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three mason jars filled with bone broth on a wood board
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5 from 13 votes

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 it with beef, chicken, or turkey bones, and how to cook it on the stove, in a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 day 30 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Diet: Diabetic, Low Calorie
Servings: 11 cups
Calories: 14kcal

Ingredients

  • 3-4 lbs beef bones or 2 lbs chicken/turkey bones; see note 1
  • 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

Instructions

  • Roast the bones (beef bones only)- Heat oven to 425°F. Arrange beef bones on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, turning bones over halfway through.
  • Prepare vegetables- Chop carrots, celery and onions. Slice garlic in half.

Cook

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Portion

  • Strain off solids- Cool slightly, then remove large solids from the pots using tongs. Carefully strain other solids off by pouring over a sieve.
  • Portion- 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).
    three mason jars filled with bone broth on a wood board
  • Remove fat- 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.

Video

Notes

1- bones you can use:
  • 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. 
2- you can add other veggie scraps to the broth including vegetable peels, herbs, or any vegetables that are expiring.
3-  nutritional information is likely not accurate as the calculator says '0' for the bones. Check commercial bone broth brands for more accurate nutritional info.
Storage
Bone broth may be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days and frozen for up to 3 months. See blog post for more details on storing and using up the broth.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup; note 3 | Calories: 14kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 235mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1885IU | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.1mg