Don't throw your leftover Thanksgiving turkey carcass after your Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, make this healthy Instant Pot turkey bone broth recipe!

❤️ Why you'll love it
This super easy turkey bone broth is both flavorful and nutritious. It is the perfect way to use your leftover turkey carcass, reducing your food waste at the same time. Plus, bone broth is incredibly healthy!
Bone broth is a liquid you get from cooking animal bones and connective tissues. This process releases a lot of amino acids and collagen, which is great for reducing inflammation and improving joint health.
Different animal bones produce different types of broth or stock. For example, turkey bones cooked with spices would make turkey broth. You can use chicken (even chicken feet!), beef marrow bones, pork, or even veggies.
🥘 Equipment Used
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Leftover turkey bone broth can be made using different appliances. Depending on your preference, you can cook it on a stovetop, slow cooker, or instant pot. You will also want a fine-mesh strainer, ladle, some airtight jars, and a funnel for easy pouring.
There are different ways to prepare turkey bone broth. Personally, I prefer to use my instant pot or electric pressure cooker because it is the easiest way to make this delicious turkey bone broth. It cooks faster than other methods and makes much less mess. You can also use a slow cooker or stovetop, and I'll provide instructions on how to do so below.
🧾 Ingredients Used

- Turkey bones (or turkey carcass): Leftover turkey bones or the whole carcass are perfect for this recipe. You might also be able to get turkey bones, backs, or necks from your local butcher.
- Yellow onion and garlic cloves: These add flavor to the broth.
- Organic apple cider vinegar: A little apple cider vinegar helps extract the nutrients and collagen from the connective tissue in the turkey bones.
- Celery stalks and bay leaves: These add a lot of flavor to the turkey broth.
- Spices: Rosemary, black pepper, salt, black peppercorns, and bouillon.
🔪 How To Make Turkey Bone Broth
Make it in the instant pot
- Break the leftover bones, place them in the instant pot, and add enough water to cover them.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the instant pot, then close the lid and set the vent to 'sealing'.
- Set it to manual high pressure for 60 minutes.
- When done, let the instant pot release naturally; don't do a quick release.
- Strain the broth using a fine-mesh sieve or any mesh strainer. It is also helpful to use a slotted spoon to remove the larger bones before straining the broth.
- When it cools, pour the broth into mason jars, close them properly, and store them.
Make it on the stovetop
Add all of your ingredients to a large pot on the stovetop. Simmer for 3 hours on the stove, adding water as needed. Strain and use as desired.
Slow Cooker Turkey Bone Broth
Combine the bone and both ingredients in your slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 12 hours. Pour the broth through a strainer and either store it in the refrigerator or use it in a recipe.

🥫 Storing and Reheating
Allow your bone broth to cool completely. Store your homemade turkey stock in mason jars or other airtight glass jars. They will remain fresh for days in the refrigerator.
To freeze this healthy bone broth, leave at least an inch at the top of the container. Chill completely in the fridge, and then move your containers to the freezer.
Alternatively, you can store your delicious homemade broth in smaller containers for when you need it in smaller portions. My favorite way is to pour the broth into ice cube trays or silicone molds and freeze. I just plop them out when I need to use them.
💭 Tips and Variations
- You can make chicken bone broth from leftover whole chicken bones the same way. Also, try the recipe with raw bones from a cow and make absolutely mouth-watering beef broth.
- If you're using a leftover turkey carcass, you might have to break the bones so they fit into and below the max fill line of your instant pot.
- If your turkey carcass is large, you can divide it into two and freeze one part until you're ready to make a second batch of broth. Just wrap it in a freezer-safe cling film first.
- You can add any veggies you choose if you want the turkey to have more flavor.
- Enjoy a delicious bowl of turkey soup. Just simmer some veggies of your choice in olive oil or butter, and then cook in the newly made broth for about five minutes.
- Make incredibly tasty creamy turkey broth soup by stirring in some heavy whipping cream to the broth and heating it up for a few minutes.
- If you're using turkey bones from your holiday turkey or from turkey wings, remove the excess meat and make this keto turkey soup with it!

🍽️ What can I eat this recipe with?
Enjoy this homemade turkey broth in almost any soup that calls for broth. For example, you can use it in chicken noodle soup, use it as a stock in stews, or make gravy! You can fix yourself a bowl of the delicious goodness and sip it as a pick-me-up on those chilly days. Homemade turkey broth is versatile and can be used in almost anything!
👩🍳 Frequently asked questions
Not only does turkey broth taste delicious, but it also packs loads of health benefits. It helps with gut health and improves digestion. Turkey bone broth also aids the smooth working of our bones and joints. This is because of the collagen in the connective tissues that turns to gelatin in our bodies.
Even though you are advised to cook your leftover turkey bones for long enough to extract all the rich nutrients from them, it is possible to overdo it. There is a limit to how long you should cook the bones and there is a reason for that. If cooked too long, the veggies and things you added would start to give an off taste which would spoil the whole broth.
Yes, turkey broth made from turkey bones can be easily used as stock in your dishes. Save any leftover bones from your turkey dinner to make this turkey stock recipe. They add a lot of flavor and you will get all the nutritional benefits of broth as well!

Need more turkey recipes? Next time, try these!
📖 Recipe

Turkey Bone Broth (Instant Pot)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lb turkey bones or turkey carcass
- 1 small onion
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1.5 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon peppercorn
- 1 tablespoon bouillon
Instructions
- Break the leftover bones, place them in the instant pot, and add enough water to cover them.3 lb turkey bones
- Add all the ingredients to the instant pot.1 small onion, 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 stalks celery, 3 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1.5 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon peppercorn, 1 tablespoon bouillon
- Set it to manual high pressure for 60 minutes.
- When done, let the instant pot release naturally; don't do a quick release.
- Strain the broth using a fine-mesh sieve.
- Pour the broth into mason jars and store.
Cook on the stove
- The ingredients are the same, but instead of using an instant pot, you will use a regular pot on the stovetop.
- Add the turkey carcass or bones and all the other ingredients to the pot.
- Then simmer for 3 hours on the stove, adding water as needed.
Slow cooker
- Same as with the stovetop, but cook in a slow cooker on low heat for 12 hours.
Notes
- You can make chicken stock from leftover whole chicken bones the same way. Also, try the recipe with bones from a cow and make absolutely mouth-watering beef broth.
- If you're using leftover turkey carcass, you might have to break the bones so they fit into and below the max fill line of your instant pot.
- If your turkey carcass is a large one, you can divide it into two and freeze one part until you're ready to make a second batch of broth. Just wrap it in a freezer-safe cling film first.
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