Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

Yes, most components of this recipe can be prepared ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently before serving for best results.

How should I store leftovers?

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Can I substitute ingredients in this recipe?

Absolutely. This recipe is flexible and works well with substitutions. Swap proteins, vegetables, or seasonings based on your dietary needs or what you have on hand.

Easy Bone Broth in the Instapot or Crockpot

Name: Easy Bone Broth
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 pounds chicken parts (backs, necks, bones, carcasses); 1 large yellow onion (trimmed and cubed); 2 medium carrots (cleaned and chopped into 3 inch segments); 2 bay leaves; 2 tbsp lemon juice (½ lemon); 1 teaspoon salt; Water (different for different methods)

You never have to buy stock or broth at the store again! That’s right, no more unidentifiable liquids in a box on a shelf for a year going into your food. Yuck. Instead, you get to use this easy bone broth recipe as the base for all your recipes, to heal your body or to gift to sick people. Yes, a gift to sick people. One of my favorite memories was making large batches of bone broth and chicken liver pate and delivering it to the hospital. Our friend’s child was fighting cancer, and we helped kick its ass.

There is no right or wrong method for making broth, but there are a couple of notes I want to help you with for this easy bone broth.

You can make bone broth with either raw meat and bones, roasted, or a mixture of both
If you are cooking this broth in the pressure cooker, roasting the bones will not add any flavor since the pressure cooker reaches temperatures high enough to create the Maillard reaction.
Your house will smell better if you use an Instapot, the slow cooker fills your whole house with broth smell

When making broth, use an instapot because your house will smell better!

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Easy Bone Broth in the Instapot

So why do I recommend the instapot? Well simply because it does everything. Yes, everything. It has replaced my slow cooker, rice cooker and steamer all at once.

Now there are still lots of awesome uses for a slow cooker. Like my shredded buffalo chicken with only three ingredients. In case you haven’t seen it, I also created a full guide on everything slow cookers.

The primary reason I recommend creating this easy bone broth in the instapot is time. I recommend cooking it for 2 hours to get the maximum amount of nutrients and flavor from the bones but 1 hour would work too.

Easy Bone Broth in the Slow Cooker

Warning – your whole house will smell like broth and if your significant other does not enjoy that smell, use the instapot.

I love my slow cooker and still use it occasionally to make this easy bone broth. My only problem is when I need bone broth it’s typically in a rush and I would rather cook it in 2 hours than in 12 or 24.

I have been unable to find any scientific research on which method is better. As far as I am concerned, if you are drinking any broth you make at home, you are winning. Keep up the great work and get healthy!

Here is the Instapot Method

George Bryant (Civilized Caveman)

Easy Bone Broth

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Servings: 8 cups

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

3 pounds chicken parts backs, necks, bones, carcasses
1 large yellow onion trimmed and cubed
2 medium carrots cleaned and chopped into 3 inch segments
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice ½ lemon
1 teaspoon salt
Water different for different methods

Method

Place your meat in the bottom of your instapot
Add your onion and carrots all around your meaty bones
Add 2 bay leaves, lemon juice and sprinkle salt over your ingredients
Fill your instapot with water to 2/3 of the container (no more than 2/3)
Place the lid on, lock it in place and close the release
Set your instapot on high for 2 hours for the best flavor and once complete let the pressure release naturally
When done, strain through a big mesh strainer and store
Bone broth stays fresh in the fridge for 3 days or can be frozen for up to a year
(See the notes for freezing)

Notes

For freezing, you should freeze individually in silicon molds and then transfer to an airtight container for easy access. We use these molds and these molds