Slow Cooker Turkey Stock Recipe from Leftovers

This Slow Cooker Turkey Stock is the perfect way to use up your holiday turkey carcass! Simply throw all the ingredients in your slow cooker and let it do its thing. The result is a rich and flavorful stock that can be used in so many different ways. Plus this turkey stock slow cooker recipe is budget friendly!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• This a great way to reduce food waste and use up your Thanksgiving leftovers.
• It’s also an easy, make-ahead recipe that will save you time and money.
• No need to buy store-bought broth when you can make it at home.
• This turkey broth is healthy. It’s made without preservatives or fillers.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

You won’t need any special kitchen tools to make homemade turkey stock. You can use any brand of slow cooker. I have a traditional style slow cooker and an Instant Pot slow cooker.

• Slow cooker – you will need a 6 quart or larger slow cooker
• fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth
• Heat resistant containers like mason jars.

INGREDIENTS

You only need a few ingredients that help you make this bone broth. Gather all these ingredients and have a full-bodied stock that your whole family will enjoy. You most likely already have these ingredients on hand leftover from your Thanksgiving feast, but if not they are all easy to find at your local grocery store.

• turkey carcass, including skin if there is any left
• cold water
• apple cider vinegar
• onion, diced
• bay leafs
• fresh thyme
• celery, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

HOW TO MAKE THIS TURKEY STOCK SLOW COOKER RECIPE

Instead of tossing all the bones leftover from your Thanksgiving feast, make an easy and flavorful broth to use in soups and stews or any other dish that you use broth in!

STEP 1: ADD THE CARCASS TO THE CROCKPOT

Fit the whole turkey carcass into the slow cooker, cutting it into pieces if necessary.

STEP 2: ADD VEGETABLES AND SEASONINGS

Add onion, celery, bay leaf, and thyme.

STEP 3: POUR IN WATER

Add cold water (filtered) until it reaches about an inch below the top of the cooker.

STEP 4: STIR IN APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Add apple cider vinegar.

STEP 5: SLOW COOK THE STOCK

Turn on low and cook for 6-8 hours.

STEP 6: REMOVE THE CARCASS

Remove the carcass and add salt and pepper to the stock.

STEP 7: STRAIN THE STOCK

Strain stock into heatproof containers.

STEP 8: COOL BEFORE STORING

Use right away or let cool at room temperature before refrigerating.

WAYS TO USE TURKEY STOCK

Once you have made this flavorful stock, there are many ways to use it. Here are some of our favorite recipes that put turkey stock to good use:

• Turkey Rice Soup – This is a hearty and filling soup that is perfect for a winter meal. Plus, it’s a great way to use up leftover turkey meat from Thanksgiving dinner.
• Turkey Chili – This is a great way to use up any leftover meat, but get another flavorful family friendly meal.
• Other Recipes – You can also use it in any other recipe that requires broth or stock.

• Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup 
• Instant Pot Chicken (or Turkey) Soup 

SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS

If you don’t have all the ingredients on hand, or if you want to add something extra to the stock, here are some substitutions and additions that you can make:

• You can use any type of bones or carcasses in this recipe. Chicken, beef, and pork bones will all work well.
• If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can use white vinegar or even red wine vinegar.
• You can also add other vegetables to the stock, such as carrots or potatoes
• For extra flavor, you can add your favorite fresh herbs, fresh parsley, and whole garlic cloves.
• You can also add the turkey necks, to the leftover bones to make a good stock.
• For another cooking method be sure to check out this Easy Instant Pot Bone Broth Recipe too.

HOW TO STORE

Turkey stock can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Be sure to label your containers with the date so you know when it was made. If you plan to freeze this crock pot turkey stock make sure that you store it in freezer-safe containers to prevent freezer burn and leakage.

TIPS

Here are a few tips to make sure that your turkey bone broth recipe turns out perfectly every time that you make it.

• Use cold water: This helps to extract more flavor from the bones.
• Use a slow cooker: This gives the stock time to slowly simmer and develop flavor.
• Strain the stock: This helps to remove any bits of bone or vegetables that may be left in the stock.
• Add salt and pepper: This is a personal preference, but we find that it really enhances the flavors of the stock.
• You can also simmer this stock on the stove top in a large stockpot but one of my favorite ways is the slow cooker because it does all the work.
• Do not refrigerate the hot stock, allow it to cool to room temperature before you store it in the fridge or freezer.
• I like to use a fine mesh strainer to strain this liquid gold, but if you don’t have one on hand you can use cheesecloth or even a slotted spoon.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions about this recipe.

OTHER DELICIOUS SOUP RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY

• Simple Potato Soup
• Italian Sausage Soup Recipe
• Albondigas Mexican Meatball Soup