Don’t toss that turkey carcass into the trash. Instead, turn it into a batch of rich, golden turkey stock, with your Instant Pot doing all the work. In about an hour and a half, yesterday’s leftovers turn into the base for soups, stews, and gravy you’ll use for weeks.
I started making Instant Pot turkey stock when I finally got tired of watching a perfectly good carcass hit the garbage. It felt wasteful, especially after I’d just paid good money for the bird. Now I toss everything in the Instant Pot, walk away, and let the pressure cooker do the rest.
If homemade stock sounds like a project, don’t worry. The Instant Pot makes it faster than the stovetop and easier than the slow cooker. You’re not skimming foam for hours or watching a pot all afternoon. The Instant Pot changes the math completely.
The best part is you’re getting real stock for basically nothing, since you already paid for the turkey. No mystery additives, way less sodium than the boxed stuff, and a freezer stocked with stock for months.
Keep reading for the exact steps, the difference between stock and broth, and how to make it even without a whole turkey. This recipe is a small kitchen win that makes the rest of your Thanksgiving cleanup feel a little less like a chore.
Looking for recipes to use your turkey stock? Try my turkey stew, turkey corn chowder, or turkey tetrazzini.
Why Make Turkey Stock in the Instant Pot
A stockpot on the stove needs hours, usually 4 to 24, to pull flavor and nutrients out of turkey bones. Nobody wants to babysit a pot that long on a day you’re already tired. The Instant Pot gets you there in a fraction of the time because pressure cooking pushes liquid into the bones faster than a gentle simmer ever could.
You still get the depth you want. You’re just not standing at the stove to get it. Load the pot, set it, and go deal with the rest of your kitchen. That’s the whole appeal for anyone who wants real homemade stock without giving up an entire day to it.
Stock vs Broth vs Bone Broth: What’s the Difference?
These three terms get used as if they mean the same thing, but they don’t.
- Stock is made from bones (plus a little clinging meat) and vegetables, and it’s basically unseasoned. It’s a building block, not something you’d drink on its own. This recipe makes stock.
- Broth usually comes from bones with a little more meat, and it’s seasoned enough to sip straight from a mug. Add salt and pepper to this stock, and you’ve essentially made broth.
- Turkey bone broth is stock taken further. It’s cooked long enough, and with enough bones, to pull real collagen out of the connective tissue. That collagen is what gives bone broth its thicker body and the gel it forms in the fridge.
Here’s the good news. Because the Instant Pot uses pressure instead of a gentle simmer, this stock pulls a lot of that same collagen in just 60 minutes. You’re getting a lot of the benefit of turkey bone broth without watching a pot for a full day.
Ingredient Notes
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
- Turkey carcass, leg, and wing bones: Break the carcass down into pieces so it fits in the pot and packs in tighter. Don’t worry about getting every scrap of meat off first. Whatever’s still clinging to the bones adds more flavor.
- Onions
- Celery
- Carrots
- Herb bouquet: Parsley, thyme, or rosemary, tied together so you can fish the whole thing out at the end.
- Black peppercorns
- Salt
- Water
How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Stock
- Separate the leftover bones into smaller pieces so that they fit into your pressure cooker. You can break larger bones, like the breast bone, if needed.
- Cut the celery and carrots into two-inch pieces. Slice the onions into quarters. You can peel the onions or leave the skin on, whichever you prefer.
- Load everything into the Instant Pot at once: the turkey carcass and bones, the onions, celery, carrots, your herb bouquet, salt and the peppercorns. Pour in cold water up to the max fill line, somewhere around 6 to 8 cups depending on how much room the bones take up. Don’t go past that line. The pot needs headspace to come to pressure safely.
- Set it to Manual, high pressure, for 60 minutes. It takes roughly 15 minutes to build up to pressure before the timer even starts counting down, so plan for that. The full 60 minutes at pressure is what gives you real depth of flavor and pulls collagen out of the bones.
- Once the cook time ends, let the pressure release naturally instead of doing a quick release. Walk away and let the pot come down on its own. That extra time at high heat keeps extracting flavor even after the cook cycle technically ends.
- The last step is to strain it twice. Pour it through a colander first to catch the bones and large vegetable pieces, then run it through a fine-mesh strainer to catch the smaller bits and grit. Skipping the second strain is how you end up with cloudy stock full of little floating pieces.
How to Use Turkey Stock
This is the base for turkey gravy, and it’s a straight swap for chicken stock in any soup, stew, or pot of rice. One of my favorite ways to use it is in soup and stew recipes.
I use it to cook stuffing, deglaze a pan after searing something, or simmer down leftover vegetables into a quick soup the week after Thanksgiving. Season as you go, depending on what you’re making, since the stock starts plain on purpose.
How to Store and Freeze
Keep the stock in the fridge for 3 to 5 days in a sealed container. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 6 months. Mason jars work well for larger portions; leave about an inch of headspace at the top since liquid expands as it freezes.
For smaller amounts, you can portion straight into an ice cube tray, then pop the cubes into a freezer bag once they’re solid. Those small portions are handy for deglazing a pan or adding a splash of flavor to a dish without thawing a whole jar.
No Turkey Carcass? Use Turkey Parts
You can still make this even if you don’t have a whole carcass on hand, or you’re making this outside of Thanksgiving. Turkey wings, legs, and necks all work the same way.
Pick up wings or legs from the store, follow the same steps, and you’ll get the same stock. Remember this any time you see turkey parts on sale and want to stock the freezer.
Tips and Tricks
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- You can roast the bones if you have a few extra minutes. Spread the carcass and wing pieces on a baking sheet and roast them at 400°F for 20 to 30 minutes before they go in the Instant Pot. The browning adds a deeper, richer flavor to the finished stock. It’s an extra step, not a required one, so skip it on a day when you want this done.
- An 8-quart pressure cooker is the best size for turkey stock, but if you have a smaller one, you’ll just end up with less.
- If your stock turns to jelly once it’s cold in the fridge, that’s not a mistake. That’s the collagen from the bones setting up, exactly like gelatin does. It melts right back into liquid when you heat it.
- If you want a lower-fat turkey broth, refrigerate it for a few hours and skim off the layer of fat that solidifies on top.
- Don’t crowd the pot past the max fill line trying to squeeze in every last bone. If you have more carcass than fits, do a second batch rather than overfilling.
- The vegetables that come out after straining have given up everything they have to the stock. So I toss them rather than trying to save them for anything else.
Reader Questions
60 minutes at high pressure, followed by a natural pressure release. Between the roughly 15 minutes it takes to come to pressure and the release time afterward, plan on about 100 minutes total from start to finish.
Bone broth is stock cooked long enough, and with enough bones, to pull collagen out of the connective tissue. That gives it a thicker body and makes it gel in the fridge. This Instant Pot method pulls a good amount of that same collagen in just 60 minutes, thanks to the pressure cooking.
Yes. If you don’t have time to make stock the same day, wrap the carcass tightly and freeze it for up to a few months. Pull it out whenever you’re ready and cook it straight from frozen, or thaw it in the fridge first if you’d rather.
Yes, and it works the same way. Wings, legs, and necks all have plenty of bone and connective tissue to make a good stock. This is an easy way to make a batch any time of year, not just after a big holiday turkey.
That’s collagen from the bones turning into gelatin as it cools, and it’s a good sign. It means the stock pulled real body out of the bones. It goes right back to liquid as soon as you heat it, so it hasn’t gone bad.
The Instant Pot is faster and more hands-off. Pressure cooking gets you a rich stock in about an hour, whereas a slow cooker needs 12 hours or more on low to pull out a similar amount of collagen. But both work.
Turkey stock and broth are low in calories and provide protein, plus whatever vegetables and herbs you cook with. It’s a reasonable base for a lighter soup, though it isn’t a stand-in for a full meal on its own.
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Instant Pot Turkey Stock Recipe
Ingredients
- Turkey carcass including leg and wing bones separated into pieces
- 2 medium onion quartered
- 5 stalks celery cut into 2 inch pieces
- 5 carrot cut into 2 inch pieces
- Sprigs fresh parsley, thyme or rosemary tied in a bouquet
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6-8 cups water
Instructions
- Separate the turkey bones into pieces. Slice the celery and carrots and quarter the onions.Turkey carcass including leg and wing bones , 5 stalks celery, 5 carrot , 2 medium onion
- Place the turkey carcass, bones, onions, celery, carrots, herb bouquet, salt, and peppercorns in the Instant Pot. Add 6 to 8 cups of water up to the max fill line.Sprigs fresh parsley, thyme or rosemary , 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 6-8 cups water
- Put the lid on the pressure cooker, making sure the valve is closed and a sealing ring is in place. Set for Manual, high pressure for 60 minutes. It will take about 15 minutes to reach pressure.
- Once it is done let the pressure release manually. The Instant Pot is too full for a quick release.
- Strain the turkey bone broth twice into a large bowl. First strain it through a colander, then strain a second time through a fine mesh strainer.
- Use immediately or cool and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 4 months.
Notes
- An 8-quart pressure cooker is the best size for turkey stock, but if you have a smaller one, you’ll just end up with less.
- If your stock turns to jelly once it’s cold in the fridge, that’s not a mistake. That’s the collagen from the bones setting up, exactly like gelatin does. It melts right back into liquid when you heat it.
- If you want a lower-fat turkey broth, refrigerate it for a few hours and skim off the layer of fat that solidifies on top.
- Don’t crowd the pot past the max fill line trying to squeeze in every last bone. If you have more carcass than fits, do a second batch rather than overfilling.
- The vegetables that come out after straining have given up everything they have to the stock. So I toss them rather than trying to save them for anything else.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
I used your turkey stock recipe to make my turkey rice soup and it tasted amazing!! Thank you for the recipe!
This turkey stock made all the difference when making dinner – thank you!
Can you can this turkey broth? If so..how many minutes and degree of pressure
I have never made broth from the leftover turkey carcass before because I thought it was too time consuming. The instapot make it super easy. Highly recommend it
I don’t have a turkey carcass. Can I use raw turkey legs?
You can but you would want to roast them first.
No, you cannot use raw turkey wings, you must roast them in the oven first, and then you can use them for the broth in the InstantPot.
Great recipe! I know my recipes will turn out fabulous with this stock and I ended up with about 10-12 cups which means multiple meals.
I used the stock and left over turkey meat to make amazing gumbo!