Crockpot Turkey Stock is the most hands-off way to make post-turkey-dinner stock for soups, stews, sauces, and more. 10 hours of set-it-and-forget-it ensures a rich and concentrated broth.
We are less than 2 weeks away from Thanksgiving here in the US.
Thanksgiving always means that I'll have a gigantic turkey carcass on my hands.
Each year for the last 5 years, I've made gallons of turkey stock on the day after Thanksgiving. (Sometimes I put if off until Saturday if I'm extra tired.)
I usually enlist my largest stockpot AND my wort kettle (from beer brewing!) for this purpose.
Turkey stock is liquid gold, in my book. It's a wonderful base for soups and stews, obviously, but also for sauces.
How to make turkey stock in the crockpot or Instant Pot
How to make turkey stock in the crockpot or Instant PotLast year, I decided to switch it up and make the turkey stock in the Instant Pot rather than heat up/mess up my entire kitchen. (The year before that, I made it in the crock pot. Thus, the title of this post.)
Will a turkey fit in a crockpot?!
The difficulty with this is that it necessitates fitting the carcass of a 20-some-odd pound bird into a 7-quart crockpot.
However, I found that the carcass breaks apart easily after the long roast so that I can jam some of the bones bones into the cavity to save space.
I can tuck here and there to make everything fit. It worked beautifully, and I still had space for herbs, an onion, and a celery stalk.
Adding liquid and simmering
I used about 2 cups of chicken stock and then enough water to fill the crockpot to about 1" from the top of the crock.
There is meat and stuff sticking up over the surface of the liquid, but that's fine.
The ingredients on top will have condensation from the lid continuously dripping down on top.
Although it's a good idea to turn the bones once during the cook time, but it's not a big deal if you don't get the chance.
I set the crockpot turkey stock on low for 10 hours and pretty much just walked away.
UPDATE: I now let the stock simmer on low for 2 days. That's right: just check the level of the liquid to be sure it's not too high or low. Adjust as needed by removing some of the stock to a refrigerated container or adding additional water.
Finishing the stock
A bit of hands-on work is involved with removing the solids from the stock, picking any remaining meat off the bones (for soup!), and then straining the liquid. But it's totally worth it.
What can I do with crockpot turkey stock?
The obvious thing to do with this gorgeous crockpot turkey stock is to make soup.
Add in some of your leftover turkey meat with some sautéed mirepoix (onion, carrots, and celery). You could add in mushrooms, if you're a fan.
I like to add a couple tablespoons of dried herbs.
Then, finish with either leftover rice or cooked pasta (small kinds like orzo or acini di pepe are my preference).
Finally, season with salt & pepper to taste and top with some chopped parsley and grated Romano cheese—you've got an easy, healthy dinner.
This year, I'll be making turkey pho as my first soup. You can see the recipe here—just add the sachet of aromatics and spices and start with the step where you return the broth to a simmer.
Simmer the stock on the stove top rather than in the pressure cooker.
You can also use the stock in any soup for which you'd use turkey or chicken broth.
For example, Turkey Wild Rice Soup, Soul-Warming Barley Chicken & Vegetable Soup, and Lemon-Turmeric Chicken Orzo Soup.
Make the most of your turkey!
Turkey is such an economical meat—especially if you take full advantage of the bird and make crock pot turkey stock.
With the meat and stock, you get a LOT of meals out of one bird.
I freeze the crockpot turkey stock in freezer containers with screw-top lids (fill about 1.5" below the top: the stock will expand as it freezes).
I've kept the stock for as long as 6 months with no issues.
If you're looking for a turkey recipe, be sure to grab my delicious ultimate classic roast turkey.
And, if you're still planning your Thanksgiving Dinner, check out my detailed Countdown to Thanksgiving Meal Plan, which is your complete guide to planning and shopping for your big event!
I hope you'll get a lot of fantastic meals out of your crock pot turkey stock. Happy Holidays!
—xoxo Michelle
Crockpot Turkey Stock
Crockpot Turkey Stock is the most hands-off way to make post-turkey-dinner stock for soups, stews, sauces, and more. 10 hours of set-it-and-forget-it—then strain the broth and put it in storage containers.
Ingredients
- 1 turkey carcass* , (see my Ultimate Classic Roast Turkey recipe, link in Notes)
- 2 cups chicken or turkey broth
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 onion, , trimmed and cut in half
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh sage
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 8 black peppercorns
- 1 dried bay leaf
- salt and pepper,, to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into the crock of a 7-quart (or larger) slow-cooker. Add enough water to bring the liquid level to 1" below the top of the crock. Lid the slow-cooker, making sure that the lid fits tightly. Set slow-cooker on low for at least 10 hours and up to 48 (if you have a digital crockpot, be sure that you can program it for that much time—or reset it every 12 hours [depending on the type of crockpot you have]).
- If possible, turn the bones mid-way through the cook time.
- After 10 hours, remove all solids from the stock. Pick any remaining meat from the bones and reserve for another use. Run the broth through a fine-mesh strainer at least once. To be extra careful, set a layer of cheesecloth or paper toweling into the strainer the second time that you run the broth through.
- At this point, you will have approximately 3 quarts of highly concentrated stock. Dilute with up to 2 additional quarts of water. Add the crockpot turkey stock to screw-top freezer containers, leaving at least 1.5" at the top of each container. Store for up to 6 months.
Notes
*You will need to break the carcass down to make it fit into your slow-cooker.
See Ultimate Classic Roast Turkey.
You can add salt and pepper to taste, but I prefer to season my soups and sauces later. Be aware that the stock will have some salt already from the original turkey recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
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 | Pressure Cooker Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup): Pressure-cooker pho delivers a rich, flavorful broth in a fraction of the time. Piled high with beautiful garnishes, this healthy soup really satisfies. | |
 | Slow-Cooker Rotisserie Chicken Pho Ga: make the most of your rotisserie chicken, whether store-bought or homemade. A slow simmer in broth, spices, and aromatics extracts amazing flavor from the roasted chicken bones. |
Biana says
What a great idea! I love using up everything, so really appreciate this idea for making turkey stock once the roasted turkey is eaten.
Michelle says
Thanks, Biana! I feel the same way!
Maricruz Avalos Flores says
I love making my own stock, but somehow I never thought of making turkey stock...funny because we ate lots of turkey at home. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Michelle says
You're welcome, Maricruz! Thank you for stopping by!
Jeff Albom says
A great way to make use of that leftover carcass. This makes enough stock to last for ages.
Michelle says
Thanks, Jeff! It does: it's great to have the freezer containers to pull out whenever I'm making soup!
Monika Dabrowski says
Great recipe Michelle, tweeted and pinned!
Michelle says
Thank you, Monika! You rock!
Nicole says
Lovely! so great to have lots of tasty stock on hand for soup season! And storing in different size containers is useful for different purposes.
Michelle says
Thanks, Nicole! Yes, different-sized containers is a great idea!! 😉
Namrata Cooks says
Neat !! Never thought of making stock in a crock pot. Will have to try this.
Michelle says
Thanks, Namrata! It's so much easier!
Rezel Kealoha says
I can already tell there would be so much flavor in this stock! Such a great idea to make it right after thanksgiving!!
Michelle says
Thanks, Rezel! The long, slow simmer really does pack in the flavor, and I love that it's mostly hands-off!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Great idea! I always try to do this with my chicken carcasses and turkey carcasses if I can (sometimes I just don't have the energy on Christmas Day!) - but just on the stovetop. I've never thought to do this in the slow cooker (duh!) ...must try that next time 😀 Eb x
Michelle says
Thanks, Eb! Oh I know: the day after is nearly always a low-energy day for me too! I love this lazy method. 😛
Corina Blum says
This sounds like a great way to make stock. I am not actually very organised when it comes to making my own stock but it's something I always have good intentions to do as there's so much you can use it for. Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice.
Michelle says
Thank you, Corina! I just love having some homemade stock on hand.
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
I would not have thought of making stock in the crock pot but what a good idea. I won't wait until Christmas to try this but will do it with my next roast chicken carcase instead which should give me some great stock to use at Christmas.
Thank you for linking to #CookBlogShare
Michelle says
Thanks so much, Jacqui! It would be great with roast chicken carcasses too!
Lucy says
I love this way of making stock, I’ll definitely bookmark it for Christmas when I have leftover turkey. And I love 5e idea of using it as a base of soups and other meals too, the turkey pho sounds delicious! This would be perfect for the Slow Cooked Challenge which I host on my blog too, if you felt like adding it over there. It would be lovely to see you there.
Michelle says
Thank you Lucy! I will definitely check out your link party—thanks for the invite!
Lucy says
Thanks so much for joining in Michelle!