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Turkey Dumpling Soup

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updated: 06/26/24

5 from 40 votes
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

This Turkey Dumpling Soup is the most amazing comfort food! Easy enough for a weeknight meal, good enough for guests!

In a brown ceramic bowl, the Turkey Dumpling Soup has chunks of turkey, balls of dumpling, slices of carrots, and corn in a creamy broth.

I think some day, in my next life, I am going to make a coffee table book entitled:  Things I Never Thought I Would Hear Myself Say.

An overhead photo of the Turkey Dumpling Soup in a soup pot showing the creamy broth, balls of dumpling, chunks of turkey, slices of carrots, and corn.

It would be full of all the nonsense that comes out of my mouth on the daily. Things that really should only be said in sitcoms. Starring cartoons characters.

Things like

Well that’s what happens when you jump on the trampoline with princess shoes on.

And

Please put the light saber down before you go the the bathroom.

I  might throw in a

Your little sister is not a puppy! You cannot play fetch with her!!

You know. Just for good measure.

In a brown ceramic bowl, the Turkey Dumpling Soup has chunks of turkey, balls of dumpling, slices of carrots, and corn in a creamy broth.

And I would stick in all the things that other parents never thought they would hear themselves say. Because I know that you all say things too. The “If you are going to have your hands in your pants please be in your bedroom” things. Admit it.

You guys! Don’t you think I have a best seller on my hands??

An overhead photo of the Turkey Dumpling Soup has chunks of turkey, balls of dumpling, slices of carrots, and corn in a creamy broth.

In the meantime, I will keep my day job and keep making you things like this Turkey Dumpling Soup.

This soup is insanely good. Three {cough} meals in a row good.

It’s totally perfect for using up your left over turkey (and corn!!), but if you just want to make it as a regular weeknight meal through the winter . . . well . . . I’ll probably be doing the same.

Some notes about this recipe:

  • Since this soup has a few moving parts to it (like things you need to be doing while different things are cooking), it’s a good idea to read the whole recipe first and then start cooking.
  • When you are making the roux, the thickening agent for the soup, go slow. First combine all the flour with the butter, and then sloooooooowly add the chicken stock. It literally takes me a solid two minutes to add all four cups.
  • To make sure that your dumplings are fluffy and not tough, make sure not to over cook them. Mine were done perfectly after four minutes of simmering.
  • I think this would be FANTASTIC if made with turkey stock. I know there are some great recipes out there that use the left over turkey bones to make stock. I haven’t mastered it yet, but when I do I will come back and update.
  • This soup should have onions in it. “I swear to not cook with onions” was part of my wedding vows, so I left them out, but you should add them.
5 from 40 votes

Turkey Dumpling Soup

Author: Lisa Longley
Serves: 6
(tap # to scale)
This Turkey Dumpling Soup is the most amazing comfort food!  Easy enough for a weeknight meal, good enough for guests!

Ingredients

  • 3 TBSPs butter
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 large carrots diced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 2 TBSPs all purpose flour
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tsp sage rub
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp salt see note
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cups cooked turkey cubed
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 8 oz heavy cream

For Dumplings

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 tsps baking powder
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 TBSP butter
  • 1/2 cup skim milk

Instructions

  • Melt the butter over medium heat in a large stock pot.
  • Add the carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until soft, about five minutes.
  • Whisk in the flour until fully combined. Very very slowly add the chicken stock. Begin by adding only about a tablespoon at a time, only adding more stock once the stock you just added is combined. Towards the end you will be able to add it a little more quickly. This should take about two minutes.
  • Add the sage, thyme, salt, bay leaves, and pepper and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for five minutes.
  • While the soup is cooking, whisk together 1 cup of flour, 2 tsps of baking powder, 1 tsp of sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 1 TBSP cold butter. Gently mix in 1/2 cup skim milk until just combined and there are no more streaks of flour. Gently drop about a tablespoon of the dough at a time into the soup. Boil until just cooked through over medium heat. About four minutes uncovered.
  • Finally, gently stir in the cooked turkey, frozen corn, and heavy cream, stirring to combine and cooking about one minute more until combined. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Notes

I ended up adding a full tsp of kosher salt to the soup, but I like things a little saltier. The amount of salt you need depends greatly on the type of chicken stock you use, so it’s better to start with 1/2 tsp and then add more if you need it at the end.

did you make this

Turkey Dumpling Soup

I’d love to see what you made! Tag me @lisasimplejoy and hashtag it #simplejoyrecipes!
In a brown ceramic bowl, the Turkey Dumpling Soup has chunks of turkey, balls of dumpling, slices of carrots, and corn in a creamy broth.

Lisa is the founder of Simple Joy. Lisa, is a self taught cook and avid lover of all things food, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For the last 10 years Lisa has been reading cookbooks, experimenting in the kitchen, and learning everything she possibly can about cooking. The result has been the ability to create recipes, both classics and new twists, that readers fall in love with and make with ease. Lisa loves not only providing delicious and easy recipes, but also giving the why behind what we are doing in the kitchen. She gets such great joy in sharing my love for food.

Lisa has been featured in many media outlets. These outlets include Country Living, Real Simple, Today, Parade, Good Housekeeping, Buzzfeed, Delish, Elle, and many others.

Prior to becoming a food creator, Lisa was a social worker. She received her master’s in social work from the University of Milwaukee and worked in child welfare.

Lisa is the mom to four amazing kids: Gavin, Elliot, Quinn, and Piper. Gavin, Quinn, and Piper are happy, amazing kids she loves spending time with.

Her husband, Nathan, is her partner in life and in business. He is her rock in more ways than one and supports all of her crazy dreams.

Lisa and Nathan lost their second child, Elliot, when he was 8 days old. If you want to know more about Elliot, you can read it here. If you want to read more of Lisa’s experience of grief, you can read this post.

Reader Interactions

    5 from 40 votes (20 ratings without comment)

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  1. Gail Evans says

    5 stars
    This turkey and dumplings was the best recipe I’ve ever made!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you liked it!

  2. Stacy says

    5 stars
    I rarely leave comments on recipes but my kids loved this so much I have to give it 5 stars! We have chickens so I omited the butter and put some eggs in my dumplings (2 eggs for a double recipe) and they turned out great.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad that you liked it!

  3. Gloria says

    i am going to make this today. I had no idea you could make dumpings uncovered. i will give it a go

  4. Tina Pessina says

    Hi Laura,
    I’m going to make the soup with our Thanksgiving leftovers. I had turkey dumpling soup at a restaurant and it was fantastic so I’m excited to make it. My question is you made a comment about the dumplings that you have to really watch them so they’re not overdone I’m not sure about that. The other thing is once the dumplings are made in the soup. Are they done cooking? I mean you can re-heal it the day after in the day after that? Also, can the soup be frozen? With the dumplings in it? Thank you kindly, Tina

    • Lisa Longley says

      They are done cooking with four minutes in the soup. They will be wet on the outside but fluffy on the inside. They are best when eaten that day, but you can still have the soup the next day. This is not my favorite recipe for freezing.

  5. Jordan says

    5 stars
    I doubled the chicken stock because I had so much turkey and also added 2 onions to make this delicious soup.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m glad you liked it.

  6. Carol H. says

    5 stars
    This recipe brought a tear to my eye, reminding me of my mom’s beloved turkey and dumplings when I was a wee one. This is a keeper and will go in my routine for leftover turkey and chicken year round. Very nicely seasoned and the dumplings are fluffy and delicious and not bad reheated–it is just my husband and I and it makes 6 nice servings. The only thing I added was a little fresh flat-leaf parsley to the dumplings because I had some, and I didn’t add salt as our turkey and homemade stock was already seasoned. Thank you for sharing this homey recipe!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you liked it so much! I love when recipes bring back memories like that.

  7. Ash says

    5 stars
    I never review recipes but felt this one deserved a comment. We’ve been consistently making this for YEARS now and it’s still a family favorite!! We make it with turkey during the holidays but sub rotisserie chicken during the rest of the year. Equally Still amazing! Our kid was recently diagnosed with celiac and was craving this soup so I subbed the wheat flour for Trader Joe’s gf flour and it still turned out perfect. Honestly a 10/10 recipe and it takes a lot for me to say that! ❤️

    • Lisa Longley says

      It makes me so happy that this has become a family recipe for you guys! I’m so glad to hear that it worked well with the gf flour!

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