Instant Pot turkey bone broth is an ideal way to use up Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers. Our flavorful golden version gels beautifully due to its high levels of collagen/gelatin, which is touted for all sorts of health and beauty benefits. Most importantly, it tastes incredibly good. Use it in soups and other recipes or for sipping. You can use this exact method with chicken bones, too!
Turkey bone broth made in the Instant Pot is an incredibly easy, nutritious, and tasty way to use up leftover bones and carcasses after the holidays. Simmering bones for hours extracts collagen, minerals and other nutrients, resulting in a comforting and soothing broth perfect for drinking on its own or using as the base for soups, stews and more. In this article, I’ll walk you through the entire process of making turkey bone broth step-by-step.
Why Make Your Own Bone Broth?
There are so many great reasons to make homemade bone broth especially using an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker
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Saves Money Buying pre-made bone broth can get expensive. Making your own allows you to create quarts of bone broth for only the cost of some basic aromatics and bones you likely already have on hand
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Avoids Additives: Many store-bought broths contain preservatives, flavors and other additives you’ll want to avoid. Making your own allows you to control exactly what goes in.
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Nutrient Dense: Simmering bones for hours extracts collagen, amino acids, minerals like calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, and more. This nourishes your body from the inside out.
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Delicious Flavor: Homemade broth tastes incredible, adding rich, deep flavor to any dish or drink. The smell alone while it simmers is amazing!
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Soothing: There’s something comforting about sipping a mug of warm, homemade bone broth. It’s an excellent way to hydrate.
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Easy: Thanks to the Instant Pot, simmering broth for hours is hands-off. Just toss in ingredients and let the Instant Pot work its magic!
How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Bone Broth
Making turkey bone broth in the Instant Pot couldn’t be much easier. Here’s a step-by-step overview of the process:
Ingredients
- Leftover turkey bones (carcass, wings, legs, neck)
- Vegetable scraps (onion, carrots, celery)
- Herbs (parsley, thyme, bay leaves)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Water
- Sea salt
Instructions
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Place bones in Instant Pot insert. Add any vegetable scraps, herbs, vinegar and a few pinches of sea salt.
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Pour in enough water to cover bones by 1-2 inches.
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Secure Instant Pot lid, ensure valve is set to ‘sealing’ position.
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Select ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and set high pressure for 120 minutes.
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When timer beeps, allow pressure to naturally release for 30-60 minutes.
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Carefully remove lid. Strain broth through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth-lined colander.
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Let cool, then transfer to storage containers and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze for months.
That’s it! As you can see, making turkey bone broth in the Instant Pot is incredibly straightforward. Now let’s get into more detail on ingredients, cook times and more.
Turkey Bones to Use
The key to amazing bone broth is using a variety of bones. For turkey, here are some to include:
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Carcass: This leftover frame is full of bones and collagen. Remove any excess meat and cut into pieces to fit in Instant Pot.
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Neck: Packed with collagen. Found inside cavity of raw turkey.
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Wings: More collagen and fat for richer broth.
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Legs: Add even more collagen.
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Feet: Optional for extra collagen. Ask your butcher.
Ideally, use about 2-3 pounds of mixed turkey bones per batch. One turkey carcass may be enough for 1-2 batches.
Aromatics and Seasonings
Turkey bones provide the base rich flavor. Aromatics and herbs add even more:
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Onion: Boosts savory flavor. Add 1 whole onion, skins on.
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Carrots: Sweetness and color. Rough chop 2-3 carrots.
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Celery: Fresh aromatic flavor. Rough chop 2-3 stalks with leaves.
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Fresh herbs: Parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves. Add a few sprigs or leaves.
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Apple cider vinegar: Helps extract nutrients from bones. Add 1-2 tablespoons.
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Sea salt: For flavor. Add 1 teaspoon or to taste.
Cook Time
To extract the most collagen and nutrients from bones, broth needs to simmer for several hours. This breaks down bones and joints.
With the Instant Pot, I recommend 120 minutes on high pressure. You can even do longer if desired.
After cook time completes, let pressure naturally release for 30-60 minutes to prevent broth from boiling when you open lid.
Straining and Storing
Once broth has finished cooking, carefully open lid. The broth will be hot!
Place a mesh strainer over a large bowl or pot. Line strainer with cheesecloth for clearer broth. Carefully pour broth through strainer to remove bones and veggies.
Let broth cool slightly then transfer to storage containers. I like quart size mason jars or silicone freezer trays for easy portions. Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze for months.
The bones likely still have some collagen. Add fresh water and repeat process once more to extract remaining nutrients.
Turkey Bone Broth Uses
Homemade turkey bone broth is incredibly versatile. Here are some delicious ways to use it:
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Sipping Broth: Warm up a mug to soothe digestion or hydrate.
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Soup Bases: Use instead of water in any soup recipe for extra flavor.
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Gravies and Sauces: Add richness and depth of flavor.
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Risottos: Use as cooking liquid for more creamy texture.
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Stews and Braises: Build depth of flavor in broth-based dishes.
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Congees: Simmer broken rice in broth for Asian porridge.
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Cooking Beans/Grains: Use as cooking liquid to increase digestibility.
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Roasts and Braises: Substitute for water or wine when making pan sauces.
The options are endless! Homemade broth adds incredibly nourishing flavor to anything you make.
Troubleshooting Turkey Bone Broth
Here are some common issues and how to avoid them:
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Not Enough Collagen: Use a mix of bony parts like necks, wings and feet. Simmer at least 2 hours. Add a dash of vinegar.
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Fat Layer on Top: Skim off some of the fat after chilling broth. Bones from lower turkey parts produce more.
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Bland Taste: Add more aromatics like onion, celery, carrots. Use fresh herbs. Simmer longer.
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Cloudy Broth: Strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Chill and skim fat.
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Foamy Broth: Skim off foam that rises to top as it simmers. Avoid boiling or agitating broth.
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Burn Message: Not enough liquid. Add more water until bones are fully submerged.
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Difficult to Strain: Use a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Pick out bones first. Add water to loosen if needed.
Get Started with Instant Pot Turkey Bone Broth
As you can see, making nutritious and tasty Instant Pot turkey bone broth is easy and fun! With only a few minutes prep time, you can have quarts of mineral-rich broth ready to turn into anything from soup to sauces.
Instant Pot chicken bone broth
You can also make Instant Pot bone broth with chicken bones, which is what we tend to do during the rest of the year. Use the carcass from a whole roasted chicken, or about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of bones.
You can get soup bones from your local butcher. Whole Foods often sells frozen chicken necks and backs for just over $1/pound, right next to the other frozen meat. These contain lots of connective tissue and are great for making bone broth.
If you’re not starting with the carcass from a roasted chicken, roast the bones as your first step.
Preheat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the center. Arrange bones in a heavy-duty roasting pan or on a lined, rimmed baking sheet. Roast for about 30 minutes, until bones have darkened in color a bit but not burned. Proceed with the recipe as written!
So what is bone broth, anyway?
Good question, with a surprisingly simple and timeless answer. Bone broth is a trendy term for what the culinary world has traditionally called stock. Stock (or bone broth) differs from broth in that it is cooked for a very long time. Long cooking deepens flavors and draws more nutrients (including the much-hyped collagen) out of the bones and into the broth itself.
Bone broth is gelatinous at room temperature and liquid when heated.
The Instant Pot dramatically shortens the cooking time for bone broth while preserving all the benefits. We love to use the Instant Pot for this purpose. Instant Pot bone broth is when two trends make a right. It just makes so much sense.
Instant Pot Turkey Bone Broth that Gels Every Time
FAQ
Is it better to make bone broth on stove or Instant Pot?
Can you overcook bone broth in an Instant Pot?
How long to pressure can turkey bone broth?
What not to add to bone broth?