This Instant Pot bone broth is deliciously rich in nutrients and collagen, and is so nourishing – plus it gels like a straight up Jell-O jiggler! Made with both chicken and beef bones, it is super versatile, and boasts amazing health benefits, too.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It helps heal your gut and funnels more nutrients into your body, which is especially ideal if you’re on a Whole30 plan. It’s also high in protein and collagen, which keeps your hair and skin looking amazing.
- It’s self-care in a mug. I’ve completely replaced after-dinner drinks with a warm cup of Instant Pot bone broth, which relaxes me before bed and makes me feel amazing in the morning. The health benefits do wonders for your body and spirit, too.
- It’s a great make-ahead recipe that’s perfect for meal prep and freezer meals! This recipe yields 32 8-ounce servings. I like to seal a week’s worth in a large jar to keep in the refrigerator, then freeze the rest in sealed plastic bags, laying flat on the bottom shelf of the freezer.
- It’s SO EASY. No more standing over the stove, scooping away foam. Just toss everything in the Instant Pot and let it work its magic.
Instant Pot Bone Broth Ingredients
Bones – You can play around with the type of bones you use for your bone broth, but I highly recommend using marrow bones and gelatinous bones (like feet!), so you get plenty of gelatin and collagen. I prefer these over regular chicken bones, actually.
Sea Salt – Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt work wonderfully in this recipe because they contain the trace minerals your body needs, and they’re reflective of the minerals in our bodies. Legit healthy food!
Gelatin – This isn’t so much an ingredient as it is a by-product, but I couldn’t not mention it! Bone broth is high in gelatin, and gelatin is truly magical. It improves gut health and digestion, protects joints and lowers joint pain, helps improves sleep quality, lifts the mood, improves cognitive abilities, improves skin health, helps maintain heart health, maintains strong bones, and helps you feel full. OH. OKAY.
How to Make Instant Pot Bone Broth
The full recipe & ingredients list are below, but here you’ll find a quick overview for making this recipe perfectly, along with useful tips and info!
I use a 6-quart Instant Pot for this recipe. If you have a smaller one, you can halve the quantities or make two batches!
This process starts in the oven, but don’t worry, you won’t be here long. Roast your marrow bones on a sheet pan for 35 minutes total, flipping them over after 20.
Toss the roasted bones in the Instant Pot with the gelatinous bones (feet, necks, backs – YUM), veggies, and spices, then fill the Instant Pot 2/3 of the way with water. Seal it up, and let it cook on Manual Low Pressure for 3 hours.
Strain your liquid through a mesh strainer and pour it into an airtight container. I prefer to use mason jars with lids for refrigerated broth, and zippered freezer bags for frozen broth.
Watch our Instant Pot Bone Broth video for the full bone-to-broth process:
Chef’s Tips
- It IS possible to overcook the bone broth, so keep an eye on your time. Overcooked bone broth can develop a bitter taste.
- Boil the chicken feet for 5 minutes or so before using them in this recipe, to remove any impurities from the skin.
- You can technically reuse the bones for multiple batches of broth, but the amount of nutrients diminish with each batch. It’s best to use fresh bones every time, for the most benefits.
- This broth gels and forms a layer of healthy fat on top, which essentially seals it from air. If you keep this layer of fat intact, the bone broth will last weeks (if not months) in the fridge. Once you break the seal, though, you’ll want to consumer your Instant Pot Bone Broth within 4-5 days.
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Instant Pot Bone Broth That Gels (Whole30, Anti-Inflammatory)
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds beef marrow bones usually "beef bones" at the store
- 2.5 pounds necks or feet beef or chicken
- 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar optional
- 1 carrot sliced
- 1 celery stalk sliced
- 2-4 garlic cloves smashed
- black peppercorns a few, to taste
- sea salt Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt recommended
- sprigs of fresh rosemary and/or thyme several, to taste
- filtered water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spread marrow bones out on a cooking sheet. Roast 20 minutes. Carefully turn bones over, then roast another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- Transfer roasted bones to Instant Pot. Pour a little water on the cooking sheet. Use a spatula or whisk to loosen browned bits leftover from bones, then pour water, fat, and browned bits into the Instant Pot.
- If using apple cider vinegar, add necks and feet to the pot and pour vinegar over. Let sit for 30 minutes then proceed with recipe.
- Place necks, feet, carrot, celery, garlic, a few peppercorns, fresh herbs, and plenty of sea salt in the Instant Pot. Pour filtered water until 2/3 full, then secure lid with valve in Sealing position.
- Cook on Manual Low Pressure for 180 minutes, then natural release. Let cool to touch.
- Place a mesh strainer over a large bowl and gently pour broth over strainer. Discard bones and veggies. Pour broth into glass jars with tight fitting lids, or into plastic freezer bags.
Video
Notes
- Refrigerate: Store in airtight containers or sealed plastic bags for up to one week.
- Freeze: Store in airtight containers or sealed plastic bags (placed flat) up to one year.
- To reheat refrigerated bone broth, scoop out a cup of the gelatin and warm it on the stove.
- Soaking the bones in apple cider vinegar helps extract all the nutrients from the bones, but you might prefer the flavor of the broth without the ACV. I do!
- If you prefer to cook your broth on High Pressure, set your timer for 120 minutes instead of 180.
Nutrition
Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10 years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of two who lives in Memphis, TN.
Hilary Griffith says
I am slightly confused. It says that a serving is 8 oz and that the recipe makes 32 servings. That should equal 256 oz of bone broth, right? Which would not be possible in a 6 qt (192 oz) pot. I didn’t think this through and expected a much larger output. You may want to double check the math on the recipe.
That being said- great recipe! I will be using it again, I just now need to buy more bones.
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Sorry about that, we fixed it! 🙂
Sharon Shaffer says
Best, most gelatinous bone broth i have made with an instant pot. Highly recommend using chicken feet if you can find them 🙂
Lauren Santmier says
This turned out amazing!
Lori says
Hi!
Wondering how you determine the difference between the coveted gel and the not so much coveted fat layer?
I am using my Thanksgiving Turkey carcass and there was quite a bit of skin I couldn’t remove 🤔🤔🤔
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
It should be quite clear! Once it cools, there will be a thick, white-ish layer of fat on top and the gelled broth will be underneath. There’s no mistaking it if you have that layer of fat! That said, I integrate that natural fat into my mugs of bone broth as well, trying to divide it up evenly to the gel beneath.
Keith Olson says
Personally, after the main breakdown, I remove any solid bones (leaving crumbly ones in the stock), then reduce the liquid down to almost nothing, followed by dumping even mixtures of liquid, fat, and solids into a Vitamix and turning it into a homogenous mix. Lastly, I freeze it into small ‘pucks’ that can be dropped into recipes. (Adding beef bone broth to hamburger before forming it into patties makes burgers taste *heavenly*.) I have also found that adding a small amount of organ meat adds greatly to the flavour *and* nutrition.
Susan says
Hello, how many ounces is one serving?
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
8 ounces. 🙂
PaleoPal says
Thanks for this recipe! Is this for a 6 quart Instapot?
And how long should the chicken feet bet boiled?
Thank you!
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Yes! We recommend boiling chicken feet for about 5 minutes to remove any impurities from the skin. 🙂
Rae says
A huge thank you From Dallas, TX for posting this recipe/method. I have been looking for an IP method to make a beef broth dish from the Philippines called Nilagang Baka (beef bone broth). I have a tendency to forget about my broth, and once or twice I had burned bones. I used bone-in short ribs, bones, whole peppercorns, bay leaves, star anise, celery, scallions, and a whole Spanish onion. It was delightful!
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
SO glad you enjoyed it, Rae!
Cleone says
Hi! I have made this recipe twice in my 3qt Instant Pot. I reduced the amount of bones to about 1.25lbs beef marrow bones and 1.25lbs chicken feet. I found them at Whole Foods in the frozen section and they came in a pack of about a little over 2 lbs each. I split it up for two batches and it fit perfectly in the 3qt. Anyway, this was delicious and mine gelled nicely in the fridge with a thin layer of fat at the top. This was such an easy and tasty recipe that I shared it with many people. Thanks!
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
So glad you loved it, Cleone!
Rose says
Is there a store bought bone broth that you would use or recommend?
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Any kind from Kettle & Fire!
Jennifer says
Do you also roast the chicken bones????
Amelia Camurati says
Absolutely!
Marisa Pimentel says
If using chicken feet, do you roast them before putting in instant pot? If so, what temp and how long?
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Marisa, we suggest boiling the chicken feet to remove surface impurities. 🙂
Tim says
Living in Vietnam, it is very challenging to obtain beef bones as many of the locals operate pho restaurants and use beef bones to make pho – traditionally.
Are just chicken bones and chicken feet sufficient?
Amelia Camurati says
This will work for a chicken broth! Same concept, just different flavors.
Vicky says
What happens if I cook it on low for several hours? I began this too late and I need to get to bed. Once it’s done I have to get it comes down, pour it in the jars, etc. So I thought I’d sleep through it. Bad idea?
Amelia Camurati says
As long as it stays warm, you should be ok. If it begins to come to room temperature before being properly stored, bacteria could begin to form.
Natsumi says
Hi!
How big is your Instant Pot?
Thank you!
Jessica Harden says
Has any one used the ultra 8 quart pot for making this bone broth. I see they say set on manual. I don’t see that on mine. Plus i have an altitude adjustment button as well.