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!
Think she means celery ribs. A celery stalk is the whole celery plant.
Yes, 1 ‘stick’ of celery!
Do you freeze this soup with noddles or separate?
I recommend freezing them separately as the noodles will go too soft if they’re frozen in the soup. š
I made this soup with some leftover turkey bones I’ve had in the freezer since Easter. It turned out great!
Kristen this is an amazing recipe, loved the soup. I used leftover roasted turkey as garnishing on top and it was delicious.
Hmm..I was barely left with any liquid once I strained out the bones and bits. Is that normal? I definitely do not have 6 cups worth. Did I do something wrong?
The amount you end up with will vary depending on the size of the pot you use (and so how much water you add), the time you simmered it for, and how high it simmered. Next time, I would simply use a bigger pot so you have more room for more water.
Plan to make tomorrowā¦will add a few of the spices suggested by others, and perhaps some wild rice and/or lemon. Ā Sure hope I can freeze it!
As long as you don’t put the noodles into the soup it will freeze very well!
Perfect! Thank you!
I never made much soup, my mom always did and I missed it so much after she passed away. My sister started making stock with our turkey left over from Thanksgiving and she gave me some, she said it was wonderful. I found this recipe and followed it, I did add a smidgen of garlic. I didn’t add too much salt because you can always add more. It is lovely, just as good as mom’s!
I added 2 basil leaves and a tablespoon each of dried thyme, oregano, parsley, and two tablespoons of garlic powder. Ā Delicious.
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I painstakinglingly made the stock from two turkeys cooked on stove for 6 hours. then placed in fridge to get the fat off…. and had a family accident and just found it today. 8 days later, obviously have to trash it, But yesterday I defrosted all the turkey meat and must use it by today I guess. I think Im going to have to use the boxed turkey stock from swansons and chicken broth… any other ideas?
If you can get your hands on some chicken bone broth – that would be the best option. It’s often available in the freezer section of grocery stores. Another option is to make something other than soup with the turkey meat. We have a bunch of options here: https://www.theendlessmeal.com/thanksgiving-leftover-recipes/. Hope that helps!
This soup is perfect! Ā So SIMPLE and satisfying. Ā I made the turkey stock Thanksgiving night using your Crock Pot recipe. Ā I had more stock and turkey than called for so just added the extra and added al dente cooked egg noodles. Ā Love this soup and will be making it a lot this winter. Ā I can’t wait to try the Creamy Turkey Mushroom Soup! Ā Thanks so much!
Just what was needed! I added garlic, turmeric & pepper, and chopped spinach (last 10 mins). My family has come down with the sniffles after Thanksgiving. Made this and all 3 sick family members went for seconds! It was really good! Thanks!
I’m not much of a soup maker but i tried this and it’s wonderful just added a few things. Plus roommate is diabetic and it’s a plus to our newnew diet. Thank you
I do exactly as your recipe states, except, once I have the turkey broth all strained from the pot, I put it in the refrigerator overnight. That way, I can skim the layer of fat that has solidified on the top of the broth. It makes for a less greasy soup.
Made it with a few added spices. Bay leaf and a little poultry seasoning and some others for more flavour.
I like your recipes, they are easy to learn and yummy to eat
This was easy and delicious!! Just added some poultry seasoning for a little extra flavor.