Bone broth is extremely nutrient dense, and extremely easy to make. You can easily purchase some at the store but you’ll pay, and it won’t be nearly as healthy as homemade. Here’s how you can easily make your own basic bone broth in either the Instant Pot or your slow cooker.
Here are a few ways I use bone broth everyday:
– Put a cube or two into a smoothie
– Cook your rice/grains in it
– Use the broth for soups/stews
– Use 3-5 cubes to cook vegetables in a pan with
– Substitute bone broth instead of water when making waffles or pancakes
– Stir broth into sauces to make more nutrient dense
– Heat on the stove and stir in sea salt for a warm, nourishing cup of broth!
BASIC BONE BROTH RECIPE
INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS:
1. Fill your IP with bones (about 2 – 3 lbs) from organic or pasture-raised animals (an organic chicken carcass will do in a pinch! I do this ALL the time).*
2. Add 1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar (you can’t skip this step).
3. Add in vegetables, garlic and herbs of your choice (I like to throw my veggie scraps into a ziplock and store in the freezer to use for bone broth making!**). This step is optional, if you’d like a very mild tasting (great for smoothie cubes/adding to recipes) broth you don’t have to add anything.
4. Top with filtered water about an inch below the MAX fill line.
5. Lock the lid and set steam release in the “sealed” position. Press MANUAL button and set IP to 120. The IP will take about 30 minutes to come to full pressure, then once the two hours is up allow the pressure to release naturally. That will take about 30 minutes, and the float valve will drop. It will be SUPER hot, so give it some time to cool before straining.
6. Strain broth and let cool. Pour into jars.
Add sea salt to taste (you can skip this step for smoothie ice cubes) and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days. If layer of fat forms on top of container, skim and use for cooking – it’s healthy fat. Freeze in freezer safe containers (or ice cube trays) for later use.
SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS:
1. Fill your slow cooker with bones (about 2 – 3 lbs) from organic or pasture-raised animals (an organic chicken carcass will do in a pinch!).*
2. Add in vegetables, garlic and herbs of your choice. This step is optional, if you’d like a very mild tasting (great for smoothie cubes/adding to recipes) broth you don’t have to add anything.**
3. Add 1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar (you can’t skip this step).
4. Cook on low heat for 24 hours (up to 48 for beef bones).
5. Strain broth and let cool. Pour into jars.
Add sea salt to taste (you can skip this step for smoothie ice cubes) and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days. If layer of fat forms on top of container, skim and use for cooking – it’s healthy fat. Freeze in freezer safe containers (or ice cube trays) for later use.
NOTES:
*As far as bones go, you can easily ask for beef or pork bones from your local butcher. Ask them if they have any chicken necks or feet, as these are super gelatinous and collagen-rich. Otherwise, collect bones as you cook in your kitchen. After you eat a whole roasted chicken, save the carcass to use for bone broth. If you’re not going to make bone broth right away but have the bones, store in the freezer in a Ziplock bag until you’re ready. Frozen bones work just fine!
**I like to keep a bag of vegetable “ends” that I keep in a large Ziplock bag in the freezer, specifically for making broth. This is simply a bag full of the ends of onions, carrots, celery, garlic bulbs, mushroom stalks, greens, etc. that I would have otherwise thrown into the trash. Grab a handful or two of these flavorful and nutrient dense “ends” and add them to the pot. (Just don’t put things like broccoli, Brussels sprouts or cauliflower into the bag, they can really stink things up and alter the taste of the broth).