemon
- Chicken (or Turkey) Barley Soup
- Turkey Soup with Kale, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash
Turkey Soup in the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot:
Check out The BEST Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Turkey Soup Recipes on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site, for more recipes where you can use your turkey stock!
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Categories: Can Freeze, Cooking Tips, Easy to Cook, Holiday Recipes, Recipes, Weekend Food Prep, Can be Keto, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Low-Carb, South Beach Diet Ingredients: Turkey
originally published on Nov 23, 2022 (last updated Feb 8, 2024) by Kalyn Denny
42 commentsLeave a comment »
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S —Reply
I would just make turkey bone broth from organic/pastured turkey bones, with all the organic veggies but without the Penzeys.
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Obviously you are free to make it any way you prefer.
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Susan davison —Reply
Thanks for many a great dinner! I freeze my stock in muffin tins then store in ziplock bags. My size muffin tin gives me perfect 1/4 cup portions of stock
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Susan, my pleasure. I love that idea of freezing stock so you know how much each portion is.
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Emily, great idea to use the carrots. Glad you liked the post.
Emily —Reply
This is a fabulous post, thank you! I just made stock with Thanksgiving leftovers, including about a pound of cooked carrots. I'm not sure how much they added to the flavor, but I thought I'd try to get everything out of them before I threw them out!
Kalyn Denny —Reply
The vegetables and the meat are both pretty flavorless after they've been cooked for hours in the stock, but you could use the vegetables in your compost pile if you have one.
Jeff Cardinal —Reply
Just curious to know, do you keep the vegetables after draining the stock and put them back in, or do you get rid of them? Seems like a waste to get rid of them.
Kalyn Denny —Reply
I want those friends who give you turkey carcasses!
chronicbliss —Reply
I made turkey stock for the first time this year. I used 3 turkey carcasses (2 friends were nice enough to bring me theirs), stuffed them all in my biggest stock pot, and simmered them with veggies, garlic cloves, and fresh/frozen herbs for an entire day. After that I just plop the whole pot (covered) into an insulated cooler full of ice on the kitchen floor (putting it in the fridge would just heat the fridge). The next day I skimmed the fat off the top and bagged it up to freeze. I got 8 quart freezer bags out of it. I plan to use it for noodle soup and matzo ball soup since my last batch of chicken stock only lasted half the winter.
Anonymous —Reply
Thanks a bunch, I almost threw that turkey carcass away. Now its in my pot and I am on a mission to get some homemade stock. On the menu tonight is Turkey Pot Pie courtesy of allrecipes.com, featuring my left over Christmas bird and my homemade stock. Thanks again.
Anonymous —Reply
Thank you. I was referring to after you cool the stock and then skim the fat off it. I like to add vegetables and noodles to make a good soup but wasn't sure whether the vegetables could be reused.
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Not completely sure I understand the question, but I'm talking about adding vegetables to the stock here. The veggies get thrown away, but they add a lot of flavor to the stock liquid. This is a good way to use vegetable scraps (I save them in the freezer.)
Anonymous —Reply
You say to use large chunks of vegetables – my question is, do you use them when you make the soup, or start with fresh vegetables?
Kalyn Denny —Reply
~M, I do think you're right that it's main the liver that's strongly flavored, but in writing a post about this I'm not sure how to explain to people who've never made stock (or possibly never seen giblets) what parts are good and which aren't, so it seemed best to say to leave them out.
~M —Reply
That's so interesting that you toss the giblets…the only one I've ever heard to keep out is the liver. Our turkey stock (made with the remaining giblets and carcass) is so tasty this year! Happy holidays!
Anonymous —Reply
i love making homemade stock! I typically throw in the leftover carcasses, whatever scraps I have; 2-3 onions cut in half, a few bay leaves, celery, carrots, whole peppercorns,garlic clove(s),sliced lengthwise, and parsley. I like to bring it to a boil for about ten minutes and then I simmer for as long as I can. I then strain the stock and return it to the stove and power boil it for 10-20 minutes. I put the pot in the sink and surround it with ice and cold water for a quick cool down. I ladle it into freezer containers and enjoy! Homemade stock makes such a difference when making any dish. Good luck!
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Mary, certain parts of the giblets are really strong flavored, so depending on exactly what is in the giblet pack, it may make the flavor a bit off.
Mary Michela —Reply
D'oh! I already put my giblets, plus the water I was simmering them in into the stock pot. Why should I not use the giblets/neck?? Did I just ruin the whole thing? I haven't put the whole kit n kabooble on the stove yet. I was going to do that tomorrow. Should I try to find the giblets and neck and remove? Please explain! Thank you very much! 🙂
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Hope you enjoy the stock. I'm making some turkey at my stock right now too!
Anonymous —Reply
This article was very helpful, in spite of being a few years old. I will bookmark it and use again. My turkey stock is simmering away on the stove right now. I'm not sure about how important it is to skim the foam, but I guess I'll see how much I get!
I added rosemary because I have some left in the garden that hasn't been kissed by frostbite yet. I also added some of the roasted onions that were in the turkey when it was roasting. It smells great already! Thanks again.
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Ben, that's not a problem. When you reheat the stock it will liquefy again. Isn't it fun to make stock?
Ben Kessel —Reply
Hi Kalyn,
I'm a first time turkey stock maker! I used your recipe to make stock out of a holiday turkey we received for the Christmas…with a slight modification. I put it in the crock pot for about 24 hours or so. Everything seems fine, however I put the stock in the fridge to get the fat to congeal, and the whole thing turned to a jelly-is this okay?
Thanks for the recipe!
-BenKalyn Denny —Reply
Jessica, you can definitely use raw turkey parts to make stock. I do think the roasting adds some flavor, but probably not significantly better. I make chicken stock with raw chicken all the time.
Jessica —Reply
I just got a 17# turkey from my farmers market and I'm not even hosting Tgiving. So I cut it up and am freezing the pieces-parts. My question is about using a FRESH turkey back for stock. What happens when you use fresh turkey? Is the resulting stock appreciably different? Or should I roast it ahead of time. I was thinking to skip this, since the whole point is that I'm not cooking any turkey right now.
Kalyn Denny —Reply
~M, I would probably make the turkey stock, and then add the mushrooms to the soup, but I think you could do it either way. I've never made stock with mushrooms and I'm not sure how they would react with the long cooking.
~M —Reply
I love stock – beef, chicken, turkey, it's all good. The richer/more gelatinous the better.
Someone suggested to me to add mushrooms (but no grains or dairy so unlike your turkey-rice-mushroom version) to turkey stock/soup to add a savory meatiness since turkey is so lean…basically, not to make turkey soup/stock like chicken soup/stock. Since you're the stock queen (hehe), I thought I'd ask for your opinions. Would you add it to the stock-making part or the post strained part (when you add fresh carrots, onions, celery, etc. too)? Thanks for your input!
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Thanks Jeanne. I think I’m addicted to making stock. Makes the house smell great.
CCK, love that idea of roasting turkey wings and using them to make stock. Thanks for sharing.
Cape Cod Kitty —Reply
That is such a great explanation of how to produce wonderful turkey stock, Kaylyn!
When I am not roasting a whole turkey, I am able to buy a package of fresh turkey wings at my local market. I roast them with veggie and then make broth using your method. As you say, it is wonderful to have in the freezer.Jeanne —Reply
Great tips, Kalyn. People think making stock is this difficult and mystical activity but it couldn’t be easier, and nothing tastes better in soups than home-made stock…
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Peter, I agree, turkey soup is great!
Tammy, good tip about the onion skins. I’ll try that for sure. Thanks!
Tammy —Reply
I’m a turkey stock fan! Great directions, I bet your post-Thanksgiving day soup is awesome. For color I simmer onion skins with the rest of the veggies. Turns everything a lovely dark brown.
Peter M —Reply
I just enjoyed a soup from saved turkey (yum). A valuable lesson here, thanks for sharing.
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Susy, you’re brilliant! I love the idea of roasting the bones. I’ve done that with beef stock, but not turkey, but I bet it makes a difference.
Susy —Reply
I always make stock!!! Sometimes I roast the leftover bones in the oven until they’re brown to make a richer stock.
Merrilee McCall —Reply
Too late now to roast all the bones because just turned off my 20 quart pot of stock that’s been cooking all night! Do you just put the pile of wings, legs and carcass on a pan and cook a couple more hours in low oven or what?? Let me know. Thx
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Hi Merilee,
I have roasted the bones quite often for beef stock (to remove some of the fat, that runs out on the baking sheet.) I haven’t tried roasting the turkey carcass, but I agree it would probably make a richer stock if you had time for that step. If you use a roasting pan, I’d just take out all the meet and roast the bones in that pan at 300F or so for a few hours. Happy Thanksgiving!
Kalyn Denny —Reply
Jesse, if you’re roasting turkey you MUST make turkey stock. It’s delish.
Bee, you’re always so thoughtful. Spreading nice greetings around the web! Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving to you too. We have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we!
Lydia, in my family I’m famous for it. Even before I say anything someone will say “Don’t throw away the turkey carcass, Kalyn will want it.”
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) —Reply
I agree — turkey stock is a very happy by-product of the whole turkey roasting tradition. I always make stock on the day after Thanksgiving.
bee —Reply
happy thanksgiving, dear kalyn.
jesse —Reply
YUM! Would you believe I’ve never HAD turkey stock before?? I’ve always stuck with chicken or pork… wow, a whole new animal for me to tinker around with! Thank you!
