Bone broth is everywhere these days. Skip the line and the costs by making a batch at home with this post teaching you how to make Instant Pot Bone Broth at home!
What Is Bone Broth?
Ever walked past a place that sold bone broth and wondered what bone broth was? Bone broth can be defined in two ways: there’s the traditional, marrow-free, thin broth and then there’s the hip and trendy version where bone broth is thick, made with marrow bones (and other bones). Bone broth is a savoury, nutrient-rich, and delicious liquid.
Today, we are making the hip trendy version because we’re hip trendy folks ;) And to make it doubly hip and trendy, we are going to use an Instant Pot! Usually when I make bone broth, I have the stockpot on the stovetop for a minimum for 6 hours. While I love the taste of bone broth made “traditionally,” sometimes I just need the bone broth to be done fast.
Beef Bone Broth in the Instant Pot
I like to use the Instant Pot to make beef bone broth. I love how it takes much less time in the Instant Pot as well giving me the peace of mind to go run errands and etc while it is on. I don’t know about you but I get really nervous at the thought of leaving the stove on to simmer my bone broth while I’m not at home. It’s just not feasible for me to plan an entire day around brewing a pot of broth on the reg!
Bone Broth Benefits
Is bone broth good for you? Is bone broth healthy? What’s the benefit of drinking bone broth? While there’s a lot of claims being thrown around about the cure-all miracle drink that is bone broth, studies and nutritionists don’t agree with each other about the health claims associated with bone broth.
However, bone broth is nutrient-dense, easy to digest, delicious to drink. Broth-based soups have shown to reduce inflammation. Kobe Bryant, in an interview with ESPN, claims to drink bone broth on the reg to help with energy levels and inflammation.
Furthermore, Caitlin VanDreason, a registered dietitian and clinical nutrition manager at Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance confirms that bone broth is a fairly good source of protein, as a cup of bone broth contains 6 to 12 grams of protein. (Note: this depends on how you make it and what ingredients you choose to use).
Honestly, I just like the way bone broth tastes and having a cup on a cold day just warms me up from the inside. I’m a soup person through and through – I love it year round! Bone broth is hearty, savoury, and beefy, so what’s not to like?
Where to get bones for bone broth
This is the most important part. The bones for bone broth matter! I get grass-fed, pasture raised beef bones from either Whole Foods or from a local butcher. The best bones for make bone broth are a mix of different bones. I use a mixture of beef oxtail, beef bones, and beef bone marrow.
What you need to make beef bone broth
- beef bones (mix of beef bones, ox tails, and bone marrow)
- carrots
- onions
- mushrooms
- garlic
- apple cider vinegar
- salt
- bay leaves
Equipment You’ll Need:
- large pan (pictured)/ roasting pan
- large pot / stock pot
- Instant Pot (I have the DUO 6qt)
- strainer
How to make bone broth in the instant pot
- Heat your oven up to 450F.
- Blanch: In a large pot, add and cover the bones with cold water, bring it to a boil, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. This removes any impurities and keeps your broth clear. Rinse and drain.
- Roast: In a large sheet pan or a roasting pan, add the bones, carrot, onions, mushrooms, and garlic and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Roasting adds an extra layer of flavour and richness to the broth. Do not overcrowd. Use two pans if needed.
- Once the ingredients are done roasting, transfer everything to the Instant Pot. Then add some water to the roasting pan and scrape up the crisped brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a spatula to add to the Instant Pot.
- Pressure Cook: Along with the roasted ingredients, add the apple cider vinegar, salt, and bay leaves to the Instant Pot. Close the lid and seal. Click manual and set the pot to 2 hours. It will take around 20 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure.
- When done, let the Instant Pot Natural Pressure Release for 30 minutes before Quick Releasing.
- Strain: Strain the beef bone broth through a colander or mesh strainer then and skim off any fat that has risen to the top as it cools.
Stove Top Bone Broth
Got some time on your hands? Here’s how to make bone broth on the stovetop
- Follow the instructions of the Instant Pot but instead of pressure cooking for 2 hours, bring a large stock pot with everything, and at least 4 extra cups of water, to a boil and then simmer on low heat for 8+ hours. I’ll be honest, simmering for 8+ hours gives you the tastiest result but sometimes, I just don’t have the time and the IP method works as a great alternative.
- I add extra water to the stovetop bone broth as the liquid cooks down more on the stove top than in the Instant Pot
How long does bone broth last?
- 4-5 days in the fridge
- Up to 6 months in the freezer
How to store bone broth
- Store bone broth in an airtight container. I use mason jars.
- For freezing, I like to freeze the bone broth in either the Souper Cube or an ice cube tray.
Additional FAQ & Tips on Making Bone Broth
- Is Instant Pot bone broth as healthy? Yes, it’s just as healthy as making it on the stove top.
- Do I have to roast the bones? Yes – do not skip this step! It adds such a great depth of flavour to the bone broth.
- Can I add x? I’d recommend not adding too many different vegs and etc to the bone broth, you want to keep other add-ins to a minimum to keep the bone broth, well, bone broth flavour.
- Can I reuse the same bones for another batch of bone broth? To an extent, yes. I reuse the bones twice. I just cook it a second time in a new batch of water right after I’ve removed the first batch of liquid gold. I’ve read that you can use the same bones for up to 10 times (?!?!?!) but I usually just reuse the bones twice.
- Sometimes when I have extra time, I’ll simmer the bone broth some more with the lid opened (or in a pot on the stove) after I’ve released the pressure. You can never simmer a bone broth for too long lol.
- Want to cut down on the pressuring up time? Put the Instant Pot on sauté mode and bring the bone broth up to a simmer before putting the lid on and cooking it under pressure.
Instant Pot Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef bones, mix of beef bones, ox tails, and bone marrow
- 2-3 carrots, peeled
- 2-3 onions, quartered, skins removed
- 227 grams mushrooms
- 3 bulbs garlic, top cut off
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 tsp salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 9 cups water
Instructions
- Heat your oven up to 450F.
- In a large pot, add and cover the bones with cold water, bring it to a boil, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Rinse and drain.
- In a large sheet pan or a roasting pan, add the bones, carrot, onions, mushrooms, and garlic and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Do not overcrowd. Use two pans if needed.
- Once the ingredients are done roasting, transfer everything to the Instant Pot. Then add some water to the roasting pan and scrape up the crisped brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a spatula to add to the Instant Pot.
- Along with the roasted ingredients, add the apple cider vinegar, salt, and bay leaves to the Instant Pot. Close the lid and seal. Click manual and set the pot to 2 hours. It will take around 20 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure.
- Natural Pressure Release for 30 minutes before Quick Releasing.
- Strain the beef bone broth through a colander or mesh strainer then and skim off any fat that has risen to the top as it cools.
Nutrition Per Serving
MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES TO TRY!
- How To Make a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Chicken Stock
- Instant Pot Korean Inspired Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Roasted Tomato Garlic Soup
- Instant Pot Broccolini Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Other places to connect with me
Instagram: @carmyshungry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmyycom
Email: [email protected]
Sarah
I love this! I’ve been making a lot of chicken broth lately, but never bone broth. This looks incredibly easy, and wow so much faster than an 8 hour simmer! Thank you for figuring it all out for me!
Tracy
Get on with your hip trendy, self! I love the benefits! This is exactly the kind of recipe I need for a base for all of our winter soups, thank you!!
Sean@Diversivore
It’s nice to see this process laid out. I make chicken-based bone stocks all the time but I’ve never actually done beef – though I have been meaning to! I know my butcher shop has good beef bones for cheap, and I love using my Instant Pot to make things like this. And I’m with you – health benefits or not, there’s nothing quite so soul-soothing as a cup of warm broth on a cold day.
Jenni LeBaron
I love keeping some bone broth on hand in the freezer to thaw and use for colds and sniffles. I have never pre-roasted my bones and veggies before, but I want to try that after reading your post. I bet it really maximized the flavor!
Marisa F. Stewart
What a gorgeous array of bones. I won’t even ask the cost because I know it’s high. Hubby and I look for them all the time and what you CAN get is mediocre. I wish we could find a place where we could. I bet your bone broth is excellent. And roasting the bones does add so much flavor.
Dana
Such a fantastic recipe, Carmy. I can’t wait to send this over to my mother-in-law. She has RA and swears by bone broth for her achy bones. And we all love trying new things in our IPs! These will be great to stock up on for the winter.
Debra
Great idea to make bone broth in the insta pot. The biggest reason I haven’t made bone broth yet is because it’s so time consuming. I’m going to give it a try now though.