Leftover turkey and homemade bone broth make this keto turkey soup rich and creamy — 5.1g net carbs and 27.1g protein per serving. Daikon radish stands in for potato, cauliflower rice adds bulk, and I save every holiday carcass for it.
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 grew up eating soup like this after the holidays, someone in your family was probably using the leftover carcass to make broth. That’s exactly what I do. I throw the whole carcass into a slow cooker with water, a few stalks of celery, and half an onion, then let it go. The longer it cooks, the richer the broth gets. Mine usually goes 18-24 hours on low.
On the stovetop, bring everything to a boil, then drop to the lowest simmer you can hold and go at least 4 hours. You’ll know it’s ready when the bones crumble if you press on them. That’s the sign all the good stuff has broken down.
If you don’t have the carcass, store-bought chicken bone broth works. It won’t have the same depth, but the soup still comes together.
Why I use daikon radish instead of potato
I tried turnips first. Every single time, they fell apart after 15 minutes of simmering. Daikon radish holds its shape through the full 20-minute cook and has a milder flavor that doesn’t fight the broth. When you bite into a cube, it genuinely reads as potato. It’s the closest thing to a real potato I’ve found in a low carb soup.
You can find daikon at most larger grocery stores, usually near other root vegetables or in the Asian produce section. One cup of daikon has about 2.9 grams net carbs (4.8g total, 1.9g fiber), so you can load up without worrying about it.
If your store doesn’t carry daikon, celery root is my second choice. It’s a little nuttier in flavor but holds up the same way through a long simmer.
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.
2
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.
3
Make it creamy
Remove from heat. Pour in heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 bowl
Calories
339
Fat
22g
Protein
27.1g
Total carbs
7.6g
Net carbs
5.1g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
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 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.
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.
That last line is why these comment sections matter, Steve. Frozen stock works fine here, the butter and aromatics carry it. The daikon holding its shape while everything softens around it is my favorite part of this soup to watch.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
