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When I first heard about homemade broth, it sounded intimidating. Like some ancient art form only a pioneer woman would know how to do. It’s funny to me thinking back to when I first started making broth, I would carefully measure out all the ingredients and chop up fresh vegetables to go in the pot. I was kind of torn at the end when all the veggies were a big pile of mush that get disposed of… seemed wasteful? Of course it turned out wonderfully, but I’ve since fine tuned my ways so that my broth is made with almost 100% bones and veggies I would have otherwise tossed, making it thrillingly frugal with literally no waste. Store-bought stock is not cheap. I don’t think people realize that you can make it at home at lliterally no extra cost by just using up your leftover bones and veggie scraps. What a thing of beauty!

I still remember the first time I made homemade chicken noodle soup from scratch with my first homemade broth. I was dumbfounded. It was like no other chicken soup I had ever had. It was how I always imagined chicken soup SHOULD taste. It was soooo rich and flavourful and warmed you right to the bones. And filling! How was I so full from a clear broth soup? Turns out homemade bone broth is one of the most nutritionally dense foods you can consume. All that boiling of veggies and bones infuses the broth with loads of vitamins and minerals, most notably calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. These vitamins and minerals are known boost the immune system, making homemade broth an excellent home remedy to fight the common cold and other viruses. As the bones and connective tissue (appealing word, no?) boil down, they enrich the broth with gelatin, which provides the body with amino acids – the building block of proteins. Gelatin is known to aide in joint health, reducing inflammation, gut health, and even improved sleep. Bone marrow is also rich in nutrients such as iron, vitamins A and K, fatty acids, selenium, zinc, and manganese. So basically, bone broth is a big bowl of multi-vitamin, mineral, protein rich goodness!

Besides the multiple health benefits, bone broth tastes amazing. It’s an instant flavour boost to whatever you add it to. It’s obviously the perfect base for any soup, stew, or chili. Broth is also wonderful for making risotto, rice pilaf, homemade gravy and other pan sauces, cooking legumes and grains such as quinoa, beans, lentils, etc. It’s so satisfying knowing you are infusing your food with all those extra nutrients, and the flavour cannot be beat!

Ok, ok, I think we can all agree bone broth is a worthwhile pursuit, but lets get down to the how. It could not be easier. I keep a running bag in my fridge to which I add any suitable veggie scraps to. If the bag gets full or the veggies are close to their expiry and I’m not ready to make broth, I just throw it in the freezer. It can go straight into the pot, from frozen, when you make broth!

Veggie Scraps to use:

• onion scraps - skins, ends, any bits you don't use of any kind of onion or shallot (I don't usually use red onions because of their colour); be aware that onion skins will make the broth darker in colour so if you are wanting a light coloured broth, you will want to limit the amount of onion skins you use.
• garlic scraps - skins and all, any bits you don't use
• carrots - peels, ends, roughly chopped carrots that have lost their crunch
• celery - the whole bottom heart of the stalk, leaves, ends, any parts you don't use (just be sure to wash so your broth doesn't end up gritty from the dirt on the celery)
• woody asparagus ends - the parts you snap off and don't use (just be sure asparagus makes up no more than 1/6 of your total stock components or it can become overpowering in flavour)
• parsley stems - just chop off the entire group of stems in a bunch of parsley and toss them in, they provide excellent flavour!
• thyme and rosemary stems - when you use the herby leaves for cooking, go ahead and throw the bare stems into your broth bag, they provide great flavour! The leaves of course can also go in if you won't use them for anything else. Rosemary is especially strong in flavour so I only add a couple stems per broth.
• mushrooms - washed stems and any parts you don't use
• squeezed lemon halves - these give a nice acidic note to your stock, but I only ever add a maximum of 2 halves to a broth so as to not overwhelm it with lemon flavour
• parmesan rinds - you know that tough thick end on your blocks of fresh parmegianna regianno? it is FULL of flavour, so good in stocks - do not throw it out!!
• parsnips - peelings, ends, any part you don't use
• leeks - root and ends, any bits you don't use, well washed of sand and dirt

Veggie scraps to avoid:

• anything in the cabbage family such as cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, rutabagas, and artichokes. These vegetables have strong flavours that can make your stock bitter.
• beets - obvious reasons (unless you like a blood red broth...)
• starchy vegetables like squash, potatoes, corn cobs - make the water cloudy
• strong tasting herbs like sage, cilantro, dill
• anything spoiled, rotten, or moldy (yuck!)

Ok so that about covers the veggies, now we move on to the bones. The most common broth is chicken broth, but there are many kinds of bones you can use to make broth. Stick to one type of animal bone per batch of broth so the flavour is consistent. You can collect these bones by type in a bag or container in your freezer until you have enough for a broth. They will keep for months in the freezer.

Bones to use for broth:

• chicken - any and all remains and pan drippings from your roast chicken or rotisserie chicken. When I make or buy roast chicken I find it super convenient to throw the remains straight into the pot and make a broth straight away. You can also use chicken feet but I don't have easy access to these and to be honest, I'm a bit too squeamish to want to handle them. If you would like to use them, just blanch them first to remove any impurities and then have at 'er!
• turkey - there's a wealth of remains leftover from a turkey - you can usually split it between two batches of broth. The neck, giblets (that little bag of organs you often find in the cavity of turkeys sold at the grocery store - do not throw it out!) and all the leftover bits are perfect to throw in your stock
• beef - mixed bones like marrow bones, oxtail, shank, and short ribs. You can also use knuckles, joints, feet, etc but also be sure to blanch them first for impurities. If ever you order beef in bulk from a local butcher or farmer, be sure to request they include the beef bones with your order (it's usually no extra charge)! You can also buy beef soup bones from your local butcher if you are having a hard time finding them elsewhere. For the best tasting beef broth, I would suggest roasting the bones with olive oil, salt and pepper at 400F for at least 45-60 minutes before adding to your broth for optimal flavour.
• pork - I don't love the taste of plain pork bones in a stock but a ham bone makes the most incredible broth, perfect for split pea soup, chowder, and any ham soup. Feel free to give regular pork bones a try and see if you like the flavour.
• fish - this is honestly not something i've personally tried, but you can use the bones and carcasses from any non-oily fish such as halibut, cod, rockfish, turbot, tilapia, or sole. Fish stock cooks for a much shorter time than other bone broths, so I would recommend following a fish broth recipe
• shellfish - shells from shrimp, lobster, and/or crab. Also cooks for a much shorter time, follow a recipe.
• wild game - I haven't tried this, but basically you can make broth from any animal bones you have. Deer, elk, moose, rabbit, wild game birds, etc. Blanch and/or roast the bones first to remove impurities. From there it'll just be a matter of personal taste if you actually like the taste each of these impart to a broth. It's worth a shot!

Other additions:

Besides veggie scraps and bones, the most critical ingredient to a good tasting broth is salt. You do not want to skimp on the salt, it really brings the flavours together. If ever you taste your broth and it tastes like dishwater, you can bet you forgot the salt or severely under measured on it. For my 8 quart instant pot of broth, I add 3 tablespoons (i just use my palm and do 3 palmfuls) of salt. It may seem like a lot, but when you think of how much water you are seasoning, it really isn’t much. Store-bought broths are guaranteed to be loaded with much more salt, so don’t let this amount bother you.

I also add about a dozen whole peppercorns (no need to grind them, they will flavour the broth in the long simmer time just as they are) for heat, and 1-3 bay leaves for flavour (just beware that these become bitter after simmering for too long; remove after 4-6 hours). I love the flavour of thyme in broth so if I haven’t added any fresh thyme sprigs, I will always add about a tablespoon of dried thyme to the broth.

Finally, the last thing I add to my broth is a glug of apple cider vinegar (about a tablespoon for my 8 quart batch). Some recipe call for 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar, but I found the taste of it too noticeable at this amount, so I stick to 1 tablespoon. Feel free to play around with the amount you are comfortable with. Why vinegar? Vinegar is an acid and will help extract the collagen in the connective tissue of the bones, helping your broth ‘gel‘ like it should. Did you know, the truest sign of a good broth is if it turns into a jello like texture once cooled in the fridge? That means you’ve got a broth full of gelatin from the bones – major success!

What if my broth doesn’t ‘gel’?

If your broth doesn’t ‘gel’ in the fridge, it is still perfectly good to use, it just contains a lesser amount of gelatin. This could by because you didn’t use enough bones for the amount of water in your pot, or you didn’t simmer the broth long enough to extract the gelatin. It is surely still packed with plenty of vitamins and minerals from the vegetables and bones, don’t fret! You can just adjust in the future by adding more bones or less water and/or simmering longer until you achieve the perfect ‘jelly’ broth.

How long do I need to simmer my broth?

There is a wide variety of opinions on this front. Some advocate for a 4-6 hour simmer on the stovetop, while others insist that at least 48 hours is needed to get the full benefit out of the bones. I’ve tried shorter simmer time broth and the several day broth and I have to say, I prefer the flavour of the shorter time broth. The one that simmered for days was bitter and unpleasant tasting. I think the veggies and herbs imparted an overpowering, bitter taste after all of that time simmering.

If your primary objective is to get every last bit of goodness out of your bones, I would suggest making your broth of only bones, salt, and vinegar for the bulk of the simmer, then adding the vegetables and herbs for the last 4-6 hours. I think this would prevent that unpleasant bitter taste of vegetables and herbs that have been boiled down for days. That being said, I regularly achieve gelatinous broth from a 6 hour simmer on the stove or, as I’ll suggest in there recipe below, a 120 minutes pressure cook cycle in the Instant Pot (my new preferred method, it’s just so easy and hands off!). It seems impractical to me to bother with a longer simmer than this, so I don’t bother with it. If you are wanting to go with a 24-48 hour broth, I would suggest using the slow cooker on low to keep the temperature sufficiently low, and for the safety reasons of leaving it on for that long of time (who wants to leave a burner on for 2 days?!). Be aware that some slow cookers turn off automatically after 24 hours, so you will want to keep an eye on your model and make sure it is actually on for the amount of time you intend it to be.

Can I use a whole chicken in my broth?

Yes, you certainly can. For best results, I would suggest doing this on the stovetop. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. After about 1 hour, check to see that the chicken is cooked through (thighs wiggle freely, juices run clear), then removed the whole chicken to a plate, tent with foil and rest until cool enough to handle. Strip the bird of the meat (which you can store in the fridge or freezer for use in soups, casseroles, sandwiches, etc.), and return the bones and scraps to the pot for the remaining 5-ish hours of the simmer. Now you have whole chicken worth of meat to use up however you please, AND a beautiful bone broth!

How should I store my broth?

Homemade broth will keep for one week in the fridge, so unless you have plans to use it right away, I would highly suggest freezing it for future use. I don’t notice any difference in taste or texture using previously frozen broth, it freezes great! I find 4 cups is a very common measurement that I need for soups, rice, risotto, etc. For this reason, I love to store my broth (cooled first) in recycled 650g yogurt/sour cream containers – they hold right around 4 cups when filled an inch or two below the top rim (I don’t even measure anymore!). These, cool room temperature broth full containers, I label and put straight in the deep freeze where they will keep for at least a year. To thaw you have a few options. If you think to take it out in the morning when you take out your meat for supper, just leave it on the counter to thaw throughout the day. If you have an hour or so, you can put your frozen container in a hot water bath in the sink or bowl and it should be mostly thawed after an hour. For a super quick thaw, run the container under hot water to loosen the broth from the sides of the container, then dump the frozen broth into a pot or instant pot and simmer until fully thawed. If you want to have broth available in smaller measurements, feel free to freeze it in ice cube trays or smaller containers – whatever measurement you prefer!

Let’s do this!

Ok that seemed like a LOT of information but I just wanted to cover as many bases as I could. If you have any other questions or there is something I forgot to address, please leave them below in the comments and I will be sure to get back to you! The main idea I want to get across here is that bone broth shouldn’t be fussy. You save up your bones and veggie scraps, fill the pot with water, add your salt, herbs, and vinegar and simmer away. You can play around with the ratios you like best for taste and texture. If all else fails and you don’t like the taste of your broth, just add salt! It almost always solves the problem. You got this. Vitamin, mineral, and gelatin loaded bone broth is just a pot away and you can make it almost completely at no extra cost. Let’s get going!

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This post includes affiliate links, meaning I made a small commission at no extra cost to you, should you decide to click through the links and purchase anything. These are my honest opinions and I would never recommend anything to you I didn’t absolutely love and use on a regular basis. Hope you find these lists helpful!

Instant Pot (8 Quart) – This is my most used kitchen appliance, I am obsessed with this thing! It saves me so much time and hassle in the kitchen and serves so many purposes that I think it is definitely worth the purchase. My favourite things to make are hard boiled eggs, rice, whole chickens, broth, pulled beef and pork, chili, soups, ribs, mac’n’cheese…. the list goes on!

Pink Himalayan Salt – I love that this salt is free from additives and contains 84 trace minerals, many of which we are unlikely to get from any other food source. Plus it tastes great! I use it in place of table salt in all of my recipes.

Apple Cider Vinegar – Bragg’s is the most reliable brand of apple cider vinegar I’ve found. I love that it is organic and made “with the mother” so you’re getting all the benefits of associated with these strand-like chains of protein molecules. It’s great for salad dressings, homemade sauces, and bone broth. This might be TMI but apple cider vinegar is my number one natural method to removing warts in my children as well!!! This stuff is potent 🙂