gluten-free• Healthy How-Tos• Instant Pot• soup

Instant Pot Bone Broth

March 3, 2023

Boost your immune system and get an extra dose of collagen with this easy-to-make tutorial for Instant Pot Bone Broth. Learn how to make bone broth in your pressure cooker using food scraps and leftover ingredients to give your food a second life!

The BEST Instant Pot Bone Broth

I love making bone broth in my Instant Pot because what usually takes all day (or night!) long in the slow cooker takes just 2-3 hours. Perfect for my impatient self. You can either pressure cook on high for 2 hours or low for 3 hours. This is the equivalent to 24 hours on the stove top.

Best part? It’s a great way to use up food scraps! You can use chicken bones from a leftover chicken and veggie scraps if that’s what you have. I give instructions for what kinds of veggies to use below but honestly you can use anything. You can even leave the skins on the veggies. You won’t be eating them so I do recommend using scraps in order to give your food a second life. Alright, let’s get into why we’re making bone broth in the first place!

Benefits of Bone Broth

Bone broth is packed with beneficial nutrients. It is high in a ton of vitamins and minerals as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The nutrient bone broth is most well known for is collagen. Bones contain the protein collagen and when cooked, it turns into gelatin which is amazing for joint, skin, nail, and hair health. It may also help with inflammation, gut health and digestion (Source). All around, a great addition to any diet!

Ingredients in Instant Pot Bone Broth

1 lb chicken bones*
1 yellow onion
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
4 garlic cloves
herbs
apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

*You can either save these from a cooked or raw chicken carcass or ask your butcher if they have any chicken bones. Whole Foods almost always has so be sure to ask! You can also replace chicken bones with beef bones or other marrow bones.

Note: apple cider vinegar is essential for this recipe as it helps the collagen release from the chicken bones.

How to Make Bone Broth

STEP 1: Place all ingredients in your Instant Pot and cover with water at least 1 inch above ingredients but below the max fill line.

Close the lid and set Instant Pot to high pressure for 2 hours or low pressure for 3 hours. When finished allow pressure valve to release for 20 minutes then quick release the remaining. Allow to cool before handling.

STEP 2: Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth. The finer the better to catch all particles. Make sure strainer is over a large bowl to catch the broth.

STEP 3: Divide into mason jars or sealable containers. See storage instructions below.

How to Use Bone Broth

I like to enjoy a hot mug of bone broth just like it were a cup of tea. I will say, it can be an acquired taste so if you’re not a huge fan of the flavor on it’s own, there are other options for you! Use it as a broth for soup or as a base for a sauce or gravy. Anytime a recipe calls for regular ol’ broth or stock, swap in bone broth! You can also use it as the liquid while making grains. To recap:

Enjoy on its own
In stocks and soups
To cook grains like rice or quinoa
As gravy
For dogs! Yes – bone broth is great to add to your dog’s food.

How to Store Bone Broth

You can store your bone broth in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. If you won’t be able to enjoy it that fast, you can freeze it and heat it up as needed. I recommend using ice cube trays or small storage containers so you can just heat up what you need! It will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Make Bone Broth in the Slow Cooker!

Don’t have an Instant Pot? You can make this bone broth recipe in the slow cooker. Full instructions HERE.