If you've never made homemade turkey broth, it's time you do! After years of making this recipe, I've perfected a method for the richest, most flavorful turkey broth recipe, starting with roasted turkey legs and thighs plus caramelized vegetables. This is truly amazing broth, slow-simmered for hours until golden and deeply savory. It's the secret to incredible Thanksgiving gravy, soups, and sauces, with a depth of flavor no store-bought version can touch.
Is turkey stock the same as turkey broth? Basically, yes. Technically, broth is made with meaty turkey pieces, while stock is made mostly from bones. You'll also hear it called turkey bone broth or turkey stock-the terms are often used interchangeably.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love Turkey Broth
- Rich flavor, simple process. Roasting the turkey pieces and vegetables first creates a deeply flavored broth with almost no extra effort.
- Hands-off cooking. Once it's simmering, the stove does the work.
- Better than store-bought. The depth, aroma, and clean ingredients make this homemade broth unbeatable.
- Make ahead and freeze. Break the process into two easy days, freeze portions for soups, sauces, and gravies later.
To make a terrific turkey soup, use this recipe for chicken vegetable soup and swap leftover turkey and turkey broth.
Ingredients You'll Need
Instead of using a roasted turkey carcass, this recipe starts with fresh turkey parts-just like making chicken stock, but richer. For 3-4 quarts of deeply flavorful broth, start with about 7 pounds of turkey pieces.
- Turkey - Use a mix of legs, thighs, backs, or whatever your butcher has. Starting with meaty pieces gives the broth a richer body and golden color.
- Onions - Brown, yellow, or sweet onions add savory depth. Avoid red onions, which can tint the broth. Onions form part of the classic flavor base for stocks and broths.
- Carrots - Add natural sweetness and balance. Together with onion and celery, they form the classic French mirepoix (or Italian soffritto) that builds flavor.
- Celery ribs - Essential for aromatic, earthy flavor and balance in the broth.
- Garlic - Use a whole head of garlic, unpeeled. It gently perfumes the broth as it simmers.
- White wine or dry vermouth - Adds depth and subtle acidity to round out the flavors. Small airline size bottles are perfect to keep on hand for cooking.
- Bay leaves - Leaves add a faint herbal note that brings everything together.
- Parsley - Fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley adds brightness. Skip the dried.
- Thyme - Fresh sprigs are best. Toss them in whole. A must-have herb for turkey broth.
- Black peppercorns - Use whole peppercorns for gentle spice and rounded flavor.
Please see the recipe card for measurements.
Use turkey broth in this French Onion Soup, it's a great alternative to beef broth.
Chef's tip: How much salt? None. Never add salt to your broth. Add salt to the dish you're cooking with the broth. This gives you more control over the salt levels in a dish.
How to Make This Turkey Broth Recipe
Roasting is the secret step to a rich, deeply flavorful turkey broth. Roasting the turkey pieces, bones, and vegetables intensifies their natural flavor and gives the broth that beautiful golden-brown color. It's the difference between a good turkey broth and a truly great one.
Because this recipe makes a large batch (perfect for freezing), the stovetop stockpot method is ideal. You'll get the best flavor and high yield by simmering slowly for several hours, rather than using a smaller pressure cooker or slow cooker.
If you prefer to use an Instant Pot, you can absolutely do that-just roast the turkey and vegetables first, then divide the ingredients and make the broth in two batches for best results. See my Instant Pot chicken broth recipe for the timing and directions.
Step 1: Roast the turkey and vegetables
Remove as much skin as possible from the turkey pieces. Distribute the turkey parts in a large roasting pan, then top with roughly chopped carrots, celery, onion, and a split head of garlic (unpeeled).
Roast the turkey and vegetables for 1 hour at 375°F, then add 1 cup of dry white wine or dry white vermouth and roast for another 30 minutes. This is what you use to make the broth. Allow the roasted turkey and vegetables to cool, refrigerate until the next day to make the broth. Breaking up the process make it more manageable.
Chef's Tip - Remove the Skin Before Roasting. Removing the skin before roasting gives you a cleaner, more refined turkey broth. It reduces grease from the start and leaves more room in the pot for meaty, collagen-rich pieces that build body and depth of flavor. You'll spend less time skimming, get a broth that freezes and reheats beautifully, and still achieve a rich golden color from the roasted meat and vegetables.
Step 2: Start the broth
Early the next morning, place everything in a large 10-12 quart stock pot and cover with 5 quarts of cold water to start. Add bay leaves, fresh thyme, parsley, and black peppercorns to the pot.
Turn up the heat to get the pot to a simmer, then turn down to low for a low gentle bubble for 10-12 hours. As the broth cooks down and the water level drops, add boiling water from a tea kettle. Over a 12 hour period I add from 1-3 quarts to keep the water level up.
Cooking long and slow ensures extracting the most flavor and nutrition for fantastic turkey broth. The house will smell like roasting turkey and you will have a rich, golden brown broth, full of flavor.
Chef's Tip: Simmer Don't Boil. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. Boiling breaks up the proteins and vegetables, turning the broth cloudy and muddy in flavor. Slow simmering draws out flavor and keeps the clarity of the broth.
Step 3: Strain and chill
Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a large clean pot. Don't use plastic as it will slow cooling. Discard the spent bones, meat and vegetables.
Quickly chill the strained broth by placing the pot in an ice water bath. Fill a sink half full with with cold water and ice. To speed cooling, place something under the pot like a trivet so cold water circulates underneath (the photo is chicken broth).
Stir broth occasionally for faster cooling. You want the broth cooling as quickly as possible for food safety. Cool to 70°F before refrigerating.
Chef's tip: If you want to skip the roasting process you can still make great turkey broth. The flavors will not be as rich but it's still delicious.
Step 4: Refrigerate and degrease
Transfer the cold broth to large storage containers and cover to refrigerate overnight. I use these commercial kitchen style Cambro containers.
In the morning, remove any fat that has solidified on top. Divide broth into containers, label and freeze for Thanksgiving and after. Homemade turkey broth will add big flavors to your Thanksgiving recipes.
Chef's Tip: Make the broth Monday of Thanksgiving week and it will be good until Thursday. For longer use, freeze it. You can also make it a week or more ahead and freeze.
Instant Pot Turkey Broth Option
Roast the turkey parts and veggies as the directions outline. Split the batch in half and make two batches of turkey broth in the Instant Pot. A 1 quart Instant Pot holds 3 ½ - 4 pounds of the meat and veggies. Fill with water to the max line, lock on the lid, press the broth setting and set for 2 hours.
After two hours, allow natural pressure release then strain and chill, and do the next batch. It's following my Instant Pot chicken broth recipe but with turkey.
Serving Suggestions
Roasted turkey broth is what i use to make my turkey gravy on Thanksgiving. It's also terrific in soups and risotto, just about anywhere you would use a good broth. For good sipping on a chilly day, remember to add a little salt for flavor.
I use it to make my easy French onion soup. Look at the photo above and see how dark and rich the soup looks. That's not beef broth but homemade turkey broth! Another soup it's terrific in is my creamy black bean and pumpkin soup, plus it's a really simple soup to make.
How to Freeze Turkey Broth
If you don't plan to use your turkey broth within 4 days, portion and freeze it for later. Turkey broth freezes beautifully and keeps for up to 3 months.
Best containers for freezing:
I freeze all of my broths in Souper Cubes®. The ½-cup, 1-cup, and 2-cup Souper Cubes are ideal for portioning, thawing, and cooking. Glass Mason jars, or square glass containers with tight-fitting lids also work.
To thaw frozen broth:
- Refrigerator method (best): Transfer containers to the refrigerator for 24 hours to thaw slowly.
- Cold-water method: Submerge sealed containers in a bowl of cold water until partially thawed, then heat gently on the stovetop over low heat.
- Microwave method: Defrost at 40% power or on the "manual defrost" setting until slushy, then transfer to a pot and finish thawing on low.
⚠️ Food Safety Tip: Never thaw broth on the counter at room temperature. It puts the broth in the temperature danger zone (41°F-135°F) where bacteria can grow rapidly.
Recipe FAQs
Use turkey broth in place of chicken broth for soups, stews, risotto and just about any where you need broth, being sure the flavor is complimentary.
No. Keeping your broth unsalted makes it more versatile, so you can season precisely when using it in soups, sauces, or gravy later.
Yes. Roast the turkey pieces and vegetables first for rich flavor, then transfer to your Instant Pot. Do this is two batches for a 6-quart Instant Pot. Add cold water to the max fill line and cook on High Pressure for 2 hours, followed by a natural release. Strain and cool before using or freezing. The longer cook time extracts deeper flavor and gelatin from the bones for a richer broth.
Technically no, but roasting creates deeper flavor and color. The caramelization adds that rich golden brown hue and roasted aroma that separates homemade from store-bought broth.
Cloudy broth usually means it boiled too hard. Always keep it at a gentle simmer and avoid stirring. Boiling emulsifies fat and proteins into the liquid, making it look cloudy. It's still delicious, just not clear.
More Broth and Soups Recipes
For more broth recipes, try my long-simmered chicken bone broth, Instant Pot chicken broth, or vegetable broth. And here's my terrific Thanksgiving stuffing recipe where you can use this turkey broth.
⭐️Did You Make This?
If you make this turkey broth recipe, please comment and let me know. I appreciate hearing from you. If you loved it, please give it a 5 star rating! They really help other readers. And if you have any questions, comment or email me.
📖 Recipe
Turkey Broth Recipe
Equipment
- OR a large heavy duty disposable aluminum pan works You may need to double them up for strength or place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet pan for support. Dispose of after use.
Ingredients
For the oven
- 7 pounds turkey pieces thighs, necks, legs
- 1 large onion brown, yellow, sweet, white
- 3-4 large carrots
- 3-4 celery ribs
- 1 whole head garlic
- 1 cup white wine or dry white vermouth or water
For the stockpot
- 3 bay leaves fresh or dry
- ½ bunch Italian parsley
- ½ bunch fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- 5 quarts cold water
- Boiling hot water to fill pot as needed
Instructions
Heat oven, prep turkey
- Pre-heat oven to 375° (190 c) and get out a large roasting pan. Remove as much skin and any extra fat that you can from turkey pieces. Place pieces into the roasting pan in a single layer.
Prep veggies and roast
- Roughly chop onions, carrots and celery. Split garlic head horizontally through the center (no need to peel). Add vegetables and garlic to the roasting pan with the turkey. Place pan in the oven and roast for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, add the wine and roast another 30 minutes.
Make the broth
- Place roasted turkey and vegetables into a large stock pot (10-12 quarts). Add bay leaves, parsley, thyme, peppercorns and cold water. Bring the pot to just under a boil, turn down to low and barely simmer for 10-12 hours. You want the pot to be at a slow, gentle bubble to extract as much flavor as possible. When the water level drops about 2", add a little boiling water from a tea kettle, keeping the ingredients just under water.
- At the end of 10-12 hours, remove all meat, vegetables, herbs and discard, as they will be spent. Drain broth through a fine sieve into a clean large pot or bowl. Place in a sink filled with ice and cold water to cool quickly. Place pot on a trivet or small rack to help water circulation under the pot for faster cooling. Stir occasionally. You want the broth to cool as quickly as possible for food safety.
- When stock is cool, below 70°, cover and place in the refrigerator. The next morning, remove any fat solidified on top, place into containers, label and freeze.
Notes
Nutrition
Would you like to save this recipe?
Never lose a recipe! We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.
Tracey says
Love that I found this recipe. It is a great soup base and makes the best gravy! Thanks for sharing!
Sally Cameron says
I'm glad you found it to! Thanks for commenting!
Vinny says
Excellent recipe and nicely presented. I use a very similar recipe the weekend before Thanksgiving Day and it lasts just fine in the refrigerator. I make another batch with the carcus of the Thanksgivings Day bird, we freeze that batch. It yields about a gallon and a half.
Sally Cameron says
Thanks Vinny. I still have some in my freezer. Used it for black bean pumpkin soup yesterday. Great way not to waste those turkey bones.
Paula says
Are you telling me to roast the turey, I got legs then simmer them after they are roasted. They are n the oven and are not making much broth.
Sally says
Hi Paula. Yes, you roast the turkey parts and veggies, then use that to simmer with the water to make the broth. The roasting adds richness and flavor. Let me know if you have any ore questions. It's really good when it is done and your house will smell like roast turkey while it is cooking. Read through the recipe one more time.
Bonnie says
After the roasting is done can the next step be done in a slow cooker?
Sally says
Hi Bonnie. Honestly I have never tried that because I am not a big slow cooker person. I usually go the other direction with tools, and that would be pressure cooking for speed. Because broth cooks a long time at a low simmer, and you have to add water as the level drops, I personally would stick with the stovetop method. I would also think that a slow cooker would limit how much broth you could make at once. When I do broth or stock, I use a 12 quart pot and make a big quantity, then strain, chill and freeze in small containers.
marcia says
Fabulous recipe! I will never boil the heck out of a chicken to make broth again!
Christine (CookTheStory) says
I agree with you. Homemade broth rocks and if it's to much for your family, it freezes well for a later use. Excellent tutorial.
Sally says
Thanks Christine! I wanted to add the shot we took of the broth cooling in an ice bath for a quick visual, but it was not a pretty pic. Checked out your blog. Nice! Thanks again for commenting.