Make Instant Pot Turkey Stock from a leftover Thanksgiving turkey carcass with this easy pressure cooker recipe for homemade bone broth.
It may be a tad early, but you’ll want to save this Instant Pot turkey stock recipe to make turkey carcass soup with your leftover Thanksgiving turkey. I usually make turkey soup from the turkey carcass on the stove, but I wanted to experiment with Instant Pot turkey soup this year.
Right now, my favorite Instant Pot recipes are comfort food — soup, stews and pasta — you get the idea. I’ve also been experimenting with Instant Pot Thanksgiving recipes so that I’m all ready by the big day. I make homemade chicken stock from a whole chicken in the pressure cooker at least once a week, but this was the first time for a turkey carcass.
I wasn’t even sure if a turkey carcass would fit in my Instant Pot. We bought a 14-pound turkey, and I pulled out my 8-quart. You guys, that bad boy was definitely up for the job!
How to make Instant Pot turkey bone broth from leftover carcass
To clarify, this recipe is actually for turkey stock, or bone broth. I found a great explanation on the difference between bone broth, stock and soup for ya! Once you make the stock, you can use that as a base for turkey soup. I have an Instant Pot turkey soup recipe coming soon!
So, definitely save that turkey carcass after the feast! Just pick as much meat off of it as you can and save that for leftovers or midnight snacks! I’m one of those people who prefers noshing on cold turkey over eating it at dinner!
Can you freeze a turkey carcass for soup?
Absolutely! If you don’t have time to make stock right away, just put the bones into a freezer bag and toss it into the freezer until you’re ready to use them.
Place the trivet into the pot, then place the bones on the trivet. I added water, salt and pepper, and a couple of celery stalks — leaves and all — for extra flavor. That’s it. You can add veggies and more seasoning when you make turkey soup.
How long do you pressure cook a turkey carcass for soup?
I cooked the turkey carcass in the Instant Pot for 50 minutes — just under an hour. This was long enough to get all those amazing nutrients from the bones. It was total turkey jelly after spending time in the fridge, which is what you want for bone broth. And the flavor was perfect!
When the turkey stock is done cooking, discard the bones, strain the stock, and that’s it. Save it in mason jars or small containers, and you’re good to go.
This is what I’m talking about. My kids are a little grossed out by the turkey jelly, but this stuff is liquid gold.
Recipe for Homemade Instant Pot Turkey Stock
Instant Pot Turkey Stock
Ingredients
- 1 14 pound turkey carcass, most meat removed
- 10 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 celery stalks with leaves
Instructions
- Place the trivet in the Instant Pot, and place turkey carcass on trivet
- Pour water into the pot, and add sea salt, pepper and celery stalks
- Place lid on Instant Pot, and turn valve to Sealing position. Hit PRESSURE COOK for 50 minutes
- Pot will take a few minutes to pressurize, then it will start counting down and cook for 60 minutes. Allow a 10-minute release (or longer if you want) then do a quick release for remaining pressure to drop. Hit CANCEL to turn pressure cooker off
- When pin drops, open lid, carefully lift trivet (wear hot mitts), and discard carcass. Pour stock through mesh strainer into a bowl, and separate into smaller containers to refrigerate or freeze
- Stock should thicken into jelly when refrigerated. You can skim off the top layer of fat easily and discard before using, or you can use fat in place of oil or butter if making turkey soup
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy this easy Instant Pot turkey stock recipe!
Joanne says
I didnāt see the recipe, so only put in 2 cups water to a 9 lb turkey carcass. Can I add more water when it is finished.
Dee says
Hmm. I can see the recipe on the page so not sure what happened, but you should definitely add more water when it’s done.
Tamsin says
This recipe was great. I added a bay leaf and a carrot, otherwise used recipe. The most important is the cook time and ratios, you can add what you want to your taste. I have read recipes that tell you to cook for 2 hours. 50 minutes was perfect.
Dee says
That’s wonderful! So glad you liked the stock!
missP says
Hi. I Prepared a bone-in turkey breast for my IP for the first time. The Turkey Gel (though thin) was elixer supreme following your guidelines. I froze it but kept enough out to drink for a couple days. Thanks! This is SO much better than when I used to boil bones all day long. I see a pot of turkey and dumplings in my near future š Thanks for the great reminder how fantastic an IP is!
Dee says
So glad you enjoyed the soup!
Tami Yeomans says
I made a 5.25# turkey breast in my Instant Pot last night. I really want to make this stock with the bones from it. I have the well-seasoned skin also. Can I put that in for the stock too? By how much should I decrease the other ingredients… maybe use 1/3? I’m looking forward to your answers. Thanks in advance.
Dee says
You can use the skin if you want to. It might make the stock fattier, but you can skim it off after it cools down. You probably want to decrease the salt and pepper — you can always add more later, and if you’re using a
6 quart Instant Pot, you’ll need to adjust the amounts to fit the pot so that the liquid is under the fill line.
Tami Yeomans says
Thanks so much!
Amanda says
I made this a couple of days ago and it came out like yours! It was easy to do in the Instant Pot. I added a splash of apple cider vinegar to draw more from the bones and some onion for flavor. Iām excited to start cooking with it. How long will it last in the fridge? I donāt want it to go bad before I use it all. Thanks for a great recipe!
Dee says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! It should last a few days in the fridge, but you can easily freeze it for later. I usually freeze the extra stock in large freezer bags, and it’s very easy to thaw this way.
Tracey says
I made this last month and forgot about a jar at the back of the fridge. How long will the stock in jars last in the fridge?
Dee says
I hate it when that happens! The USDA recommends using homemade stock within 3 to 4 days, so to be safe, I wouldn’t use it.
Monique says
Using my instant pot for the first time. My turkey carcass is frozen. Will I need to up the cooking time in the IP to allow for that? Excited to try this!
Dee says
You don’t need to cook it longer. The pot might take a little longer to pressurize as the carcass thaws, though. Hope you enjoy the soup!
Joyce says
Great directions! I am new to using an instant pot and making broth was just the simplest! Now Iāll use the broth to make my favourite recipe for Turkey chowder! Thanks.
Dee says
Turkey chowder sounds so good! Glad you liked the recipe!
Dolores Pendergast says
I have a larger carcass from a 24 lb. turkey. How do I adjust the recipe?
Dee says
You can keep the recipe the same as long as everything fits in the pot and the liquid doesn’t exceed the fill line. The carcass was almost to the top. We had a larger bird this year, and the stock was perfect!
jeanette hope says
I made this with a 9 pound turkey breast carcass (with bones) but it turned out clearer than yours. It definitely did not turn to jelly when refrigerated. Do you think that happened because it wasn’t a full turkey? I probably should have decreased the water from 10 cups to 8. I had a second leftover breast in the freezer that I made this recipe again, with 6 cups of water. More color but did not look like yours. Both tasted good.
Dee says
You get the thick, jellied broth from cartilage in the joints of the whole carcass — legs, wings. If you have only the turkey breast, you could also buy a package of legs or wings if you want the thicker broth. š
Karen Sanger says
Iāve used all my celery, what can I use instead please?
Dee says
You can use any vegetable scraps for extra flavor. I always have celery, so that’s what I normally use. š
Becky says
I just finished this recipe and the broth is delicious! Thanks for the information. I had a smaller turkey 11.75 lbs and a 6qt pot so I added 8 cups of water instead of 10. I cooked it the entire 60 minutes as stated.
Dee says
That’s wonderful, Becky! So glad it worked for you! š
Bones says
Wonderful broth, and so easy!
Dee says
So glad you liked it! I just made a big pot of stock, too! š
Miz Helen says
This is great Turkey Stock, I love having some on hand. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great weekend and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Sandra | A Dash of Sanity says
I will definitely try this! Looks really easy to make!
Dee says
It’s super easy to make! Thanks, Sandra. š
Brandy O'Neill says
Love this idea! Thanks for sharing!
Paula says
This seriously couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m making a turkey this weekend!
Dee says
Good to know I’m not the only one who does things early! š
Jamielyn says
Love this idea! Perfect to have on hand!
Chrissie Baker says
A simple list of ingredients is what I love. Of course I want to try your broth recipe. Thank you!
Dee says
Thanks, Chrissie. I hope you like it!
Mahy Elamin says
I like the recipe for this broth. I bet those flavors are amazing! Cannot wait to try this! Love! Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
Melanie Bauer says
Looks absolutely perfect! I love everything about this recipe, this is a keeper!
Dee says
Thank you so much! I hope you get a chance to try it!
Paula says
Love this idea!