This bone broth recipe will become a foundational ingredient in your kitchen. It’s packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to make you glow from the inside out. It’s where ancestral eating perfectly compliments an herbalist’s approach to wellness. Make this one-of-a-kind herbal bone broth apart of your regular from-scratch cooking routine. It adds a serious depth of flavor and nourishment to soups, tucked into sauces or gravies. Or drink it hot out of a mug, it’s that delicious!

Bone broth in glass mason jar with fresh thyme leaves laying next to jar with more jars of bone broth in the background all sitting on a counter top

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Below is the printable recipe. Are you interested in deep-diving into the topic of making bone broth, its health benefits, and the additional herbs added to make this bone broth incredibly nutrient-dense? Then, scroll down!

Instant Pot Bone Broth Recipe

This bone broth recipe will become a foundational ingredient in your kitchen. It's packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to make you glow from the inside out. Make this bone broth a part of your regular from-scratch cooking routine, by adding a serious depth of flavor and nourishment to any meal you make. Or, sip it hot in a mug, because it's that delicious.

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Ingredients

5 Pounds Bones They can be a mix of chicken or turkey carcasses, beef bones & chicken feet- I like to use what I have on hand.
1 Tablespoon Good Quality Salt I prefer Himalayan Sea Salt or French Grey Sea Salt
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1-2 Medium Sized Yellow Onions
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
Vegetable scraps Optional – I save my vegetable scraps in a baggy in the freezer just for making broth. Carrot peels and ends, onion skins, pepper ends, ginger and turmeric peels, chopped garlic scapes.
Herbs and Spices Optional – My favorite herbs and spices to add to my bone broth are- Icelandic kelp or other seaweed, ground turmeric, chili flakes, whole peppercorns, dried echinacea, burdock root, astragalus, and dandelion roots, dehydrated liver chips, fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, and sage.
Dried or fresh mushrooms Shitakes, Turkey Tail, Oyster Mushrooms. You can even save the stalks from mushrooms in a bag in the freezer, and just use the stalks of the mushrooms.
Filtered Water I recommend a Berkey Water Filter.

Instructions

This step is optional. If I'm in a hurry, I will certainly skip it. However, the depth of flavor that roasting the bones adds to your broth is exceptional and I encourage you to try it if you have a little extra time to spare.
Preheat the oven to 425℉. Slice 1 or 2 onions in half and place them and the bones on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle a good amount of olive oil over your bones. Generously dress the bones and onions with sea salt. With your hands, rub the salt and olive oil into your bones making sure to get all sides.
When the oven is preheated add the sheet pan to the oven for 15-20 minutes watching and smelling. When they are done they will be golden brown.
Step Two: Adding Bones and Other Ingredients to Pot
Add the roasted (or unroasted) onions and bones to the instant pot. Make sure to let all the oils from the pan drip into the pot as well! Add remaining ingredients. Make sure the instant pot lid is "sealed", and press "soup/broth". This takes 30 minutes of pressure cooking time and 30 minutes of venting time.
When the broth has been completed, it's time to transfer it to the strainer. Prepare your strainer with a pot underneath to catch the liquid. I use a yogurt strainer inside of a pot. I like to do this in the sink, to not make a mess on the counter if you spill a little broth. Then pour the liquid into the strainer. Watching closely to make sure the pot is not overfilling. Toss your bones, compost the bones, or feed the bones to chickens!
Lastly, transfer the broth into quart, 1/2 gallon, or gallon-size mason jars with lids. I leave my jars of broth on the counter to cool before transferring them into the fridge.

Equipment you will need for this bone broth recipe:

A 6 Qt. Instant Pot
A sharp knife
Sheet Pan with parchment paper
Chinois, or a Yogurt Strainer that fits over a pot, or a nut milk bag inside of a colander
Glass jars with lids for storing your broth

Ingredients you will need for this bone broth recipe:

5 Pounds of Bones: It can be a mix of chicken or turkey carcasses, Beef bones or chicken feet- I like to use what I have on hand.
1 Tablespoon of Good Quality Salt- I love this Himalayan Sea Salt or this French Grey Sea Salt– Good salt makes me giddy
1/2 Cup- Olive Oil
1-2 Medium Sized Yellow Onions
2 Tbsp. of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Cup of Vegetable scraps (Optional) – I like to my vegetable scraps in a baggy in the freezer just for making broth. Carrot peels and ends, onion skins, pepper ends, etc., ginger and turmeric peels
Herbs and Spices (Optional) – My favorite herbs and spices to add to my bone broth are: ground turmeric, chili flakes, whole peppercorns, dried echinacea, burdock root, astragalus, and dandelion root.
Dried or fresh mushrooms- Shitakes, Turkey Tail, oyster mushrooms. You can even save the stalks from mushrooms in a freezer bag, and just use the stalks of the mushrooms.
Filtered Water- I like using a Berkey Water Filter.

beef and chicken bones and halved yellow onions on a sheet pan with parchment paper to go into oven for roasting to make instant pot bone broth recipe

Step One: Roast Bones

This step is optional, and if I’m in a hurry I will certainly skip this. However, roasting the bones adds a depth of flavor to your broth that’s exceptional and I encourage you to try it if you have a little extra time to spare.

woman rubbing beef and chicken bones with olive oil and salt on a sheet pan with parchment paper on counter top

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice 1 or 2 onions in half and place them and the bones on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle a good amount of olive oil over your bones. Generously dress the bones and onions with sea salt. With your hands, rub the salt and olive oil into your bones making sure to get all sides.

roasted chicken feet, yellow onions and beef bones on a sheet pan wiith parchment paper to go into the instant pot bone broth recipe

Next, in a preheated oven, add the sheet pan and roast for 15-20 minutes watching and smelling. When they are done they will be golden brown.

fresh herbs of sage, and thyme, carrot peels, ground turmeric, Icelandic kelp powder, astragulus, dried liver, bay leaf in a white bowl to be added to instant pot bone broth recipe

Step Two: Adding Bones and Other Ingredients to Pot

Add the roasted onions and bones to the instant pot. Add remaining ingredients.

Woman pouring filtered water from a glass pitcher into a instant pot insert on a counter top to make instant pot bone broth recipe

Pour filtered water into the “max” line inside the instant pot.

woman pouring apple cider vinegar into an instant pot insert on counter top to make instant pot bone broth recipe

Add Apple Cider Vinegar

Be sure the knob on the lid is pushed back to “Sealing” NOT “Venting”

woman pushing soup/broth function on instant pot to make instant pot bone broth recipe

Press “Soup/Broth”. This takes 30 minutes of pressure cooking time and 30 minutes of venting.

woman pouring finished instant pot bone broth recipe by pouring into a yogurt strainer fitted into a pot sitting in kitchen sink

Step Three: Straining Broth

After the broth has completed its cooking time, transfer to the straining method of your choice. If you are using the nut milk bag, place it inside a metal colander over a pot. I first take out as many large bones as I can with a pair of tongs. You can toss your bones, compost your bones, or feed your bones to your chickens! Then, I pour the liquid into the strainer. Watch closely to make sure the pot is not overflowing with broth. I do this whole process in the sink for easy cleanup.

a 1/2 gallon, quart and pint glass mason jar sitting on counter filled with instant pot bone broth

Step Four: Jarring the Broth

Next, I transfer the broth into quart, 1/2 gallon, or gallon-size mason jars with lids. I typically leave my jars of broth on the counter to cool before transferring them into the fridge.

Where do I get chicken feet to make this bone broth?

We raise our chickens, and I always ask the butcher to save the feet for me. However, before we raised our own, I always found it vital to make good relationships with local farmers. Your local farmers market is the best place to find a farmer that raises chicken sustainably and ask them if you can purchase the feet from them. They will most likely meet your needs. Another great option is an online farm called Fed From the Farm. They do sell chicken feet. Fed From the Farm is a family-owned regenerative farm that raises pastured Cattle, Sheep, and Chicken. They do not sponsor me, I just truly love them. Check ’em out! Azure Standard, also sells frozen chicken feet in bulk!

Is it better to make bone broth on Stovetop or Instant Pot?

Both work great!

The instant pot is great for making bone broth quickly.

The stovetop and a crock pot are both suitable options. For both these options I don’t add the additional herbs, spices, or mushrooms until the last few hours of the cooking time!

How do I make bone broth on the stovetop?

If you are using the stovetop method, turn it up to med-high heat to get a nice simmer, and then turn it down as low as your stovetop will allow. Keep a lid on to ensure you are not losing too much liquid to evaporation. It’s also important to check on the broth every few hours and stir. I made broth this way for many years, and I would get a good gelatinous broth letting it cook for 48 hours.

How do I make bone broth in a crock pot?

If you are using a crock pot, keep it on low for 48 hours. Checking on it every so often, as more water needs to be added due to liquid escaping from the crockpot.

Vegetable Scraps I do NOT add to my broth:

Leafy Greens- they make the broth bitter and a mucky green color
Celery-I personally do not enjoy the flavor of celery in my broth

What to do with all the fat that forms at the top of the jarred bone broth?

Use this fat for cooking. The fat from beef bones is tallow. You can take chunks off the top and use them in place of cooking oils or butter. Additionally, when you go to cook with the broth you can incorporate some of that fat back into the liquid. I don’t ever use all the fat, because it usually makes the broth too oily.

Can you freeze bone broth?

Yes, you can! I like to use plastic quart containers or mason jars. Make sure to leave about an inch of headspace, because liquid expands when frozen.

Why is bone broth good for you?

The benefits of adding bone broth to your diet are endless. This immune-supporting “liquid gold,” was a a staple in many ancestral cultures. Collagen, gelatin, glycine, glycosaminoglycans, and glutamine are known for being: detoxifying, immune boosting, gut healthy, and excellent for skin, bone, and joints. There are a variety of minerals found in bone broth that are easily assimilated by the body including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, and sulfur. Bone broth is also known to boost moods, ease stress, and aid in sleeping. It helps with metabolic function, blood sugar regulation, and cardiovascular and brain health.

What does a properly extracted bone broth look like?

A properly extracted bone broth should look like a semi-solid jelly or gelatin when it’s cooled. If it doesn’t solidify, then the wrong bones are being used, the bone-to-water ratio is off, or the temperature was too high and destroyed the gelatin fibers. The temperature from pressure cooking in my instant pot has never destroyed the gelatin fibers in a batch of my bone broth. This is how I know that the pressure cooker is a great resource for making bone broth.

How do I use Bone Broth?

You can use bone broth in any recipe that calls for stock or broth. Bone broth can replace water when cooking rice or other grains and pasta. You can add it to sauces and gravies. Sip it right out of a mug!

Instant Pot Bone Broth Recipe