This delicious Turkey Vegetable Soup recipe is the perfect way to use up shredded, cooked turkey. This soup is healthy and nourishing and ready in just about 30 minutes. Use your Instant Pot electric pressure cooker or the stovetop. 

A small white bowl filled with homemade turkey vegetable soup.

If you’re like me, you have pounds of turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving dinner, not to mention mashed potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, and more.

Sure, you can always make a turkey sandwich, but that’s not the only way to use up leftover turkey meat.

I know you’re probably tired of cooking, so I promise this recipe is as easy as it gets. I’ve included both Instant Pot and stovetop directions for making this easy leftover turkey and vegetable soup.

The easiest way to use up your holiday leftovers is to dump it all into the Instant Pot to transform into a delicious, comforting soup that you can serve your whole family. It’s my favorite way to get through leftovers.

You might also like this recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey Tacos!

Turkey Vegetable Soup Recipe Benefits

  • You can use your electric pressure cooker or the stovetop to whip up a hearty delicious bowl of soup for lunch or dinner on the days after a big holiday meal.
  • You can feel free to get creative with this recipe based on the leftovers from Thanksgiving. It’s a great way to avoid food waste and use up leftover meat without making more turkey sandwiches.
  • Mashed potatoes add so much creaminess and make this a balanced meal in one bowl. This homemade turkey soup is such a great recipe on a cold day.

Ingredients

Ingredients to make Instant Pot turkey soup in small bowls on a white surface.
  • Shredded cooked turkey is perfect for putting into the soup. You’ll need about 4 cups of cooked shredded turkey from the turkey carcass (check out my Instant Pot Turkey Tenderloin recipe). If you want to make this at any other time of year, you can also use shredded cooked chicken.
  • Chopped carrots, celery, and onion make this a turkey vegetable soup and help to add texture.
  • Mashed potatoes take this soup to the next level in terms of creaminess and heartiness. Try making my Mexican Mashed Potatoes if you want to switch up your mashed potatoes.
  • Broth helps bring the pot to pressure and makes this a soup. You can use chicken broth, bone broth, chicken stock, turkey stock, turkey broth, or vegetable broth. See my recipe for Instant Pot Vegetable Broth.
  • Extra seasonings including salt, black pepper, and a bay leaf help add even more flavor to this hearty soup. Try topping the soup with fresh parsley or green onions for some fresh greenery.

Please see the full recipe card below for the exact measurements.

Recipe Steps

As promised, this recipe is super easy.

Since the turkey and mashed potatoes are already cooked, you really just have to cook the vegetables and then stir in the cooked ingredients from your Thanksgiving leftovers.

Photo collage of how to make turkey soup in the Instant Pot.

Step One

Heat up some olive oil in an Instant Pot or in a large pot or Dutch oven on the stovetop. Add the chopped veggies and sauté for a few minutes.

Step Two

Stir in the broth, leftover Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes. Cook everything at high pressure in the Instant Pot for 5 minutes.

Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.

Step Three

When the cooking time is complete, let the pressure come down naturally for about 5 minutes. Then, use the quick release to get rid of the remaining pressure.

I always recommend using an oven mitt when turning the valve from sealed to release to avoid getting burned by the steam.

If using the stovetop, just make sure that everything is warmed through and the liquid is simmering.

Step Four

Carefully remove the lid. Use tongs to fish out the bay leaves to discard.

Serve your bowl of leftover soup hot.

I hope you enjoy this leftover turkey soup recipe! It’s one of my favorite Instant Pot soup recipes.

Turkey vegetable soup in the insert of an Instant Pot.

Recipe Tips & Substitutions

  • STOVETOP directions: in a large pot, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth, water, bay leaves, turkey, and mashed potatoes or diced potatoes and increase the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, let the pot simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened, the potatoes are fork-tender, and the turkey is warmed through. Remove the bay leaves and serve the soup hot. 
  • For every one pound of uncooked turkey, you’ll end up with about 3-4 cups of shredded cooked turkey. 
  • If you want to double this recipe in the Instant Pot, you’ll need to make it in multiple batches or use an 8-quart Instant Pot instead of a 6-quart Instant Pot.
  • Store any leftovers in a tightly-sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 
  • This recipe is very flexible and versatile! You can add ingredients like cooked white rice, sweet potatoes, green beans, garlic powder, or whatever you have on hand.

Recipe FAQs

Is this soup allergy-friendly?

It is dairy-free and gluten-free – just make sure that the leftover mashed potatoes you are using don’t contain any dairy if that is a concern for you.

Can I use raw turkey breast?

This recipe doesn’t cook long enough for meat to cook from raw. It is best made with your holiday meal leftovers! You can also purchase and shred a cooked rotisserie chicken if you don’t have enough turkey or are short on time.

Can I use ground turkey?

This recipe was created using cooked shredded turkey. If you want a recipe using ground turkey, be sure to check out my Instant Pot Turkey Chili.

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

Yes! Cook the vegetables with the broth on low for 3-6 hours, adding the shredded turkey about 2 hours before the end of the cook time.

Can I add noodles to this recipe?

Yes, but you’ll need to cook them on the stovetop and add them to the soup before serving. A lot of people like to use uncooked egg noodles. But I don’t think the noodles are necessary if you add mashed potatoes.

A small white bowl filled with homemade turkey vegetable soup.

More Healthy Soup Recipes You Might Like

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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A small white bowl filled with homemade turkey vegetable soup.

Turkey Vegetable Soup (Instant Pot or Stovetop)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.7 from 3 reviews

This delicious Turkey Vegetable Soup is the perfect way to use up shredded, cooked turkey. This soup is healthy and nourishing and ready in just about 30 minutes. Use your Instant Pot or the stovetop. 

  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 5 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 4 cups cooked, shredded turkey (from about 1.25 pounds of uncooked turkey)
  • 1 cup cooked mashed potatoes or 2 medium potatoes, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional, for topping)

Instructions

  1. In the base of an Instant Pot, heat up the olive oil using the sauté function. See the notes of this recipe for stovetop instructions.
  2. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Cancel the sauté button and add the bay leaves, chicken broth, water, shredded turkey, mashed potatoes or diced potatoes, sea salt, and black pepper. Lock on the lid and set the time to 5 minutes on high pressure.
  4. When the cooking time is complete, let the pressure come down naturally for 5 minutes. Then, use the quick release to get rid of the remaining pressure. (I always recommend using an oven mitt when turning the valve from sealed to release to avoid getting burned with the steam). 
  5. Remove the lid and use tongs to fish out the bay leaves and discard.
  6. Serve the soup hot, with the parsley sprinkled on top (optional).

Notes

  1. STOVETOP directions: in a large pot, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth, water, bay leaves, turkey, and mashed potatoes or diced potatoes and increase the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, let the pot simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened, the potatoes are fork-tender, and the turkey is warmed through. Remove the bay leaves and serve the soup hot. 
  2. For every one pound of uncooked turkey, you’ll end up with about 3-4 cups of shredded cooked turkey. 
  3. If you want to double this recipe in the Instant Pot, you’ll need to make it in multiple batches or use an 8-quart Instant Pot instead of a 6-quart Instant Pot.
  4. Store any leftovers in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 
  5. The total cook time includes 10 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure, plus 5 minutes of natural release time. 
  • Author: Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Instant Pot or stovetop
  • Cuisine: Thanksgiving
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 267
  • Sugar: 3.9 g
  • Sodium: 814 mg
  • Fat: 6.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 20.1 g
  • Fiber: 3.1 g
  • Protein: 31.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 91.6 mg

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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with nearly 10 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.