Homemade stock is both easy and rewarding but can be flat or boring. Craving a deep rich broth to freeze for later, we put several leftover turkey carcasses to the test to make this rich instant pot turkey stock recipe.
Turkey stock is one of those things that’s easy and inexpensive to pick up from the market. And there is nothing wrong with that. However, on the quest to produce a savory bone broth that had both depth and flavor, I tested 4 turkey carcasses to see if homemade was worth the effort and time.
All the tests used the same mix of vegetables and aromatics.
The first test was a base turkey stock recipe with the bones simmered in a Dutch oven with veggies. The second was a pressure cooker turkey stock. And the third involved roasting the bones and veggies (a tip from my friend GrillingGrandma) and then making the turkey broth in a Dutch Oven which did significantly increase the flavor of the stock. And the final recipe test was roasting the turkey carcass and veggies and using the insta-pot.
It turned out the instant pot turkey broth was the perfect formula and I didn’t notice a difference between depth between the version in the Dutch oven or the pressure cooker. Just a serious time shortcut for homemade stock.
We have a winner.
What you need
- Leftover turkey carcass – picked mostly clean of meat
- Avocado oil
- Garlic – smashed
- Onion, Carrots, Leeks, Celery – all roughly chopped
- Water
- Bay leaves
- Girl Carnivore Chick Fest spice blend – the pop of citrus in this blend really adds a great layer to this recipe
- salt and pepper – sparingly! Reserve your desired full amount of salt and pepper for when you use the stock in recipes.
- Fresh herbs – a blend of rosemary, thyme, and sage
How to make instant pot turkey stock
Start by making sure you have cleaned the turkey, removing as much of the large pieces of meat, fat, and any other bits as you can from the bones.
Then, rub the turkey, garlic, and chopped veggies with oil. Pop onto a foil-lined baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes. This step is what adds a ton of depth to the recipe.
Once everything has roasted and is deep golden brown, carefully add the veggies, garlic, and turkey bones to the instant pot.
Add in the bay leaves, Girl Carnivore Chick Fest, fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage.
Next fill with water up to the max fill line, secure the lid, and set for pressure cooking for 45 minutes, accounting for the time it will take for the pressure to build up.
Then carefully release the pressure manually according to your models’ instructions.
Allow the stock to cool for a few minutes.
Place a calendar over a stockpot and line it with a cheesecloth if you have any on hand. Or use a fine-mesh strainer. Carefully strain the liquid through the strainer and discard all the bones, veggies, and bits left behind.
From there, allow the stock to settle for a while so that you can finish it by skimming the fat from the surface, divide into containers, and store until you’re ready to use. Or chill the stock in the fridge overnight, while it settles and the fat will form an easily removed layer on top for skimming.
All that’s left is dividing the stock to use or freeze for later.
Recipe FAQ
The turkey stock can be stored one week in the refrigerator in mason jars or another airtight container. If not using immediately, freeze the remaining broth by dividing it evenly in your chosen containers or even an ice cube tray. Freeze for up to 6 months.
When you’re ready to use allow the turkey stock to thaw in the fridge or reheat in a pot over low heat.
Use your stock whenever a recipe calls for chicken broth. Most of the time, it will be used when cooking soups and stews. But give it a try in gravy, risotto, or meatball stroganoff!
Soup & Stew Recipes recipe ideas
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Instant Pot Turkey Stock
Ingredients
For the roasted turkey bones
- 1 Leftover turkey carcass
- 2 tablespoon Avocado oil
- 1 bulb Garlic top ⅓ cut off and discarded
- 1 Onion roughly chopped
- 2 Carrots roughly chopped
- 2 Leeks rinced and roughly chopped
- 2 Celery stalks rinced and roughly chopped
For the instant pot turkey stock
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 tablespoon Girl Carnivore Chick Fest spice blend
- Water
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh herbs a blend of rosemary, thyme, and sage
Instructions
Roast the carcass
- Make sure the turkey carcass is cleaned of any unnecessary bits of meat, fat or other unnecessary items.1 Leftover turkey carcass
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
- Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Rub the carcass, garlic and chopped vegetables with oil.1 Leftover turkey carcass, 2 tablespoon Avocado oil, 1 bulb Garlic, 1 Onion, 2 Carrots, 2 Leeks, 2 Celery stalks
- Arrange the bones, garlic and veggies on the baking sheet.
- Roast for 45 minutes.
- Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Pressure Cook
- Place the roasted bones, veggies and garlic in the instant pot.
- Add the bay leaves and Girl Carnivore Chick Fest.2 Bay leaves, 2 tablespoon Girl Carnivore Chick Fest spice blend
- If using fresh herbs, add them now.Fresh herbs
- Seaon with a touch of salt and pepper if desiredSalt and pepper
- Add water enough to fill to the max fill line of your pressure cooker.Water
- Secure the lid and set to cook for 45 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooker is done, carefully do a quick release on the pressure according the manufacturers instructions for your model.
Strain
- Place a calendar over a stockpot and line with cheesecloth. Strain the stock through the calendar into the stock pot.
- Discard the bones and veggies.
Rest and Remove Fat
- Allow the pot to cool.
- Once cooled, place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight with a lid on. As the stock cools, a layer of fat will form at the top.
- Using a slotted spoon, skim the fat from the surface and discard.
Store or Serve
- At this point, you can immediately use the stock in soups and stews or divide in airtight containers or jars and freeze for future use.
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