Turkey Broth Recipe – Everything you need to know about How to Make the Best Homemade Turkey Broth! The best way to use that leftover Thanksgiving turkey! Use in any of your favorite soup recipes or store it for later.
The Best Homemade Turkey Broth Recipe
You know you still have leftover turkey sitting in your fridge…. don’t let it go to waste!! This is the easiest recipe for homemade turkey broth and it is absolutely delicious! While I don’t really love leftover turkey sandwiches (except when I make one with turkey salad, yum!), I am ALL about making any kind of turkey soup in the days following Thanksgiving. If you aren’t keeping your turkey bones, it’s time to start!! Just throw them in a freezer bag that day and keep them until you are ready to make your very own, piping hot, cozy bowl of homemade turkey soup.
What You Will Need
- leftover turkey bones and meat – a perfect way to bring new life to your leftover Thanksgiving Day turkey.
- carrots, celery, & onion – a combination of vegetables that bring a lot of great flavor to your broth.
- garlic – everything is always better with a bit of garlic!
- fresh thyme, rosemary, sage – a fresh herb bundle is always the best way to bring your flavors to the next level.
- bay leaves – essential for every great soup recipe.
- whole peppercorns & kosher salt – simple seasonings that are a must!
- water – the base of this classic broth recipe.
Tips For Prepping Your Turkey Broth
After making our own broth for years, we’ve learned a few tricks to make this process quick and easy.
- save vegetable scraps – While you prep your carrots for sides like our whole roasted carrots & honey and celery and onion for stuffing, save the trimmings and leftovers (that you would normally throw away) in a container to be used for your stock. This saves you time and makes the most of your meal prep.
- keep the turkey neck, heart, & gizzard – The turkey neck has juicy, flavorful dark meat which will bring your turkey stock to the next level. Place the neck with the heart & gizzard (not the liver) with your leftover veggies and place it in the freezer until you’re ready to make your stock.
- storage containers – Decide where you plan on storing your stock ahead of time and make a game plan for what containers will work best for your storage needs.
How To Make Turkey Broth
You can begin by prepping all of your ingredients on your favorite large cutting board!
Place the leftover turkey meat and bones or turkey carcass into a large stockpot with the rest of your ingredients. Then cover with cold water and bring to a boil on medium high heat on your stovetop.
After it reaches a boil you can reduce to a lower heat and let the broth simmer, covered, for at least one hour or up to 6 hours. The longer you let the pot simmer, the more flavorful your broth will be.
After you take your broth off the stove you will want to use a mesh food strainer to strain your broth and remove all the food pieces. You are now left with the most flavorful broth you can imagine. Use it in any easy soup recipes or store it for later!
Best Ways To Use Homemade Turkey Broth
There are so many great options! You can simply use this easy broth in any recipe that calls for turkey broth or chicken broth, their flavors are so similar that you can easily use one in place of the other. When we aren’t using it to make our classic giblet stuffing, you will find us using it to make a variety of quick and easy soup recipes:
How Long Can I Keep Homemade Turkey Broth
This broth stores really well, whether you are putting it in the refrigerator or in the freezer. Once it has cooled you can place it in an airtight container for 5-7 days. Or pour it into a freezer-safe container, we love using mason jars, label the container, and freeze for up to 6 months. If you are freezing your broth, make sure you leave some space in the top of the container because it will expand a bit as it freezes. When you are ready to use the broth, just move to the fridge to thaw overnight.
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Turkey Broth Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: Approx. 4-5 cups
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Turkey Broth – a simple and easy way to repurpose your leftover Thanksgiving turkey! Enjoy in your favorite soups or store for later!
Ingredients
- Leftover meat and bones from 10-15 pound turkey
- 3 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped into 4–5 sections
- 3 stalks celery, rinsed and cut into large chunks
- 1 small yellow onion, cut into large chunks (you can quarter or slice)
- 3–4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 small bunch of fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 fresh sage leaves
- 2–3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
- 8–10 cups water
Instructions
- Place your meat, bones, and all the other ingredients in a 6-8 qt dutch oven (other other stock pot) and cover with water.
- Bring to a boil on medium high heat.
- Cover, reduce heat, and let it simmer for a minimum of 1 hour but up to 6 hours (the longer you simmer, the more flavorful it will be).
- Taste and add additional salt, as needed, until reached desired flavor.
- Strain and place broth in mason jar for storage or use to make soup.
Notes
- Turkey Soup: If you are making turkey soup immediately following, you can keep any meat and use it, although it may be a little dry – otherwise simply discard.
- Storage: Place in refrigerator and use within 5-7 days or place in freezer in a freezer-safe container (remember to leave extra room in mason jar if freezing to allow for expanding liquid) – Use within 3-6 months.
Keywords: turkey broth, turkey broth recipe
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