Showing you how to make leftover turkey bone broth on the stove top, in a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot, with step by step photos. Bone broth is such a nutrient powerhouse, and is packed full of vitamins, minerals, and collagen.
Make the most out of every last turkey bone using this easy turkey bone broth recipe! This bone broth is made in the Instant Pot, but we have also shared directions for how to make turkey stock on the stove top, and how to make bone broth with beef or chicken bones.
After a turkey dinner when you're feeling the need for a little "detox", this turkey bone broth recipe is the perfect solution. Not only is bone broth nutrient-dense, full of natural collagen, and hydrating, but it's the best way to use every part of the turkey.
Best of all, if you've just cooked a turkey dinner then you will have all the ingredients (aka leftovers!) for this bone broth. Just dump all ingredients into the Instant Pot, pressure cook, strain - and you have the most nourishing homemade broth.
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Reasons you'll โก this recipe
- you can use up the whole turkey carcass
- it is nutrient-dense, hydrating and full of collagen
- it's the perfect post-turkey-dinner detox
Ingredient notes
- Apple cider vinegar - is essential for this recipe as it helps to break down the bones and release more nutrients, minerals and collagen into the broth
- Turkey carcass - you will need 2 lbs turkey bones for this recipe. They don't need to be cleaned off, you can include skin, cartilage, and scraps
- Veggies - celery, carrot and onion add depth of flavor and lots of nutrients
- Scrap veggies -if you have saved any veggie scraps and herbs saved in the freezer, this is a great chance to use them!
- Sea salt - to season your bone broth; you can leave this out or add at the end to taste if you'd prefer
Step by step directions
1. Combine - combine all ingredients including turkey carcass, veggies and veggie scraps, apple cider vinegar, water and sea salt into a large stock pot, slow cooker, or the stainless steel inner pot of an Instant Pot (6 or 8 quart).
Tip - Add all different parts of the turkey, especially ones containing cartilage. I recommend adding the wings as they are great sources of collagen!
2. Cook :
- Instant Pot- place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to 'sealing', and select manual (high pressure) for 120 minutes (2 hours). Allow pressure to naturally release until the pin drops (roughly 60 minutes).
- Slow Cooker- simmer on low for 24 hours
- Stove Top- simmer on low heat for 24 hours; add water as needed to cover ingredients.
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3. Strain - Pour through a colander, collecting the bone broth in a large bowl or a jar. Toss all solids in the compost.
FAQ
They are very similar, however bone broth is either simmered for much longer or pressure cooked in a way that extracts the collagen from the bones and joints. Bone broth will gel when cooled, whereas turkey stock will remain liquid and is thinner in consistency. See how to make turkey stock.
Bone broth is FULL of nutrients, collagen and gelatin, which is great for your hair, nails and skin (hello, fountain of youth!). Not only that but it's great for healing your gut, supporting your immune system, and protecting your joints. See more details here.
That's actually a great sign that your bone broth is rich in gelatin! Just like jello, which gels thanks to gelatin. If your bone broth doesn't gel, don't worry, it probably just means that you didn't have quite enough gelatin-rich bones in your stock, or maybe you had a lower bone : water ratio. You will still have plenty of nutrition in your bone broth!
Store in the refrigerator for 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
How to use it up
A lot of people enjoy sipping bone broth, but I am just not one of them. Instead, I like to use it up in recipes.
Here are my favorite ways to use it:
- cooking liquid - works great as a cooking liquid for rice (see How to Cook Rice) or quinoa (see How to Cook Perfect, Fluffy Quinoa)
- in soups - homemade broth tastes better than store bought and adds lots of flavor to this Healthier Beef & Barley Soup or this Stuffed Pepper Soup
- freezer meals - any recipe that calls for chicken stock, I reach for my bone broth. Ex: these Instant Pot Chipotle Lime Chicken Breasts and this Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
Storage
Fridge - store in an airtight 2 quart jar or jar up to 5 days in the fridge.
Freezer - freeze for up to 3 months.
- Portion out cooled turkey stock into freezer bags or mason jars.
- JARS - Leave ยผ of the jar for expansion and the lid ajar until frozen solid. BAGS- squeeze out as much air as possible and freeze flat.
Note - For storing, I used 2 quart mason jars. If you'd prefer, I also like these re-usable Bernardin Plastic Freezer Jars
Tips for freezing in jars
- only use canning jars (do not repurpose old food jars)
- avoid jars with shoulders (that taper in at the top)
- fill no more than ยพ full and leave lids ajar until fully frozen
- ensure that stock is completely cooled before placing in the freezer
More how to recipes
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Leftover Turkey Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 2 lbs turkey bones
- ยฝ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 celery rib chopped coarsely
- 1 carrot chopped coarsely
- ยฝ onion quartered
- 1 head garlic top sliced off
- scraps from turkey dinner prep carrot peels, celery leaves, etc.
- leftover herbs from turkey dinner prep
- 10 cups water (or fill to 2 inches below the top of the Instant Pot)
Instructions
- Combineย - combine all ingredients including turkey carcass, veggies and veggie scraps, apple cider vinegar, water and sea salt into the stainless steel inner pot of an Instant Pot (6 quart).
- Cook:Instant Pot-ย place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to 'sealing', and select manual (high pressure) for 120 minutes (2 hours). Allow pressure to naturally release until the pin drops (roughly 60 minutes).Slow Cooker-ย simmer on low for 24 hoursStove Top-ย simmer on low heat for 24 hours; add water as needed to cover ingredients.
- Strainย - Pour through a colander, collecting the bone broth in a large bowl or a jar. Toss all solids in the compost.
Would you like to save this?
Tips:
- as a base for soups and stews
- as a cooking liquid for rice or quinoa
- wherever a recipe calls for chicken stock
- warm it up and sip
- Fridgeย - store in an airtight 2 quart jar or jar up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Freezerย - freeze for up to 3 months.
- Portion out cooled turkey stock into freezer bags or mason jars.
- JARS - Leave ยผ of the jar for expansion and the lid ajar until frozen solid. BAGS- squeeze out as much air as possible and freeze flat.
Nutrition Information
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Jan Wortinger says
I loved the chicken Bone Broth Soup. I'm 84 years old and I' m looking for a pick me up. I think after 30 minutes I feel better.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Jan, awe! I hope that this gave you just the pick me up you needed! There's nothing like soup as comfort food. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back to leave a review, we so appreciate it!
Jon says
Thoughts on using the broth to help flavor gravy? Didn't get nearly the drippings I was hoping for, so need something to give me a better shot at making more gravy the next time I whip up some cauli mash!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jon! Gravy is not something I make often, but I have heard of people doing this. Apologies for my late reply!
Donna says
I just made this in my slow cooker. Cooked for 12 hours. I had two carcasses and two pots. It made over a gallon and I am going to drink some so I wanted it to be flavorful so I added a half can of jellied cranberry sauce to each pot. It melted right in and gave it a nice flavor! Try it!
Brittany says
Can you do this with a chicken carcass as well?
Denise says
Hi Brittany! Yes, you can. Here's my comprehensive bone broth post: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/bone-broth-recipe/
Johnna says
Oops! I set my IP to 1 hour 20 minutes... but didnโt open it for another hour. Do you think itโs still ok to use?
Denise says
Hi Johnna! I've done this by accident as well! The broth will be fine to use but it may not gel. Hope you enjoy!
Kaycee says
Haven't tried yet, but I will do this in the next couple of days. I have a couple questions.
Is it recommended to remove ALL the useable meat off the carcass before doing this?
Can the broth be frozen in ice cube trays for smaller portions, then sealed for longer storage?
I love how you reference recipes to use the bone broth in. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Denise says
Hi Kaycee! I remove as much meat as I can from the bones, but there's always some fatty stuff left, and also some that I can't seem to get off the bones, so I leave them on. So you can remove as much as you'd like, really. You can definitely freeze the broth in ice cube trays! I have a larger silicone tray that fits 1/2 cup portions that would be perfect for that. Hope you enjoyed!
Cheryl says
Thanks for the recipe. It is in my instant pot now. Do you skim off the fat when it has cooled or is this part of the nutritional value?
Denise says
Hi Cheryl! I don't find that turkey has much fat. You could skim it off if you find some on the top after it cools! Personally I don't enjoy a really fatty bone broth but it's up to you ๐ Hope you enjoy!
Laura Sr says
Always have to buy an addt'l turkey when they're on sale! So we had one last weekend & I figured there had to be an instant pot stock recipe out there! Absolutely wonderful recipe...thank you for sharing! As an added note: meats, dairy, bones & citrus DO NOT get composted in a normal compost bin/pile. Those will add bacteria and/or disrupt the normal healthy breakdown of compostable materials.
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed, Laura! That's so interesting about bones in the compost. We never added them because we didn't want to attract animals but I didn't know about the bacteria. Thanks for sharing!
Daryl says
I received an Instapot for Christmas and what a perfect way to christen it by making turkey bone broth. I just made this bone broth in an 8 quart instapot and increased all the ingredients accordingly. It came out perfect. Thanks for the recipe!!
Denise says
Hi Daryl! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! I've been thinking about getting an 8 quart IP. Thanks for leaving a review!