How To Make Bone Broth In an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

Bone broth is the simplest of preparations and yields such delicious and nutritious results. It requires no fancy ingredients and doesn’t demand constant attention. Given enough time and heat, the bones break down, releasing all of their gelatin and minerals into the liquid. The resulting bone broth is rich in protein, gelatin, and minerals and adds a beautiful color and flavor to any dish. Best of all, you can create this amazing broth using leftovers that would normally be discarded.

Until a few years ago, I had never made my own bone broth. I had created my own stock and quick broth with good success, but didn’t fully understand the difference between the three kitchen staples and therefore didn’t realize that I could create something with more flavor and nutrition without creating any extra work for myself in the kitchen.

Since then, I find myself unable to pass up the opportunity to turn the leftovers from a roast chicken or turkey into a batch of bone broth.   I love transforming what used to be thrown away into a broth full of healthy calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, collagen, and a host of other nutritious minerals.

The process of making bone broth is simple. Reserve all that is left from the carcass of your chicken or turkey along with and any vegetables in the roasting pan. Any vegetables or leftover pan drippings can be scraped from the roasting pan and added to the pot. They will add flavor and color to the finished bone broth.

When the meal is finished, transfer the roasting pan’s vegetables to the insert of a large slow cooker or Instant Pot. Add approximately a third of the bones from a whole turkey or all of the bones from a 3 to 4 pound chicken to the slow cooker.  Add enough water to completely cover the bones and vegetables along with two Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar taking care not to exceed the “max” level of the insert.  Cover the pot and allow the ingredients to sit for 30-60 minutes without any heat.  The vinegar will help to begin the process of extracting the calcium from the bones, make a richer and more nutritious bone broth.

Transfer any remaining bones to a freezer bag. Those bones can be frozen for later use. When making bone broth using frozen bones, allow the bones to come to room temperature before proceeding with the cooking process.

To make the bone broth in your Instant Pot, secure the lid and turn the vent to “sealing”. Select the “Soup/Broth” setting for 120 minutes at high pressure.  After the time has elapsed, allow the pressure to dissipate naturally for at least 20 minutes.  Press “cancel” to turn off the heat.  Turn the vent to release any remaining pressure safely before removing the lid.  Allow the broth to cool until it is safe to handle. 

To make the bone broth in a slow cooker, allow the bones to rest in the water and vinegar before turning the heat on at the high setting.  Once the liquid has come to a boil, you can reduce the heat to low. The liquid should remain at a simmer as the broth cooks. Leave the lid securely on the pot to reduce the amount of liquid that evaporates away from the pot. If you notice that the liquid level has dropped dramatically as the broth cooks, you can add more water as needed. 

When making bone broth in a slow cooker, the longer the broth simmers, the richer the broth becomes both in flavor, color, and nutrition. While you can stop the process at any point, I like to let the broth simmer for 48-72 hours.

If you’re wondering how to know when your bone broth is finished, the process is simple and the same whether you choose to use an Instant Pot or slow cooker. Remove a bone from the pot of liquid once it is cool enough to handle. When the bones have released all of their mineral content, they will crumble in your hands with very little pressure. This crumbling signals that the bone broth is finished, that the bones have released all the nutrition they have to give.

Once my bone broth reaches this stage, I allow the broth to cool to room temperature before straining it through a colander lined with cheesecloth. Discard any bones, vegetables, or scraps, straining the broth a second time if any solids remain.

I fill one or two large Mason jars with bone broth to store in the refrigerator, using it in any recipe that calls for stock or broth. I freeze the rest using either ice cube trays or silicone baking cups before transferring to a freezer bag for long term storage. I use this frozen broth as I would fresh, adding it to any recipes that call for broth or stock.

Our bone broth never lasts very long in the freezer as we continue to find new ways to incorporate it into our favorite recipes. The flavor, aroma, and color are so superior to standard broth that I only regret that I didn’t start making bone broth sooner. Once you discover the simplicity of making homemade bone broth and its amazing depth of flavor and nutrition, you’ll be wondering the same thing!

If you’d like to learn more about the tools I use when making this recipe, you can find them right here:

These are a few of my favorite recipes that use homemade bone broth.

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