How to Use Turkey Stock to Make Delicious Meals

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Making homemade Turkey Stock is an easy way to extend delicious holiday leftovers. Use it for turkey soup or freeze it for later!

Post holiday leftovers are always a beloved way to extend the celebrating just a little bit longer.

A fabulous and EASY way to do this when turkey has been served is to make some homemade Turkey Stock.

It’s rich with flavor, easy to store or freeze and a perfect jumping off point for making homemade soups.

Though this post is focusing on turkey stock, many of the fundamentals are the same of making any type of stock.

Turkey stock is one of the most versatile ingredients to have on hand in your kitchen Made from simmering turkey bones, meat scraps, and veggies, this flavorful liquid can transform soups, stews, gravies, risottos, and more Read on to learn everything you need to know about how to make and use turkey stock.

What is Turkey Stock?

Turkey stock is made by simmering turkey bones, wings, neck, and carcass in water for several hours. Vegetables like onion, celery, carrots, and herbs are also added to impart more flavor. The long simmering time extracts gelatin from the bones, resulting in a rich, tasty broth.

Unlike turkey broth, true turkey stock only uses bones, no meat. The finished product is not seasoned, allowing you to control the flavor. Turkey broth contains meat and is usually seasoned.

Benefits of Homemade Turkey Stock

  • Much more flavorful than store-bought broths
  • Economics – uses turkey leftovers/scraps that would otherwise be discarded
  • Control over ingredients – no additives or preservatives
  • Provides minerals from the bones like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium
  • Adds protein and nutrients from the turkey and veggies
  • Fresher and healthier than canned/boxed broths

How to Make Turkey Stock

Making your own turkey stock at home is easy Here are the basic steps

  • Place turkey carcass, wings, bones in a large pot. Add veggies like onion, celery, carrots.
  • Pour in enough water to cover bones by a few inches. Add herbs like thyme, parsley, bay leaves.
  • Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 6-12 hours. Skim off any foam on the surface.
  • Strain through a mesh strainer into a large bowl or pot. Cool completely then refrigerate.
  • Once chilled, remove the solidified fat from the top. Turkey stock can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for 4-6 months.

For the most flavor, simmer the stock as long as possible, ideally 6-12 hours A longer simmer extracts more gelatin and nutrients from the bones

How to Use Turkey Stock

Now that you have this flavorful, homemade turkey stock, here are some delicious ways to use it:

Soups

Turkey stock is the perfect base for hearty winter soups. Simply sauté aromatics like onion and garlic in olive oil, then add your stock along with veggies, pasta, rice or turkey meat. Season to taste.

  • Turkey Noodle Soup – Cook egg noodles in the stock with carrots, celery, shredded turkey. Finish with parsley.

  • Turkey and Wild Rice Soup – Simmer wild rice in the stock with sautéed onion, garlic, shredded turkey, and greens.

  • Creamy Turkey Soup – Make a roux with butter and flour, whisk in stock and milk/cream. Add turkey, potato, corn, herbs.

Gravy

For the most flavorful gravy, use turkey stock instead of plain water. Make a roux with butter and flour then whisk in turkey stock. Simmer and season with salt, pepper and herbs.

Risotto

Turkey stock can elevate a basic risotto. Make it with Arborio rice, shallot, wine, and turkey stock for incredible flavor. Finish with Parmesan cheese.

Stews

Braise chunks of turkey or chicken in turkey stock along with potatoes, carrots, celery, and herbs for a hearty stew. The stock adds great turkey flavor.

Sauces

From pan sauces to larger batches of marinara or Bolognese, replace water or broth with turkey stock for more flavor. Use it to simmer sauces or as the braising liquid.

Stuffing and Dressing

Moisten leftover stuffing or dressings with turkey stock instead of plain water or broth. The stock adds moisture while boosting the turkey flavor.

Cooking Grains and Beans

Cook rice, quinoa, barley, beans or lentils in diluted turkey stock instead of water. It infuses the grains and beans with more flavor.

Casseroles and Bakes

When making casseroles, bakes or savory bread puddings, replace some of the milk or water with turkey stock for added flavor.

Mashed Potatoes

For ultra creamy, flavorful mashed potatoes, use a 50/50 mix of turkey stock and milk when mashing them instead of just milk and butter.

Boiling Vegetables

Add a splash of turkey stock to the water when boiling or blanching veggies. It provides extra flavor compared to plain water.

Tips for Using Turkey Stock

  • For a lighter flavor, dilute the stock with water or broth. Use full strength stock for the most flavor impact.

  • Freeze stock in ice cube trays or muffin tins for easy portioning for recipes.

  • Store turkey stock alongside chicken and vegetable stock for an array of options when cooking.

  • Label frozen stock with the date and turkey variety (breast, whole, dark meat) for reference.

  • When possible, use stock made from the same turkey variety you are cooking for the best match.

  • If the stock is too salty, dilute with water or milk when using in recipes as needed.

  • For convenience, substitute turkey stock 1:1 for chicken stock in any recipe.

With this handy guide, you’ll be prepared to put your homemade turkey stock to delicious use. Enjoy it in everything from classic soups and stews togravies, risottos, casseroles and more for incredible flavor in your cooking.

how to use turkey stock

How to Use Turkey Stock

Turkey stock is great as a soup base. Add leftover turkey meat and vegetables, simmer and you are done!

But soup is only a start for how to use turkey stock.

  • Use it when making turkey gravy.
  • Add it when making sauces from scratch.
  • Have you tried braising? It’s a delicious liquid to use.
  • Add it to stews.
  • Use it as a liquid for Instant Pot recipes for extra flavor.

Want to know a SECRET?: one of the easiest and most delicious side dish recipes I love to make is mashed sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot. It’s SO good due to using chicken broth. Turkey stock used in this way would also add so much flavor.

What is Turkey Broth?

Turkey broth is made in a similar way to turkey stock but DOES include meat. Technically, broth is a liquid that has had meat simmered in it.

Preparing broth CAN contain bones but doesn’t have to. It DOES have to contain meat in the simmering.

Broth is often flavored with seasonings so could be sipped or used as a soup base.

If you’ve made stock or soup from scratch you may have run into the term ‘mirepoix’. Mirepoix is a French term pronounced ‘meer-pwaa’.

Mirepoix is a combination of chopped vegetables which are sautéed on lower heat in butter or oil. It is used as a flavor base for soup or stews.

The vegetables are NOT browned or cooked until caramelized or translucent in the case of onions.

The classic mirepoix trio is: carrots, celery and onion.

We are using this in the turkey stock recipe.

Brad Makes Thanksgiving Turkey Stock | From the Test Kitchen | Bon Appetit

FAQ

What is turkey broth good for?

When the bones, vegetables, and herbs cook down into an aromatic and satisfying broth, while the amino acids and nutrients concentrate into all that goodness, including: Collagen reduces gut inflammation, improves digestion, and helps regulate stomach acid production.

Can I use turkey stock in place of chicken stock?

You can use roasted turkey stock in most any recipe that calls for chicken stock. Cooked with the same aromatics, it’s a simple one-to-one swap that’ll work beautifully. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to make when we’ve got homemade stock in the fridge or freezer: Cream of Mushroom Soup.

What to do with turkey stock besides soup?

One thing I like to do is when sauteing veggies, add a few spoonfuls early on. The water evaporates off and the sugars in the stock caramelize all over the delicious veggie bits. Throw some into marinara sauces to add body. Reduce your stock to make a turkey-glace for sauces.

What’s the difference between turkey broth and stock?

Is Broth Different from Stock? There is one major difference between broth and stock: Broth is made from meat and vegetables, but stock is made with bones. While both are flavorful, broth tends to be thinner. It’s cooked for less time, and it doesn’t contain stock’s thick, viscous texture.

What can you make with Turkey stock?

The other ingredients needed—whole carrots, yellow onions, celery stalks, black peppercorns, and fresh parsley—are easy to find and inexpensive. Once made, turkey stock can be used to make homemade pan gravy, stuffing, glazed Brussels sprouts, and even Turkey Meatball Soup.

What are the health benefits of ground turkey?

Ground turkey has multiple benefits. It is a good source of minerals, and B vitamins, rich in proteins, low in fat and it is lower in calories than common turkey.

How do you make Turkey stock?

To make turkey stock: Break the leftover turkey carcass into pieces that’ll fit into a large pot. Cover the bones with cold water. If you want, add chopped vegetables, some herbs, and bay leaves. Bring it all to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer the stock and let it lazily cook low and slow for hours. Skim it a few times if you’d like.

Can you make Turkey stock from turkey carcass?

Put your turkey carcass to good use for this gorgeous, richly flavored turkey stock. It’s the perfect base for soups, stews and other dishes down the line. It doesn’t take a lot of effort for homemade turkey stock.

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  4. The Absolute Must-Have Gear for Turkey Hunting Success

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