How to Make Nutrient Dense Bone Broth

Bone Broth sounds fancy & intimidating at first but trust me- it’s just broth made from bones! That’s it! No wizardry, no expensive ingredients, very little time input from you, & it’s crazy good for you!

Bone broth is delicious & incredible, packed full of nutrients that is perfect to enjoy on its own as a post workout drink, meal replacer, or an awesome way to combat flus & sickness.

I love bone broth for so many different reasons & it quickly become an essential ingredient in my kitchen. Not only does it enhance the flavor of many dishes, but also, bone broth is like my secret weapon of health. I sneak it into so many dishes that nobody would think of & they all leave smacking their lips while also having their immune system just having got an awesome boost! As a mother & cook, I count that as the ultimate win!

What is Bone Broth?

Bone broth is made by boiling beef, pork, or poultry bones. Simmered over low heat for 24-48 hours, the bones break down & release nutrients like:

• Collagen- Turns into gelatin, good for joint, skin, and gut
• Amino acids- like glycine & proline which help with digestion & inflammation
• Minerals- like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus
• Protein

What is the Difference Between Bone Broth & Stock?

Bone broth is made with just the bones of beef, poultry, pork, or fish, while stock is made with both the bones & root vegetables.

• Bone broth is cooked for up to 24-48 hours and gets to be very viscous and gelatinous when chilled. It is super nutrient dense.
• Stock is cooked for up to 12 hours with root vegetables & stays a thinner consistency when chilled. While it has a lot of great nutrients, it has less than the bone broth.

What are the Best Bones to Use for Bone Broth?

• Chicken bone broth: Use the bones from an organic chicken. Chicken feet have a lot of cartilage, but entire chicken carcasses, including the neck & feet(skinned), are perfect for chicken stock and broth.
• Beef bone broth: Use grass-fed beef bones. The best ones to use for beef broth are meaty bones and bones that have a lot of tissue and cartilage or marrow like oxtail, shanks, and knuckles.
• Pork bone broth: For pork broth, ribs and the neck bones work well, as well as cartilage-rich pig’s feet.

After having steak dinner, a whole roasted chicken, or pork chops, save the bones & throw them into the crock pot or stock pot! Or if you aren’t able to make the broth just yet, bag them up & freeze them!

Why Use Bone Broth?

Bone broth is like a liquid multivitamin for your gut, joints, and skin:

• Supports gut lining and digestion
• Eases joint pain thanks to collagen and glucosamine
• Improves skin elasticity and hydration
• May help with sleep and mood (glycine = calming amino acid)
• Adds protein and minerals without sugar or junk

Nutrition Facts (per 1 cup of homemade bone broth)

(The exact values can vary based on the bones used, cooking time, and any added ingredients like vegetables or vinegar.)

• Calories: ~39–80 kcal, depending on ingredients and cooking method
• Protein: ~9–13g, rich in collagen and amino acids
• Fat: ~0–0.3g (varies based on whether fat is skimmed off)
• Carbohydrates: ~0.6–13g (mostly negligible unless additional ingredients are used)
• Sodium: ~486mg
• Calcium: ~14mg
• Iron: ~0.2mg
• Potassium: ~24mg
• Gelatin: Supports digestion, skin elasticity, and joint health
• Amino Acids: Essential for muscle repair and immune function

Ways to Use Bone Broth

• sip bone broth warm on its own, with a pinch of salt, for a nutritionally packed meal replacement, post workout fuel-up, or a wellness tonic building the immune system to fight off the flus & colds.
• Use bone broth to cook rice, pasta, beans, & quinoa instead of water.
• Steam your veggies with bone broth.
• Sneak bone broth into your smoothies.
• Make delicious soups or stews with your bone broth.

You can definitely use bone broth & stock interchangeably, but if you want to up the nutrient density, choose bone broth. I love using both & try to keep a nice amount in my refrigerator to grab at any time. Infact, whenever I make one, I make both, from the same bones.

3 Ways to Make Bone Broth

There are several different options for making your own bone broth:

1.  In a stock pot on the stovetop for six to 24 hours
2.  In a slow cooker or crockpot for six-24 hours
3.  In a pressure cooker or instant pot for two hours

The method really depends on personal preference and how much time you have. While a pressure cooker and crockpot are both shorter than the stovetop method, those also yield less broth than a large stock pot.

What You Need to Make Nutritious Bone Broth

• bones from an organically raised animal
• water
• crock pot, stock pot, pressure cooker, or an instant pot
• mesh strainer
• stainless steel funnel
• stainless-steel ladle
• mason jars & lids

How to make Bone Broth

Start by getting the bones, frozen or room temperature, put them into a crock pot (or stock pot, whatever I choose at the time), throw them in & cover them with water, they don’t have to be thawed. Add a splash of vinegar to help extract the nutrients, put the lid on, & turn the crock pot on high.

I then leave it to do its thing for the next 24-plus hours, depending on what I have going & the density I’m going for.

Whenever I have achieved the results I’m looking for, or more realistically, whenever I get a moment that the littles are all cared for & happy;), I strain the glistening hot bone broth through a mesh strainer into my quart jars.

Clean the rims of the jars, top with a lid & ring, & leave it to cool down on the counter until room temperature. I store it in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks! I’m always surprised how long bone broth keeps! Especially if you put it into jars piping hot & put the lids on right away, they even get a little seal, helping to extend the time of freshness in the refrigerator. I then move on to making stock with the same bones.

What You Need to Make Stock

• 2–3 pounds of bones (beef, chicken, turkey, or a mix – marrow bones, joints, necks, or leftover roasted bones work great)
• 1 onion
• carrots, cut in chunks
• celery stalks, cut in chunks
• A splash apple cider vinegar (helps draw minerals from the bones)
• Optional: garlic, bay leaf, parsley stems, peppercorns
• Water – enough to cover everything

Tips for Making Nutritious Bone Broth

I am always thinking ahead for whenever I need to make more broth, so whenever I’m chopping an onion or garlic, I discard the very outside layer of peal of both onion & garlic but keep all the rest, as well as the root & collect it in a gallon bag in the freezer until I’m ready to make the stock.

Other root vegetables I do the same, keep the carrot tops, celery bottom, celery root shavings & such, & add them to the gallon bag in the freezer!

Always be thinking ahead when making other meals, by saving the scraps you can enhance your broth without needing to dedicate an entire onion or garlic bulb to the broth!

Always make sure the bones & all parts of the vegetable are still fresh & good! Don’t make the mistake I made by thinking a little rottenness will be hidden by the cooking. It will affect the bone broth or stock you are making in a negative way.

Most of all, don’t over think it. It’s super simple. It is so satisfying to walk into your kitchen in the morning or after a day of being gone to the smell of bone broth simmering away, knowing there is goodness happening even while you were away!

What do I do with the bones after making bone broth?

Compost them! They are a wonderful addition to the compost pile, which can then be used to fertilize your gardens! Don’t give them to your pets though! After this long cooking process, they have become brittle & are more likely to shatter, making them a choking hazard.

Have fun making nutrient dense bone broth!

Don’t be surprised (if using beef bones especially) if after refrigeration your bone broth has turned gelatinous. That is a wonderful sign you got lots of delicious nutrients!