A leftover turkey carcass still has plenty of flavor to give. With a few vegetables, herbs, and a long, gentle cook, it becomes a rich homemade turkey broth for soups, gravy, risotto, and more.
The slow cooker makes the process mostly hands-off, about 20 minutes of prep, then let it simmer on LOW. Break the carcass into smaller pieces so there’s room for water, and freeze the finished broth in portions to use whenever you need it.
This is a little tradition of mine, one that I actually follow on Thanksgiving night itself. I begin making the turkey stock as soon as all the meat is carved off the turkey. To make it easier on myself I like to peel, prep and cut the veggies earlier in the day, that way everything is ready to go as soon as the turkey is done being carved.
Homemade Turkey Broth
In the culinary world, stocks are the staple to making any dish. Nothing goes to waste in a commercial kitchen and with good reason. Throwing the scraps away is literally throwing flavor (and money) down the drain. The cost of an average box of stock is $4.00 and it's nothing more than flavored (probably unfiltered) water.
We can do better - MUCH better!
What's The Difference Between Bone Broth, Stock, and Broth?
1. Turkey Broth:
- Ingredients: Turkey broth is made by simmering turkey meat (usually without bones) and vegetables in water. It may contain seasonings as well.
- Preparation: It is typically simmered for a shorter period, around 1-2 hours. It tends to be lighter in both flavor and texture compared to stock.
- Use: Turkey broth is versatile and can be used as a base for soups, sauces, and as a cooking liquid for rice or grains. It provides a milder turkey flavor.
2. Turkey Stock:
- Ingredients: Turkey stock is made primarily from simmering turkey bones (such as the carcass), along with aromatic vegetables (like carrots, celery, and onions) and seasonings.
- Preparation: It involves a long, slow simmering process, typically 2-6 hours or more, which extracts collagen and gelatin from the bones.
- Use: Turkey stock is known for its rich, concentrated flavor and is often used as a base for soups, stews, gravies, and sauces. It provides a deep turkey essence to dishes.
3. Turkey Bone Broth:
- Ingredients: Turkey bone broth is a more specialized version of turkey stock. It's made by simmering turkey bones, often with added vegetables and seasonings.
- Preparation: Bone broth undergoes a very long simmering process, typically 12 hours or even more. This extended cooking time extracts not only collagen and gelatin but also minerals and nutrients from the bones.
- Use: Turkey bone broth is prized for its health benefits due to its nutrient-rich content. It can be sipped on its own, used as a base for soups, or incorporated into various recipes to enhance both flavor and nutrition.
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY BONE BROTH
Step-by-Step Guide:
1. Prepare the Turkey Carcass:
- Begin by removing as much meat as you can from the turkey bones.
2. Load Up the Slow Cooker:
- Place the turkey carcass into your slow cooker, breaking it up into smaller sections.
- Add the chopped carrots, celery, onions, peppercorns, herbs, etc. on top of the turkey.
3. Season and Cover with Water:
- Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Start with a pinch and adjust later if needed.
- Pour enough water into the slow cooker to completely cover the turkey carcass and vegetables.
4. Slow-Cook to Perfection:
- Set your slow cooker to the LOW heat setting and cover it with the lid.
- Let the ingredients simmer away on LOW for 12 hours. This low and slow cooking method ensures that all the rich flavors meld together.
5. Strain and Store:
- Once your turkey stock is ready, turn off the slow cooker.
- Carefully strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large bowl or pot.
- Discard the solids.
6. Store Your Liquid Gold:
- After straining, divide the broth into small, shallow containers and refrigerate promptly, within 2 hours.
- Refrigerate for up to 3–4 days or freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Leave room for expansion in freezer-safe containers.
What to Make with Turkey Broth
- You can interchangeably use turkey broth with chicken broth. I use it in soups that already have a chicken or beef flavor, like Chicken Pot Pie Soup.
- It also adds tremendous flavor to risottos like our Mushroom Risotto.
- And just think what it could do for homemade Enchilada Sauce!
FAQs:
When should I add the vegetables?
- Add the vegetables at the beginning along with the turkey bones, herbs, and water. For this recipe’s approximately 12-hour cook on LOW, they can stay in throughout cooking. They will soften and break down, which is expected since they’re strained out before serving.
How do I store Turkey Broth?
- After straining, divide the broth into small, shallow containers and refrigerate promptly, within 2 hours.
- Refrigerate for up to 3–4 days or freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Leave room for expansion in freezer-safe containers.
To help make this bone broth easy, prep your aromatics the day before and place them in a Ziploc bag in the fridge. Once you've stripped and cleaned the turkey, just add the pre-cut veggies and water to your slow cooker!
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY BROTH
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Slow Cooker Turkey Bone Broth
- Total Time: 12 hrs 20 min
- Yield: 8-10 cups 1x
Description
Don't throw away those turkey leftovers ! With just a few hours and some aromatics they will be turned into a nourishing liquid gold!
Ingredients
- 1 cooked turkey carcass, broken into smaller sections
- 1-2 onions, quartered
- 2 stalks celery, chopped including leafy parts
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves whole garlic
- 10-12 whole black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- Few sprigs of fresh parsley or thyme
Instructions
- Remove the skin and most of the meat from the turkey carcass. Small pieces of meat can remain for flavor. Break the carcass into smaller sections and arrange them compactly in the slow cooker.
- Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, and herbs. Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients without exceeding your slow cooker’s recommended fill level. If the cooker is too crowded to add enough water, remove some of the carcass and save it for another batch.
- Cover and cook on LOW for about 12 hours. Keep the lid on as much as possible; regular stirring is not necessary. If you check partway through and the carcass has loosened, gently rearrange it so the bones settle beneath the liquid. Add hot water only as needed to keep them covered, staying within the recommended fill level.
- Carefully strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof pot or bowl. Discard the bones and vegetables. Taste the broth and add salt if desired. If the flavor is stronger than you prefer, dilute with a little water.
- Divide into small, shallow containers and refrigerate promptly, within 2 hours. Do not leave a large pot on the counter to cool completely. Refrigerate for up to 3–4 days or freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Leave room for expansion when freezing.
Notes
Equipment: Large slow cooker, preferably 6–8 quarts; use only as much carcass as fits comfortably.
Water and yield: A large carcass may need to be divided between batches. The slow cooker loses relatively little water with the lid on, so the finished yield depends mainly on how much water you add, with some liquid lost during straining. Less water may produce a stronger broth; dilute after straining only if the flavor allows.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 hrs
- Category: Soups
- Method: Slow Cooking
With all the turkey carcass and vegetables in my crockpot, there’s not much room for liquid. Does this become a concentrated broth? Or can I add more water to it? I feel like it’s a lot of work for the small amount of broth. I’m going to end up with.
You bring up a good point, a large turkey carcass can take up most of the crockpot! Breaking it into smaller sections or saving part for another batch leaves more room for water. Just stay within your slow cooker’s recommended fill level.
Less water may give you a richer broth, which you can dilute a little at a time after straining, to taste. The 8–10 cup yield is an estimate and may be lower with a crowded, smaller crockpot. I should have made that clearer, thank you for flagging it!
When I add a little more turkey to the already carcass I have to make the broth I roasted for about 45 minutes two turkey thighs to add to the already smoked carcass I was using for the broth It came out amazing
I added sea salt, and the broth tasted great! I froze it in pint jars for later use. Broth is getting very expensive.
In the FAQs it says we cook the bones first and then add the vegetables later? After how many hours should we add the veggies? Thank you!
Yummy! First time I made broth in the crock pot! Success!
Just came across this on Pinterest. I will be making this next week.
Thanks for the recipe! I’m confused on step one. Do we put the meat and skin in the crockpot too, or just the bones?
Hi Kristin - If the skin is left on you will end up with a cloudy, kind of slimy stock. I remove all the skin and rinse the bones to get rid of any impurities before simmering. I hope that helps.
Hi, Thank you for sharing your recipes out here. I came across your blog as I was looking for vegetarian recipes that are made from unprocessed ingredients. I am tempted to try few of them.
I was wondering how is Turkey vegetarian? 😀
That is awesome!!! 😀 😀 That recipe obviously got flagged in the wrong category. Good catch Bonita!
Bone broth is the best thing for you