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This easy turkey stock recipe shows you how to make turkey stock from roast turkey bones. Reduce waste, save money, and use this silky, delicious stock for soup, casserole, and turkey gravy!
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Why you'll love this turkey stock recipe
Turkey stock is a delicious bone broth made by simmering leftover turkey carcass in water, often with vegetables and herbs or seasonings. I'm sharing both stove and pressure cooker methods. They're so easy, even beginner cooks have this one in the bag!
This silky bone broth is also called liquid gold – and the retail price reflects it. So, if you like to save money, don't throw away those leftover turkey bones. Instead, make this easy stock recipe to turn bones into a nutrient-dense cooking broth.
Trust me, a well-made stock adds layers of depth and flavor to foods that use broth, such as soup, sauce, gravy, creamy mashed potatoes, rice, and shepherds pie with chicken.
Ingredient notes
- Turkey carcass - This refers to the bones left over after turkey meat is stripped. It can be a turkey leg, breast bone, or whole cavity. It can also include soft tissue such as skin and gristle.
- Onion, carrots, and celery - These aromatics create the flavor trifecta also known as mirepoix.
- Garlic cloves - This is optional and there's no need to peel garlic for this recipe. But do crush the cloves to release juices.
- Thyme, rosemary, and sage - Preferably fresh, but dried herbs will work too.
- Whole black peppercorns - These add a delicate pepper flavor and depth to the stock.
How to make turkey stock
Making turkey stock using your stove or pressure cooker is so easy. You'll find the printable recipe below for both methods. I use the bones from my turkey breast recipe or air fryer turkey breast.
First, remove all meat from the turkey carcass. Place ingredients in a 4-quart stock pot or 6-quart Instant Pot. Add water to cover ingredients by a few inches or more if you want more stock.
Stove method: Bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on the lowest heat setting for 3-4 hours, skimming fat as needed.
Pressure cooker method: Close and lock the lid. Pressure cook on LOW setting for 60 minutes. Use natural pressure release (NPR) to release steam. This takes about 30 minutes.
Here is what the cooked turkey stock looks like using either method. I prefer to cool the stock for an hour before handling it.
Now it's time to strain your cooked turkey broth through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-safe container such as the 4-quart Cambro. Discard strained ingredients. Allow stock to cool completely.
Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for 90 days or longer if vacuum sealed.
What can I make with turkey stock?
Use this delicious turkey stock as you would any broth for gravy, stews, cooking beans from scratch, sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, Thanksgiving dressing, and even risotto. This stock is naturally popular around the biggest turkey holiday of the year. It adds a beautiful turkey flavor to classic creamy mushroom soup for green bean casserole!
Storing and freezing turkey stock
Always cool the stock completely before storing. Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 90 days (or longer if vacuum sealed). Here are some storage options:
- 16 ounce canning jars with plastic canning jar lids (leave 2 inches of headspace to allow for expansion)
- deli containers - Non-glass option for freezing portioned containers
- freezer bags are easy to fill when using a freezer bag stand
- food sealer with vacuum containers
- ice cube trays - You would need quite a few for this recipe.
Note: I use canning jars for the refrigerator and freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags to save freezer space.
Recipe tips
- Use kitchen shears to cut bones into smaller pieces to fit your stock pot or pressure cooker, if needed.
- This turkey stock recipe includes vegetables and aromatics, but cooked turkey bones are all you need to make this delicious broth.
- Keep produce prep minimal. Tedious dicing and peeling are simply unnecessary. Coarsely chop onions, carrots, celery, and garlic because it will all be strained later.
Frequently asked questions
Turkey stock is made with turkey bones but can also include vegetables such as onion, carrot, celery, and fresh herbs.
Yes. Turkey stock is bone broth because it is made with bones. However, turkey broth is made with turkey meat and not bones. Stock and broth are often made with vegetables and aromatics.
Our favorite holiday recipes
- Cranberry Orange Sauce
- Garlicky Roasted Mushrooms
- Fresh Green Bean Casserole
- Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes
📖 Recipe
Easy Turkey Stock Recipe
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Note about scaling
When scaling, the light gray ingredient notes after the comma don’t change. Adjust as needed.
Ingredients
- ½ pound Turkey Bones
- 1 medium Onion, unpeeled and halved
- 1 large Carrot, coarsely chopped
- 2 ribs Celery, coarsely chopped
- 5 cloves Garlic, smashed
- 3-4 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 sprig Fresh Rosemary, or ¼ teaspoon dried
- 5-7 Fresh Sage Leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried
- ½ teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns
- 12 cups Cold Water
Instructions
Stove instructions (Pressure cooker instructions below)
- Place all ingredients in the soup pot.
- Bring everything to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 3 to 4 hours. Skim any foam from the surface as needed.
- Strain the turkey stock through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Discard strained ingredients.
- Cool the stock completely and refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 90 days.
Recipe Notes
-
Place all ingredients in the pressure cooker and secure the lid.
-
Set the pressure release valve to “Sealing”.
-
Select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook” and adjust to LOW pressure for 60 minutes.
-
When the cook cycle is done, allow the pot to sit undisturbed for 30 minutes for a natural pressure release (NPR).
-
Carefully turn the pressure release valve to “Venting” to release any remaining steam.
- Continue with step 4 in the recipe instructions above.
Equipment
- kitchen shears optional
- 4.5-quart Dutch oven or stockpot or any size pressure cooker
- 16 ounce canning jars or other airtight containers
- ziploc bags for bag storage
- Ziploc bag stand optional
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.
Rebecca Schneider says
When I selected 2X the recipe, everything doubled, except the amount of dried herbs. I doubled them anyway. I also then checked off 3X the recipe and it still keptthe same amount of dried herbs as 1X. Is there a reason for this or a glitch in the system. BTW, I loved the stock with the dried herbs doubled.
Traci says
Hi Rebecca, you are correct that the greyed amounts to the right of the ingredient names do not scale. Not a glitch though – it's just not an available feature as of yet, but I still like to include that info as a courtesy. I'm so glad you're loving the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback.
Janet Singer says
Will this stock recipe work for any stock such as chicken, beef, pork, vegetable?
Janet says
Should have added wild game, etc.
Traci says
Yes, it sure will. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks and enjoy!
Mary Pat says
This sounds perfect for my gumbo. I only had a 3 lb half turkey breast. How should I modify the water for the Instant Pot? Thanks!
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Mary Pat, I'm not sure what you're asking here...can you rephrase the question? Thanks so much 🙂
JB says
We just turned our turkey breast carcass into turkey stock via your Instant Pot method. It's so simple and delicious. Gonna make turkey pot pie with it later and freeze the rest. Makes the best turkey gravy too. Another winner Kitchen Girl!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay, JB! Isn't it the best knowing that the turkey breast is getting used to the fullest extent? I love it!! Glad you're happy with this one 🙂
Angela says
I am a big fan of stocking my freezer any time I can. This turkey stock recipe is wonderful and so easy to make.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay Angela! That makes two of us 🙂 Thanks and so glad you enjoyed it!
Lizet Bowen says
Thank you! I love reading all the details. I think the more information you add, the better I can make it at home. This year my turkey stock was a success. 🙂
The Kitchen Girl says
You're so welcome, Lizet! I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipe 🙂
Jenn says
I love the idea of adding herbs to turkey stock when cooking it. I bet it lends a lovely flavor! Can't wait to try it this way next time!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yep, the herbs add even more flavor to an already yummy turkey stock 🙂 Glad you can enjoy this one...thanks!
Beth says
Turkey stock is a great idea! I can't wait to give this a try! So excited!
The Kitchen Girl says
Thanks, Beth 🙂 Glad you can enjoy it!
Dannii says
You can't beat homemade stock. This has so much flavor!
The Kitchen Girl says
Totally agree, Dannii! So glad you enjoy it too 🙂