Recipes Holidays and Events Recipes Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Leftovers Our 21 Best Turkey Soup Recipes for All That Leftover Turkey By Melanie Fincher Melanie Fincher Melanie Fincher is a Birmingham, Alabama–based food writer who covers everything from cooking techniques to gadget reviews. She has nearly 7 years experience writing news and lifestyle content. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on November 21, 2024 Close Photo: Kim's Cooking Now We all look forward to turkey sandwiches, turkey pot pie, and turkey salad—but one of our favorite ways to liven up our leftovers is to turn that turkey carcass into one of these top-rated soup recipes. Best of all, if you're all turkeyed out, you can make the stock or the whole batch of soup and freeze it to enjoy during the busy December days ahead. 01 of 22 Chef John's Spicy Turkey Gumbo Chef John Andouille sausage transforms mild-mannered turkey soup into a Thanksgiving leftovers superhero. Chef John's recipe also includes a special way to make a roux in the oven, so there's less time spent at your stovetop. View Recipe 02 of 22 Turkey Wild Rice Soup Dotdash Meredith Food Studios "I've made this soup so many times over the years since I found it and it never disappoints—so flavorful and heart-warming!," says reviewer mayasjenny. "I would highly recommend using homemade chicken/turkey stock. Such an amazing soup!" View Recipe 03 of 22 Turkey Pozole Allrecipes Magazine Recipe creator CAMILLA362 says, "An authentic rural Mexican dish usually prepared with pork, pozole is traditionally eaten at New Year's. This version is a great way to unload those turkey leftovers! Garnish with crisp tortilla chips, shredded green cabbage, and a squeeze of lime." View Recipe 04 of 22 Homemade Turkey Soup bd.weld "Pure comfort food! Easy to make with leftover turkey. The beef stock adds a depth of flavor without calling attention to itself," says reviewer bd.weld. Celery, carrots, onions, and rotini pasta make for a classic turkey soup that's perfect on a chilly day. View Recipe 05 of 22 Day-After-Thanksgiving Turkey Carcass Soup Ms Chef Esh This recipe uses both leftover turkey and leftover stuffing for a truly Thanksgiving-inspired dish. Reviewer mammamoey says, "Already decided on turkey for Christmas just to have an excuse to make this soup again!" View Recipe 06 of 22 Lemon Turkey Soup Gitano After all that pie, you might be looking for a lighter meal to make with your leftovers. If that's the case, go for this vibrant lemon soup! Recipe creator Gitano says, "A wonderful, light soup, perfect for the post-holiday turkey leftovers. The lemon in this recipe makes your palate zing, and it is so friendly on the waistline when you need a light meal after the heaviness of the holidays. Enjoy!" View Recipe 07 of 22 Butternut Squash Noodle Soup with Turkey Buckwheat Queen What's more seasonal than leftover turkey and butternut squash in a warm, spicy soup? Recipe creator bd.weld says, "Using spiraled butternut squash as an alternative to pasta, this soup is loaded with fall flavors and gets its smoky spiciness from ground chipotle. The ideal soup to warm you up on cold winter days. Perfect for using up leftover turkey." View Recipe 08 of 22 Tex-Mex Turkey Soup Mlnbrow It's tortilla soup, after Thanksgiving-style. Reviewer Melanie Kay says, "I am so glad I discovered this recipe to use up [our leftover turkey]. It was awesome! Very simple to make and it was super tasty. We had some friends over for dinner and everyone loved it so much that we all had at least seconds!" View Recipe 09 of 22 Turkey Carcass Soup Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Don't waste a single piece of turkey with this soup that uses the entire leftover turkey carcass. The turkey is combined with potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, and barley for a loaded, hearty soup. "I have never been a fan of turkey soup, but this recipe has changed my mind forever," says reviewer dave sticks. View Recipe 10 of 22 Turkey with Dumplings Soup jamanleyx This soup is packed with turkey, dumplings, and veggies for a meal that will require a nap afterward. "I made this in a deep cast iron skillet. I used the water from boiling down the turkey bones and carcass so I didn’t add any consommé," says reviewer jamanleyx. "I also added the remaining green bean casserole to the veggie mix. I did add a bit of cornstarch to the flour to thicken the soup mixture. Big fluffy dumplings! This is a keeper." View Recipe 11 of 22 Southwestern Turkey Soup Soup Loving Nicole Similar to tortilla soup, this flavorful combination of Southwestern flavors is a great way to use up leftover turkey. " Warm corn bread was a perfect addition to the soup!" says reviewer SNOCHIK23. View Recipe 12 of 22 Zippy and Tangy Turkey Rice Soup Baking Nana A leftover turkey carcass adds flavor to this hearty rice soup, and cayenne pepper brings a pleasant kick. View Recipe 13 of 22 Leftover Turkey Soup (Slow Cooker) Philly Here's one for your slow cooker or multicooker. Reviewer Robert Mclane recommends boiling the noodles separately so they don't overcook. "Cook the noodles separately and ladle soup over them for individual servings. Also, I recommend placing the (previously cooked) meat chunks in the slow cooker about 1/2 hour prior to serving—they'll stay intact and not shred as much but still have time to get hot. Great recipe." View Recipe 14 of 22 Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Pho Kim's Cooking Now Give leftover turkey a Vietnamese makeover. "This was SO good! I can't tell you how many times my husband said, 'Honey, this is a DO AGAIN!' while we were eating it!," says Kim's Cooking Now. "We did use the optional basil [and] cilantro (which really makes the dish—so don't skip those). We served it with sliced lime and Sriracha. Will make again, for sure!" View Recipe 15 of 22 Mexican Turkey Soup bd.weld Fresh jalapeño peppers and chili powder add a whole new level of spice to turkey soup. View Recipe 16 of 22 Turkey Matzo Ball Soup Chef John Sure, everyone focuses on the matzo balls...but for soups like this, it's really all about the broth. Chef John doesn't skimp on the schmalz for either in his version of this rich-tasting soup. View Recipe 17 of 22 Instant Pot Turkey Soup with Pasta and Vegetables Bibi Don't work too hard after Thanksgiving—just dump all the ingredients in and let your Instant Pot do the rest! View Recipe 18 of 22 Turkey Tom Kha Gai Chef John Here's Chef John's spin on Tom Kha Gai. Garnished with drops of chili oil and served with cilantro and lime wedges, this soup will make you forget you ever roasted a turkey. "What a good idea for using up leftover turkey," says reviewer S.E. "I did make the broth with the bones, too. I used some grated lime rind [in place of] the lime leaves." View Recipe 19 of 22 Hearty Barley Turkey Soup Nelly Cuanalo While turkey barley soup isn't as deeply flavored as its beef broth-based cousin, you'll be surprised how much depth the grain and mushrooms give this soup. "My neighbors and I loved this soup! I was just looking for a way to make use of the turkey carcass and enjoyed this soup much more than expected. The barley and mushrooms added a very tasty earthy flavor," says reviewer Godie. "I will make this again!" View Recipe 20 of 22 Thanksgiving Turkey Congee Traditionally eaten for breakfast or brunch, congee is a terrific meal any time. "I made this recipe for congee ( jook in Cantonese) exactly as written. The consistency and flavors were spot-on for this style of Asian comfort food," says reviewer healthyeater. View Recipe 21 of 22 Leftover T-Day Turkey Stock Sumirechan With all of these delicious-looking recipes, it can be hard to commit. Learn how to make homemade turkey stock using your leftover turkey carcass. Freeze it and freeze chopped leftover turkey so you can enjoy these soups long after Thanksgiving is over. View Recipe 22 of 22 More Leftover Turkey Recipes Allrecipes Trusted Brands. Pictured: Turkey Casserole 7 Leftover Turkey Casseroles for After Thanksgiving 8 Easy Leftover Turkey Recipes for After the Big Feast Chef John's Best Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers Browse our entire collection of Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit