Rich and nutritious homemade turkey broth. Do not throw away your thanksgiving scraps! Turn that leftover turkey carcass and vegetable scraps into an irresistible broth that can be used in soups, stews, and other recipes.
Turkey dinner, while a lot of work, is one of the best meals year after year. Slowly cooked turkey to perfection, creamy mashed potatoes with a rich gravy, and all the different desserts you can imagine. Two days of cooking gone in minutes.
There is a way however, to extend the life of your thanksgiving foods beyond a few leftover turkey sandwiches. Turkey broth! This is a good use of that leftover turkey and once you make your own stock, all others won't measure up.
Take that turkey carcass that has been picked clean, and any vegetable scraps and make a turkey stock you can freeze for later and make a leftover turkey soup, turkey stroganoff, turkey divan, plus many other meals throughout the rest of the winter.
Homemade bone broth brings a unique, bold flavor that store bought just can't compare to. It can also be really good for you. Read more about the benefits of bone broth.
Making homemade stock is super simple and can be done in a large pot on the stove or in a crock pot.
Once you make this leftover turkey broth, you will never throw out a turkey again.
Need a fun way to make a turkey? Learn how to smoke a turkey on a pellet grill.
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What is Turkey Broth Made of?
Homemade turkey broth is full of so much flavor you will never want to buy some from the grocery store again. It is also not an exact science to make. All you need is the leftover carcass, some veggies to help give it flavor, and a little bit of salt and water.
Again it's not an exact science so just add whatever you have on hand. This is a great recipe because it's so versatile.
Ingredients:
- Whole Turkey Carcass
- Carrots
- Celery
- Large Onion
- Bay Leaf
- Garlic
- Apple Cider vinegar
- Salt
- Cold water
*You can also use any vegetable scraps from preparing your thanksgiving dinner. I like to take a ziplock bag and store all my peelings and scraps and freeze them until I'm ready to make broth.
Instructions
First, prepare the turkey by removing any remaining large pieces of meat. Smaller pieces left behind are okay. It will only give it more flavor.
Store any leftover turkey meat in an airtight container. Use the extra meat and this broth to make turkey noodle soup.
Take the leftover turkey carcass and place it in a large pot (or slow cooker).
Add in all the vegetables, garlic, bay leaf and salt.
Vegetable scraps can also be used. There is no right answer here. Use whatever you have on hand.
Fill the pot with enough water until it is about 2-3 inches from the top of the pot. You want to leave a little room to prevent it from boiling over.
Add in apple cider vinegar.
Bring the pot to a boil and reduce down to low. Gently simmer for 4-6 hours. The longer it simmers the deeper the flavor in the broth becomes.
When done, place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the broth through the strainer, collecting all the broth in the bowl.
A fine mesh strainer is important. A regular strainer will allow the little pieces of bone, that have broken off, to filter into your broth. Make sure it's a fine mesh strainer.
I run it through the strainer twice just to make sure I got everything.
Discard the leftover bones and veggies. Do not give the bones to any animals.
Place the bowl of stock in the refrigerator and allow it to sit overnight. As the broth cools, the fat will become solid, and will rise to the top.
The next day, remove the cool broth from the refrigerator. The fat will have turned to a solid and will be floating on top.
Using a slotted spoon, scoop out and discard all the fat.
You now have a wonderful bone broth that can be used for turkey noodle soup or store it for later.
Use turkey broth in place of chicken broth in your favorite recipes.
Two recipes I like to make with my stock is a turkey noddle soup, turkey divan, or a turkey stroganoff.
The amount of stock you end up with will depend on how large the dutch oven, pot, or crock pot is. I used an 8-quart dutch oven and ended up with about 12 cups of stock.
Variations
Crock Pot: Broth can be made right on the stovetop but also works really well in a slow cooker. Just place everything in and run on low for 8 hours.
Vegetables: You can either use fresh produce to make this stock or scraps. I like to keep a ziplock bag in the freezer and add carrot peelings, celery tops, and ends of onions as I cook. Then when ready to make I just dump the veggies scraps in with the leftover turkey.
Storage
Turkey broth will last 5 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
How to freeze turkey broth: To freeze turkey both you can use mason jars, another freezer-safe container, or ice cube trays. If freezing in a mason jar, leave 1" of head space to allow for expansion. I have had jars shatter due to not having enough room. Mason jars are my favorite way to store it.
Using ice cube trays is another great way to freeze turkey broth. Once frozen store the broth cubes in a freezer-safe bag.
Leftover Turkey Recipes:
📋Recipe
Homemade Turkey Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Turkey Carcass - Meat Removed
- 2-3 Carrots - Chopped into large pices
- 2-3 Celery stalks - Chopped into large pieces
- 1 Yellow Onion - Diced in large pieces
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves - Smashed and paper removed
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- Cold Water - Enough to fill the pot and cover the turkey. See intructions.
Instructions
- First, prepare the turkey by removing any remaining large pieces of meat. Smaller pieces left behind are okay. It will only give it more flavor.Â
- Store any leftover turkey meat in an airtight container. Use the extra meat and this broth to make turkey noodle soup.
- Take the leftover turkey carcass and place it in a large pot (or slow cooker).
- Add in all the vegetables, garlic, bay leaf and salt. *See notes on using vegetable scraps.
- Fill the pot with enough water until it is about 2-3 inches from the top of the pot. You want to leave a little room to prevent it from boiling over.
- Add in apple cider vinegar.Â
- Bring the pot to a boil and reduce down to low. Gently simmer for 4-6 hours. The longer it simmers the deeper the flavor in the broth becomes.
- Discard the leftover bones and veggies. Do not give the bones to any animals.
- Place the bowl of stock in the refrigerator and allow it to sit overnight. As the broth cools, the fat will become solid, and will rise to the top.
- The next day, remove the cool broth from the refrigerator. The fat will have turned to a solid and will be floating on top.Â
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop out and discard all the fat.Â
- You now have a wonderful bone broth that can be used for turkey noodle soup or store it for later.
Hello! How much apple cider vinegar, please? I don't see it in the recipe list. 🙂
Thank you!
Lisa
Hi Lisa! I just use about 2-3 tablespoons.
This was my first time making my own broth! So delicious 😋 I hope never have to use store bought again!
Hi DeAnna! I'm so glad you enjoyed how it turned out. So much better than store bought!