How to Make Bone Broth in an Instant Pot

This super simple recipe makes the most delicious, versatile, cost-effective bone broth in an Instant Pot. Use it to add a boost of collagen and nutrients to soups, stews, casseroles, gravies and more!

What is bone broth?

Bone broth is typically made by boiling animal bones in water for an extended period of time (sometimes up to 48 hours!). Virtually any animal bones can be used: poultry, beef, bison, lamb and even fish bones. Generally, the longer the bones are boiled, the more nutritious the broth. Many people also include a variety of vegetables to help flavor the broth, as well as boost the nutritional value. Common vegetables include onions, garlic, carrots, celery, as well as many herbs and spices.

The process of making bone broth has been used since pre-historic times, when hunter-gatherers utilized the inedible parts of animals (such as bones, hooves and connective tissue) and turned them into a nutritious broth they could drink. Bone broth has gained popularity recently with the movements toward more traditional, Paleo and AIP diets.

What are the benefits of bone broth?

You may have been hearing this for years, or you may just be hearing about it now, but bone broth has tons of health benefits we should all be taking advantage of! Here are some of the many health benefits of bone broth:

• Packed with vital nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorous. It also provides zinc, iron and selenium, and other trace minerals. The nutritional value depends on the bones used, as well as the vegetables added and the length of cooking time.
• Rich in a variety of amino acids, including glycine and proline, two amino acids that are essential for cell repair, detoxification and digestion.
• Contains collagen and gelatin, which are both beneficial for our joints, hair, skin and nails.
• Helps reduce inflammation and heal the gut lining (something those of us with autoimmune disease can use a lot of help with!)

Why make bone broth in an Instant Pot?

There are three primary methods for making bone broth: stovetop, slow cooker and Instant Pot.

Stovetop bone broth

The first method is on the stovetop, in a large stockpot. This method requires the bone broth to simmer for many hours. The longer it simmers, the more nutrients are extracted from the bones and any vegetables used. Most recipes call for 24-48 hours of simmering, but some even call for simmering up to 72 hours. That’s a lot of time! You should never leave anything on the stove without monitoring it, so you’ll have a tough time leaving home and going about your daily life if you choose this method. Plus, you’ll have to keep an eye on it to make sure it’s not boiling over or cooling off too much. That’s a lot of time investment for something that’s supposed to be easy, in my opinion.

Slow cooker bone broth

The second method of making bone broth is in a slow cooker. This method is a lot easier than the stovetop method, as you can add everything to your slow cooker, set it and walk away. Again, though, a slow cooker is an appliance that is better to not leave unattended for too long. And let’s be honest: bone broth doesn’t smell all that great while it cooks. Especially if you don’t roast your bones first (see the tips below). Cooking it in the slow cooker or the stovetop allows the smells to permeate your house the entire time the broth cooks. That could be a pro or a con, depending on whether or not you actually like the smell.

Instant Pot bone broth

The third (and my favorite) method is to make bone broth in an Instant Pot. This method is my favorite for a number of reasons. First, it’s much quicker than the other two methods. Including the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and natural release, it’s a total of about three and a half hours. It’s also much more hands-off than the other two methods. Like the slow cooker, you can just toss everything into the Instant Pot and walk away. Except, because the Instant Pot is so much faster than the slow cooker, you don’t have to worry about leaving the house for too long. Just make it on a weekend when you’re already home and you only have to stick around for a few hours, rather than all day.

Plus, cooking bone broth in an Instant Pot doesn’t stink up your house as much as the other two methods! All the smells are sealed inside until you open the lid. And by then, the smell has developed into a more savory, comforting smell, instead of the sulfur-like smell of unfinished bone broth. Blegh!

Tips for making bone broth in an Instant Pot

Here are some quick and easy tips for the easiest, most nutritious bone broth in an Instant Pot:

Where to get bones for bone broth

For the easiest place to get your bones, just purchase bone-in meats and seafood and instead of throwing the bones out, store them in the freezer to be used in your next batch of bone broth. As always, be sure to use organic, pasture-raised meats and wild-caught seafood. The conventional versions contain more pro-inflammatory properties, hormones, antibiotics and pesticide residues. You don’t want to be extracting those things from your bones into your bone broth!

You can also often purchase bones from your local butcher, farmers market, health food store or co-op. For this recipe, I got my cow bones from a local cattle rancher that raises their cattle on pasture, just a few miles from my house.

Roast your bones

If you use the bones from previously cooked meats, you can skip this step. For instance, if I roast a whole chicken, after removing all the meat, I’ll store the cooked chicken carcass in the freezer. Then I just add it straight to the Instant Pot when I’m ready to make bone broth. But for this recipe, I purchased the beef bones raw, so I roasted them before adding them to the Instant Pot.

You can skip this step if you really want to. The bones will cook in the Instant Pot and you won’t have to worry about food poisoning. But I wouldn’t recommend skipping it. I used to make bone broth with raw bones and the taste was just a little….off. And the smell was a bit funky.

For a rich, flavorful, umami-packed broth, roast your bones. It doesn’t take long, and it doesn’t take much effort. Just toss the bones in the oven at 425ºF until they’re browned and caramelized, and then transfer them to the Instant Pot before adding the other ingredients. Your broth will smell and taste way more delicious if you don’t skip this step.

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How to store bone broth

Making bone broth in big batches is the most efficient way to make it. Unfortunately, it only lasts in the fridge for about 5 days. But if you freeze it, it will last up to 6 months! I usually make two batches with the same bones (the second batch is not as rich or gelatinous, but it’s still nutritious). I then divide the batches into freezer-safe mason jars, label them, and store them in my large upright freezer.

Tips for freezing bone broth in glass containers:

• Make sure the glass containers are rated for freezer use. I usually use these freezer-safe wide-mouth mason jars. The smaller ones are less likely to break, as well.
• Leave at least an inch of space at the top of the jar, for expansion. Liquid expands a lot when it freezes and if it has nowhere to go, it will expand out, breaking the glass.
• Cool the broth in the fridge before transferring to the freezer.
• Do not fully seal the lids until the broth is frozen solid. This allows air to escape while the broth expands and reduces the risk of breakage.

To thaw, transfer a mason jar to the fridge. It usually takes about two days to fully thaw. Then you can use it in soups, stews, casseroles, gravies, or as a warm afternoon drink.

I have also used these large silicone ice cube trays to freeze bone broth in smaller amounts. They’re perfect for adding just a small amount of broth to sauces and gravies. Or you can use multiple frozen broth cubes for soups and stews.

What vegetables to add to bone broth

There are a variety of vegetables you can add to your bone broth. The most common are onions, garlic, carrots, celery and hearty herbs. However, I like to keep my bone broth super simple, so it’s the most versatile. Vegetables add flavor, and that flavor transfers to the dish you make with the broth. For instance, carrots add a bit of sweetness. If you’re making a spicier recipe, the sweetness of the carrots might come through and affect the flavor of the final dish. And garlic is delicious, but I don’t always want a garlic flavor in all my dishes. If I do, I want to control the amount.

Many people save kitchen scraps to use in their bone broths. I used to use kitchen scraps in my broths, as well. Whenever I cut up some vegetables, I would just toss the scraps into a freezer bag and save them for later. Then, when I was ready to make broth, I’d throw whatever was in the bag into the Instant Pot with the bones. I’ve seen other bone broth recipes on the internet that recommend doing this. However, coming from someone who used to do it all the time: don’t do it. It’s a great way to use up kitchen scraps, but the flavor of your broth will be different every time. And many vegetable scraps impart a bitter flavor into the broth – especially onion peels and kale stalks. Compost these scraps instead.

For this recipe, the only vegetable I have added is an onion. It helps flavor the broth, but isn’t overpowering, and keeps the broth versatile. If you plan on adding bone broth to smoothies, popsicles, or making sweet sauces with it, skip the onion too. It adds a savory flavor you probably don’t want for those uses.

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How to use Instant Pot Bone Broth

Oh boy. Where do I start?! There are so many ways you can use bone broth to reap all the health benefits! Here are just a few:

• Use it in soups, stews, and chili, instead of regular broth or stock.
• Use it along with coconut milk for creamy, dairy-free casseroles.
• Make a variety of savory gravies and sauces.
• Use it in this Easy AIP Stir Fry Sauce.
• Use it instead of water to boil AIP pastas and rice substitutes (or, if you eat grains, use it to boil rice and other grains).
• Blend it with cooked veggies to make a veggie-mash (like mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash).
• Use it to braise meat and/or vegetables.
• Use a small amount to steam veggies and then pour the reduced liquid over the veggies for a tasty sauce.
• Add a little to stir fries or sautéd veggies.
• Make a gluten-free, AIP, or Paleo stuffing with it.
• Use it in slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes instead of regular broth/stock or water.
• Make bone broth popsicles (seriously! Google it!) (I would probably leave out the onion and bay leaf if I were making broth for this purpose).
• Add it to smoothies (same as above; I would leave out the onion and bay leaf for this).
• Drink it straight out of a mug for a warm, tasty beverage.

Where to buy bone broth if you don’t feel like making it

Making bone broth in an Instant Pot is so super easy and so much less expensive than store-bought bone broths, so you should definitely try making it at home first! But if you’re really short on time, or you just don’t feel like making it, here are some good bone broths to have on hand, just in case:

Epic Homestyle Savory Chicken Bone Broth (AIP elimination phase compliant)

Kettle & Fire Classic Chicken Bone Broth (Paleo compliant, but not AIP compliant)

Kettle & Fire Classic Beef Bone Broth

(Paleo compliant, but not AIP compliant)

Kettle & Fire Mushroom Chicken Bone Broth

(Paleo compliant, but not AIP compliant)

Fatworks Traditional Duck Bone Broth (

AIP elimination phase compliant)

Fatworks Truffle Duck Bone Broth (

AIP elimination phase compliant)

How to make bone broth in an Instant Pot

The process of making bone broth in an Instant Pot is so super simple. I do it about once every few weeks or so, and it takes almost no hands-on time at all.

Ingredients

First, gather your ingredients:

• Roughly 2 lbs bones (organic, pasture-raised)
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered (for this recipe post, I used a bulb onion, because it’s what I had on hand, but I usually use a large yellow onion)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• about 13 cups filtered water (enough water to come just below max fill line of your Instant Pot)

Instructions

If your bones have not been previously roasted (as from a roasted whole chicken), place bones on a roasting pan and roast at 425ºF for 30-45 minutes, or until bones are browned, but not burned.

Add the bones, onion, bay leaf, sea salt and apple cider vinegar to your Instant Pot. Use filtered water to fill the Instant Pot to just below the max fill line (mine took about 13 cups of water).

Seal the Instant Pot and set to high pressure for 2 hours. It will take awhile for it to come to pressure (mine took 30 minutes). Once the cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally (mine took about an hour to release the pressure naturally).

Remove and discard the bones and onion, and use a fine mesh strainer to strain the bone broth into a large stockpot or directly into mason jars. Allow to cool to room temperature before sealing and placing in the fridge.

A few extra notes on making bone broth in an Instant Pot:

Your Instant Pot bone broth will store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

If you plan on freezing your bone broth in glass containers, it helps prevent breakage if you cool it in the fridge before transferring to the freezer.

As the broth cools, a layer of fat will likely form on the top. Just remove it with a spoon and discard.

If you’d like to get the most out of your bones, you can use them for up to two batches of Instant Pot bone broth. The second batch will be more clear and less gelatinous. Heftier bones (such as beef bones) work best for this.

Other recipes to try

Use your homemade bone broth in these other Instant Pot recipes!

Flavorful Zuppa Toscana with Only 6 Ingredients! (AIP)

Instant Pot Irish Beef Stew Recipe (AIP, Paleo)

Hearty AIP Chicken Vegetable Soup (Paleo, Whole30)

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