Make Ahead Turkey Stock
Make-ahead turkey stock is the ultimate Thanksgiving secret weapon, delivering the richest, most flavorful gravy and stuffing you’ll ever taste. By making your own stock, you can customize the flavor and ensure the highest quality, all while getting a head start on your holiday preparations. This recipe is a great way to repurpose turkey parts that might otherwise go to waste, transforming them into a deeply flavored stock that takes your holiday dishes to the next level.
Erica’s Notes
Fact: homemade turkey stock makes THE best gravy and stuffing.
Problem: usually you make turkey or chicken stock from the leftover turkey or chicken carcass. But you aren’t going to carve the turkey and wait 1 ½ hours for the turkey carcass to make flavorful turkey stock so you can finally make the gravy, right?
Solution: spatchcock the turkey and use the backbone, neck, giblets and some veggies and herbs to make turkey stock ahead of time so that you can make a rich gravy to serve with your perfect turkey.
I have been doing this for years now, and it truly is the best way. You get this incredible aromatic stock that you can use to make both the gravy and stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner. Most gravy and/or stuffing recipes call for chicken broth, but sub out the storebought chicken broth for this turkey stock and your mind will be blown. 🤯
Although spatchcocking your turkey may seem intimidating, don’t let it be. I’ve broken it down in my step-by-step recipe right here. And here I’ll guide you through how to make this easy turkey stock! Let the Thanksgiving meal prep begin!
What You’ll Need to Make Turkey Stock
Turkey neck and giblets: these typically come tucked inside the cavity of a whole turkey. Giblets refers to the turkey heart, liver and gizzard. I don’t know many people who cook and eat these (although you could) but they add a deep, rich flavor to the stock. Save them when prepping your turkey!
Turkey backbone: if you spatchcock your turkey (which I sincerely hope you are), the backbone is removed and is perfect for making stock. It provides amazing depth of flavor and doesn’t allow for any part of the turkey to go to waste.
Garlic: one whole head, sliced in half lengthwise. Roasting garlic mellows its flavor and adds a savory richness to the stock.
Aromatic veggies: whole carrots, celery stalks and sweet or yellow onions (the mirepoix trifecta), compliment turkey and add great flavor.
Avocado oil: because we’re roasting at high heat, I like to use an oil with a high smoke point like avocado oil. You could also use vegetable oil or olive oil.
Kosher salt and ground black pepper: we’ve got a lot of flavor coming from herbs, veggies and turkey, so all you need by way of spices are pinches of salt and pepper to lift the overall flavor.
Fresh herbs: fresh rosemary and fresh thyme are required but feel free to throw in others like sage, fresh parsley, oregano, etc. If you’re making my turkey brine (which calls for rosemary and thyme), don’t toss the stems—they’re perfect for this!
Bay leaves: bay leaves infuse the stock with a subtle, earthy depth. Find them in the spice aisle at the grocery store.
Whole peppercorns: these add a peppery warmth to the stock that’s more nuanced than ground pepper and doesn’t result in black specks of pepper floating in your stock.
Equipment You’ll Need to Make this Recipe:
How to Make Turkey Stock
Roast the veggies and turkey parts
Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Prepare your sheet pan by greasing or lining it with a silicone baking mat. Arrange the turkey backbone, neck, giblets, garlic, carrots, and celery on the tray. Drizzle with avocado oil and season with 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Toss until everything is evenly coated.
Roast the mixture for 40 minutes until the turkey parts and vegetables are deeply golden brown and slightly caramelized. This step brings out rich, savory flavors that will deepen your stock. Add a splash of water to the pan to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Transfer the roasted turkey parts and vegetables into a large pot. Fill the pot with 4 quarts of water (16 cups of water).
Simmer the stock
Toss in the bay leaf, whole peppercorns, remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and rosemary and thyme sprigs (feel free to add the stems from any leftover dry brine too!). Stir gently with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Keep the stock at a gentle simmer for 1½–2 hours over medium to low heat, until it is reduced in volume by about one-third.
Strain and store
Once the stock is rich and flavorful, turn off the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Then strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer into mason jars or any airtight container of your choice. You will have about 12 cups of stock (3 quarts). I like to store each quart in a separate container since many recipes call for 4 cups of broth/stock. Let the stock cool completely before covering and refrigerating for up to 5 days or freezing for up to 3 months.
Huzzah! Now you’re set for the big day! Make gravy to drizzle over turkey breast, use in your favorite dressing or stuffing recipe or make turkey noodle soup with your leftover turkey!
Expert Tips for Make Ahead Turkey Stock
- Roast the Turkey Parts: Roasting the turkey parts and vegetables in the oven before simmering them creates a much richer, more complex flavor. Don’t skip this step!
- Use Leftover Herbs: If you have leftover rosemary or thyme stems from making a turkey dry brine, throw them in the stock for extra flavor.
- Freeze for Later: If you’re making stock ahead of time, freeze some for later use. Portion it into smaller containers, Ziploc bags, quart-size mason jars or even ice cube trays for easy use when you need it.
FAQs
Prep and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
I like to transfer the cooled stock to a gallon Ziploc bag and seal tightly. This way, the stock can lay flat in the freezer, conserving space. I’ve also used quart-size mason jars but make sure to leave room at the top of the jar because the liquid will expand in the freezer.
Absolutely! If you don’t have turkey parts, chicken parts like backs, necks, wings and giblets will work just as well for making a flavorful stock.
This rich stock is incredibly versatile! Use it for making turkey gravy, stuffing, soups, stews, risottos, or even to cook grains like rice or quinoa. It’s a great substitute for chicken broth in many recipes.
Yes! This turkey stock recipe is made with the backbone and giblets so that it can be made AHEAD of roasting the turkey, giving you a rich and flavorful stock to make gravy. But you can use the same method and recipe (sans roasting since the turkey will already be roasted) with the leftover turkey carcass after the big meal.
Yep! It’s not necessary to peel but if you choose not remove the skin, make sure your veggies are really clean.
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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Make Ahead Turkey Stock
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 3 quarts stock 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Roast + Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This make ahead turkey stock is simple to throw together, so flavorful and will take your Thanksgiving prep game to the next level.
Ingredients
- neck and giblets from a turkey
- backbone from a spatchcocked turkey
- 1 head garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 large carrots, sliced in half lengthwise and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 4 ribs celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 sweet onion, quartered
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 1/2–2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3–4 sprigs rosemary
- 3–4 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons whole peppercorns
Instructions
- This recipe calls for the turkey backbone, which means you’ll need to first spatchcock your turkey. (or have the butcher do it and reserve the backbone!) Spatchcocking is the process of removing the turkey backbone and flattening the turkey for quicker, even cooking and crispier skin. I one million percent recommend doing this for a perfectly moist, flavorful turkey.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Grease or line a large rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Arrange turkey backbone, neck giblets, garlic, onion, carrots and celery on the tray, drizzle with avocado oil and season with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Toss until evenly coated.
- Roast for 40-45 minutes until deeply golden brown and slightly caramelized. Add a splash of water to the pan to scrape up any flavorful bits stuck to the pan.
- Transfer the turkey, veggies and any juices to a large stockpot. Fill the pot with 4 quarts (16 cups) of clean cool water. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, another ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and rosemary and thyme sprigs (if you have the stems leftover from making the dry brine, add those!)
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced by a third, about 1½-2 hours. Taste and add another pinch of salt, if desired. Turn the heat off and let the stock cool before straining through a fine-mesh sieve into mason jars or vessel of choice. You should have about 3 quarts of stock.
- Let cool completely, cover and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 3 months. Use this stock to make the best turkey gravy ever. You can also use it in place of chicken broth for stuffing, soup, stew, risotto or cooked grains.
Notes
Refer to above blog post for tips and tricks and answers to frequently asked questions.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 33
- Sugar: 1.3 g
- Sodium: 177.1 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2.4 g
- Cholesterol: 7.5 mg
This is the 2nd or 3rd time I am following this method of preparing the turkey! My family loves all the recipes here!!!
Wooohooo! Glad it was a hit, thank you for trying my recipes and for your review! 🙂