Keto Turkey Soup
Published November 23, 2020 • Updated March 2, 2026
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Creamy keto turkey soup from leftover turkey and homemade bone broth, with daikon radish instead of potato and cauliflower rice for bulk. I save every holiday carcass for this one.
I started making this after Thanksgiving 2018 because I had a turkey carcass sitting in my fridge and couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. That carcass turned into the best homemade bone broth, and the broth turned into this keto turkey soup. Now I save every carcass, Thanksgiving and Christmas both. The whole house smells like the holidays again when that broth starts simmering.
The base is simple: sauté garlic and leeks in butter until fragrant, add the broth and leftover turkey, and simmer until everything melds together. What makes this one different is the daikon radish standing in for potato. I tried turnips first and they got mushy every time. Daikon holds its shape after 20 minutes of simmering and actually reads as potato in the bowl.
For the rice, I use frozen cauliflower rice straight from the bag. Do not thaw it first. I made that mistake early on and the rice dissolved into the broth, just disappeared. Frozen, it goes in during the last two minutes and keeps its texture.
The cream goes in off the heat. I pull the pot off the burner and wait a full minute before pouring. Still-steaming liquid can seize the cream, and I’ve had it happen. That one-minute wait makes the difference between silky and broken. It turns the broth from clear to something you want to drink straight from the pot.
One thing I’ve learned: dark meat holds up much better in this soup. If you only have breast meat, stir it in during the last 2-3 minutes so it doesn’t dry out.
One of my readers, Luz, threw a block of cream cheese in with the heavy cream and said it turned the whole thing into chowder. I haven’t tried it myself yet, but if you want something thicker on a cold night, I’d say go for it.
If you’re looking for more soups, my chicken and rice soup uses the same cauliflower rice trick. The cheeseburger soup is what my family requests on Friday nights, and the beef and tomato soup or minestrone are both solid. When I don’t have leftover turkey, the chicken noodle skillet or crack chicken scratch the same comfort food itch.
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Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter -
4 garlic cloves, minced
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1 medium onion, diced
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4 stalks celery, diced
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1/2 cup sliced leek
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1/2 carrot, diced (optional)
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1 cup cubed daikon radish
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3 cups leftover turkey
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4 cups turkey stock or chicken broth
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1 (10 oz) package frozen cauliflower rice
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1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
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salt and pepper to taste
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Sauté vegetables
In a stock pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add in onion, celery, leeks and carrot and cook for 3 minutes or until softened.
Simmer
Add in daikon radish and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add leftover turkey and turkey stock. Bring to boil, then lower heat to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until daikon radish is soft and cooked through. Add in cauliflower rice and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until heated.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this in the Instant Pot or slow cooker?
I've made this on the stovetop every time, but it would work in both. For the Instant Pot, sauté your aromatics using the sauté function, add everything except the cauliflower rice and cream, and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes with a natural release. Stir in the frozen cauliflower rice while it's still hot and it'll cook in the residual heat. For a slow cooker, combine everything except cauliflower rice and cream, cook on low for 6-8 hours, then add the rice in the last 10 minutes.
Can I freeze this soup, and how do I reheat it?
I freeze this regularly. Leave out the cream and cauliflower rice before freezing (the cream separates and the rice turns to mush). It keeps in the freezer for about 3 months. When I reheat, I thaw in the fridge overnight, warm it on the stovetop over medium-low, and stir in fresh cream and a new handful of frozen cauliflower rice at the end. I batch-prep this alongside my cheeseburger soup on the same day.
White meat or dark meat: does it matter?
Dark meat is my preference. The thigh and leg meat stays tender through the whole simmer without drying out. If all you have is white breast meat, don't add it at the beginning or it'll turn chalky. I stir white meat in during the last 2-3 minutes, just long enough to heat through. A mix of both is ideal, and that's usually what's left on the carcass anyway.
Can I add cream cheese to make it thicker?
I haven't tried this myself yet, but one of my readers, Luz, threw a block of cream cheese in with the heavy cream and said it turned the whole thing into chowder. Her exact words: 'Did not see that coming.' If you want something richer and thicker on a cold night, I'd say try it. I'm planning to test it with my next batch.
Can I use chicken instead of turkey?
I've done it. The soup works with rotisserie chicken, and you can use the chicken carcass for broth the same way. The flavor profile shifts slightly (turkey broth has a deeper, richer taste to my palate), but it's still a great soup. I keep this in my back pocket for weeks when I don't have leftover turkey but want something warm and filling.
Can I use fresh turkey instead of leftovers?
You can. I'd poach or roast a couple of turkey thighs, shred the meat, and use the bones plus drippings to make a quick stock. It won't have the same depth as a full carcass broth that's simmered overnight, but it works. My preference is still leftover turkey because the meat has already absorbed all those roasting flavors from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
Is there a dairy-free option?
I've swapped the heavy cream for coconut cream and it works. The flavor leans slightly tropical, which sounds odd but it actually blends into the broth and disappears. Use full-fat canned coconut cream, not coconut milk (too thin). Same amount, same method: off the heat, wait a minute, stir it in. Keeps it keto and dairy-free.
What other vegetables can I add?
I keep it pretty close to the original, but I've thrown in handfuls of spinach right at the end and it wilts in perfectly. Kale works too if you add it a few minutes earlier (it needs more time to soften). I'd skip broccoli since it gets sulfury in a long simmer. Mushrooms are great sliced thin with the aromatics. For a soup that really loads up on vegetables, my minestrone goes heavier on the greens.
Wasn't convinced daikon would work in place of potato (it just doesn't sound like a soup thing), but it holds its shape and soaks up the broth like you'd want. I get it now. Double batch next time.
Four recipes from memory is a short list. Glad this made it. And yes, the daikon thing - you stop questioning it once you see what it does in the broth.
This is probably the fifth time I've made this since January and I did not expect to still be making it in March. I was most skeptical about the daikon radish but once everything simmers together for a while you stop thinking about the swap and just start thinking about the soup. The cauliflower rice soaks into the broth in a way that makes it feel more substantial than I expected. I started buying rotisserie chicken just to have an excuse to make this when I don't have leftover turkey, because I wasn't willing to wait until the next time I had a carcass sitting around. Heavy cream goes in at the end and pulls everything together into something that tastes like it cooked all afternoon. I don't cook a lot but this is one of maybe four recipes I can do completely from memory now.
Four recipes from memory is a short list. Glad this made it. And yes, the daikon thing - you stop thinking about it somewhere around the second bowl.
First time using daikon radish as a potato stand-in and I genuinely did not know what to expect, but it holds its shape without turning to mush and picks up the broth in a way that feels right. Adding the cream off the heat at the end. Small thing, but it showed.
Glad the daikon clicked. The cream off heat thing, I do that with basically every soup now. Keeps it from going grainy.
I've been eyeing this recipe for a couple weeks and I'm finally making it tonight. No leftover turkey so I grabbed a rotisserie chicken instead. Plan is to shred it and add it in the same step, but I'm worried it'll get rubbery if it simmers too long since it's already cooked through. Also going with store-bought chicken broth since I can't make turkey stock without the carcass. Will that give it enough flavor, or is there something I can add to get closer to homemade stock? My family's been asking for soup all week so really hoping this works out.
Rotisserie chicken turns chalky if it simmers too long. I'd hold it back and add it at the very end, last 5 minutes. Store-bought broth works fine here, the aromatics and butter do enough.
Swapped the daikon for turnips since my grocery store seems to never have daikon in stock, and used rotisserie chicken because it's March and leftover turkey is not a thing in my house right now. Turnips held their shape through the whole simmer and didn't go mushy, which is what I was worried about. What got me though was when I poured in the cream at the end and the broth just pulled together. I almost skipped that step thinking the soup already looked good, but it's not optional. Making this again Sunday.
That's the moment, when the cream hits and the broth just pulls together. Good to know about the turnips too - I've been curious whether they'd hold up or turn soft.
Threw in a block of cream cheese with the heavy cream and it went from soup to practically chowder. Did not see that coming. Cold night? Do the cream cheese.
That 'did not see that coming' is now literally in the FAQ. Cream cheese chowder on cold nights. Yes.
Was skeptical about the daikon, couldn't picture it working. Made this on a snow night last week and that radish cooked down into something that actually reads as potato. The heavy cream at the end turns the broth into something you want to drink straight from the pot. I've been burned by cauliflower rice ruining soups before but here it just absorbs everything and becomes part of it.
Snow night is exactly right for this one. Frozen cauliflower rice straight from the bag, don't thaw it first. It just dissolves into the broth otherwise.
Made this last week and loved how the daikon held up compared to regular turnips (way better texture, no mushiness). I pulled it off the heat before adding the cream like you said but mine was still pretty hot and the cream kind of seized on me. Do you wait a minute or two for it to cool down first, or pour the cream in right while it's still steaming?
Yeah, I wait a minute off the heat before the cream goes in. Still steaming is too hot. And yes to the daikon - turnips get mushy every time, daikon stays firm.