Best Homemade Turkey Soup Recipe (made with leftover turkey!)
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Turkey soup is only as good as the broth itās made with. Iām going to share my tips about how to make the best turkey soup AND help you clean up after your big turkey dinner easily.
Review from Anne, āKristen this is an amazing recipe, loved the soup. I used leftover roasted turkey as garnishing on top and it was delicious. ā ā ā ā ā ā
Many turkey soup recipes are made with chicken stock, so they wonāt taste like authentic, homemade turkey soup. Luckily, making turkey stock is so easy that you can do it in your sleep ā literally.
This is a recipe that Iāve made a million timesāor at least once a year for the past twenty-something yearsāpretty close to a million. You can trust that I know what Iām doing when it comes to making turkey soup.
What makes this the BEST turkey soup recipe
This soup is 90% about the delicious homemade turkey stock. You could drink the stock on its own; itās so good.
Itās also ridiculously easy to make. All youāll do is remove as much meat as possible from the turkey carcass, break the bones into pieces to fit into your largest pot or crockpot, and fill it with water. Youāll slowly simmer the stock overnight and wake up to the most amazing-smelling home and a pot of tasty turkey broth.
Youāll notice that I add nothing besides the turkey bones to the pot. While you can certainly add herbs, onion, carrots, etc., itās not necessary. The roasted turkey provides all the flavor you need.
Why I love this turkey soup recipe
- This is the recipe my mom made after every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner so thereās big-time nostalgia going on here. My mom makes the best cozy food, and this is her recipe.
- Itās super easy to make.Ā
- The broth, made from simmering that pile of turkey bones you have, is unbelievably flavorful.
- Eating a bowl of this soup is like getting a big hug. Honestly, itās all good feelings here.
Key ingredients
To make soup, youāll start by simmering the bones from your roast turkey in water to create a wonderfully rich and flavorful broth. Once you have your turkey stock, youāll need these ingredients for the soup:
- Onion, carrots, and celery ā the classic turkey soup trio.
- Turkey meat ā this comes from the roast turkey. If you donāt have enough leftover turkey, you can use chicken instead.Ā Ā
- Cooked egg noodles ā I love noodles in my turkey soup! Itās best to cook them separately and add them to your bowl otherwise the noodles will turn mushy if you have leftover soup.
How to make turkey soup
The recipe is remarkably simple and goes something like this:
- Grab your biggest pot (or crockpot!), pop in the turkey bones, and fill the pot with water.
- Simmer. Keep simmering. Strain.
- SautƩ some onions, carrots, and celery.
- Now add the turkey broth you just made and some leftover turkey meat. Easy!
Store and reheat
Store: If you have leftover soup, store it in an airtight container in your fridge. It will keep for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Warm the leftovers in a pot over medium heat. You can also use a microwave.
Freeze: This soup freezes very well! Let it cool completely and store it in freezer-proof containers for up to 3 months. I love reusable Stasher freezer bags for freezing soups.
Best Homemade Turkey Soup Recipe (made with leftover turkey!)
Ingredients
Turkey Stock
- Bones from your roast turkey
Turkey Soup
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion (minced)
- 3 large carrots (chopped)
- 4 stalks celery (chopped)
- 6 cups turkey stock
- 3 cups reserved turkey meat (see notes)
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Optional: cooked egg noodles
Instructions
Turkey Stock
- Remove all of the meat from the turkey and reserve 3 cups for the soup. If you've cooked your stuffing in the turkey, make sure to remove it all.Bones from your roast turkey
- Break the roast turkey into 3 or 4 pieces that are small enough that they will fit into your largest pot. Fill the pot with cold water so that the water comes 2-inches above the bones. Bring the pot almost to a boil then reduce the heat so that it is barely simmering. You want the water to move around and a few small bubbles to rise, but not to boiling. Cook for 8-10 hours, leaving the lid off. (See notes if you'd like to use your crockpot instead.)
- Strain the turkey stock through a colander into a large bowl and discard the bones. Strain the stock once more through a fine-mesh sieve. You can either use the turkey stock immediately or let it cool and refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Turkey Soup
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the carrot and cook until it begins to brown in a few places, about 5 minutes.1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 large carrots
- Add the celery, turkey stock, and reserved turkey meat to the pot and bring it to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the carrots and celery are soft. Season to taste generously with sea salt.4 stalks celery, 6 cups turkey stock, 3 cups reserved turkey meat, Sea salt
- If you're using the egg noodles, add them cooked to your soup bowl, ladle in the soup, and garnish with a little sprinkle of parsley.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Wondering what to do with all your turkey dinner leftovers?
If you have a pile of turkey dinner leftovers in your fridge, here are a few of our other favorite recipe that put them to good use.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Eggs BenedictĀ
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Pizza
Leftover Turkey Shepherdās Pie
For more inspiration, check out all of our turkey dinner leftover recipes!
Yet another great recipe Kristen.
If I’m short on meat I’ll roast turkey neck bones then painstakingly separate the meat & use the bones for stock. Gives the soup a stronger turkey flavour but a real pain.
That’s dedication! But a really good idea. š
Thank you! We love it. š
This is the perfect soup to make with leftover turkey! It’s so heartwarming and delicious and my family devours it.
I’m so happy to hear that you and your family love the recipe!
Love it! So warm and comforting and was the perfect way to use up leftover turkey!
I’m so happy to hear that the recipe was a hit!
This is total comfort food! Can’t wait to whip this up tomorrow š
It totally is! I make a batch after every Thanksgiving!
I forgot how much I love this soup! Will be making this again soon. Ā Pinned!
It’s a yearly favorite for us, too!
Dear Kristen I’m trying out your “Easy Homemade Turkey” soup tomorrow & so my husband accentally bought turkey broth would that do? Bc I didn’t save the bones to make that stock before I saw this recipe & we have only the turkey leftover in the freezer from thanksgiving thank-you Kristen
While you can make it with store-bought broth, it won’t be nearly as flavorful. One trick I often do is to add chicken bones (skinless, bone in thighs work well) to store-bought stock and let them simmer for an hour or more. They’ll add a ton of flavor. You can pull the meat off the bones and add that into the soup, too. š
No idea how much noodles to use! Am I not reading thoroughly enough?
There’s not an exact amount listed as they are optional. I generally cook a bag of noodles then add a scoop to my bowl before I ladle in the soup. If you like noodles more than I do you can load them up. š
I also like to cook my noodles separate, with the extra, the next day for breakfast Ā brown up in butter then scramble couple eggs with it and few green peppers ?
You are wonderful, Kristen.
You should come inhale the aroma!!! Doing this soup now.
Scotty in Seattle
It smells amazing, doesn’t it?!!
I made this soup today. It is delicious. Beyond yummy. I added green peas on the second round. Only vegetables was carrots, chopped celery then the peas. A light sprinkle of salt.
I’m so happy you liked it!
I’m a bachelor that drinks then wants to eat noodle soup so what I do is freeze the soup in 500ml. containers 3/4″ full then when frozen add the al dente prepped no yoke egg noodles on top of the frozen soup and freeze. To reheat simply run hot water on the plastic container, dump it in a glass bowl & nuke it.
Also I love turkey drums & buy them on $1.49 day (a pound) 10-20 at a time, peel back the skin and season the meat with turkey rub, pull the skin back up & roast 2 trays at a time, freeze and eat them individually with a meal, save the bones for stock. When making stock I use my vise in my shop to crush the bones, simmer with a stove top defuser to get a low temp for up to 36 hours mashing the bones down periodically. The stock I get is awesome, so rich in marrow that it is a meal in itself, never mind the soup it makes. I Don’t waste the drippings either, I make 1 quart of gravy, pour into ice cube trays,freeze to use individually on potatoes & veggies when eating the drums as a meal.
Far-out eh?
That’s a really great idea to freeze the egg noodles on top of the frozen soup!!!
DUDE! I read your post with a smile on my face, why didn’t I think of that eyebrows, and a I could try to enter this far out zone of epicness at some point and on any level in this 2020.
Here goes….
The Dreya xx
Dave, I have been making bone broth stock for years and am always looking for new ideas. I think this stock is much superior in flavor and nutrients to regular soup stock. Even so, I have NEVER heard of crushing the bones beforehand to get richer stock. And I also love your ideas of preparing large amounts of turkey legs for freezer meals. What great ideas!
I don’t have the turkey carcass, but do have wings and one drumstick.
Is this enough to make turkey stock?
Yep! Just put them in a pot and cover them with about 2 inches of water. It’ll make enough for some soup!
I made this with our leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it was perfect. Loved the addition of the noodles. Will make it again after Christmas!
I’m so happy to hear you liked it! Happy Thanksgiving!!
This is EXACTLY how my whole family makes this soup. Itās amazing and brings back memories every single time I have a bowl. I havenāt made any in a while but today, I made a big turkey just for the soup. Yay! ??
That makes me so happy to hear! Hooray!
When making the stock in the crock pot do you have it on high or low? š
I always set it to low and cook the stock overnight. If you’re short on time you could cook it on high. I think it’s even better though if you let it cook low and slow. š
You are not the only 19-yr-old geeky enough to make home made turkey soup. Still making the family recipe since high school , but thought this year as the family monarch at 47, I’d look for somethIng new. Thanks for sharing.
We must be kindred spirits! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
I’m 18 and also making this soup, and I have a feeling it’ll become traditional.
What a great post-Thanksgiving dish! I usually end up doing something boring with my leftover turkey like sandwiches, but this soup looks so manageable and far better tasting š
Hi Kathryn,
It is totally manageable, perfect for after the big meal. But even if they’re a little boring, I still love turkey sandwiches. Maybe it’s nostalgia but I can’t imagine post Thanksgiving or Christmas without them š