The Best Leftover Turkey Soup
This creamy vegetable, turkey, rice soup is the best leftover turkey soup ever. I always keep the recipe on hand for after holiday meals like Thanksgiving!
I know you are probably knee deep in pie crust, recipe prep, and chaotic stress right now. And I don’t want to interrupt you.
But please promise you’ll bookmark this recipe and revisit it the day after Thanksgiving, because trust me, you don’t want to miss your chance to use some of those precious turkey leftovers in this incredibly delicious soup.
It is one of the best soups EVER. Good news: in the off-turkey season, it works great with cooked chicken. However, I have to say that I like it better with turkey. I don’t know why. I’m sure there’s some placebo effect going on in there, but either way, it’s one of my favorite ways to use turkey leftovers.
And that’s saying a lot because this girl looks forward to Thanksgiving each year mainly in anticipation of leftover turkey sandwiches on homemade rolls.
This soup is loaded with really good things
The base of the soup begins with sautéed carrots, celery, onions and a few simple, fragrant seasonings. You could probably throw in some garlic, too. It’s a homey…yet delicious start.
What kind of rice to use for leftover turkey soup
Once a little broth is added (leftover turkey stock? use it!), in goes the rice. Now, this part is open to wild interpretation. If you only have white rice, use it! But this turkey soup is fantastic with hearty brown rice or a brown and wild rice combo.
I like to use a brown rice blend with some different varieties of brown rice and some wild rice, too. I’m pretty sure I found it at Costco, but you can search the rice aisle for a blend that works for you and then adjust the simmering time to account for whatever variety you are using.
Brown and wild rices will take longer to cook than white rice.
How to easily thicken the soup
My favorite thickening hack for creamy soups is to blend flour with milk or half and half and whisk that into the soup instead of making a separate roux on the stovetop. It also saves a few calories since no butter is involved – a slight travesty, but worth it in the long run.
I mean, we all just indulged in probably the highest calorie meal of the year, so omitting a little butter is in the good interest of us all.
In this soup, I use half and half, but milk will work just fine (avoid skim milk if you can – it can turn the soup grainy and doesn’t thicken the soup as well).
Then in goes the turkey! I use a mix of white and dark meat. And like I mentioned above, if you are viewing this post in March and there’s no leftover turkey in sight, go ahead and throw in some cooked chicken. No one will be the wiser.
However, if you have enough leftover turkey to freeze, you CAN make it in March and relive savory Thanksgiving flavors again.
This soup is thick and creamy, hearty and comforting.
It takes on some serious creamy chicken and wild rice vibes, yet it still lives in its own little world. The turkey and simple seasonings make sure of that.
I actually think it’s my favorite creamy veggie + rice soup in the long lineup of similar soups I have on my blog. It is the perfect soup for a cold night (especially a day or two after an indulgent holiday meal).
While languishing in your pie and homemade roll comas, promise me you won’t forget about this one!
What to Serve With This
One Year Ago: Chocolate Truffle Cookies
Two Years Ago: Creamy Homemade Hot Chocolate {in 15 minutes or Less}
Three Years Ago: Glazed Cranberry Lemon Cake
Four Years Ago: Make-Ahead Buttermilk Dinner Rolls
Five Years Ago: Yummy Fresh Cranberry Salsa
Six Years Ago: Triple Chip Pumpkin Oatsies
Seven Years Ago: Black and White Holiday Bark
Eight Years Ago: Vegetable Sauté with Simple Cream Sauce
The Best Leftover Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon crushed dried rosemary or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped
- 6 cups chicken or turkey broth/stock, I use low-sodium
- ½ to ¾ cup brown rice or brown rice blend (see note)
- 2 teaspoons salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 cup half and half (see note)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 to 4 cups cooked, chopped leftover turkey
Instructions
- In a 6-quart saucepan or pot, heat the butter and oil until hot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are slightly tender, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the broth, rice, salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the rice is tender. The exact time will depend on variety of rice and package directions. For a brown and wild rice blend, the time will be about 30 minutes.
- Whisk together or blend the half and half and flour until smooth and there are no lumps. Stir the flour mixture into the soup, whisking quickly, and simmer gently until slightly thickened, 5-6 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked turkey and heat through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (inspired by a recipe my friend, Machele H., gave me years ago)
Excellent recipe and so easy to make. I was looking for a way to use up turkey from the freezer and am so glad I came across this soup recipe. With such high ratings, I hoped it would be good but never really expected it to exceed my expectations! Everyone loved it. We’ll be making this again soon to get us through another cold upstate NY winter. Thank you for sharing!
The entire family LOVED this soup. It was so easy to make. We were also very grateful for a new way to use up the leftover turkey.
Came out a little thicker than expected but that just means it’s stew instead of soup!
Excited to try this tonight! Any idea if coconut milk could work as a sub? Lactose intolerant 🙁
Definitely worth a try, Michelle! The flavor of the soup will change but if you like the flavor of coconut milk, it should work pretty well
This soup is absolutely delicious! I used homemade turkey stock and chicken stock and leftover turkey along with rotisserie chicken. I also used a brown, wild and red rice blend. I doubled the recipe to freeze some but I don’t think there will be any left to freeze. This is my first comment ever on any recipe so that should show how good it is!
We are tired of turkey sandwiches. We are a soup loving family so this recipe was perfect for the turkey leftover leftovers. I had the garden herbs and added garlic chives. I used turkey stock I made from boiling the bones.. Thank you for reducing fat and calories with half and half. Still creamy. It all came together beautifully. Thanks Mel.
Can I use heavy whipping cream instead of 1/2 and 1/2?
Yes….the end result will probably be thicker and richer-tasting.
Any thicker\richer and your gonna need a fork and knife!
Absolutely delicious! A big hit.
This soup is perfect! I’ve been on the search for a comforting cream soup, like what you can get at a small family owned restaurant and this is it!! Thank you!!
Great way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. I made it with wild rice from northern Minnesota and it took about 30 minutes to cook from the time the broth started simmering. The wild rice was soft, but still had a bite.
Soup was delicious, my husband wouldn’t stop raving about it. I doubled the recipe because I had so much turkey left. I’m freezing a batch. It was great.
Delicious! I used 2% milk and added corn and kale no flour since I enjoy a lighter soup. Was wondering what on earth to do with my leftover turkey and I am so glad I came across this recipe!
Definitely my go to every year now. Such a great recipe, thanks!
Absolutely amazing! I would not change anything. We are strictly using wild rice and it is so good with the soup. This is definitely going to be my yearly tradition after Thanksgiving!
I used a wildrice mix and I ended up not adding any milk product so it was broth based and absolutely delicious
This has been my favorite left over turkey soup recipe! We had left over smoked turkey, which added a little extra flavor. We also added a little more of all the seasoning listed….but still my favorite recipe so far!!
This was the best soup I have ever had. It was perfect to use up the leftover thanksgiving turkey.
The only thing that could possibly make this any better was that I made mine with my leftover turkey broth Yum Yum. Also I made it with noodles which I had on hand. My broth is already seasoned from my turkey with onions and carrots and celery so I didn’t have much to do to season it. I added some frozen English peas and some frozen chopped onions and rosemary and thyme and that was it. Didn’t have to sauté anything. I love your recommendation about mixing the flour with the half-and-half and I did that. It was sooo delicious. (Was sure hard to go back and edit this. the cursor didn’t want to cooperate).
Made this at work and everyone loved it.
Best homemade soup with left overs. Easy to make, and freeze for a comforting bowl of soup on rainy day. Will recommend to others!
Quick and delicious. Perfect for leftover turkey.
My family loved it! My husband kept saying how this tasted like soup from a restaurant.
Hello, Mel! I adore all of your recipes, and have shared you with every single on e of my friends!! Thank you for making cooking fun anc real and successful—especially when feeding a family!
Question—does this ‘Best Leftover Turkey Soup’ freeze well? I’m preparing to make it after our turkey meal next weekend, but would like to freeze it for future lunches or dinners.
Thank you so much, Natalie! This soup freezes pretty well. Because it has a dairy/creamy base, it separates a bit once it’s thawed (and might be slightly grainy), but I still think it’s pretty good.
I’ve made this once before. Immediately saved to my “favorites.”
New question, can this be frozen after making?
Thanks!
Hi Sabrena, it probably can…but it might be a bit grainy upon defrosting and reheating due to the dairy content.
I made this recipe with smoked turkey breast and getting raves for it. Everyone wants the recipe. Love it! Easy to make and great for a cold rainy or winter day.
This was such a tasty soup, the best for leftover turkey. Only needed 1 tsp of kosher. Thank you so much for the explanations for subs. I had to use dried herbs. For rice I mixed black rice with brown basmati so there was a slight tinge of purple.
This soup is soooo good! I doubled the veggies, added green beans, and used orzo, and it was just about the tastiest soup I’ve ever made at home! Will definitely make again any time we have leftover turkey or chicken. YUM!
Hands down the BEST turkey soup – or soup overall, for that matter! Made exactly as instructed with leftover frozen turkey from Thanksgiving. My husband told me this soup made him love me more – so a win in this house! haha This recipe is a definite KEEPER.
Delicious. Doubled veggies, and was hearty and comforting
This was the best soup I’ve ever made. I used my leftover smoked New Year’s Day turkey and used a wild brown rice mix. I also added some cubed potato. Even my pickiest eater ate it! Hoping it freezes well because I have leftovers 🙂
I added a couple more cups of broth than the recipe said because I made the broth from my holiday turkey carcass and that’s how much I had on hand. I also added more carrots and celery because I like a lot of veggies. The soup came out great! I will definitely make it again.
This soup really is the best left over turkey recipe! My husband is picky and loved it. I subbed evaporated milk and it was very smooth and creamy. Thanks for another great recipe!
Since I probably used more of the carrots, onions and celery than was in the recipe and also added mushrooms ( because they were in the fridge and needed to be used) I had to add extra milk. But it was the best leftover turkey anything I have made and I’ve gone through quite a few recipes. Thank you!
Very good my family loved it. I did rice on the side due to me being on keto. I also added green beans and heavy whipping cream instead if half and half no flour.
Very yummy thank you.
I made this soup today. Wow! “The Best” is correct. I doubled the recipe, used my own homemade turkey broth and frozen left over cut-up turkey from freezer. The soup will be shared with friends & family for the New Year.
This was delicious!!! I halved the recipe and made exactly as-written except I didn’t have celery so used celery seed. (Milk was 2% and rice was jasmine.) OUTSTANDING!!!! The measurements and cooking times are perfect, couldn’t be easier or quicker, didn’t need anything else, and it was DELICIOUS. We’ll definitely be having this again. Thank you! Best to you and your family for happy and healthy holidays.
Made this today, was excellent! DO NOT use 2 teaspoons of salt if you have homemade broth…
Absolutely delicious! Made it the first time after thanksgiving with turkey and several times after that with chicken. Family fav!
The name of the recipe says it all!! I used homemade turkey broth from the frozen leftover carcass & doubled the veggies. This wins a spot in my autumn/winter soup rotation! Thanks, Mel
So. I don’t love soup and my husband doesn’t think soup is a meal. ♀️ BUT, so much left over turkey! I took Mel’s advice and froze it to use later.
I made this recipe on Sunday and it was DELICIOUS! My son tried it the next day and loved it! Even my husband proclaimed it good AND filling! Thank you so much, Mel, for another amazing meal!!
Absolutely the best! I added a bit of poultry seasoning and rubbed sage to the pot. My definite go-to recipe for turkey soup
This turned out great! My family land I loved it. I doubled the carrots and celery, and still felt like it wasn’t quite enough, but this was definitely a recipe I’ll repeat. Thanks, Mel!
This was fantastic! I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was. I used more carrots (probably 3/4 c or so) since my kids love them and cut carrots, celery and onion in food processor. Seriously really delicious and kid approved!
Could this be adapted for making in the Instant Pot?
I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it could!
I totally made it in the instant pot. I cooked it for 20 minutes using the brown rice mixture. It worked perfectly!
I made this tonight and my husband and housemate are both in love with it. I used stock I made yesterday from the turkey carcass and 3 Tbsp of cornstarch to thicken instead of flour (housemate needs gluten free).
I also used my instant pot and the 20 min pressure cook time from your Turkey & rice soup recipe. I think it was the perfect amount of time for my brown/wild rice mix. (For those looking, the other recipe suggested 5 min cook time for white rice)
My housemate just asked if we can make this again soon. 😀
We loved this soup. Made with broth from the carcass. Definitely a keeper. We love turkey and I am always looking for ways to use up the remains. Weary of plain turkey noodle soup.
I’ve never rated and left a review for an online recipe – but wow! This soup was beyond delicious. Unfortunately I mainly had dark meat left over which I’m not a huge fan of, but the flavors in the recipe made up for it. Definitely making this my creamy chicken soup base! It was also easy and mess-free! I served it with crusty French bread.
I made this tonight and followed your recipe except I had to substitute heavy whipping cream for the half and half. I used fresh rosemary and ground thyme (1/8 tsp). It was easy to make and it is delicious! I will make this again! Instead of crackers, I cut an unbaked Pillsbury refrigerator pie crust into triangles and baked them like cookies on a cookie sheet. Then, after they cooled, crumbled one on top of the soup in the bowl. It tasted like turkey pot pie soup.
I made this tonight. Unbelievably good. Thank you for this recipe!
Very tasty way to handle the extra turkey from this Thanksgiving! I’m glad you posted about this again (not nearly enough leftover turkey last year when you originally posted).
This soup is very good! I made a stock from the turkey bones and used the leftover turkey meat. After I sautéed the carrots, onions, celery and herbs, I added a cup of white wine to perk up the flavor. I also used brown rice. I was very hesitant to use the half/half and flour mixture. I was worried that it would have a “flour” taste. After letting the soup simmer for awhile it was perfect. The family is coming by for lunch today and I know they will love the soup!
Made my first turkey this year, due to covid and needed the perfect recipe to use up the extra meat. This was it! My whole family liked it! Major accomplishment. Thank you!!! (I did add garlic and green beans, and basil instead of thyme)