Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Our bone broth recipe is embarrassingly easy and better than store-bought

bone broth recipe

Emily Caldwell
By
Two bowls of bone broth.
Bluebird Provisions / Pexels

Using bone broth in recipes is a simple substitute for traditional stock that offers a ton of amazing benefits. This superfood “trend” started a few years ago yet continues to remain popular thanks to the amazing health benefits of bone broth, such as strengthened bones and improved joint health.

Bone broth is a clear liquid often used as a base for soups and stews. Unlike stock, bone broth requires a lengthy cooking time where the animal bones simmer, resulting in a liquid that is full of protein, collagen, and other health benefits. The bones of a chicken release many vitamins and minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, into the broth, as well as important amino acids like glycine. Many people following intermittent fasting diets also enjoy using bone broth to comfortably break a fast, since it is easy on the digestive system.

Recommended Videos

As you browse through the soup and stock aisle at the grocery store, you’ll find many pre-packaged bone broths to choose from — including beef and chicken varieties. But making your bone broth at home is simple, incredibly delicious, and freezes well.

bone broth in a glass cup on a light background, selective focus
Carey / Adobe Stock

How to make bone broth at home

Making your bone broth at home is so much easier than you’d think. Many people shy away from making bone broth at home since it requires a simmer on the stovetop for up to 24 hours. Instead, using an instant pot helps create a delicious bone broth in only two hours. The basics of bone broth include chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, water, and salt. However, we recommend adding in the extra vegetables and herbs to give your bone broth more flavor and nutrients.

Related

Ingredients

  • bones from (1) 3-4lb. chicken
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • Water
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut in half
  • 1 medium parsnip, scrubbed and cut into large chunks (may substitute more carrots, if desired)
  • 3 celery ribs (or ends and leaves to equal 1 cup)
  • 1 large yellow onion, quartered with skin and root end intact
  • 6 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 8–10 peppercorns
  • A handful of fresh herbs(sage, rosemary, thyme, and/or parsley)

Method

  1. Place bones, vegetables, peppercorns, herbs, and vinegar into the pot of the Instant Pot.
  2. Add enough water to just cover the bones and vegetables in the pot, about 3/4 full.
  3. Wipe the rim of the insert dry with a towel. Place lid on Instant Pot and lock into place.
  4. Flip the vent valve to ‘Sealing’.
  5. Select ‘Manual’ or High-Pressure setting and adjust the cooking time to 120 minutes.
  6. Optional: to ensure a gelatinous bone broth, run the cycle a second time for 120 minutes on low pressure.
  7. When cooking is done, allow pressure to release naturally (10-20 minutes).
  8. Release any residual pressure using the vent valve before removing the lid.
  9. Allow broth to cool before straining it into jars through a mesh-lined strainer for storage.
  10. Add salt to taste.
Bone broth.
Bluebird Provisions / Unsplash

Homemade bone broth vs. store-bought

Not only is making your bone broth incredibly easy, but making your own over store-bought can help you save money, too. Store-bought bone broth usually costs between $3.50 and $5.00 for a 32-ounce carton. The price it costs to make at home depends on the cost of your ingredients, but overall you’re likely to get a better bang for your buck. If you’re consuming a lot of bone broth regularly, such as part of a bone broth diet, purchasing store-bought bone broth can quickly add up. Extra bone broth can easily be frozen for future use, too!

Homemade bone broth also has a different taste than you’ll find in a carton. You may find that homemade bone broth is richer, more flavorful, and less salty than packaged carton varieties. At home, you can also control the vegetables used in the recipe which can result in a richer, more nutrient-dense bone broth than in store-bought versions.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Emily Caldwell
Emily Caldwell
Contributor
Emily is a full time freelance writer with a special focus on health, fitness, lifestyle, food, and nutrition topics. She…
How to make chai tea: Tasty recipes for a homemade delight
Creamy, spicy, and sweet, you'll be craving these homemade chai teas recipes after one sip
Small clay cup of Indian chai on a wooden table.

As a beverage, chai has become ubiquitous in America, available everywhere from Starbucks to ice cream. However, most of it is an Americanized version of Indian chai. The traditional Indian chai recipe isn't just a tea bag in hot water — it's a brewing process that combines a mixture of spices, sugar, and milk, forming a beverage that's an integral part of Indian cuisine.
What tea do you use for chai tea?
First, most of the chai consumed in India is known as masala chai (masala means spice blend in Hindi, and chai means tea). A staple in many Indian households and street carts, masala chai can be enjoyed at all hours of the day. Interestingly, while chai is an important part of Indian cuisine, it's a relatively modern addition. Historically, Indians consumed an herbal beverage called kadha, which is based on a 3,000-year-old Hindu Ayurvedic tradition. Tea, a plant native to China, was introduced to India by the British (a nation famously obsessed with tea) in the 19th century. But for Indians, it wasn't until the early 20th century that chai was combined with spices, morphing it into today's popular beverage.

Since Indian masala chai contains an array of spices, strong black tea is the ideal option. For the best teas, choose Assam or Darjeeling, two very popular and common black teas in India. As an option, you can also make the tea stronger or lighter depending on personal tastes. While tea bags will suffice, loose-leaf teas are generally made from higher-quality leaves, producing a better flavor. To save time, you can also make your tea beforehand. Just leave out the milk and place it in the refrigerator when you're ready to store it. To drink, simply heat some tea with the desired sugar and milk and serve.

Read more
How to grill corn on the cob: The tips, tricks, and recipes you need
This classic barbecue dish just got a whole lot better
Grilled corn on the cob

Fresh corn is an absolute summertime staple. We don't care how progressive or trend-setting your barbecue menu is; if you're not serving up grilled corn on the cob, you're doing it wrong. Not only is that juicy, sweet taste beautifully accented by the smokey char of the grill, but it's yet another dish that's even better when cooked over the flames.

Forget about that pot of water on the stove, heating up the kitchen on an already sultry summer day. That's a hard pass. If you ask us, that corn always belongs on the grill, and once you master how to grill corn on the cob, these are some of our favorite recipes.

Read more
This is how to make a Bloody Bull – a better, beefier Bloody Mary recipe
Here's a different version of a Bloody Mary
Brennan's Bloody Bull.

Born in the great city of New Orleans, the Bloody Bull is the beefier cousin of the Bloody Mary. Treated to some meaty broth, the drink is super savory and begging to accompany your brunch plans.

The original hails from Brennan's, a colorful creole restaurant that's been on the scene since 1946. There are riffs of course, with bartenders treating the drink to everything from a bit of Guinness to a host of different spice blends.

Read more