Leftover Turkey Stock

Anyone that knows me knows that I always have homemade stock in my freezer. It’s one of those things that I hate buying because it’s way less expensive to make at home, and it’s always much more flavorful. I always make it with the carcass leftover after roasting a chicken, or in this case a turkey.

The day after thanksgiving is synonymous with “leftovers” but instead of throwing away the bones from your bird, get your money’s worth and make leftover turkey stock! This recipe is a dump everything in the pot and let it go recipe, so it’s super easy to make, and very hands-off. Because this recipe uses an electric instant pot (I highly recommend this) or a slow cooker, you can set it and forget it, and even go about your day or run errands!

Note** I use this exact recipe with a chicken carcass or the bones from any meat product as well. Just use whatever bones you have leftover, but since Thanksgiving was yesterday, today I’m using the leftover turkey bones!

Leftover turkey stock ingredients

  • 1 leftover turkey carcass (or any other bones you have on hand)
  • 2 large carrots
  • 4 stocks of celery
  • 1 onion cut in half (no need to peel or chop)
  • 6 cloves of garlic (just smash them to increase surface area)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 bay leafs
  • 2 sprigs or 1 teaspoon of thyme
  • 2 sprigs or 1 teaspoon of oregano
  • Enough water to cover everything and fill up your pot (my instant pot usually takes 12 cups)

Note that you can add or swap any other herbs or spices that you like, but this is my go-to mix of ingredients. This leftover turkey stock recipe could not get any easier! Put everything in the pot and let it go. I usually chop the carrots, celery, and onion in half to make them fit better, and smash the garlic cloves to increase the surface area, but otherwise, just leave everything as it.

If you’re using an instant pot, set it to high pressure for four hours, then once it’s done, let the pressure normalize before opening.

If you’re using a slow cooker, set it to high for 12 hours.

Yes, I know, it sounds like it takes a long time to make, and it does, but it’s all hands off work, so you don’t have to worry about it. This leftover turkey stock is so flavorful and nutritious that once you try it, I promise you’ll want to start making your own stock more often!

To store the leftover turkey stock, let the stock come to room temperature (this is VERY important!) then strain out all of the solids.

I usually put some in a container in the fridge to use over the next few days, but I like to store it in freezer bags for later use.

I get quart size ziplock bags, then place about two cups of stock per bag. Make sure that your bags of stock aren’t leaking, then arrange them on a baking sheet in one even layer. You may have to tetris them a bit or freeze the stock in two batches, but placing the bags of stock in one layer is important, as layering the bags of stock could be too heavy and cause them to pop open or leak.

Freezer the bags of leftover turkey stock until solid, then remove them from the baking sheet and store them in the freezer.

Once the bags are frozen, you can keep them on hand and thaw them for easy use. This leftover turkey stock will make all of your recipes taste better, and is much cheaper than buying store bought stock. Enjoy!

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