Easy Turkey Stock Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (2024)

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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!

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 and Apple 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

Our favorite holiday recipes

• Cranberry Orange Sauce
• Garlicky Roasted Mushrooms
• Fresh Green Bean Casserole
• Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes

📖 Recipe