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.
Make it creamy
Remove from heat. Pour in heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
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.
27 grams of protein per serving, which I didn't expect from a soup. Made it Sunday night and my husband, who doesn't comment on food under normal circumstances, asked me what those 'white potato-looking things' were in his bowl. That question from him is basically the highest possible praise. First time I'd ever cooked with daikon and it won't be the last.
The 'white potato-looking things' question from a husband who never comments on food says it all. Daikon holds up in broth way better than real potatoes do.
Ha, he asked when I'm making it again. Daikon's officially in the rotation now.
5.1 net carbs was what got me to click. What kept me reading was the part about saving the carcass, because my dad used to do that and I genuinely thought I was the only person who still did. He'd make turkey soup from real stock, slow and patient, and I grew up thinking that was just how soup worked. When I changed how I ate a few years ago, that habit quietly slipped away. Made this with some leftover turkey and stock I'd had in the freezer, and watching the daikon hold its shape while everything else softened around it was the first time in a while the kitchen felt like that kitchen. Not the flashiest reason to leave a comment. But it felt like it deserved one.
I batch-cook soups on Sundays and want to add this to the rotation. Does the heavy cream hold up after a few days in the fridge, or does it separate when reheated? Cream-based soups have gone grainy on me before.
I keep this in the fridge all week, cream holds fine. Grainy is a reheat speed issue. Low heat, stir as it warms. It comes back.
real bone broth and it shows
Overnight carcass simmer and there's no going back.
No daikon so I used zucchini, cubed small. Held up fine and soaked up the broth really well. Noting that for next time.
Zucchini was one I hadn't tried in this one, good to know it holds. You nailed the cube size, Brandon, too big and they go soft in the simmer. I'm adding it to the notes.
Tried a few keto turkey soups over the years. Most either turn the potato sub to mush or taste thin. The daikon holds up through the whole simmer, and the broth gets a richness from the bone stock I haven't found in other versions. This is the one I keep coming back to.
The mush problem is real. Daikon was the fourth sub I tried.
I thought soups like this were just gone for me on keto. Found this while looking for something to do with leftover chicken, and the daikon radish subbing in for potato genuinely made me curious enough to try it. It holds up just like potato, soft bite without going mushy, and I kept waiting for something to feel off the whole bowl. Nothing did. Second time making it this week.
Twice in one week. Chicken works fine in this, the broth isn't quite as deep without the turkey bones but the daikon doesn't care either way.
I've made probably six different keto soups trying to find one that doesn't feel like it's compensating for itself and this is the first one that actually just... is soup. The daikon radish blends right in (kept waiting for it to taste like a substitution and it never did), and the cream at the end makes it genuinely rich in a way the broth-only versions never are. This one ended the search.
The cream at the end is what does it. Broth-only always tastes like something's missing and I kept trying to figure out what. That step fixed it.
Made this for the first time last week and the daikon was the ingredient I wasn't sure about. It cooked up nicely though, similar texture to a waxy potato but without the starch weight. The broth base came together faster than I expected for a homemade soup. Quick question: do you add fresh herbs like thyme at all, or does the leek and garlic handle most of the flavor?
Leek and garlic carry most of it. I've added a few sprigs of thyme before and it's a nice background note, not essential though. Pull the stems before serving if you go that route.
First time making soup from scratch and honestly way easier than I expected. The daikon softens up and actually gives you that potato feeling without the carbs. Did not see that coming.
Soup from scratch sounds more involved than it is. Good one to start with.
Tried plenty of keto soups with turnip as the potato stand-in, but the daikon here holds its shape and stays neutral in a way turnip never does.
Turnip gets bitter by the end of a long simmer too. Daikon just soaks up the broth and stays out of the way.
Every other keto soup I've tried, the vegetable swaps make it obvious you're eating around something. Not this one. The daikon actually softens into the broth like it belongs. Still tweaking seasoning since I go way heavier on garlic than the recipe says, but this one replaced my old standby.
Four cloves is conservative. I've pushed it to 8 in this one and it just makes the broth richer. The garlic kind of disappears into the stock anyway.
I've been keto for about five months and soup was the thing I kept grieving. Made this last week and the daikon radish genuinely fooled me long enough that I forgot to miss the potatoes until I was halfway through the bowl. The broth comes out creamy and rich in a way I didn't expect. I didn't think a recipe could feel this much like a relief, but this one does.
The halfway-through mark is about right. By then the broth has you.
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.