GLUTEN FREE · DAIRY FREE · NUT FREE · PALEO · AIP

Bone broth serves as the foundation of so many dishes, as well as being an extremely nutritious ‘meal’ in and of itself. There has been a great deal of hype surrounding bone broth over recent years, and for good reason. It has been around for centuries and has a long history of being used as a nourishing and healing liquid, due to its abundance of nutrients and minerals.

More recently, the healing claims of bone broth have become more specific, and have related more to bone and joint health, and of course, gut health.

A gut-healing superstar, bone broth is full to the brim with nutrients, minerals and amino acids. It is rich in protein and contains collagen, glutamine, glucosamine, glycine and chondroitin, all of which help build and strengthen your bones and joints, as well as supporting the lining of the gut and improving intestinal permeability (leaky gut). As such, it is often a key player in gut-healing regimes, and in eating for autoimmune conditions overall.

Many are put off the idea of making bone broth because of how labour-intensive it seems to be. It’s true, it can be quite the hassle. However, since I started making it in my Instant Pot, it has become infinitely easier, and I would never go back to making it on the stovetop now!

After a great deal of research on the ‘best way’ to make bone broth, a lot of experimentation and a great deal of trial and error, I finally settled on the following method. As for the ‘recipe’, many people prefer their bone broth to be just bones and that’s fine, I just find it so much tastier if I make it with some veggies and plenty of herbs - I also figure you get the benefits, minerals and alkalising properties of the non-animal elements too, creating a better balance overall.

The Ingredients

Bones

You will need enough bones to fill your Instant Pot about half way (approx. half a chicken). Try to place and layer them so they lie as flat as possible (the higher up they are stacked in the pot, the more water you will need to cover them, and this could dilute the flavour).

A few notes on the bones themselves:

Organic is ideal. As is free-range, pasture-raised and wild-caught, depending on which animal bones you are using - better for you, and better for the animals.
You can use any meat, even fish and its bones. It’s up to you and the tastes you prefer.
You can use bones either with or without meat on them.
Knuckle bones, femur bones, so-called marrow bones, are ideal as these are the ones with the highest collagen and chondroitin content.
They can all be found at your butcher. In fact, they are usually kept to one side by butchers for local restaurant or hotel chefs, who use them to make stocks and sauces.
Apparently chicken feet are excellent for creating the sought-after gelatinous texture to the finished broth, but there’s no way I could ever bring myself to include them. I struggle enough as it is with the regular bones - I am generally a squeamish eater, have never been very happy handling raw meat, and I would probably have turned vegetarian/vegan years ago (purely due to my love for animals) if my digestion could handle it. But it cannot, and I am extremely grateful for how much animal-based foods have helped support my gut and my health overall. So, in the name of gut healing, I am willing to suspend my objections, but I do try to use as ethically-sourced animal foods as is possible (and it isn’t always), simply due to my belief that, just because an animal will end up feeding us in one way or another, that is no reason for it not to be treated as well as is possible until it does.

Apple Cider Vinegar (organic, raw, unpasteurised)

In addition to being a valuable ingredient with antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, apple cider vinegar (ACV) has a key role to play in bone broth. ACV actually helps to extract the minerals from the bones, thus resulting in a broth with an even more potent nutritional punch!

This is why the first step in the Instant Pot is to leave the bones with just water and ACV for a while - to draw out the minerals.

Carrots, Onion, Celery

The holy trinity for any stock or broth, these three veggies form the non-meat basis of this broth.

Garlic

Used for flavour and for its immunity-boosting effects.

Parsley, Thyme, Sage, Bay Leaves

As far as I’m concerned, these herbs MAKE the broth in terms of the depth of flavour. I have made broth without these a couple of times and there was no comparison, in my opinion anyway.

I use fresh parsley, thyme and sage, and dried bay leaves. If you want to use dried herbs, use about a teaspoon of each.

Turmeric

A key anti-inflammatory player in this broth. For a full rundown on turmeric’s hero spice status, click here.

Salt and pepper

Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (optional)

Adding these in is a great way to add the well-known immune-boosting properties of mushrooms to the broth, as well as getting a hit of delicious umami flavouring - some people do not like this taste, which is precisely why they are an optional ingredient.

Water

STEP 1: BLANCHING THE BONES

This step removes any impurities and nasty bits from the bones (even more important if the bones are not organic).

To blanch, either:

Put the bones in a pot and cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and leave them at a strong simmer for 20 minutes.
Or, place the bones in a pot or bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave them for 5-10 minutes.

Drain the bones, and on to Step 2!

Note - I have read a lot about concerns regarding the release of MSG when bones are boiled quickly or ‘aggressively’, however this is not an issue here because you are getting rid of the liquid used in the boiling process, you will not be drinking it in the final broth! The great thing about using the Instant Pot for the main cooking of the broth is that it maintains a steady temperature and a very gentle boil, which is key to avoiding any MSG issues.

STEP 2: COOKING THE BONES

Spread the bones out on a baking tray and put them in the oven at a high temperature (220-250°C) for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the bones have browned.

This step is crucial for adding more flavour to the broth, as the bones will now be browned and caramelised.

STEP 3: INSTANT POT

Place the bones into the Instant Pot, arranging them so they lie as flat as possible.
Be sure to also pour in the liquid that has collected in the baking tray. If there are crisped brown bits stuck to the tray, add a little water and scrape off with a spatula and add those in there too.
Add the apple cider vinegar.
Add water until the bones are just covered (without going over the pot’s ‘Max’ line). You don’t want the bones to be floating.
Put the cover on but do NOT turn the Instant Pot on. Just let it sit for around 30 minutes to allow the vinegar to draw out the minerals from the bones.
Add the veggies, herbs/spices and dried mushrooms (if using) to the pot.
Make sure the steam venting valve is closed, then turn the pot on. Select the ‘SOUP’ option and adjust the time to 180 minutes (3 hours).
It will take around 15-20 minutes for the pot to reach the required pressure before it actually starts, and the 180 minutes will start counting down.
When the time is up, turn off the Instant Pot, and you can either wait 15-20 minutes for the pressure to release by itself, or you can manually release it by carefully turning the steam venting valve.
Once the float valve has dropped back down, open the pot.

STEP 4: FILTERING

I find it easiest to filter in two steps.

Place a solid colander (as opposed to a thin mesh one) over a bowl and empty the Instant Pot into it. This way you get rid of all the large items, the bones, veg etc.
Then, take a cloth (thin cotton or muslin works well) and place it securely (but not too taut) over a clean bowl. Tip the bowl with the filtered broth gradually into the cloth so it filters into the bowl below. You should clearly see all the finer residue left on the cloth, and be left with a clear broth.

STEP 5: COOLING

Apparently, allowing the broth to gradually cool down at room temperature is a no-no, as it risks bacteria forming on the hot liquid surface.

Throwing some ice cubes into the broth helps bring down the temperature, but don’t go overboard or you will end up diluting the broth too much.

It’s a bit of a dilemma, but I have settled on indeed adding some ice cubes (1-2 cups), but then I pour the broth into jars which, once securely sealed, I allow to sit on the kitchen counter to cool further (this way the cooling process happens without being exposed to the air and the risk of bacteria), and then put them in the fridge.

Do not put steaming hot broth into the fridge!

STEP 6: STORAGE

*Freshly made bone broth - no ‘fat seal’ yet!*

I opt for mason jars or clip-top jars, and each batch usually fills about three. You want to use something that seals tightly and keeps air out.

It’s also a good idea to fill an ice cube tray with the broth and freeze it, and then use the broth cubes as you would regular stock cubes – just pop a couple into whatever you’re cooking, for flavour and a nutrient boost.

Once the broth has chilled in the fridge, the fats will float up to the top and form a solid layer. This fat layer eliminates any air and will apparently keep your homemade broth preserved in the fridge for up to 6 months! Mine always gets used up much sooner than that so I can’t personally confirm this, however I have kept bone broth in the fridge in this way for 3-4 weeks and it has been fine.

However, once the ‘fat seal’ has been broken, then the broth will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days.

For longer storage, opt for freezing batches of your broth, or the ice cube method, and your broth will keep for at least 6 months.

STEP 7: SERVING

Once it has been fully cooled in the fridge, the broth should ideally have a gloopy jelly-like texture – this is a sign of a well-made broth! If yours remains liquid, don’t despair though, it’s still full of goodness.

Be sure to remove and discard the solid whitish ‘fat lid’ from the surface of the broth before warming up, otherwise it can add an oily texture to the broth which can be rather unpleasant. There are also questions about how healthy/unhealthy it is to consume this fat, so I prefer to get rid of it altogether.

Warm up the broth gradually on the hob, making sure it doesn’t boil.

And it’s ready to enjoy!

If having it by itself, I like adding a squeeze of lemon and some Himalayan salt – the lemon just cuts through the intense ‘meatiness’ a bit.

how to use bone broth

Use it instead of water when cooking rice or pasta for example.
Use it as a base for soups.
Cook your veggies in it.
Add to any dish you are cooking for extra depth of flavour, nutrients and a gut healing boost.
Drink it plain, either as a soup or in a mug!