Crockpot turkey stock is the easiest turkey stock recipe there is! Simply put your leftover turkey into your slow cooker, add some water, and turn it on!
If you havent tried making turkey stock in your slow cooker, youre in for a real treat. Its almost completely hands-off and is the quickest and easiest way to clean up after a big turkey dinner!
The long and gentle cooking keeps the stock clean (no yucky foam to spoon off the top) and extracts all the delicious flavor from the bones. Cooking the stock in your slow cooker also keeps your house from becoming a hot turkey steam room. Big bonus.
The list of ingredients is so short that it feels a bit silly to even talk about it. Heres what you need:
Thats it! Because the roasted bones have so much flavor, we dont add vegetables or seasonings to the stock. It also means that you can add them straight to your crockpot after dinner without making more (chopping veggies) work for yourself.
Making turkey stock in a slow cooker or crockpot is an easy and delicious way to use up leftover turkey bones and scraps after the holiday meal. The long cooking time extracts maximum flavor from the bones, creating a rich and hearty turkey broth perfect for soups, stews, gravies, and more.
Benefits of Making Turkey Stock in a Crockpot
There are several advantages to using a crockpot for homemade turkey stock
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Hands-off cooking: Once all the ingredients go into the slow cooker, the work is done. The low heat gently simmers the stock for hours without needing to monitor it.
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Bring out flavors: The long cooking time allows the bones, vegetables, and seasonings to fully infuse the water, resulting in a stock packed with savory turkey essence.
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Convenience: You can prep the ingredients the night before and set the crockpot before heading to bed. Wake up to wonderfully aromic homemade stock ready for use.
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Budget-friendly Turkey stock made from leftover bones and scraps is frugal and reduces food waste, The flavor rivals store-bought options
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Versatile uses: Homemade turkey stock is the perfect base for classic turkey noodle soup, pot pies, risotto, and more. It also makes a soothing hot drink when simmered with herbs.
Tips for Making Turkey Stock in a Crockpot
Follow these tips to make the most flavorful batch of homemade turkey stock in your slow cooker:
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Use bony turkey pieces like the neck back wings, and drumsticks. The bones contribute the most flavor.
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Add aromatics like onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and herbs. Mirepoix vegetables classically form the flavor base.
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For deeper flavor, roast the bones and vegetables at 400°F for 30 minutes before adding to the slow cooker.
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Add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to help extract minerals from the bones.
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Keep the liquid level 1-2 inches below the crockpot rim to prevent boil overs.
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Skim excess fat and foam that rises to the top periodically for a clearer stock.
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Add chicken feet or pig trotters for extra body, gelatin, and nutrients if desired.
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Cook the stock on low setting for 8-12 hours, or high for 4-6 hours. Longer times yield richer stock.
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Strain the stock through a mesh sieve before use. Cheesecloth or coffee filters give a clearer result.
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Cool and portion stock into freezer bags or containers. Frozen stock keeps for 4 months.
Ingredients for Turkey Stock in a Crockpot
Turkey stock is simple to make with basic pantry ingredients:
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Turkey carcass and bones: This forms the base. Use bones with cartilage for more body.
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Aromatic vegetables: Onion, carrot, celery, and garlic are standard. Fennel, parsley, leeks, and tomato paste also work.
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Herbs and spices: Bay leaves, thyme, parsley, black peppercorns, and allspice berries.
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Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice: 1-2 tablespoons helps extract nutrients from the bones.
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Water: Add enough cold water to cover bones by 1-2 inches.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow this simple process for fail-proof turkey stock in the crockpot:
Prep the Ingredients
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Chop veggies: Medium dice the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and any other aromatics.
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Rinse bones: Give the turkey bones a quick rinse under water. Pat dry with paper towels.
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Par-roast (optional): Roast bones and vegetables at 400°F for 30 minutes for deeper flavor.
Assemble in Slow Cooker
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Place turkey bones into the slow cooker. Pile them in, leaving space for liquid.
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Add chopped vegetables, garlic, and any herbs and spices.
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Pour in enough cold water to cover by about 1 inch below the rim.
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Add vinegar or lemon juice. Cider vinegar gives a light tang.
Cook the Stock
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Cook on LOW for 8-12 hours, or HIGH for 4-6 hours. Longer yields more flavor extraction.
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Occasionally skim away foam and fat that floats to the surface using a spoon.
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Give it a taste and season with salt near the end if desired. Go easy, you can always add more later.
Finish and Store
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Turn off slow cooker and allow stock to cool slightly before straining.
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Pass through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Discard solids.
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Portion into containers and chill in fridge for 3-5 days, or freeze for 4 months.
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Remove fat layer that solidifies on top before use.
And that’s it! With these simple steps, you’ll have delicious homemade turkey stock ready to enrich soups, stews, gravies, and more. Experiment with different vegetable and herb combinations for unique flavors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the benefit of roasting the bones first?
Roasting browns the bones and vegetables, creating more depth of flavor and color in the finished stock. It’s an optional extra step.
What aromatics work best?
Onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and bay leaves are standard. Thyme, parsley, fennel, leeks, and tomato paste also work well.
Is it necessary to skim off foam and fat?
It’s not mandatory, but it helps clarify the stock. The fat can be chilled and reused too.
How do you know when it’s done?
Taste the stock after 8 or more hours on low. It should be rich, flavorful, and aromatic when done.
Can you use a whole turkey carcass?
Absolutely. Use leftover cooked or raw turkey bones, scraps, and carcasses for stock.
Making homemade turkey stock in the crockpot is easy, budget-friendly, and incredibly flavorful. Follow this simple guide for rich, nourishing turkey bone broth ready to use in a variety of dishes any time of year. Get creative with vegetables, herbs, and spices for customized flavor profiles.
What to make with leftover turkey
If you have any leftover turkey (lucky you!), try one of these recipes:
Or for more inspiration, check out all of our turkey dinner leftovers recipes!
Once youve cooked and completely cooled your turkey stock you can transfer it to mason jars or airtight storage containers – we LOVE these reusable Stasher freezer bags.
In the fridge: crockpot turkey stock will last 2-3 days.
In the freezer: crockpot turkey stock keeps for at least 6 months in your freezer.
How to make crockpot turkey stock
We LOVE making turkey stock in our slow cooker after Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey dinner. The biggest reason why we love it so much is that making the stock becomes part of cleaning up and not a whole other task. Usually, you have to find a place in your full fridge to store the turkey bones until youre ready to use them. But instead, ‘store them in your crockpot and the next day youll have stock. Two birds, one stone.
- Take as much of the meat off of the turkey bones. (And see below for some ideas about what to make with leftover turkey!)
- Break the bones into pieces small enough to fit into your slow cooker – dont worry, they break easily. Now put the bones into your crockpot and fill it up with water. You want the water to cover the bones with at least 2 inches of water.
- Turn your crockpot onto low heat and set the timer for as long as it goes. The stock will be ready in 8 hours, but you can easily let it gently simmer for up to 24 hours. This gives you lots of flexibility in when to finish the stock.
- When youre ready, strain the stock once through a colander to remove any large bones and a second time through a fine-mesh sieve to take out the small gritty bits. Thats it! Youve just made slow cooker turkey stock!