This effortless recipe transforms the end of Thanksgiving leftover turkey into liquid gold! Slow Cooker Homemade Turkey Stock is a cinch to make for immediate use or to be frozen. Be sure to include this in your holiday leftover plan!
As preparation-intensive as Thanksgiving usually is, figuring out delicious ways to use the leftovers can be just as thought-consuming. I almost enjoy that first full plate of Thanksgiving leftovers more than the dinner itself. My palate and senses are clear (vs being saturated from cooking all day on Thanksgiving). It’s like experiencing the food for the first time!
After a plateful or two however, I’m ready to mix it up. I LOVE Turkey Holiday Hash which uses three of the traditional dishes (turkey, stuffing and gravy) in a completely new form, AND for breakfast. Turkey Cranberry-Chipotle Quesadillas are easy to make for a crowd and use leftover turkey and cranberry sauce. I published also 100 Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes a few years ago so there are plenty of options for the days following your feast!
One of the favorite things to make after a big holiday meal for me is soup stock. It might seem like a ‘why bother’ when you can buy a box of stock at the store for a few dollars but the flavor is like night and day when making it from scratch. You can whip it up into some soup with your leftovers (like this Jalapeno Turkey Noodle Soup (gluten-free!) or Coconut Curry Turkey Rice Soup) or freeze it for future use.
Making stock is not difficult. I’ve shared a few favorite stock recipes before for traditionally made stock; Homemade Lemony Turkey Stock and Peppery Ham Stock. The key that makes them so delicious is long, slow cooking with aromatic vegetables to build on the base flavors. Once the base stock is made, the stock is strained and additional flavors can be added when making it into soup.
Today I’m sharing an even easier way to make turkey stock in the slow cooker. With all the holiday activities going on it’s a wonderful option to stick everything in a slow cooker and forget it. Using a larger slow cooker (6 quarts or larger) works best for this large batch of stock though making two batches over a few days with a smaller slow cooker is an option too.
A cut-up onion, celery, carrots and some spices are added to the slow cooker along with the quartered (or smaller) turkey carcass. It is covered with fresh cold water and cooks on low for 12 hours when it is then strained and refrigerated or frozen (once it has cooled). Any bits of meat left on the carcass add even more flavor. The rich flavor of a homemade stock is something that will become a favorite leftover of your meal, especially with this super easy fix-it-and-forget-it method!
EQUIPMENT/WHERE TO BUY: I have two slow cookers that I use all the time. They are both Crock Pot brand though there are many slow cooker brands available and at different price points. I personally love a programmable slow cooker so I don’t have to pay attention to the cooking time but manual cookers perform the same cooking function. Another couldn’t-live-without-it kitchen tool we use in our kitchen for cutting up a chicken and also the carcass for making stock are poultry shears. The poultry shears we have are made by Wusthof and we’ve had them for years. There are multiple brands who make poultry shears as well.
Slow Cooker Homemade Turkey Stock
Homemade turkey stock has never been easier and it so worth the time to make this delicious stock. A wonderful base for any homemade soups.
Ingredients
- 1 Turkey Carcass , quartered (or cut even smaller if needed to fit your slow cooker)
- 1 large Yellow Onion , peeled and cut into wedges
- 2 large Celery Stalks , rinsed and cut into 2-inch segments
- 3 medium Carrots , scrubbed and cut into 1 ½ inch segments
- 15 Black Peppercorns
- 3 sprigs fresh Italian Parsley
- 4 sprigs fresh Thyme
- 8-10 cup Cold Water
Instructions
- Add the onion, celery and carrots to a 6-quart slow cooker. Lay the turkey bones on top of the vegetables. Add the peppercorns, parsley, and thyme. Pour in the amount of water your slow cooker can hold (note; the turkey carcass size can determine the amount of water possible). Add the lid and turn on LOW for 12 hours.
- Strain and use or freeze. Tip for straining fat: if you want to try to strain fat out of the stock, place it in the refrigerator overnight. The fat will congeal on the top and is easily remove.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
That is such a great idea! I love to cook with stock, and this is a great way to squeeze every last delicious part of the turkey I buy.
Jen Rattie says
Yay-UH! I’ve never made stock before. Mostly because most recipes involve me standing there and making sure things don’t boil over. I think I’ll give this a try.
Tara says
I love making my own stock. It is so much more flavorful than anything store bought. There are so many delicious recipes you can use it for.
Stacie says
Using a slow cooker makes everything so much easier. I will have to do this with the turkey carcass come Christmas since we’ve already had our Thanksgiving.
Diana Rambles says
My mom used to make the best turkey soup after Thanksgiving. She always used the turkey carcass.
Myrah @ Coupon Mamacita says
Thank you so much for sharing this. I try to use every last bit of turkey when I make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is definitely going to help me do that.
Tracey says
What a great way to get the most out of your turkey! We already had Thanksgiving here in Canada but I will be using this idea when Christmas rolls around.
Rachel Ferrucci says
I always make homemade soup but never thought to make the stock ahead of time. DUH- I’m totally trying this- thanks!
Pam Wattenbarger says
I always make chicken stock when I cook a chicken. Turkey stock seems like a good way to get the most out of your holiday turkey.
Meagan says
This looks simple enough. I may have to try it.
Liz Mays says
Oh it might be nice to give this a shot. Your turkey stock sounds easy enough to make and it would definitely be useful
Mandee Suchland says
Leftovers are the best! I am always trying to think of new ways to use the leftovers after a day or two. These are all great ideas!
Kayla @ Kay's Adaptable Adventures says
There is nothing better than homemade soup stock! We make our own chicken soup stock at least once every two weeks and it’s so flavorful, not to mention healthy and nutritious. This is definitely a fantastic way to make that turkey you buy stretch just that little bit more!
Claudia Krusch says
I love making my own stock. It is so much more flavorful than anything store bought. I’ve made some and froze it for thanksgiving recipes.
Kim @ What's That Smell? says
My mom and I were use talking about this today. I ordered a huge turkey this year and we are planning to make soup, stock and all sorts of things from it. Thanks for the recipe!
Ann Bacciaglia says
I am always looking for new crock pot recipes. I need to make up some stock for my holiday cooking. I will have to try this with my next turkey.
Lisa Bristol says
I love to make homemade stock. It is so delicious in so many recipes. I have never tried to make it in a crock pot before. I bet it smells delicious cooking.
Cathi Crismon says
I love homemade recipes. No preservatives or additives. Your recipe is perfect for all the upcoming holidays.
Lisa Favre says
Turkey stock would actually be very handy to have. This is something I may try out!
Amy Desrosiers says
This is such a great recipe! I love the idea because I prefer to make my stuffing with turkey stock vs chicken stock.
Ora Lee Gurr says
I’ve made stock over the stove before. What a lot of work, though the results are wonderful and much healthier than buying canned stock at the store. I’m so ready to try your slow cooker recipe and the tip you listed for removing the fat easily.
Reesa Lewandowski says
Oh look at that delicious stock! I love making my own. The slow cooker is so perfect to cook it all day too!
Kathy says
I need to make some of this myself. I’ve never tried making it myself before. I do love homemade stuff, so I’ll give this a try.
Amanda West says
I’ve never thought about making stock before, usually doing the lazy thing and buying it. But you make it look so easy!
Melissa @ The Staten Island family says
First of all –you manage to make all your foodie pics look just scrumptious! Definitely going to share this with my turkey eating friends.
Tonya says
I’ve thought about making my own stock, but I thought maybe it would be too difficult and time consuming. Your post makes it look easy.
Kiwi says
Look at this liquid gold! I want to make more thing from scratch so I definitely pinned this and saved for later.
Aziel Morte says
This looks easy and simple to make! 🙂
Seattle Travel Blogger says
I really like this recipe.
My dad is always looking to prepare stock mixes; he will like this also.
Toni Dash says
Oh good! This really couldn’t be easier and the stock is sooooo good!
Brianne says
Oh wow, I’ve got to try this out. I am making thanksgiving dinner this year, and I bit freaked out about it!
Toni Dash says
My advice is to keep it simple. The meal is about gathering together. Find easy recipes (I have many here) that you love and don’t go overboard. It’s scary to do your first big meal but once you’ve done it you’ll realize it’s more about coordination than anything else. Also, as much as you can do the days beforehand, do it! It will be great!!
Liz Mays says
Now I don’t have to feel guilty about throwing out a carcass. I can use it for this idea!
Sheena Tatum says
Lord knows I needed this so much! Brilliant idea!
Joyce Brewer says
My husband would love this. He doesn’t eat beef, so he’d love turkey stock to make his favorite recipes.
Ourfamilyworld says
Wow, this is a brilliant idea. I love turkey stock. I will try this!
Rosey says
What a simply brilliant idea. And I hear you on the crock pots. We use two of them often here too!
Amanda Love says
I love this idea! There’s so much that you can do with homemade Turkey stock! I love that you can do this in a slow cooker, it makes life easier!
Christina Aliperti says
I have to try this. There is so much I can use homemade stock for. I will be doing this soon.