15 Leftover Turkey Soup Recipes
These 15 Leftover Turkey Soup Recipes turn your Thanksgiving bird into a week of easy dinners! It's got everything from soups made with turkey, as well as family-favorite chicken soups that work just as well with cooked turkey, and hearty bean soups that stretch the last bits of meat. Every recipe comes from my own kitchen, and the chicken soups include a simple note on how to swap in turkey.
Quick Glance: Leftover Turkey Soup Recipes
- 📋 What's inside: 15 soups to make with leftover turkey. There are 5 made just for turkey, 7 chicken soups that work with turkey, and 3 bean soups you can add the last few pieces of turkey.
- 🍗 Turkey needed: Most recipes use 2 to 4 cups of cooked turkey
- ⏰ Time: 30 minutes to 2½ hours. Homemade stock takes about 4 hours.
- 🔥 Calories: 222 to 539 per serving
- 🥘 Methods: Stovetop, slow cooker, and Instant Pot
- 🔄 The swap rule: Use cooked turkey in place of cooked chicken cup for cup, and add it to the soup when the instructions add the chicken.
- 🧊 Storage: Use leftover turkey within 3 to 4 days, or freeze it. Most of these soups freeze for up to 3 months.
Summarize & Save This Content On
After Thanksgiving, I pick every bit of meat off the turkey and freeze it in bags so it's ready to go for later. Then the bare carcass goes straight into my stock pot. The soup comes later, sometimes the same week and sometimes in January when I've forgotten all about that turkey in the freezer.
That's the whole reason I love soup, y'all. One pot makes a lot and stretches what you already have, making lunches and dinners for days without much extra work. The first soup I make with that turkey is always my creamy turkey soup with wild rice. I love the combo of the creamy soup base with the chewy wild rice, and it's the one I keep coming back to every year.
Why You'll Love This Collection of Soup Recipes
- Tested in one kitchen. Every recipe here is mine, so you know they've been made, tasted, and made again.
- Uses the whole bird. The meat goes into soup, and the bones become homemade stock.
- Something for every pantry. Pick from rice, barley, noodles, pasta, or beans and choose to cook on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or in the Instant Pot.
- Freezer-friendly. Most of these soups freeze well, so one turkey can cover several future dinners.
Pick Your Leftover Turkey Soup
Not sure where to start? These are my top choices and cover what most of us need after Thanksgiving, from using up the carcass to getting dinner on the table fast. Pick the one that fits your night, then jump to the full recipe below.
| Best for | Soup | Total time | Cooked turkey | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Using the whole bird | Turkey Carcass Soup | 2 hr 30 min | 2 to 4 cups | 302 |
| A cozy, creamy bowl | Creamy Turkey Barley Soup | 45 min | 2 cups | 229 |
| A classic everyone knows | Panera Bread Chicken Noodle Soup | 35 min | 3 cups | 224 |
| Picky eaters and little ones | Chicken Pastina Soup | 30 min | 2 cups | 407 |
| Stretching the last bit of turkey | Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup | 40 min | 2 to 3 cups | 313 |
Leftover Turkey Soup Recipes Made for the Bird
These leftover turkey soup recipes were written with leftover turkey in mind, so there's nothing to adapt. Start with the carcass, because a pot of homemade stock makes every soup below taste better. Then pick the soup that matches what you have on hand: barley, wild rice, or plain brown rice.
Serve any of them with homemade dinner rolls or a handful of cornbread croutons, which is a smart way to use up leftover cornbread too.
Love this one? Try my chicken wild rice soup too.
How to Use Leftover Turkey in Any Chicken Soup
Cooked turkey replaces cooked chicken cup for cup. Stir it in where the recipe adds cooked or shredded chicken or during the last 5 to 10 minutes so it warms through without drying out.
Dark meat stays tender in creamy, long-simmered soups, while white meat is best in quick, brothy ones. Leftover turkey is already seasoned, so use low-sodium broth (or your homemade turkey stock) and add salt at the end.
Chicken Soups That Work With Leftover Turkey
Every soup here calls for cooked or rotisserie chicken, so swapping in leftover cooked turkey is as easy as it gets. These are the bowls I crave all year round, which makes them a nice change of pace after the holiday.
You'll find a classic noodle soup, a creamy pastina the kids will love, and an enchilada soup for when you're tired of Thanksgiving flavors. Pair them with a brie grilled cheese, a pizza grilled cheese, or a batch of cheddar biscuits to round out your meal.
Bean Soups to Stretch Leftover Turkey
When you're down to the last cup or two of turkey, beans are how you turn it into a big pot that feeds everyone. These soups are hearty, cheap to make, and freeze beautifully, which is exactly why I love soup in the first place.
Use your homemade turkey stock as the liquid and stir in shredded turkey at the end. Serve them with these pumpkin cornbread muffins.
How Long Leftover Turkey Lasts
The clock starts when the turkey comes off the table, not when it goes into the soup. Refrigerate leftover turkey within 2 hours and use it within 3 to 4 days. If you won't get to it in time, freeze it, and for best quality, use it within 3 to 4 months. When you reheat soup, bring it to a rolling boil first, according to the USDA. You can even freeze the entire carcass and make stock later.
Keep in mind that making soup on day 3 doesn't give the turkey a fresh start, so freeze the soup if you won't eat it within a day or two.
Looking for more soups to enjoy the rest of the season? Browse my fall soup recipes and winter soup recipes. And if you'd rather keep cooking with turkey, try my Instant Pot turkey chili.
Tips for the Best Leftover Turkey Soup
A few small habits make leftover turkey soup easier and tastier. Most of these start the night of the big meal, while you're putting the food away. They're the same steps I use every year to keep turkey soup on the menu well past Thanksgiving. If you're new to making stock, my rotisserie chicken stock uses the same idea all year long.
- Shred before you store. Pull the meat off the bones and chop it before it goes in the fridge, so it's ready to drop into any pot.
- Freeze in 2-cup portions. Most of these recipes call for 2 to 4 cups, so one or two labeled bags equals one pot of soup.
- Cook noodles, rice, and pasta separately. If you plan to store or freeze the soup, keep them apart so they don't soak up all the broth.
- Add your leftover gravy. A spoonful stirred into the pot adds depth, and a squeeze of lemon or a handful of fresh herbs brightens it up.
- Taste before salting. Leftover turkey is already seasoned, so use low-sodium broth and salt at the end.
- Cool soup fast. Divide big batches into shallow containers so they chill quickly in the fridge.
Leftover Turkey Soup Recipes FAQs
These are the questions I hear most every year after Thanksgiving. Most of them come down to timing, storage, and swaps. If your question isn't here, leave it in the comments, and I'll help you out. You'll find more detail in each recipe post.
Yes. Smoked turkey legs or wings are a great swap for ham in bean soups and split pea soup, and they add a deep, smoky flavor. It will add smoky flavors so make sure the soup you are making is compatible.
Thyme, bay leaf, parsley, and black pepper are classic choices. Rosemary, sage, and a squeeze of lemon also go well with turkey.
Most of these recipes use 2 to 4 cups of cooked turkey for 6 to 8 servings. Bean soups need less, since the beans make them filling.
Cover the carcass with water, add onion, celery, carrot, and herbs, and simmer low for 1½ to 2 hours. Strain the broth, then add vegetables and chopped turkey. Get the full method in my turkey carcass soup recipe.
What to Serve With Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Soups
Most of these soups are a full meal in a bowl, but a little something on the side makes dinner feel complete. Here are my favorites, and a few use up even more of those holiday leftovers.
- 🥖 Bread: Homemade dinner rolls or warmed-up leftover rolls from the big meal
- 🧀 Biscuits and muffins: Homemade cheddar biscuits or pumpkin cornbread muffins are great for dunking in bowls of soup.
- 🥪 Sandwiches: For a heartier meal, pair a French onion grilled cheese or half a chicken club sandwich made with turkey
- 🥗 Something fresh: a simple green salad or Caesar salad
If all these leftover turkey soup recipes feel like a lot, here's how I'd stretch one bird. On Thanksgiving night, pull off the meat and freeze it in 2-cup bags. The next day, I'd simmer the carcass to make turkey stock. Then over the weekend, I'd make a batch of soup for easy meals the following week. Then in a few weeks I'd pull a bag of turkey from the freezer in a few weeks to make another quick soup for a busy weeknight.
That's three or four dinners from one turkey, and that's why I love soup, y'all. Which one is going in your pot first? Let me know in the comments, and save this post so it's ready the next time you've got a turkey to use up. Don't forget to give each recipe you make a star rating!
More Soup Recipes to Try
If you're looking for more ways to use up holiday leftovers, I've got you covered. Leftover ham works beautifully in my white bean and ham soup and cheesy ham and potato soup.
