If you’ve never made homemade turkey broth, it’s time you do! After decades of making this recipe, let me show you how to make the richest, most flavorful turkey broth. It’s the secret ingredient for the best Thanksgiving gravy and hearty soups, bringing a depth of flavor that store-bought can’t match. While it takes a little extra effort, the payoff is worth it. Plus, there’s a special step for that beautiful brown color—something most recipes leave out. Let me share it with you!
Is turkey stock the same as turkey broth? Basically, yes. Technically broth is made with meaty pieces and stock is made with bones. Sometimes it's referred to as turkey bone broth or stock. These days the descriptions get blended. Is homemade turkey broth good for you? Absolutely! And it tastes terrific.
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Homemade turkey broth is fantastic, for sipping, and soups .
- It's easy and mostly hands-off.
- It produces a superior result compared to store bought broths and stocks.
- Break the work down over 2 days to make it easier, then freeze.
- There is an Instant Pot option, see directions.
To make a terrific turkey soup, use this recipe for chicken vegetable soup and swap leftover turkey and turkey broth.
Recipe Ingredients
Instead of using a roasted whole turkey carcass to make turkey broth, this recipe uses fresh turkey like you would for chicken stock. For 3-4 quarts of rich broth, start with 7 pounds of turkey pieces. See the recipe card for measurements.
- Turkey: Use what parts are available at the butcher or store. Remove as much skin as possible. This helps degrease the broth from the start. Buy legs, thighs, backs, or as I usually do, a combination.
- Onions: Brown, yellow or sweet all work. Don't use red because of the color. Onions add a rich savory depth of flavor and are a basic part of all broth, soups, stews and many recipes.
- Carrots: For the sweetness. Carrots, onions and celery are the classic triangle to good flavor. It's the French mire-poix mix or the Italian soffritto.
- Celery ribs: For great base vegetable flavor and part of the critical three veggie components.
- Garlic: Use a nice whole fresh head of garlic, no need to peel or break into cloves.
- White wine: Wine or dry vermouth adds wonderful flavor. Don't buy a big bottle to cook with. The mini airline sized bottles are perfect and easy to keep in the pantry.
- Bay leaves: add another layer of complex and subtle flavor to many dishes. Use dried, and if you want to do something fun, plant a small tree (more of a shrub) in your yard for fresh leaves. I love mine.
- Parsley: Go fresh, not dried. Choose the Italian or flat leaf variety; curly is a bit more bitter.
- Thyme: Go with fresh sprigs, another essential herb and easy to grow. One of my top most used fresh herbs. Toss in whole sprigs. No need to strip the leaves.
- Pepper: Use whole black peppercorns for a full bodied taste. Cracked or ground will taste spicy and overpowering. The world's most traded spice. A must for all broths.
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.
Recipe Instructions
Roasting is the secret step to insure rich, flavorful stock. Roasting the turkey meat, bones and and fresh veggies produces that amazing flavor and color.
Because I make a big batch for multiple uses, my preferred method uses a big stockpot (for bigger quantity) versus a pressure cooker, slow cooker, or crock pot (smaller quantity).
If you want to use an Instant Pot, roast the meat and vegetables and split the broth making process into 2 batches.
Step 1: Roast the turkey and vegetables
Distribute the turkey parts in a large roasting pan, then top with chopped carrots, celery, onion, a split head of garlic (unpeeled). Roast the turkey and vegetables for 1 hour at 375°F, then add 1 cup of 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 note: The wine is a great addition adding nice flavor, and deglazing the pan. If you don't use wine in cooking, use water or chicken broth.
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 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: Slowly simmer broth, don't boil, or the broth will be cloudy.
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 leftover 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.
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, more like chicken broth.
Step 4: Refrigerate and de-fat
Transfer the cold broth to a large storage container 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 (like these Souper Cubes), 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 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 really simple to make.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, turkey broth freezes perfectly. If you don't use all of the broth within 4 days, portion, label and freeze. Use within 3 months.
There are multiple ways to thaw frozen broth. 1) Place containers from the freezer into the refrigerator for 24 hours and thaw slowly. 2) Place frozen containers in a sink with cold water to start the thaw, then place semi-frozen broth into a pot and heat over low until liquid. 3) Use your microwave on a low setting such as manual defrost at about 40% power. When it is fairly thawed, transfer to a pot on the stovetop on low and finish thawing.
Do not leave broth out on the counter to thaw at room temperature as this is not food safe. It puts the broth into what is called food temperature danger zone.
You can use glass mason jars, square glass containers like these, or Souper Cubes are a terrific new option. I use the ½ cup, 1 cup, 2 cup sizes.
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.
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 homemade turkey broth, 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
Homemade Turkey Broth
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
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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
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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.