Turkey Bone Broth Recipe (3 Methods)

This easy turkey bone broth recipe uses leftover turkey bones or the carcass. It's rich and nourishing and makes an excellent base for other dishes. Learn how to make it on the stovetop, instant pot, and slow cooker.

A whole turkey for Thanksgiving, roasted turkey legs, or wings are delicious! But what to do with the bones? The simplest answer is to make stock or, even better, a delicious turkey bone broth.

Make a homemade turkey bone broth with basic ingredients like turkey bones, veggies, and water. Learn to make this wholesome broth easily from scratch and use either a pot, the instant pot, or the slow cooker. Enjoy this homemade elixir's health benefits and rich taste; it adds depth to your favorite meals.

For instance, make this Lentil and Turkey Soup or the Stewed Turkey using our homemade turkey broth.

Jump to recipe

• 🍲What is bone broth?
• 📋Recipe ingredients
• 👩🏻‍🍳How to make turkey bone broth?
• 🦃Variations
• 🔊Expert Tips
• ❓Recipe FAQ
• 🏺How to store?
• 🍽️How to use homemade bone broth?
• 📖Recipe
• Turkey Bone Broth Recipe

🍲What is bone broth?

The liquid is obtained by slowly simmering the bones, bits of meat, and connective tissues of animals for a long period of time. It can be made from turkey bones, chicken, beef bone broth, pork, lamb stock, or venison broth. I often use the bones of our Christmas duck or geese.

Broth versus stock

Broths are made by boiling pieces of meat for a relatively short time.

Stocks are made by simmering the bones for a bit longer, usually 4-6 hours. I prefer making homemade turkey stock or chicken stock as they are more flavorful than simple broth and allow me to use the bones I would not use for any other purpose.

Bone broth is made by cooking bones that still have bits of meat attached to them in water for a long time, about 24 hours. The long cooking time extracts lots of nutrients from the bones. More collagen and amino nutrients are released into the liquid. The liquid will have a gelatinous texture once cool.

Bone broth benefits

• Flavor enhancement: Bone broth adds depth and richness to various dishes, making them more flavorful.
• Versatility in cooking: It is a versatile base for soups, stews, sauces, and gravies.
• Economical and reduces waste: Utilizing leftover bones and veggie scraps minimizes food waste, making it a cost-effective cooking ingredient.
• Homemade goodness: Making bone broth at home allows you to control the ingredients, ensuring a wholesome and preservative-free product.
• Healthy: Bone broth contains essential stuff like collagen, amino acids, and minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which can help your body stay healthy.

📋Recipe ingredients

• Bones: You can use the leftover carcass from your Thanksgiving turkey or any bones from your holiday meals. You can also make bone broth using fresh bones, but in this case, you should roast them first; roasting will deepen their flavor.
• Vegetables are optional, but I always add them to any bone broth or stock I make. I usually have celeriac or celery stalks, carrots, onion, and garlic.
• Spices: Fine sea salt or kosher salt, black peppercorns, bay leaves, a splash of apple cider vinegar (or another vinegar), parsley. You can add other fresh herbs for extra flavor, such as one sprig of rosemary or a few small thyme sprigs.

👩🏻‍🍳How to make turkey bone broth?

• Roast the bones, but only if they are fresh. Leftover carcasses or other bones from a roast don't have to be roasted again.

Instant pot bone broth instructions

• Advantage: It cooks much faster compared to other methods.
• Disadvantage: The instant pot has a smaller capacity than regular soup pots, so you'll need to prepare a smaller batch of bone broth, using approximately 1.7 – 2 lbs/ 800 – 900 g of bones.

Slow cooker turkey bone broth instructions

• Advantages: You can begin the preparation in the morning and complete it upon returning home in the evening, or let it cook overnight.
• The slow cooker has a larger capacity, allowing you to prepare a bigger batch than an instant pot.

Stovetop turkey bone broth instructions

• Advantage: No need for special gadgets, though you'll have to be okay with letting the broth simmer on the stovetop overnight (24 hours).
• Disadvantages: The necessity to leave it simmering on the stovetop for an extended period might be a concern. This is why I prefer using the instant pot or slow cooker. The stovetop method is ideal for making turkey stock, usually ready in about 6 hours.

​How to remove the excess fat?

Let the bone broth cool down completely in the pot. Cover it and put it in the fridge overnight. The fat will become solid on top, and you can scoop it out easily with a spoon.

Or, pour the broth into jars and refrigerate once it's cool. When you take out a jar to use, simply remove the fat layer from the surface.

🦃Variations

• Use this recipe to make bone broth from fresh or leftover chicken bones, goose, duck, veal, beef, lamb, pork, venison bones, or any of them. If buying fresh bones, ask for “soup bones” and add some beef marrow bones, if available.
• Also, include parts like knuckles, feet, or wings; these parts contain more cartilage.

🔊Expert Tips

❓Recipe FAQ

🏺How to store?

• Sieve through a large sieve to remove the bones, vegetables, and spices and through a finer sieve to remove the small impurities. Pour the liquid into large jars with lids or other containers. Let cool on the counter.
• Refrigerate once cool. Pour it into large mason jars or an airtight container. It can be safely stored for 4 to 5 days. Always check that it is still okay before using it; if it starts to smell weird (sour), discard it. 
• Freeze it in freezer-safe containers; it will be good for up to 1 year. It can be frozen in freezer containers, freezer bags, or cube trays. Freezing it in cubes will allow you to defrost smaller portions needed to enrich the taste of a soup or stew to make sauces or gravies.

🍽️How to use homemade bone broth?

Make soups, stews, sauces, or gravies.

📖Recipe