Skip to Content

Slow Cooker Bone Broth + VIDEO

This slow cooker bone broth is a fuss-free recipe to make a batch of nutrient-rich homemade bone broth. Making bone broth in a crockpot means you can set-it-and-forget it for hours or even overnight. The end result is than just a flavorful base for soups and stews but a pot of liquid gold. Instructions to make this easy homemade bone broth recipe in the Instant Pot are also included. 

Slow Cooker Bone Broth

What Is Bone Broth

When I talk about bone broth, I often get the questions what’s the difference between stock and broth? Is bone broth just stock? Can I substitute one for the other in my recipes? These are all great questions. Both stock and bone broth are remarkably similar, but stock is made with bones whereas broth is made from meat & vegetables. Bone broth is actually stock. Why not just call it stock? The short answer is that a few years ago it was trendy to call it bone broth & the name stuck. Bone broth is a savory liquid made by simmering bones, vegetables, and sometimes spices together over an extended period of time to extract the flavors out of the foods and into the water. This creates a rich, delicious stock that can be used in a variety of meals and is a key ingredient in many sauces, soups, and stews. Bone broth can be made using just about any animal bones, including fish, and you can use the scraps or leftovers of your vegetables from meals throughout the week to add flavor. Some standard ingredients are carrots, onions, and celery and, of course, bones and meat. Once the bone broth is finished simmering, it will be run through a strainer and drained into another container to remove all the ingredients from the bone broth itself. The finished bone broth should be just the liquid that should have turned a beautiful golden-brown color. This finished product is what you will want to store it for use in later meals and recipes as needed.

before (Instant Pot)

Benefits of Bone Broth

Bone broth is often called a super food these days. There are claims that bone broth is super nutrient rich and offers a wide variety of health benefits that can help all over the body. Some people say that bone broth is good for arthritis and can help reduce wrinkles. Bone broth can be good for your hair, skin, and nails due to the collagen that comes from the bones in the cooking process. There are also benefits for your teeth and bones because of the calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus levels. The vitamin packed liquid might even be able to give your immune system a boost without needing those expensive daily vitamins.

after (Instant Pot)

What Kind Of Bones to Use

Just about any bone is a good bone for broth (except, of course, the ones you’d find in the pet section). I like to save leftover bones in my freezer whenever I have a recipe that calls for a cut of bone-in meat, and I always look forward to those meals because I know I’ll be making a flavorful bone broth at the end of the week! You can also check with your local butcher to see if they have spare bones, and they are usually a great option for finding locally sourced and ethically raised animals. What you see here are beef bones. They’re big bones with a little bit of meat left on them. Keep in mind that bones with a lot of marrow on them will produce more gelatin than bones without out like chicken bones.

strain the bone broth

How Long To Cook Bone Broth

This bone broth recipe is done in 12 hours if you cook it in the slow cooker, 2 hours in the Instant Pot. A common misconception is that you have to slow cook bone broth for a very long time in order to get the full beneficial value. This is not true. While it does take time to extract collagen from the bones, it doesn’t need to simmer for days. I achieved a bone broth with a nice gel after only 12 hours. How long you cook bone broth for depends what type of bones you’re using for your broth. As a guide, poultry bones you will need to slow cook the bones for least 4 hours and up to 12 hours. For red meat bones, at least 6 hours and up to 18.  For the pressure cooker, the time is 120 minutes on high pressure regardless of the type of bones used.

pour into freezer cubes to cool

pour into mason jars to cool

The Gelatin Factor

By simmering your bones, you are releasing collagen into the water. This collagen is what makes stocks different than broths (unless of course you are specifying bone broth like I am) and makes bone broth and stock a little bit thicker than traditional broths. Collagen is also the key ingredient in gelatin, which is what gives Jell-O it’s semi-solid shape. It is here is where all those vitamins and nutrients are hiding in your bone broth! The collagen is what is holding onto and storing all those nutrients and will release them into your body to send great benefits everywhere. You might also notice that your bone broth is completely liquid when it’s nice and warm, but as it cools it will become thicker or gelatinous. This is again because the collagen turns just a little bit of your bone broth into gelatin when it cools; this is completely normal, and the bone broth will go back to being liquid once it has been slowly warmed up. If your batch of bone broth doesn’t gel , it’s okay your bone broth will still have all the nutrients even if it doesn’t gel. It simply means that either your bones didn’t have a lot of collagen.

remove the fat

The Fat

Save the fat! Rather than discard the fat that you skim off the top of the cooled bone broth, re-use it. This fat can be used in place of oil, butter, or ghee in recipes.

re-use the fat

Storing Bone Broth

Leftover bone broth should be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze leftover bone broth, let the broth cool completely. Once cooled, add the broth to an air tight container or freezer-friendly plastic bag. Store the bone broth in your freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat frozen bone broth you have two options. You can either thaw the broth overnight  in the refrigerator OR add the broth directly to the slow cooker or Instant Pot & thaw on the warm setting!

I used a large 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot for this recipe.

 

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Slow Cooker Bone Broth

Slow Cooker Bone Broth + VIDEO

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

This slow cooker bone broth is a fuss-free recipe to make a batch of nutrient-rich homemade bone broth. Making bone broth in a crockpot means you can set-it-and-forget it for hours or even overnight. The end result is than just a flavorful base for soups and stews but a pot of liquid gold. Instructions to make this easy homemade bone broth recipe in the Instant Pot are also included.

  • Total Time: 12 hours 10 mins
  • Yield: 10 cups 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 pounds bones (beef bones or poultry bones)
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • Handful of fresh herbs of your choice
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Water to cover

Instructions

Slow Cooker

  1. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker. Add enough water to cover all the ingredients.
  2. Cook low 10-12 hours.
  3. Let cool.
  4. See final steps below.

Instant Pot

  1. Add all the ingredients to the pressure cooker. Add enough water to cover. Make sure you do not go over the maximum fill line.
  2. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 120 minutes. When done, let the pressure cooker naturally release all the pressure. Let cool.
  3. See final steps below.

FINAL STEPS:

Once broth has cooled, strain the broth through a mesh strainer.  Remove the layer of fat off the top.

  • Author: Shannon Epstein
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 hours

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 38
  • Sugar: 5.6 g
  • Sodium: 317.6 mg
  • Fat: 0.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 9.1 g
  • Fiber: 1.5 g
  • Protein: 0.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

 

 

warmed bone broth in a bowl

 

 

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive money if you make a purchase using one of the links. For more about my disclosure policy see here: https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/about/disclosure-policy/

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”gq9WLUgQ” upload-date=”2020-10-13T19:07:52.000Z” name=”Instant Pot Bone Broth” description=”Bone broth has tons of nutritional value. Making homemade bone broth is not only easy but also cheaper than buying store-bought. Make this easy bone broth recipe in your slow cooker or Instant Pot.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Phil

Monday 7th of December 2020

Hi did my bone broth in a slow cooker, for 22 hours, i'm worried it did something wrong, it doesn't taste great. I took the fat off the top when cooled. Was 22 hours too long?

Shannon Epstein

Tuesday 8th of December 2020

Hello! No, 22 hours shouldn't be too long. Is it too bland? Do you think adding more salt would do the trick?

Emma Lorne

Wednesday 23rd of September 2020

I made this several times in my slow cooker. Very easy. This article is well written. Thank you.

Stella

Tuesday 26th of March 2019

Bone broth brings so many heart warming memories as I remember my mom's broth. Thanks for sharing this recipe. It looks very yummy!

RF

Wednesday 8th of November 2017

I made some broth the other day tastes great followed the instructions. The only thing was let it cool on low for 24hrs My broth is not jello like or the consistency of gelatin. Can you explain did something go wrong? Thanks for any info.

Lotte Miller

Sunday 29th of October 2017

I think it has to do with the size of the crock pot. This is the first recipe I'very found that actually mentions the quart size. So glad I found this. Everyone else never mentioned the size.