This Instant Pot Turkey Soup turns your leftover turkey and carcass into a whole new meal in just 40 minutes - no separate stock needed, the bones make their own broth right in the soup. Bright, lemony and nothing like your holiday flavors, it's the easiest way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers.
The Best Way to Use Up Your Turkey Leftovers
If there's one thing everyone has the day after Thanksgiving - it's leftovers. And while I love enjoying those same flavors for a day or two in something like a Leftover Turkey Hash, sometimes there's just too much left and I need to switch it up.
That's when this simple turkey carcass soup comes in. Quick and easy and all done in under 40 minutes, it takes the leftover turkey (bones and all!) and turns it into a delicious leftover turkey soup that doesn't taste like your holiday turkey at all. And you don't need a separate broth - that's what we use the bones for.
The result is a delicious, lemony, soup that tastes like it simmered for hours - all thanks to pressure cooking it.
And as a bonus, it's great to freeze for a cold day when you need a warm and cozy pick-me-up meal. There's a reason this is one of my favorite instant pot recipes - right next to my Instant Pot Bolognese.
"Fantastic recipe! A nice variation on the ever-lovable, comforting turkey soup. Very tasty, lemony, and satisfying. Also: extra easy because you don't have to make the stock first; just throw in that carcass. A fave in our house." - Jarvis
Leftovers + A Few Extras
Do I Have to Use the Turkey Carcass?
This soup is definitely best when you allow the turkey carcass to simmer with the other ingredients. If you don't have it, you can still make it. Just make sure to use turkey broth or chicken broth instead.
If you have other turkey bones (drumsticks, etc.) you can also use those.
Use Real Lemons
We want a lot of lemon flavor in there so you need to use real lemons. Bottled lemon juice will not give it the same pop of flavor.
Make It Dairy-Free
To make it dairy-free, just use olive oil or a neutral cooking oil instead of butter.
Optional Celery
You can add a few chopped stalks of celery to the soup if you want to. I don't, because I don't like celery, but readers have tried it and enjoyed the result. If adding it, do so with the carrots.
How to Make It in 3 Simple Steps
1. Sauté Veggies + Add Wine
Start your Instant Pot in sauté mode and sauté onion and garlic in butter. Add carrots and sauté one more minute. Then pour in the wine and simmer 1 minute.
2. Prep the Broth & Cook
Turn off the Instant Pot and add the turkey carcass, water, bay leaves, whole pepper corns and salt. Mix it a bit, then close the lid and set your Instant Pot to cook on Soup mode (or just high pressure if you don't have a Soup mode) for 7 minutes. Make sure "Keep Warm" is turned off.
3. Add Lemon & Turkey
When the pressure cooking cycle is done, let it sit and release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure using the Quick Release valve. Remove the turkey carcass and any other bones, as well as the bay leaves, then add lemon juice and turkey meat.
Close the lid, set the Instant Pot to "Keep Warm" and let it sit for 5 minutes for everything to heat up. Then remove the lid, taste test, and adjust seasoning if needed. All done!
How to Make It Without Leftovers
If you want to make this with raw turkey, I recommend using bone-in pieces.
Sauté them with the onion, garlic and carrots for a minute before adding the wine. You can add more bones as well, if you have.
Then cook on Soup setting or manual Pressure Cooking setting on High for 10 minutes. Remove the turkey, take out the bones, and cut the meat in small pieces before adding back to the soup.
Another option is to use raw turkey meat cut in pieces. You will then need to add bones separately, or use turkey / chicken stock instead of water. Sauté as if using bone-in turkey, but 7 minutes cook time should be enough.
When using raw turkey, you need to make sure it cooks through, which means it needs to reach 165°F (74°C). This is easy to check using a meat thermometer.
How to Make It on the Stove Top
If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can make it on the stove top instead. Follow the process as detailed, but let the bones simmer for 45 minutes.
Top Tips
Add even more flavor with turkey drippings. If you any, you can add them to the soup together with the turkey carcass.
You don't need to chop or remove the garlic cloves. They will fall apart in the soup while pressure cooking.
Keep the carrot pieces pretty large. If they're too small they can end up mushy.
Use as many bones as you have. They add amazing flavor!
Crack the bones a bit, if you can. This helps increase the flavor.
Release pressure naturally first. If you don't, liquid might come sputtering out the release valve.
Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions
Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating stove top: Reheat leftovers on the stove over medium heat, until warmed through.
Reheating in microwave: Reheat leftovers in the microwave starting with 1 minute and following with 30 second increments. Stir it each time you add more time.
More Quick & Easy Soup Recipes
Looking for more quick & easy soups like this Turkey Carcass Soup to warm up those chillier days?
- Creamy Coconut Lentil Soup30 Minutes
- Creamy Spicy Chicken Soup1 Hours
- Miso Mushroom Ramen Noodles with Shiitake & Portobello20 Minutes
- Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup25 Minutes
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes
- Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Soup1 Hours 15 Minutes
- Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce45 Minutes
- Instant Pot Bolognese1 Hours
- Instant Pot Chicken Stew45 Minutes
Recipe
Instant Pot Turkey Soup (Easy Turkey Carcass Soup)
Print RateIngredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 yellow onion chopped, or red onion/shallots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 carrots cut in ½ inch (1 cm) thick quarters
- ½ cup dry white wine
- turkey bones from at least half a turkey
- 4 cups water
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fine table salt
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cups cooked turkey meat cut in bite-size pieces
Instructions
Instant Pot Version
- Start the instant pot in sauté mode and add the butter. When the butter is melted, add chopped yellow onion. Crush the garlic cloves gently with the side of the knife, remove the peel, and add the garlic to the instant pot as well. Sauté on Medium or High/More, without the onion and garlic browning, for 5 minutes.2 Tbsp butter, 1 yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves
- Add carrots and sauté for 1 more minute.3 carrots
- Make sure the sauté setting is on "More" or "High" and pour in the white wine. Simmer for 1 minute.½ cup dry white wine
- Press "Cancel" to turn off the instant pot. Bring out your turkey bones, and crack them a bit if possible. Then add them to the instant pot together with water, whole peppercorns, bay leaves and salt. Mix as well as possible.turkey bones, 4 cups water, 10 whole black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp fine table salt
- Close the lid tightly and choose "Soup" mode if you have it. Set it to run for 7 minutes. If you don't have a soup setting, set it to pressure cook on High for 7 minutes instead.
- When the pressure cooking cycle is done, let it sit and release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. Then do a quick release to release the last of the pressure.
- Remove the turkey bones and bay leaves from the pot. Mix in lemon juice and the turkey meat in pieces. Close the lid and make sure the pressure cooker is set to "Keep Warm", then let it sit for 5 minutes to allow for the turkey meat to heat up.2 cups cooked turkey meat, 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- Taste test and adjust seasoning as needed, then serve on its own, or with a piece of bread.
Stove Top Version
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted, add chopped yellow onion. Crush the garlic cloves gently with the side of the knife, remove the peel, and add the garlic to the pot as well. Sauté without the onion and garlic browning for 5 minutes, then add carrots and sauté 1 more minute.2 Tbsp butter, 1 yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves, 3 carrots
- Raise the heat to medium-high, pour in the white wine, and simmer 1 minute.½ cup dry white wine
- Bring out your turkey bones, and crack them a bit if possible. Then add them to the pot together with water, whole peppercorns, bay leaves and salt. Mix as well as possible, then close the lid and simmer for 45 minutes.turkey bones, 4 cups water, 10 whole black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp fine table salt
- Remove the turkey bones and bay leaves from the pot. Mix in lemon juice and the turkey meat in pieces. Close the lid and let it sit for 5 minutes on low heat to allow for the turkey meat to heat up.
- Taste test and adjust seasoning as needed, then serve on its own, or with a piece of bread.
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
- Instant Pot* or other pressure cooker
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
Video
Notes
Make it without the turkey carcass:
Use other turkey bones (drumsticks, etc.) or add turkey broth or chicken broth instead of water. ÂMake it with raw turkey:
Use bone-in pieces for maximum flavor. Sauté them with the onion, garlic and carrots for a minute before adding the wine. Then cook on Soup setting or manual Pressure Cooking setting on High for 10 minutes. Remove the turkey, take out the bones, and cut the meat in small pieces before adding back to the soup. Another option is to use raw turkey meat cut in pieces. You will then need to add bones separately, or use turkey / chicken stock instead of water. Sauté as if using bone-in turkey, but 7 minutes cook time should be enough. When using raw turkey, you need to make sure it cooks through, which means it needs to reach 165°F (74°C). This is easy to check using a meat thermometer. ÂStoring, Freezing & Reheating Instructions
Storing:Â Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freezing:Â Store leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheating stove top:Â Reheat leftovers on the stove over medium heat, until warmed through. Reheating in microwave:Â Reheat leftovers in the microwave starting with 1 minute and following with 30 second increments. Stir it each time you add more time.Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
eva Kwong
l added 4 stalks of celery to the recipe. I agree with the last comment the lemon juice enhanced the flavours of the soup.
Jarvis
Fantastic recipe! A nice variation on the ever-lovable, comforting turkey soup. Very tasty, lemony, and satisfying. Also: extra easy because you don’t have to make the stock first; just throw in that carcass. A fave in our house.
Kristine S.
11/27/22 - Made this today. Very easy clear instructions. I don't drink so used about 1T white wine vinegar and 1/2 c instant chicken stock. Turkey was cooked with thyme so a few bits of that also in the pot. The lemon juice is genius. Delicious!