Turkey Bone Broth in an Instant Pot

45 minutes at high pressure is a dependable Instant Pot cooking time for turkey bone broth made from a cooked carcass. The pressure-cooking cycle is short, but allow extra time for the pot to come to pressure and release naturally. This method turns a picked-over holiday turkey or trash-can-cooked turkey carcass into rich broth for soup, gravy, beans, and sipping.

Use this at-a-glance guide to plan a full batch.

What You Need or Set	Full-Batch Target
Turkey bones	1 turkey carcass, about 2 pounds of bones
Cooker size	A 6-quart or larger Instant Pot
Apple cider vinegar	1 tablespoon per pound of bones
Water	2 to 2 1/2 quarts, enough to immerse the ingredients
Pressure setting	MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 45 minutes
Release	Press CANCEL, then let pressure release naturally
Expected yield	8+ cups
Storage	Refrigerate for 4 to 5 days or freeze for extended storage.

What Instant Pot Turkey Bone Broth Is

Turkey bone broth is simply broth made by pressure-cooking a roasted turkey carcass with water, seasonings, and a little vinegar. The bones, connective tissue, skin, and browned drippings add body and roasted flavor, while the pressure cooker gets the job done without an all-day stovetop simmer.

Bone broth is best treated as a versatile cooking ingredient, not a health remedy.

A homemade batch may have more flavor and body than a carton of stock, but nutrition varies with the turkey, how much fat remains on the carcass, and whether the bird was brined or heavily seasoned. Start without added salt, then season the finished broth for the recipe you are making.

How to Make Turkey Bone Broth in an Instant Pot

A 6-quart or larger Instant Pot turns a 2-pound turkey carcass into 8+ cups of broth in 45 minutes.

Step 1: Pick the Carcass and Make It Fit

Pull off and save any usable turkey meat before making broth. Small scraps can stay on the bones, but save larger pieces for sandwiches, soup, or turkey salad.
Gather 1 turkey carcass with approximately 2 pounds of bones for a full batch.
Break the carcass into manageable sections at its natural joints so it fits in the insert without forcing the lid closed.
Use a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot, and verify that the broken carcass fits inside the pot while staying below its maximum-fill marking.

Turkey backs, wing tips, the neck, skin, and pan drippings can go in with the carcass. Skin and drippings make a richer broth, though they also contribute fat that you can remove after chilling.

Step 2: Load the Pot With Flavorings

Put the turkey bones in the Instant Pot insert.
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons peppercorns.
Add optional flavorings such as onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley stems, or bay leaf if you have them.
Do not add salt yet. A roasted turkey may already carry salt from seasoning, brining, injected marinade, or pan drippings.

Vegetable scraps are optional. The carcass provides the turkey flavor; aromatics simply round it out.

Step 3: Add Vinegar and Water

Add apple cider vinegar at a ratio of 1 tablespoon per pound of bones.
For a full carcass batch, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar.
Pour in 2 to 2 1/2 quarts of cold water, using enough to immerse the bones and flavorings without going above the cooker’s maximum-fill line.

The vinegar will not make the broth taste sour. Its job is to support a balanced extraction from the bones during cooking.

Step 4: Pressure-Cook the Broth

Check that the sealing ring is seated and the rim of the insert is clean.
Lock the lid and set the vent to SEALING.
Select MANUAL, which uses HIGH PRESSURE for this method, and set the cooking time to 45 minutes.
Let the cooker run without opening it or moving the vent.

The pot will take time to build pressure before the countdown begins. That is normal, especially when the pot is full of cold water and a large carcass.

Step 5: Cancel and Release Pressure Naturally

When the cooking cycle beeps, press CANCEL or unplug the Instant Pot.
Let the pot release pressure naturally. Do not turn the vent to release steam quickly.
Once the float valve has dropped and the lid opens easily, open it away from your face.

Step 6: Strain and Taste the Broth

Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the large bones and vegetables.
Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a heat-safe bowl, pot, or large measuring container.
Taste the strained broth.

Discard the cooked bones rather than offering them to pets. Cooked poultry bones can splinter.

Step 7: Cool and Store the Finished Broth

A full batch makes 8+ cups of turkey broth. Divide it among shallow containers so it cools efficiently, then refrigerate it for no more than 3 to 4 days, as the USDA recommends, or freeze it for longer storage.

For easy cooking portions, freeze some broth in small containers for gravy and pan sauces, and some in larger containers for soup. Leave room at the top of freezer containers so the liquid can expand.

Adjusting a Turkey Carcass That Does Not Fit

An oversized turkey carcass can be divided into pieces that fit comfortably, with remaining cooked bones frozen for a later batch.

Use a Partial Carcass Batch

Separate the backbone, breastbone, wings, and leg bones, then use the pieces that fit comfortably. Freeze any remaining cooked bones in a sealed container for a later batch.

A partial batch still works well. Scale the vinegar to the amount of bones you use and add enough water to cover the contents.

Handle Brined, Smoked, or Highly Seasoned Turkey

A brined turkey carcass can make salty broth even if you do not add salt during cooking. Smoked turkey may also bring a strong smoke flavor, while heavily blackened skin can make broth taste bitter.

Use those carcasses, but leave out extra salt and taste after straining. If the broth is rich but too salty, use it in a recipe alongside unsalted water, vegetables, or grains rather than serving it straight.

Save Frozen Bones for Later

You can freeze a cooked turkey carcass when holiday cleanup is too busy for broth-making. Bag the bones after removing the meat, then thaw them in the refrigerator before loading the Instant Pot.

Saving bones is also useful when one carcass is small. Combine cooked turkey bones from several meals when you are ready to make broth.

How to Tell Turkey Bone Broth Is Ready

Finished turkey bone broth smells savory, ranges from pale gold to deep brown, and may gel or develop a fat layer after chilling.

The Broth Smells Savory and Looks Brown-Gold

Finished broth should smell like roasted turkey, not raw poultry. Its color may range from pale gold to deep brown depending on how dark the turkey skin and drippings were.

A broth made from a light-colored roasted turkey can still be flavorful. Color is more about browning than strength.

Chilled Broth May Gel

After refrigeration, turkey broth may turn jiggly or gel-like. That texture comes from gelatin released from connective tissue and skin.

Broth does not need to gel to be useful. A clear, pourable broth can still make excellent gravy, soup, stuffing, rice, or beans.

Fat Rises to the Top After Chilling

A firm layer of fat may collect on chilled broth, especially if you included skin and drippings. Lift it off with a spoon before reheating if you want a lighter broth.

Keep some turkey fat when making gravy or savory rice. It carries flavor and can replace part of the butter or oil in a recipe.

Cloudy Broth Is Still Usable

Broth can turn cloudy when small bits of meat, skin, or fat pass through the strainer. Strain it again through a finer sieve if appearance matters, but cloudiness does not prevent you from using it in everyday cooking.

Ways to Use Turkey Bone Broth

Use turkey broth anywhere you would use chicken stock, especially in recipes that benefit from a deeper roasted flavor.

Make turkey noodle soup with leftover meat and vegetables.
Use it as the liquid for gravy, dressing, rice, or wild rice.
Add it to beans, lentils, or split peas.
Use it to loosen a pan after browning vegetables or meat.
Warm a mugful and season it to taste with salt, black pepper, lemon, or herbs.
Freeze broth in small portions for weeknight sauces.

If the broth tastes concentrated after chilling, dilute it with water as you cook.

Save your next turkey carcass rather than throwing it away; one cooked carcass can yield 8+ cups of broth using The Yummy Life’s Instant Pot turkey broth method.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Use an Instant Pot to Make Bone Broth?

Yes. Cook a turkey carcass with water, seasonings, and a little vinegar for 45 minutes on MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE. An Instant Pot is well suited to making turkey bone broth from a cooked carcass because it cooks the bones under pressure in a sealed pot. A 6-quart or larger cooker works for a standard batch when the carcass is broken into pieces at its natural joints.

How Do You Make Turkey Broth Using the Soup Setting on an Instant Pot?

You can use the Soup/Broth setting, but it is not the most predictable choice because preset behavior can differ among Instant Pot models. For repeatable turkey broth, use MANUAL and select HIGH PRESSURE rather than relying on a preset program.

Is Turkey Bone Broth Good for You?

Turkey bone broth can be a satisfying, hydrating, flavorful addition to meals, especially when it replaces a heavily salted packaged stock. Its nutrition varies by carcass and preparation, so it is better viewed as a useful food than as a treatment for joints, digestion, or other health conditions.

Does Pressure Canning Bone Broth Destroy Nutrients?

Pressure canning exposes broth to more heat than refrigeration or freezing, so some heat-sensitive nutrients can change. It is not a reason to skip safe preservation practices: use only a tested pressure-canning process designed for broth and your jar size. For this recipe, refrigerate broth for 4 to 5 days or freeze it for extended storage.