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This Easy Turkey Soup recipe is made with leftover turkey in a flavorful, homemade stock with lots of fresh vegetables. Perfect for using up holiday leftovers and a delicious way to warm up!
This easy recipe for homemade turkey soup is one of my favorite ways to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas. You can make your stock from the turkey carcass, and then make this soup from the stock.
Every year, we make homemade turkey stock by cooking the turkey carcass right after our holiday dinner. You can make turkey stock in your Instant Pot or any electric pressure cooker. This might sound complicated, but it’s actually very easy. Leftover Turkey Soup is absolutely delicious — like chicken soup — and you can make it later in the week. And if you don’t have the carcass, that’s fine. Just use turkey broth or chicken broth or chicken stock.
I updated this simple soup recipe after I got requests for a turkey soup recipe with rice or noodles. You can use either one in turkey soup — just add them at the end of cooking or serve noodles on the side.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a quick overview. Full amounts are in the printable recipe card below.
- Butter, turkey fat or olive oil — for sautéeing the vegetables
- Onion, celery, carrots, garlic — for flavoring the actual soup base. Garlic is optional, but the classic mirepoix is definitely recommended!
- Seasonings — salt, black pepper, dried parsley or Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence. Sometimes, I’ll add a dash of turmeric.
- Cooked turkey — cut into bite size pieces
- Pasta or Rice — I like small soup noodles or egg noodles or white rice
How to Make Homemade Turkey Soup
Add a little oil or butter to a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Then, cook the onions, celery, carrots and optional garlic until slightly soft. You’ll want to stir this frequently so that the onions and garlic don’t get too brown. You can add more oil or butter if needed.
Now, add your homemade turkey broth. If you have jellied bone broth, you might have to add a little water if you like a thinner broth. I usually do, but it’s up to you. If you’re using a carton of chicken stock or turkey stock, pour the entire carton or 2 in the pot. Season the broth, and let it come to a boil.
If you want plain turkey soup or you’re adding cooked rice or noodles, turn it down to a simmer. You can add your cooked turkey at this point.
My family is divided when it comes to eating soup. Some like mostly broth, and some like it loaded with meat, vegetables and pasta or rice. To make it easier on everyone, sometimes, I’ll be nice and serve cooked pasta on the side.
How to Make Turkey Rice Soup
To make turkey soup with rice, just add a quarter cup of uncooked, rinsed rice after the broth comes to a boil. I use jasmine rice, but you can use your favorite here. Allow the soup to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is done. Then, add the turkey.
When to Add Noodles
If you want to add uncooked noodles or pasta directly to the soup, you can add it when your broth boils. Then cook until done, and stir in the cooked turkey last.
Recipe Tip
If you’re making a big batch of turkey soup, I recommend serving cooked noodles on the side, as they will absorb the broth when refrigerated.
Jazz up the soup by adding a few drops of hot sauce or some red pepper flakes.
Storage and Freezing
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-5 days or freeze soup for up to 3 months. You can freeze leftover turkey noodle soup, but the noodles tend to get mushy.
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
Easy Turkey Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 2 medium celery stalks diced, plus leaves
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots about 2 medium
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley, herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning
- 8 cups turkey stock or chicken stock
- 4 cups cooked turkey diced
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, sauté onions, carrots and celery in butter or olive oil over medium heat until slightly soft
- Stir in garlic, salt and pepper, and cook for another minute
- Add the turkey stock to pot, and season with herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning or parsley, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat
- Reduce heat, add turkey, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft and turkey is heated through
- Taste to see if additional salt or pepper is needed
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Great for the last of the leftover Thanksgiving turkey. We did make the bone broth first and saved it for the cold weather we have been having. Love the fresh flavors.
I had made the broth right after Thnaksgiving and froze it and now finally got to make this with the last of the leftovers! Yummy. Can’t wait to do it again with the Christmas bird!
Thank you so much, James! Glad you liked the soup!
If in making the turkey soup I want rice instead of noodles what point do I add the rice or could you use pot in pot to cook the rice.
You can add rice near the end of cooking and simmer it as long as it takes for the rice to cook.
The reason why I am asking is I made a turkey and it produce 8 cups of jelly broth I remove the fat from the top and I would love to make your turkey soup in my instant pot but with out the noodles – if you were to do this soup in the instant pot how much time
Thank you
Here is the soup recipe from my turkey stock recipe. Hope this helps. 🙂 https://www.meatloafandmelodrama.com/instant-pot-turkey-soup/
Thank you for your recipe – how many cups of broth do you put in your turkey soup – I will give it a try and cook the noodles on the side.
This looks like a very simple recipe! I don’t have the carcass anymore, but I have a ton of turkey. Could I use store turkey broth and cook that with the shredded turkey?
Yes. You can definitely do that if you don’t have the carcass. 🙂