This homemade turkey soup recipe is a simple, healthy soup you can make in your instant pot, slow cooker, or on the stove! A yummy, easy turkey soup everyone will love! This is the perfect leftover turkey recipe! Easily made paleo, keto, Whole30 or gluten free. Customize with noodles, rice or make it creamy – it’s up to you!
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There’s nothing worse than eating thanksgiving dinner 4x in a row to use up the leftover turkey.. that’s why this leftover turkey is a MUCH better option!
This isn’t just any leftover turkey soup… it’s the BEST leftover turkey soup. What makes it so good you might ask?
Well, we use real turkey bone broth (which you can make if you just follow this turkey broth recipe!), loads of hearty veggies, and all that leftover turkey up for maximum flavor.
It’s cozy, easy to make, and delicious! It can also be paleo/whole30 friendly, or gluten free depending on what add-ins you use. There’s a long list of substitutions below!
If you’re looking for how to cook your turkey – this Crockpot Turkey Breast is the best! (And if you’re still planning your Thanksgiving menu – check out these 50 Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes!)
Why We Love Turkey Soup
We love easy soup because it’s so delicious – but it’s also great for other reasons.. here’s why we love it so much:
- Easy to make: This recipe is done in under 30 minutes. Other than chopping some veggies, it requires little to no effort!
- Loaded with veggies: We love sneaking veggies in soup (like this Healthy Broccoli Soup or Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup)
- Budget friendly: This recipe is made with basic affordable ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry/fridge and it uses up all those leftovers. No more lame Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches or tossing turkey after a few days – this totally transforms it!
This soup is so simple to make. Especially if you’re enjoying this after a holiday.. you’re probably tired from all the cooking/hosting/traveling you did – which means you probably don’t want to spend ANY more time in the kitchen.
All you have to do is chop some veggies + the leftover turkey, sauté, and toss in to the instant pot, slow cooker or on the stove! It really doesn’t get any easier. Here’s what you’ll need to make leftover turkey soup recipe.
Turkey Soup Ingredients
To make this leftover turkey soup recipe you’ll need:
- olive oil
- onion, garlic, carrots, celery
- salt and pepper
- broth
- cooked turkey
- your add in’s of choice (zoodles, rice or pasta)
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
Cooked rice, quinoa, zoodles, or noodles are all great additions!
How to make Turkey Soup
Making leftover turkey soup is very simple. Pictured below are stovetop instructions, but you can easily do this in the crockpot or instant pot (see recipe for instructions)
- Chop your veggies + leftover turkey meat.
- Sauté onion + garlic, then celery + carrots until soft. Add in spices, cooked turkey meat + broth.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.
- When you’re ready to serve, serve over cooked rice, noodles, or zucchini noodles.
SO cozy.
This soup is easily customizable. Feel free to get creative with your add ins, and see below for some of the things we’ve tried.
Substitutions for Leftover Turkey Soup
There are so many ways to customize this healthy soup and adjust it depending on what you have in your pantry/fridge… Here are a few.
Meat: You can make this with leftover chicken instead of turkey meat if you’d like. We also have a Chicken Wild Rice Soup recipe!
Can you make a creamy turkey soup? Sure! Stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut cream once it has cooked to make this recipe a creamy soup.
Oil: Avocado oil or vegetable oil can be used in place of olive oil.
Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe: Just add cooked noodles to the soup when you’re ready to serve turkey noodle soup. Or try this Turkey Noodle Soup
Keto Turkey Soup: If you are strict keto, cut the amount of carrots in half for this recipe and serve with zucchini noodles.
Spicy Turkey Soup: If you want some spice, add 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes to the soup as it’s cooking
Broth: We used homemade turkey broth in this recipe, but you can use chicken stock, veggie stock, or whatever broth you have on hand.
Add ins: Quinoa, pasta, brown rice, or noodles all work in this recipe. You can also add zucchini noodles
Wild Rice: If you like wild rice, try our Turkey Wild Rice Soup!
Zucchini Noodles: For best results, I recommend adding the zucchini noodles to the bowl instead of adding them to the slow cooker pot. This way your zucchini noodles/spinach won’t get soggy if you eat leftovers. You can also sub pasta for zucchini noodles.
Veggies: You can add peas, potatoes, or even spinach to this recipe!
Herbs: I like to add in a little chopped fresh rosemary and a bay leaf to this recipe – but you can use whatever herbs you like!
Low Sodium: If you’re watching your salt intake – omit the salt from the recipe or add it at the end to taste… Also, make sure to check your canned beans/broth. Look for low or no salt added beans/broth.
Storing & Serving this Easy Turkey Soup Recipe
As the soup sits, the rice/zoodles will absorb the broth/liquid and become thicker. Don’t worry! Just add more broth when you’re ready to eat your leftovers.
This soup is best served with a big piece of crusty bread and lots of parmesan cheese! Fresh basil and cracked black pepper also add a lot of flavor!
How long is leftover turkey soup good for?
Leftover turkey soup is good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. It can be frozen for a few months.
How long is leftover turkey good in the fridge?
Leftover turkey is good for 3-4 days after it has been cooked. Any time after that becomes a food safety issue.
Reheating
This soup will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can reheat it in the crockpot, microwave, or on the stove. If you use rice/zoodles – they will absorb some of the liquid overnight so you can just add some broth when reheating or enjoy it thicker
Can you freeze Turkey Soup?
Yes, you can freeze this soup! I do not recommend freezing or refrigerating it with zucchini noodles or pasta as they can get mushy.
If you’re going to freeze it, put it in airtight containers. It will last up to 3 months in the freezer! I love these containers for freezing leftovers! You can use code CLEANEATINGCOUPLE to save $$ on them!
We have more tips on how to freeze soup!
We hope you love this simple leftover turkey soup recipe. It’s great for after the holidays – or really ANY time you have turkey leftovers you have to use up! If you like this recipe, you’ll also love our Turkey Pot Pie Soup!
Can you make this Easy Turkey Soup recipe in the Crockpot?
Yes, you can make soup in the crockpot – the longer it cooks, the softer and more tender the turkey pieces get!
I’ve included crockpot instructions for this soup below. It’s important to note that you don’t add the pasta/rice/zoodles (whatever you’re using) to the crockpot until you’re ready to eat the soup. If you let them cook in the soup they will turn to mush!
Can you make Instant Pot Turkey Soup?
Yes, you can! See below for instructions. Here are some tips for making turkey soup in your instant pot.
Make sure to really scrape the veggies off the bottom of the pot to avoid getting a burn notice.
Do *not* add rice/pasta/zoodles to the instant pot to cook. Cook them separately and add when you’re ready to serve.
How can I thicken my Turkey Soup?
Thickening soup is easy to do. Put a tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk in 3-4 tablespoons of broth.
Once combined, add the mixture to the pot and stir over low heat. However – we don’t recommend trying to thicken this soup. It’s meant to be a broth-based soup, not a thick soup.
Can you reuse turkey bones for broth?
Yes, you can reuse turkey bones for broth. Turkey bones can be used usually 2 or 3 times to make rich broth!
How long can you keep a turkey carcass before making soup?
You can keep a turkey. carcass for 3 days before making soup. Make sure to pull all the meat off of it. Learn how to make turkey broth.
Turkey Soup Recipe FAQs
Making soup with left over turkey soup is so easy to do! Sauté your veggies in olive oil, add in turkey and broth. Bring to a boil and add in cooked pasta, rice, or zoodles!
The benefits of turkey soup are that it’s a delicious, healthy dinner! Most turkey soup recipes are loaded with veggies and a great way to use up extra thanksgiving turkey. Soup also rehydrates the turkey so even if your turkey was over cooked, it will still be delicious!
Other healthy soup recipes:
We love soup recipes and have rounded up the best Healthy Soup Recipes. We also have a free Healthy Soup Ebook you can download here!
Looking for other healthy crockpot recipes? Check out these Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes!
Turkey Soup Recipe (Easy)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion diced finely
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1/2 cup celery diced finely
- 2 cups carrots cut in small circles
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
- 4 cups leftover turkey cut in small cubes (about 1 lb)
- 8 cups low/no sodium broth make bone broth from your leftover turkey bones!
- 2 cups cooked rice OR zucchini noodles optional
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Chop vegetables + turkey.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil.
- Sauté onions + garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add celery + carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While soup cooks, cook rice or grains to your liking. (spiralize zucchini noodles if paleo/whole30/keto)
- Stir in cooked rice & enjoy!
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Chop vegetables + turkey.
- Set instant pot to saute, 10 minutes.
- Sauté onions and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add celery and carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients to the pot. Cover and set to sealing, High Pressure, for 8 minutes.
- While the soup cooks, cook rice or grains to your liking or spiralize zucchini into noodles.
- While soup cooks, cook rice or grains to your liking. (spiralize zucchini noodles if paleo/whole30/keto)
- Once cooked, quick release pressure. Stir in cooked rice & enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Chop vegetables + turkey.
- Optional, but recommended: In a large pot, heat olive oil. Sauté onions, garlic + celery until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add cooked veggies to the crockpot. Add remaining ingredients to the crockpot + stir.
- Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
- While soup cooks, cook rice or grains to your liking or spiralize zucchini into noodles.
- Stir in cooked rice & enjoy!
Jane says
This is so easy to make and delicious. We were craving a turkey dinner but then got sick of the leftovers.. so glad I found this recipe
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Jane! Thank you so much!
Kim says
This soup is seriously delicious! I made it using the homemade turkey broth, too. Both recipes are so simple with such huge flavor!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Kim! Soup with homemade broth really is the best!
Donna says
I’m curious why such a long cooking time for the Instant Pot considering the turkey is already cooked?
The Clean Eating Couple says
That’s the time needed to cook the vegetables and meld the flavors together. We tested it multiple times and that was the time that worked best!
JOHANA J says
I love this soup! Easy to make and healthy. I used zoodles and thought it was delicious
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it Johana!
Vicki says
I used this recipe to finish off the Christmas Day turkey left overs. Simple to follow, quick and easy! I used zucchini noodles as my “pasta” to increase the amount of veggies and also chopped up and added some kale at the end.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Vicki!! So happy you liked it. Love the addition of veggies 🙂
Amber says
I just made this using homemade turkey stock and it was delicious!!!! I added rice instead of noodles and I like it so much better then adding noodles!! I will definitely be making this again!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it!
Shaula Leinweber says
Just made the Turkey soup with rice. It was super easy over the stovetop. My finicky crew of 6 loved it. It’s the best turkey soup I’ve ever made. I will definitely be making this one again and again.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you enjoyed it, Shaula! Thank you!
Denyce says
I add the smoked turkey to this recipes. It’s really delicious Also I make less of the chicken broth from chicken boil or chicken broth can however I prefer chicken in the boil become broth because it more flavor. I prefer rice in boil in separate then I make mixing rice and soup when to eat meal.
Kat says
Best and easiest soup ever! How can something so simple be so delicious! I added ginger , turmeric and pepper for warmth and zing! Could eat this everyday!
Kim says
Was happy to see this recipe and even more delighted when I was able to eat it! I chose the crock pot option and it was delicious! I am not so kitchen savvy and skill level was not required for a tasty meal. I cooked as instructed for flavor and added the sautéed mix to the crock pot. I added 2 russet potatoes cubed, and substituted ‘better than bullion’ for the stock and omitted salt. I had about 20oz of turkey, so its a hearty soup, but the flavors shined through with the leftover turkey.
Definitely give it a try! Pinned for another day when I will be making this again!