The ONLY Bone Broth Recipe You’ll Ever Need

This bone broth recipe is a nutritional superhero that is packed full of vitamins, minerals, and collagen. Learn how to make bone broth with beef,  chicken, or turkey bones, and how to cook it on the stove, in a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot.

Bone broth benefits

There is a reason our grandmothers would make us broth when we were sick; broth is easy to digest, and is packed full of vitamins, nutrients and immune-boosting ingredients.

Broth is an excellent way to make use of all parts of the animal, including parts that we may not be able to eat (such as feet, skin, marrow and ligaments).

Bone broth takes traditional broth a step farther: thanks to a long cook time, collagen, amino acids (proline, glycine and glutamine) and minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and more), are extracted from the bones and ligaments, enriching the broth and making it even more nutritious.

Benefits linked to drinking bone broth:

I’m all about science here, and am sharing peer reviewed articles that suggest the following bone broth benefits:

• immune support– a 2001 study found chicken broth to inhibit neutrophil migration in a petri dish. AKA: it suggests broth will actively suppress an inflammatory response
• skin improvement– a recent study reported collagen supplements to reduce facial lines and wrinkles, improve skin’s elasticity, collagen content and youthful appearance. Interestingly, collagen has also been linked to reduced wrinkle formation following UVB exposure, suggesting collage can help protect our skin against UV/sun damage
• reduced joint pain– collagen is also linked to a significant reduction in joint pain in osteoarthritis patients
• gut health– gelatin and glutamine are two ingredients in bone broth which play an important role in promoting healthy gut bacteria, to have anti-inflammatory properties and to play a role in preventing ulcer formation

I look forward to seeing studies done using bone broth rather than the molecules within it, and hope there will be some in the future! Here is a fantastic (science-based) article if you want to read more about bone broth benefits.

Which ingredients go into this bone broth recipe?

Bones- you can use any bones; I have made this bone broth recipe with leftover turkey, chicken or beef bones.

• turkey– use 2 lbs of bones and try to use a variety (include skin, cartilage and scraps)
• chicken– 2 lbs of bones or 2 small chicken carcasses (include skin, cartilage and scraps; chicken feet are also a great addition as a source of collagen, but are not necessary)
• beef– 3-4 lbs; use a variety of bones if possible (large bones with marrow and small knuckle, rib or oxtail bones). Make sure you roast beef bones for improved flavor.

Veggies- you can get creative here.

• Scrap veggies- I save up my scrap veggies and herbs in the freezer and throw them into my bone broth. In the example above, I used frozen bok choy, celery and thyme.
• Aromatics- I always add 1 onion and 4-5 cloves of garlic. No need to peel them!
• Other- I always have carrots on hand and like to toss them in as well.

Apple cider vinegar- 1 tablespoon to help extract the vitamins and minerals from the bones.

Sea salt- to season your broth; you can leave this out or add at the end to taste if you’d prefer.

Water- many recipes call for filtered water but I just use regular tap water. I add approximately 10 cups, or just fill to the top of my slow cooker, or to the ‘max fill line’ of my Instant Pot.

How to make bone broth

1. Roast the bones- this is only necessary if you are using raw beef bones, and really improves the flavor of beef bone broth. Chicken carcasses have likely already been roasted by the time you remove the meat.

• roast at 425 for 30 minutes, turning bones over halfway

2. Prepare veggies- coarsely chop carrots, celery and onions. Slice a head of garlic in half. Grab any fresh herbs you might have (don’t worry if you don’t have them though!)

3. Combine all ingredients in your cooking vessel. You can use:

• an 8 Quart Instant Pot
• a 6 Quart Slow Cooker
• a large stock pot

4. Cook! 

• Instant Pot- 2 hours on high pressure with a full natural pressure release (takes around 4 hours total time)
• Slow cooker & stove top- simmer for 24 hours

5. Remove solids– I use tongs to get the heavy stuff, and strain the rest through a sieve.

6. Portion out– I store my bone broth recipe in 1 pint jars because it’s a handy size to freeze. You can also store in 1 quart jars, or freeze in ice cube trays.

7. Optional- skim the fat. Beef bone broth is FATTY. I don’t find this appealing to drink, so here’s what I do:

• refrigerate beef bone broth overnight
• when fat has solidified, remove from the top of the broth using a spoon and transfer to a clean jar for later
• if you want to repurpose the fat, here’s a great article on how to do so

*this is not necessary with turkey or chicken bone broth as they are not overly fatty

Can bone broth be frozen?

YES! You can freeze this bone broth recipe in a few different ways.

• 1 quart jars– this stores large portions of bone broth and is great for soups or recipes when you need a lot of broth. Leave the lids ajar and 1/4 of the jar empty for expansion during freezing.
• 1 pint jars– my preferred way to store, as I find I only need smaller portions at a time. Leave the lids ajar and 1/4 of the jar empty for expansion during freezing.
• ice cube trays– perfect for recipes when you just need a few tablespoons of broth. I don’t personally freeze in ice cube trays but you would want to transfer to a reusable silicone bag after freezing for longer term storage.

Make sure to label your bone broth with the date so you know which ones to use up first. I like these reusable labels.

How to use bone broth

A lot of people enjoy sipping bone broth, but I am just not one of them. Instead, I like to use bone broth up in recipes.

Here are my favorite ways to use bone broth:

• cooking liquid– bone broth is great used as a cooking liquid for rice (see How to Cook Rice) or quinoa (see How to Cook Perfect, Fluffy Quinoa)
• in soups– homemade bone broth tastes better than store bought stocks and adds lots of flavor to this Healthier Beef & Barley Soup or this Stuffed Pepper Soup
• freezer meals– any recipe that calls for chicken stock, I reach for my bone broth. Ex: these Instant Pot Chipotle Lime Chicken Breasts and this Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

Bone broth FAQ

My bone broth didn’t gel! What happened? If your bone broth doesn’t gel, you either didn’t cook it for long enough to extract enough collagen from the bones OR you didn’t have enough bones in your broth.

Can I swap stock with bone broth? Yes, I do this all the time. I specifically label ‘chicken bone broth’ versus ‘beef bone broth’ so I don’t mix them up. You may need to alter the salt in the recipe depending on how seasoned your broth is, but they are quite interchangeable.

How long is this bone broth recipe good for? I would keep your homemade bone broth in the refrigerator for no longer than 5 days. You can freeze it for up to a year.

Tips and equipment for homemade bone broth

• I have made it in both my 6 quart Instant Pot and my 8 quart Instant Pot (I prefer the 8 quart because you can fit a bigger batch)
• I like to strain into this large glass measuring cup in batches) because it makes pouring it into jars easier
• Looking for more Instant Pot ‘how to’s’? Check out this Perfect Fluffy Instant Pot Quinoa, these No Soak Instant Pot Chickpeas, and these Perfect Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

Nourishing Bone Broth Recipe

This bone broth recipe is a nutritional powerhouse that is packed full of vitamins, minerals, and collagen. Sharing how to make bone broth with beef or chicken bones, and how to make it on the stove, in a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot.

• 3-4 lbs beef bones ((or 2 lbs chicken/turkey bones; see * in notes))
• 2 carrots ((coarsely chopped))
• 2 ribs celery ((coarsely chopped))
• 1 head garlic ((cut in half across the bulb))
• 1 onion (quartered)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 8-10 cups water ((to max fill line, top of slow cooker or top of stock pot))

Roast the bones (beef bones only)

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Arrange beef bones on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, turning bones over halfway through.

   

Prepare vegetables

1. Chop carrots, celery and onions. Slice garlic in half.

   

Cook

1. Crockpot– place all ingredients in a 6 quart slow cooker. Fill with water to the top of the slow cooker. Cook on low for 24 hours.

   

2. Stove Top- place all ingredients in a large stock pot. Fill with water to the top of the pot. Simmer for 24 hours, keeping an eye on water levels.

   

3. Instant Pot– place all ingredients in an 8 quart Instant Pot. Fill water to the 'max fill line'. Cook on high pressure for 2 hours, then allow a full natural pressure release. This takes approximately 4 hours total.

   

Strain off solids

1. Cool slightly, then remove large solids from the pots using tongs. Carefully strain other solids off by pouring over a sieve.

   

Portion

1. Portion out into your favorite portion size. I prefer 1 pint jars (1.5 cup portions to allow for expansion while freezing). Cool to room temperature and refrigerate or freeze (you may want to remove the fat from the beef bone broth before freezing).

   

Remove fat- beef bone broth

1. Optional- I pefer to remove the fat from the top of the beef bone broth. Allow to cool in the fridge overnight, then spoon off the fat. You may wish to keep the fat but it comes to personal preference.

   

STORAGE

1. Bone broth may be stored for 5 days in the fridge or 1 year in the freezer.

2. To thaw- thaw in the fridge overnight.

* beef bones- 3-4 lbs; use a variety of bones if possible (large bones with marrow and small knuckle, rib or oxtail bones). Make sure you roast beef bones for improved flavor.

* chicken bones- 2 lbs of bones or 2 small chicken carcasses (include skin, cartilage and scraps; chicken feet are also a great addition as a source of collagen, but are not necessary)

* turkey bones- use 2 lbs of bones and try to use a variety (include skin, cartilage and scraps)

Bones can be collected from roasts and stored in the freezer until you are ready to cook. You can also acquire bones from your butcher or grocery store. 

** nutritional information is likely not accurate as the calculator says ‘0’ for the bones. Check commercial bone broth brands for more accurate nutritional info.