Everything you need to know about homemade bone broth + the best bone broth recipe!

Bone broth is broth made from bones, other animal parts, vegetable scraps, and/or other not-so-delicious sounding ingredients. It has a plethora of nutrients great for gut health, immune health, joint & bone health. It’s high in protein and healthy fats. It’s an easy way to support the systems of the body. In this blog, I’ll break down the benefits of bone broth, how I usually make mine, and the many options of how you can make your own.

Bone broth is high in nutrients… but what nutrients?

Protein

Bone broth is a great source of protein. It’s a great choice that, while having several other benefits, can be an easy addition to up your daily protein intake. One cup of bone broth may have anywhere from 15-20 grams of protein, depending on the ingredients. That’s an easy 20 grams of protein to add to your routine!

Another benefit in using bone broth as a protein source is that it has all the essential amino acids you would usually only get from meat sources. Many times, ultra processed protein powders or plant-based protein choices may not naturally carry all of the amino acids that an animal-based protein would. This simple beverage provides you with literally everything you need and doesn’t go through a rigorous process to make. If you want to learn about the benefits of adding more protein to your diet and how it can aid in weight loss or muscle gain, click here.

Collagen & Gelatin

Collagen is a natural protein found in both animal and human skin, bones, cartilage & the like. It’s packed with amino acids and plays a big part in cellular health & repair. Being that it’s naturally a protein, it has plenty of amino acids along with other possible benefits such as supporting skin, hair & joint health. 

Gelatin, collagen’s close cousin, which is also high protein & naturally occuring in bone broth, has similar benefits. No, it’s not just something to isolate to make some jiggly jello (though you can do that too :). Gelatin actually lines the GI tract, and is responsible for the many suggestions that bone broth is gut healing & restoring. It does this by absorbing water and ultimately encouraging good movement in the intestinal tract. Collagen and gelatin are a strong team that supports bone, joint, gut, skin, and hair health.

Hyaluronic Acid, Chondroitin, & Glucosamine

Bone broth contains high amounts of hyaluronic acid. This is an acid that is found in the connective tissues, such as the layers of skin, joints, and bones. It helps with collagen production and retention, When taken as a supplement or applied to the skin can help with skin, hair, bone and joint health.

Further, chondroitin is another compound often found in bones, cartilage & skin. Often times, chondroitin is taken as a supplement to treat things such as osteoarthritis and other bone or joint issues. And yes, you guessed it- bone broth has plenty of it!

Lastly, glucosamine is a compound in bone broth that is another powerhouse for skin, bone, and joint health. It is regularly taken as a supplement for joint health, but also plays a role in ligament, bone and tendon health. According to WebMD, when ingested, it “might increase the cartilage and fluid around joints and/or help prevent their breakdown.”

All three of these nutrients are extremely helpful for not only your skin, bone, and joint health… but they also support the immune system! Bone broth is healing in so many ways. No wonder your mom always made homemade chicken soup when you were sick.

What can / can’t you put in bone broth?

There are no strict rules to making bone broth- in fact, my recipe is different almost every time. The ingredients will vary based upon what vegetables and meats you regularly cook with. There are, however, a few general essentials to make the final product: bones, salt, & a small amount of acid. Vegetables and herbs are also a great add for flavor/nutrients, but not essential if you choose to leave them out. For acid, I like to add 1/4-1/2 cup of ACV or lemon juice. This helps to break the bones down.

Read below for the many options you can use for your homemade bone broth.

Bones, Shells, Animal Scraps

Let’s address the first frequently asked question: does it matter if I use chicken or beef bones? Nope! In fact, while each have their own unique flavor profile, both have the benefits mentioned above. Use one, use both together, use whatever you prefer- even things like leftover bones from ribs will work. My personal favorite is roasted beef bones with a few chicken feet.

Chicken bones may be more likely to show up in your kitchen. You can use the bones from a whole roasted chicken, whether you roasted it yourself or are using the scraps from a store-bought rotisserie chicken. They do have to be cooked, but it’s unlikely you’ll be ripping the bones out of a raw chicken (lol) so most of the time you’ll just use what you’ve got from your cooking.

When it comes to beef bones, unless you’re regularly purchasing a T-bone steak, you will likely have to purchase them in frozen meat section. While they are affordable, you likely will find them raw, adding an extra step to your bone broth. Roast the bones until they are brown. I usually roast mine for about 30 minutes at 425, and I also salt them well. This gives them a bit of a smoky taste and brings out the flavor more in the broth. If you feel flavor is lacking, you can also paint some tomato paste on the beef bones when you roast them to enhance it.

Bones aren’t the only animal products you can put in bone broth. Things such as chicken feet, shrimp shells, egg shells, chicken backs, gizzards and more are all welcome. These are usually items that are trashed, so it’s a great way to use the whole animal, which encourages no waste & honors the ancestral way of eating nose to tail. The more animal products, the more collagen & nutrients! Obviously, add according to the flavor profile you’re going for too- shrimp and fish products have a very strong taste. I use eggshells in my bone broth pretty much every time, and never taste eggs. Just make sure you rinse away the egg white.

I have experimented with using liver and hearts in bone broth, but unfortunately every time it came out with a bit of a bitter taste. If you’re seeking out those nutrients, it’s nothing a little bit of butter and lemon added to your mug can’t fix. I usually don’t add these- though if you want to, feel free. It’s not a drastic taste difference, just a subtle bitterness. There are several other ways to incorporate these animal organs into the diet, so for bone broth I stick with adding the things I would find myself trashing to get more use out of them.

Veggie scraps

For veggies, you can add your own preferred vegetables or save your scraps over the week and add them in. I usually add the scraps to encourage less food waste & get use out of the whole vegetable. You can use things such as broccoli or kale stems, carrot ends, or onion skin. I also like add saved lemons I use in teas or water or lemon peels. Sometimes if I have scraps from juicing, I will use those as well (depending on what’s in it- likely just veggies like celery, beets, carrots, etc). Get creative with this- just stay aware that you may be tasting a little bit of whatever goes in there. Also, be aware of lemon/lime seeds. If a few of them sneak in there, it may cause the broth to be bitter.

Herbs, Spices, Salt, Etc.

While you may be adding a bunch of ingredients to the bone broth, it’s extremely important to add some salt and seasoning to up the flavor. I always add a VERY GENEROUS amount of salt, some peppercorns, whatever leftover herbs are in the fridge, garlic or garlic powder, and a pinch of cayenne for some spice. Go ahead and doctor it up adding your favorite spices and herbs to satisfy your taste buds.  

Is there a benefit to slow cooking bone broth?

Slow cooking broth is my favorite way of doing it not only because it is very hands off but it also ensures a very nutrient-dense final product. You simply throw everything into the crock pot or stove pot, cover it with water, and cook it on low for 8-12 hours. Slow cooking the bones allows the ingredients time to release the many nutritional benefits we mentioned earlier.

If you’re in a pinch, you can also make bone broth in a pressure cooker or instant pot. Same rules apply, add the ingredients & cover with water.

Is it bad if my bone broth doesn’t gel?

After you make the bone broth and store it in the fridge, you may find that it turns to a gel. This is great- it means the collagen and gelatin content in the broth are super high! However, if it doesn’t gel, there’s no need to worry. There are many variables that may go into this- it depends on the ingredients you use, how long you cook the broth for, etc. If it doesn’t gel, don’t worry, there are still a plethora of nutrients in it if you used bones & veggies. If you’re looking to get a nice gel for your next batch, use some extra bones or animal products like chicken feet. Also make sure you add a little bit of acid to assist in breaking the nutrients down.

Also, after the bone broth cools, the fat will rise to the top. It’s usually a thin white piece at the top covering the broth. You can do what you wish with this- some people save it and cook with it, you can scrap it, or just leave it in there and scoop some out every time you pour some bone broth out. Whatever you prefer, really! I love to use it in cooking, it’s basically free broth butter.

Bone Broth Recipe

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Let me know if you try making your own bone broth. Don’t be afraid to be creative and try new things with this. It’s a very simple and beneficial concept. Thanks again for checking out today’s post. Much love, and see ya next blog!