How To Make Bone Broth in the Instant Pot
Learn how to make nutrient-packed bone broth with natural collagen using chicken or beef bones. This easy and affordable recipe is ready in just 4 hours with an Instant Pot. Enjoy the health benefits of traditional bone broth in a fraction of the time!
Hey friends! Today, I’m excited to share my go-to recipe for bone broth, packed with nutrients and natural collagen. Whether you use chicken or beef bones, this recipe is super easy to make and affordable. Thanks to the Instant Pot, you can enjoy all the amazing health benefits of traditional bone broth in just 4 hours, instead of the usual all-day simmer. Let’s get started!
Instant Pot Bone Broth
Bone broth is so expensive to buy at the store, and it’s often not as potent with valuable nutrients like collagen and vitamins. To get the most health benefits, I love to drink a glass every single day, but that can add up quickly if you don’t learn learn how to make it at home. But the good news is, it’s incredibly easy! This Instant Pot Bone Broth is jelly-like and rich in collagen, and ready in just 4 hours.
What is Bone Broth?
It’s a nutrient-rich liquid made by simmering animal bones (like cow, chicken, pork, and sometimes fish bones) and connective tissue in water over a long period of time. This slow cooking process extracts valuable nutrients, including collagen, vitamins, and minerals, resulting in a delicious and health-boosting broth.
The Health Benefits of Drinking Bone Broth
Drinking bone broth has so many amazing benefits for our health! It’s a rich source of collagen, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, high in vitamins A and K2 and full of essential minerals like zinc, iron, boron, manganese, and selenium. Bone broth supports joint health and digestive system. The collagen also benefits your skin and gut lining (it has been a huge help for me in healing leaky gut!)
How to use Bone Broth
This homemade bone broth recipe can be enjoyed in so many delicious ways.
- Enjoy it straight from a mug – stir in a tbsp of honey and a splash of lemon juice, it’s delicious!
- Use bone broth in your favorite soups and stews (try my Irish Stew or Chicken Noodle Soup)
- Use it in place of water when cooking lentils, rice dishes or risotto.
What’s the difference between bone broth and regular broth?
I once received a comment suggesting that bone broth was just a passing trend and that there was no real difference between bone broth and regular beef or chicken broths. While they may seem similar, they are actually quite distinct. Let me clarify the difference:
Bone Broth: A rich, golden, and intensely flavorful liquid created by simmering bones, particularly those rich in collagen, for an extended time—typically around 12-24 hours on the stovetop or at least 3-4 hours in a pressure cooker. Due to its high gelatin content, bone broth usually becomes jelly-like when it cools.
Regular Broth: Lighter in both color and flavor. It’s made by simmering meat, which may or may not include bones, along with vegetables and herbs in water for a shorter period, usually one to two hours.
Both are nutritious and delicious to be sure, but bone broth is where the real healing magic comes from!
Best Bones for Bone Broth
- Beef bones: Optimal choices include knuckles, joints, feet, and marrow bones.
- Additional flavor: Consider adding meaty bones like oxtail, shank, and short ribs for enhanced taste.
- Chicken feet: These are rich in gelatin and offer a cost-effective option compared to other gelatin-rich bones.
Where to Get Bones for Bone Broth?
There are several great sources for nutrient-rich bones to make your bone broth. My preferred choice is my local farm, where I can buy grass-finished beef and pre-packaged bones, making it convenient to get my meat every month. Butcher shops are also excellent places to find packaged bones, often offering less popular pieces at a significant discount. Additionally, you can save bones from various recipes you prepare at home, such as roasting a whole chicken, lamb chops, or ribs. I like to store these in a freezer bag, adding to it until I’m ready to make another batch of bone broth.
The trick to making gelatinous Bone Broth
Have you tried making bone broth in the past and wondered, “why didn’t my bone broth gel?”
We’ve all been there. And not to worry, this is such a simple fix!
- For a broth that gels properly, avoid using too much water. Aim for 1 liter of water per 1 pound of bones.
- Simmer the broth at a low to medium-low temperature for several hours. Boiling it rapidly for an extended period can break down the gelatin, preventing the broth from gelling.
- To enhance the gelatin content, consider adding collagen-rich animal parts such as skin, feet, and joints.
Keep in mind: even if your bone broth doesn’t gel, it’s still nutritious! It likely contains some gelatin, just not enough to create that jiggly texture. So drink it anyways, my friend!
How To Make Instant Pot Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds bones (any combo will work)
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered
- 1 head garlic, halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 6 cups filtered water (or enough water to come 1-inch below MAX fill line of Instant Pot)
Step 1: Roast Bones and Vegetables in The Oven
Preheat your oven to 450°F. Spread out the bones and vegetables (carrots, onions, garlic, celery) on a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Make sure they’re not piled on top of each other. I always cover with a sheet of tinfoil, to prevent grease from making a mess in my oven. Roast for 30 minutes, then gently stir and roast for an additional 15-30 minutes. Roasting the bones will brown and caramelize them, adding an extra delicious flavor to your broth.
Step 2: Fill Instant Pot
Add roasted bones and vegetables to your Instant Pot, along with all remaining ingredients (bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, apple cider vinegar). Fill Instant Pot with filtered water so that it reaches approximately 1-inch below the MAX fill line.
Step 3: Pressure Cook Bone Broth
Lock the lid on your Instant Pot and set the steam release knob to the “sealing” position. Choose the “manual” setting on high pressure for 3 hours. It takes about 20 minutes for the Instant Pot to reach full pressure, after which the timer will begin counting down.
Step 4: Natural Release
Once the three hours is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally (this will take approximately 20-30 minutes). TRUST ME – let this release naturally! I’ve been impatient in the past and ended up with hot bone broth sprayed all around my kitchen. Not fun haha.
Step 5: Strain
Carefully strain your cooked broth through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Discard the bones.
Step 6: Pour Broth Into Jars
Pour the broth into jars using a funnel, opting for wide-mouth mason jars for easy fat skimming (see next step). To speed-up the cooling process, add 2-3 ice cubes to the bone broth. Let cool down for 20 minutes before sealing the jars with airtight lids and refrigerating.
Step 7: Skim the Fat from your Broth
Once the broth has cooled completely, you’ll notice a solid, thick layer of fat atop a gelatinous brown layer, resembling jello. If preferred, use a spoon to skim off the top layer of fat, leaving behind the nutritious bone broth without the excess fat. (This fat can be stored separately in the fridge up to 5 days – I like using it to cook with!)
Step 8: Store Bone Broth
Bone broth can be stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days. While the broth looks like jello when cooled, it will turn back into a liquid when heated up.
For larger batches, consider freezing smaller portions for up to 6 months; it reheats perfectly! While the broth looks like jello when cooled, it will turn back into a liquid when heated up.
Instant Pot Bone Broth
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds bones any combo will work
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 large yellow onion quartered
- 1 head garlic halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 6 cups filtered water or enough water to come 1-inch below MAX fill line of Instant Pot
Instructions
- Roast Bones and Vegetables in The Oven. Preheat your oven to 450°F. Spread out the bones and vegetables (carrots, onions, garlic, celery) on a large baking sheet or two roasting pans if needed, ensuring they’re not piled on top of each other. Roast for 30 minutes, then gently stir and roast for an additional 15-30 minutes. Roasting the bones will brown and caramelize them, adding an extra delicious flavor to your broth.
- Fill Instant Pot. Add roasted bones and vegetables to Instant Pot, along with all remaining ingredients (bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, apple cider vinegar). Fill your Instant Pot with water so that it reaches approximately 1-inch below the MAX fill line.
- Pressure Cook Bone Broth. Lock the lid on your Instant Pot and set the steam release knob to the “sealing” position. Choose the “manual” setting on high pressure for 3 hours. It takes about 20 minutes for the Instant Pot to reach full pressure, after which the timer will begin counting down.
- Natural Release. Once the three hours is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally (this will take approximately 20-30 minutes). TRUST ME – let this release naturally! I’ve been impatient in the past and ended up with hot bone broth sprayed all around my kitchen. Not fun haha.
- Strain. Carefully strain your cooked broth through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Discard the bones.
- Pour Broth Into Jars. Pour the broth into jars using a funnel, opting for wide-mouth mason jars for easy fat skimming (see next step). To speed-up the cooling process, add 2-3 ice cubes to the bone broth. Let cool down for 20 minutes before sealing the jars with airtight lids and refrigerating.
- Skim the Fat from your Broth. Once the broth has cooled completely, you’ll notice a solid, thick layer of fat atop a gelatinous brown layer, resembling jello. If preferred, use a spoon to skim off the top layer of fat, leaving behind the nutritious bone broth without the excess fat. (This fat can be stored separately in the fridge up to 5 days – I like using it to cook with!)
- Store Bone Broth. Bone broth can be stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days. While the broth looks like jello when cooled, it will turn back into a liquid when heated up. And for larger batches, consider freezing smaller portions for up to 6 months; it reheats perfectly!
