This velvety, creamy turkey soup is hearty, rich, and incredibly satisfying! Whether you use deep-fried, smoked turkey breast, or baked turkey legs, the result is always perfect!
Every year I look forward to Black Friday. Not for the reason that most women look forward to this day; unlike most women, I hate shopping! Especially if I have to deal with crowds.
I'd much rather stay home and make this delicious creamy turkey soup. It's become a family tradition that I look forward to every year. Maybe you can make it a family tradition too?
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This delicious creamy turkey soup has amazing flavor. It is easy to prepare and so satisfying and warm, especially in the colder months.
- The recipe is very forgiving and can be adjusted by replacing some of the ingredients if needed. For example, you can replace the barley with brown rice, or add only milk if you don't have half and half.
- Although this is a creamy turkey soup recipe, you can even go as far as using a rotisserie chicken instead of turkey.
- Use leftover soup to make mini turkey pot pies!
🛒 What Goes into This Recipe
🔖 Ingredient & Substitutions
- Turkey: I prefer to use both light and dark turkey meat in my soup. If you have a preference, you can use it. Also, if you want to make this soup throughout the year and not just around Thanksgiving, a rotisserie chicken is a great option! You can also use deep-fried, baked, or grilled.
- Barley: I love the texture of the barley in this soup. It's not only healthy but also filling. However, you can substitute with white rice, wild rice blend, or egg noodles.
- Half & Half: Depending on how rich (or not) you would like the soup to be, you can use milk, half and half, or heavy cream.
- Garlic: Use either fresh garlic (never from a jar), or if you have a little extra time, roast the garlic first!
- Veggies: You will also need plenty of vegetables. I recommend carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and corn. If you choose to add potatoes, you'll probably have to add more liquid, or the soup will be too thick.
- Herbs: Sage and thyme.
- Seasoning: Sea salt and black pepper or add some of my turkey rub instead!
🥣 How to Make Creamy Turkey Soup
Step 1: Begin by stripping the meat from the carcass. Set the meat aside until needed. Place turkey carcass in a soup kettle or Dutch oven and cover with enough water to fully immerse. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 to 2 hours.
Pro Tip: If your turkey was stuffed with fruit or vegetables while roasting, add everything to the pot! If not, add onions, celery, carrots, and bay leaves to improve the flavor.
Step 2: Remove carcass and strain 10 cups of turkey broth. Strip remaining turkey meat from the carcass and slice into bite-size pieces. You'll need four cups of turkey.
Step 3: Melt butter in a large soup kettle or Dutch oven. Sauté onion for a few minutes, then add celery, carrots, corn, and garlic. Saute for a few more minutes. Add flour, and cook for for three additional minutes.
Step 4: Gradually add reserved turkey broth, stirring until smooth. Add turkey, barley, sea salt, black pepper, sage, and thyme. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 35 minutes or until barley is tender.
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Step 5: Add milk and half & half, then simmer on low for an additional 10 minutes.
Enjoy the fruits of your labor!!!
If you are looking for other hearty soup recipes, make sure you check out this delicious Italian penicillin soup from Angela at TheBellaVita.com
"This was delicious! I substituted orzo pasta for the barley and it came out great. A hit with the entire family." —Kristine
🥘 What to do with turkey soup leftovers?
This is one of those times that you are going to wish you have some leftovers. That's because you will need the leftover creamy turkey soup to make mini turkey pot-pies.
These mini pot-pies are absolutely delicious and perfect for a quick lunch or an easy dinner. They freeze well too! Alternatively, you can make the traditional-sized pies, but we are huge fans of the individual-sized ones.
You will need the 5" disposable mini tins which can be purchased on Amazon. I always make sure I have some on hand!
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- I like to boil the turkey carcass on Thanksgiving night. I then refrigerate the broth until the next day, when I make the soup.
- One of the advantages of making the broth the night before is that you can skim the hardened fat off the top of the broth, reducing the amount of fat in the soup.
- Be sure to reserve some of the soup to make mini Turkey Pot Pies!
- Add leftover turkey soup to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
"I’ve been making this soup every year for the last 7 years and my family loves it just as much as the big Thanksgiving feast itself. My favorite tweaks are to use a carcass from a deep fried turkey using Cajun seasoning and I like to sub out the rice and use barley. Happy cooking!"
—Zara
🍽 Related Recipes
If you love this creamy turkey soup recipe, check out these other delicious soups as well!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Turkey Soup
Equipment
- 1 strainer
Ingredients
- 1 turkey carcass
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 large yelloq onion (diced)
- 2 celery ribs (diced)
- 2 large carrots (peeled and diced)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 3 cloves garlic (diced)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 10 cups reserved turkey broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup half-n-half
- ¾ cup barley (may substitute rice)
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups turkey (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or rubbed sage)
Instructions
- Begin by stripping the meat from the carcass. Set the meat aside until needed. Place turkey carcass in a soup kettle or Dutch oven and cover with enough water to fully immerse. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 to 2 hours.
- Remove carcass and strain 10 cups of turkey broth. Strip remaining turkey meat from the carcass and slice into bite-size pieces. You'll need four cups of turkey.
- Melt butter in a large soup kettle or Dutch oven. Sauté onion for a few minutes, then add celery, carrots, corn, and garlic. Saute for a few more minutes. Add flour, and cook for for three additional minutes.
- Gradually add reserved turkey broth, stirring until smooth. Add turkey, barley, sea salt, black pepper, sage, and thyme. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 35 minutes or until barley is tender.
- Add milk and half & half, then simmer on low for an additional 10 minutes.
Notes
- If your turkey was stuffed with fruit or vegetables while roasting, add everything to the pot! If not, add onions, celery, carrots, and bay leaves to improve the flavor.
- I like to boil the turkey carcass on Thanksgiving night. I then refrigerate the broth until the next day, when I make the soup.
- One of the advantages of making the broth the night before is that you can skim the hardened fat off the top of the broth, reducing the amount of fat in the soup.
- Be sure to reserve some of the soup to make mini Turkey Pot Pies!
- Add leftover turkey soup to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
This post was originally posted on 11/16/2018 and was updated with more pictures and instructions on 11/29/19.
Rowena says
Loved it and the pot pies! I took your advice and added whatever leftovers I felt like. So that meant mashed potatoes, stuffing and candied yams. It was delicious, I’ll add that I didn’t add gravy and used frozen pie crusts and they were perfect. The soup and all the starch held things together perfectly.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Rowena,
Thank you so much for coming back to leave your review. I really appreciate it! I'm so glad you enjoyed both the soup and the turkey pot pies and love the addition of the yams. 🙂
Brenda says
Amazing soup. I chopped my veggies very fine otherwise followed exactly. Very popular at my house tonight.
Hilda Sterner says
Yay, thanks, Brenda. I am so glad your family approved and thank you so much for the review!
Kelly Methey says
Can’t wait to make this soup next week when I have a turkey carcass. It sounds so delicious. We love soup and this sounds like a great one! Your recipes are always so wonderful.
Kristine Quirk says
This was delicious! I substituted orzo pasta for the barley and it came out great. A hit with the entire family.
HildaSterner says
Wow, what a great addition! I love orzo pasta! So glad you and your family enjoyed it, Kristine! Thanks for commmenting too!
Paula J Gedeon says
I made this tonight, terrific recipe, I didn't have enough barley so I used rice and didn't cook it as long. My mom and I both enjoyed it.
HildaSterner says
Thank you, Polly. I’m glad you both enjoyed it. I’ve made it with rice before too; it’s good both ways.
Nancy Brooks says
Delicious soup! My family loved it and this is one I’ll be making year after year. My daughter already asked for the recipe. Thanks Hilda!
HildaSterner says
Thank you, Nancy! Really appreciate the review! ?
Heidi McGuiggan says
Hilda, I made this last year. It was delicious! Planning on making it again this year. Thanks for sharing!
HildaSterner says
HI Heidi,
That's so awesome, I love hearing back from friends who have tried my recipes, especially when they like them! 🙂 Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it!
AmberLynn says
Funny enough, I was just watching a cooking show where the host made soup and fried BLTs from leftover chicken. I love that you have provided a wonderful soup recipe, for the weather is continually dropping. I love it. I would love to try this recipe, so I will be pinning for later. My family is trying to domesticate me, so they're encouraging me cooking more lol just in case my husband won't know how to cook. I can, it's just that laziness forces me not to. Anyway, great recipe.
HildaSterner says
You sound like my daughter, she will be 23 in December. Can you imagine my frustration, as someone who has authored a cookbook, but can't get my daughter to step into the kitchen. She has zero interest in cooking, and assures me she will marry a man with cooking skills. One thing she loves to do is travel and blog about it! If you want to check it out it's at: http://www.theseasidecalls.com
Jill Taylor says
I love to cook/bake but I also love to travel. My husband and I lived in Singapore for 2 years, then Vitoria, Brazil for about 2 years and then back home to Mississippi. Talk about a culture shock for a Mississippian. I went to your daughter's website. I loved it. She is very talented. I know you are proud. Cooking will come to her in time when she finds her mate, she will start trying to do everything for them.
HildaSterner says
Wow, you have been around! Are either of you in the service? I travelled like that when I was in the Navy. I miss it! Glad you enjoyed my daughter's website, thanks for checking it out. 🙂
Anne Herrington says
I added leftover dressing and noodles instead of barley and it is YUMMY. Thank you Hilda.
HildaSterner says
Thanks, Anne. I use all the leftovers to make mini turkey pot pies for Scott to take to work. Hoping to post the recipe later this week!
Zara Williams says
I’ve been making this soup every year for the last 7 years and my family loves it just as much as the big Thanksgiving feast itself. My favorite tweaks are to use a carcass from a deep fried turkey using Cajun seasoning and I like to sub out the rice and use barley. Happy cooking! I’ll share my results on Sunday after I’ve made ours!
HildaSterner says
Yup, you're one of those people I look forward to tagging me in your soup photos! I use barley too! I don't know if you noticed the recipe, but I've changed it a bit over the years, adding 1/2 the butter and flour, and substituting some of the 1/2 and 1/2 etc. It's still delicious!