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Bone Broth Using Kitchen Scraps - 3 Ways

mason jar of bone broth on a wooden cutting board, surrounded by kitchen scraps and a white napkin.
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Homemade broth is not only easy to make, but it's healthier and much less expensive than store-bought. Learn how to make bone broth from vegetable scraps and bones  using the stove, Instant Pot, or slow cooker!

Ingredients

Scale
  • Chicken, beef, or other bones (omit for vegetable broth)
  • Rinsed vegetable scraps (roughly the equivalent of 1 large carrot, 1 onion, and 1 stalk of celery)
  • Aromatics such as 1-2 cloves of smashed garlic, a pinch of whole peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, stems from fresh herbs (optional)
  • Piece of hard cheese rind, such as parmesan (optional)
  • 1-2 tbsp of acid, such as apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • Filtered water (roughly 3 quarts, or enough to fill your slow cooker insert or the Instant Pot to the max line.)

Instructions

For The Stovetop:

  1. Place bones in a baking dish and roast at 400°F for 30-60 minutes. Remove from the oven.
  2. Wrap bones, vegetable scraps, aromatics, and cheese rind in a cheesecloth bundle tied with kitchen twine (optional). Alternately, place everything directly into the pot.
  3. Add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
    Fill the pot with roughly 3 quarts of water, or enough to fill the pot, leaving some wiggle room at the top.
  4. Bring the pot to a boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting, cover, and gently simmer for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
  5. Skim any fat or foam from the top, strain and/or discard the solids, and cool broth before storing.

For The Slow Cooker:

  1. Place bones in a baking dish and roast at 400°F for 30-60 minutes. Remove from the oven.
  2. Wrap bones, vegetable scraps, aromatics, and cheese rind in a cheesecloth bundle tied with kitchen twine (optional). Alternately, place everything directly into the slow cooker insert.
  3. Add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
  4. Add enough water to fill the slow cooker insert.
  5. Close the lid and cook on high setting until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently 12-48 hours. If your low setting doesn't simmer the broth at all, keep the heat on the high setting.
  6. Skim any fat or foam from the top, strain and/or discard the solids, and cool broth before storing.

For The Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker:

  1. Place bones in a baking dish and roast at 400°F for 30-60 minutes. Remove from the oven.
  2. Wrap bones, vegetable scraps, aromatics, and cheese rind in a cheesecloth bundle tied with kitchen twine (optional). Alternately, place everything directly into the pot.
  3. Add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
  4. Add water to the maximum fill line (2/3 full).
  5. Close and lock the lid. Seal the vent.
  6. Pressure cook on medium (or low if your cooker doesn't have a medium setting) for 2-3 hours. Release the pressure naturally before removing the lid.
  7. Skim any fat or foam from the top, strain and/or discard the solids, and cool broth before storing.

Notes

  • See 'Broth Storage' section above for methods of storing finished broth.
  • This recipe doesn't include salt. I prefer to add salt to the recipe I'm using broth for in the cooking process. If you want to add salt before storing your broth, do so at the end of cooking.
  • If you're using vegetable scraps, it can be hard to measure, but use about the equivalent of an onion, a large carrot, and a stalk of celery, plus whatever other aromatics or veggies you want with roughly 3 quarts of water, but don't worry about measurements too much.
  • Don't use too many skins from onions or garlic, which will give the broth a bitter flavor.
  • You can use only beef bones, only chicken, or a combination of anything you have. It's really up to you!
  • Make sure veggie scraps are rinsed well to prevent your broth from tasting like dirt.
  • To make it easier to collect kitchen scraps, keep a bag in the freezer for vegetable ends and herbs and one for bones so that once you collect enough, you're ready to make broth. I also keep a separate one for cheese rinds. That way you can store the ends as you use the vegetables without having to worry about them going bad before you get a chance to make the broth.
  • If you prefer to use whole veggies instead of kitchen scraps, that's fine too!

Keywords: how to make bone broth, how to make broth using kitchen scraps, slow cooker broth, instant pot broth

Find it online: https://livelytable.com/slow-cooker-bone-broth/