My family’s Instant Pot Bone Broth Recipe we made for centuries in Ukraine. Full of collagen, budget friendly and ready in 2.5 hours instead of 24 hours.
After, you can eat or drink bone broth on its own, or use as a base for soups like Instant Pot chicken and rice soup, Instant Pot borsch or Instant Pot beef barley soup.
Table of contents
Pressure Cooker Bone Broth
I was born and raised in Ukraine. I will share with you how my family made bone broth since 19th century. Or I bet you even earlier, before it became trendy just like kombucha had become. Of course, it was not Instant Pot bone broth but rather simmered for 24 hours broth. We are super lucky to be making bone broth in a pressure cooker today. A truly miracle appliance.
You don’t have to buy bone broth in a capsule or a carton. I think either is ridiculously expensive. Make bone broth at home and enjoy the same health benefits at fraction of the cost.
I love using bone broth with a bit of water as a base for soups like Instant Pot chicken noodle soup (especially when I don’t have a whole chicken for broth) and Instant Pot chicken and rice soup.
Looking for more dinner ideas? Check out my most popular collection of Instant Pot healthy recipes.
Health Benefits of Bone Broth
Why all the craze?
According to Medical News Today, one word – collagen. The longer you simmer the bone broth, the richer flavor and higher collagen content. Collagen seeps out from bones and connective tissues during long-term simmering. Cooking collagen turns it to gelatin, which provides the body with amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins.
#1 health benefit of collagen is joint health. Cartilage in our joints wears down with continual use and time. Consuming bone broth may be a good way to add gelatin to our diet. It may help reduce stress on joints as well as promote healthy nails, hair, skin and stronger immune system.
Beef or Chicken?
Here are few quick facts about beef and chicken bone broth and you decide (source):
- Chicken bone broth is higher in Omega 6. Type of fatty acids that are found in vegetable oils used for frying processed foods. It is one of Western Diet’s problem – we consume 5 times more Omega 6 than our ancestors.
- Beef bone broth is higher in minerals.
- Chicken and beef bone broth taste differently.
My family always made bone broth with beef bones after meat was used to make beef stew. And that is what I make these days.
Tip: Feel free to add garlic, celery, onion and herbs if you feel like. We never did in Ukraine so I do not feel it’s necessary. But I know it is very common in North America. One thing – celery doesn’t add nice flavor when cooked under pressure.:)
What Bones?
For beef, I highly recommend to use beef or bison soup bones. Or wild meat bones like deer, moose or elk. Simple.
In case you want to use chicken bones, I suggest to use carcasses from 2 whole chickens or large turkey. Make Instant Pot whole chicken a few times and stash the bones in your freezer. And because chicken bones do not contain as much collagen as beef, I recommend to add chicken feet. Broth will have higher protein and gelatin content.
How to Make Bone Broth in Instant Pot
My Instant Pot bone broth recipe is super simple. This is how my grandma used to make it. And that’s how I make it, without any vegetables. And it comes out super flavorful!
- In Instant Pot, add bones, bay leaves, peppercorns and water. That’s it.
- Close the lid, turn on Pressure Cook on High for 2 hours, turn vent to Sealing position. Walk away.
- A few hours later, open the pot and you are looking at bone broth.
- Remove bay leaves, peppercorns and large floating pieces of whatever that is with small mesh strainer. Don’t look for perfection because we will be putting broth through a mesh strainer again.
- I like to add salt after pressure cooker bone broth is cooked. Simply because I like to adjust salt to taste and it really doesn’t matter when you salt it, before or after. For 6 quart Instant Pot add 2 tsp salt; for 8 quart add 1 tbsp. Then stir.
Once you stir, immediately you will notice “the build up” on the back of the spoon. It’s all the goodness of a bone broth in its glory – collagen and fats.
Storing Bone Broth
For any food storage, I prefer glass jars. Any size. I used 16 oz ones but I think larger ones are better since you will need a few anyways for making a batch of soup. Just pour broth with a ladle through a mesh strainer, placed inside a funnel, into the jar.
Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Can I Freeze Bone Broth?
Of course. Freeze bone broth in same glass jars for up to 3 months. Just when you pour leave some room for expansion.
To thaw, on a counter for 6-8 hours, overnight in a fridge or in a bowl with warm water (quick defrost). I would be hesitant to place this golden liquid through the microwave waves to kill all the nutrients.
What to Do with Meat and Bones After?
After distributing most of the broth among the jars, you will have bones with some meat, tissue and liquid left. That’s more goodness on the bottom of the magic pot. Bone broth in Instant Pot just keeps on giving.
Before I get rid of the bones, I make sure to scrape the meat and tissue off of them really well. And if you look closer inside the bones you will see the bone marrow. Knock bones on the side of the pot a few times and it will come out.
What do you do with all of this?! Make some soup. For example, Instant Pot split pea soup.
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Instant Pot Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef, chicken or turkey soup bones
- 5 bay leaves
- 5 peppercorns
- 2 tsp or 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
- In Instant Pot add bones, bay leaves, peppercorns and fill up with cold water 2/3 full (older models) or up to PC Max line (newer models). Don’t fill it up to the Max line near the edges, there needs to be room left for pressure to build up.
- Close the lid, set pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cooking on High for 2 hours. Display will say ON, Instant Pot will take about 20-30 minutes to come to pressure, you will see a bit of steam coming out from a valve, then float valve will rise and countdown will begin.
- After 2 hours your bone broth is ready, Instant Pot will beep, display will say OFF and now it needs to bring pressure down before you can open it, which will be indicated by a dropped down float valve. You can let it do it on its own which will take less than an hour – Natural Release. OR you can do Quick Release by turning pressure valve to Venting position, which takes 3-4 minutes. I recommend doing so outside to avoid the mess and smell.
- Using small mesh strainer, discard bay leaves, peppercorns and large floating pieces of whatever that is. For 6 quart Instant Pot, add 2 tsp salt; for 8 quart, add 1 tbsp. Stir.
- Now you have to portion bone broth. I like to pour it into glass jars (any size) through a mesh strainer placed inside a funnel. That’s it. Use in soups or drink hot with fresh herbs and more spices.
Notes
- Besides beef bones, you can use moose, deer or bison bones.
- If you want to use chicken bones, I recommend to use full carcasses from 2 whole chickens + some feet for extra collagen and protein.
- Feel free to add garlic, celery, onion and herbs if you feel like. We never did in Ukraine so I do not feel it’s necessary. But I know it is very common in North America. One thing – celery doesn’t add nice flavor when cooked under pressure.:)
- Store: Refrigerate for up to a few weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
Great recipe!
If adding two soups do I just add it as it is broth I don’t have to dilute it?
Yes.
I was wondering if I could store this in Mason jars with the tin tops or should I get the plastic screw ones like you have? Do you have a link to those? Thanks
You can use any lids, i Like plastic ones cause they are easier to handle in one piece. Like these ones https://amzn.to/360Rd8w
Thanks for sharing your story about bone broth Olena!
I was looking through your article and noticed that you mentioned the difference between beef and chicken broth. The article you link to has some high level points with many details.
Chicken actually have more minerals and nutrients while beef has slightly more collagen and glycine.
Ah, good to know. Yes I knew both are good for you in different ways. Enjoy!:)
Hello Olena, could u please tell us how to consume this product and should I be reheating it or drink as it is, how often and etc
Thank u
I love drinking it hot with pepper and fresh herbs like dill or parsley or green onion. Or you can also make it into a chicken noodle soup or load up with any soup ingredients. Think of Pho.
I love this. it was very nice because then when I went to make chicken or beef broth with my veggie scraps I added some bone broth in so I got two for one.
I have given five star , after I made my second pot and it as good as the first, fantastic.
Good basic information here. Lots of suggestions to make the recipe your own. I just wish that a suggestion had been made to add onions, carrots, etc for flavor.
Sure, I can add that. I honestly do not think it is necessary but I know that North Americans do like their veggies in a stock. I see it a lot. Maybe in Ukraine we just didn’t have extra veggies to “waste” on a broth? Seriously thinking now. No problem and no offense. Hope you make it soon, T!:)
Hello, I use veggie scraps to avoid usage of Veges we use in meals; so the ends of onions, carrot tops, mushroom stems, cilantro stems, jalapeño innards adds a nice spice as well anything that might be discarded. Also, you mentioned not to microwave it that eliminates minerals. I drink Roughly 8 cups a day or more. Would you suggest keeping it in a crockpot warm instead? Also, I’ve heard the instant pot (I use mine to make broth also) gets too hot and isn’t as effective at extracting the collagen and amazing minerals due to the high temps instead a slow long simmer. I would love your thoughts on that.
You can keep broth warm in instant pot on keep warm for 24 hrs. I have heard nothing on the last statement. Nothing negative about pressure cooking for health reasons. Enjoy!
I’ve been doing my bone broth on the stove top or in the slow cooker for years now. (I really only do it in the summer, but supplement with collagen peptides year round.) Now I keep hearing about this Instant Pot, and it’s sounding more and more tempting!
Instant Pot bone broth is just so much faster and saves you money on electricity because you don’t simmer it all day.
I really enjoyed making this recipe without too many ingredients. Bone broth came out rich and extremely flavourful.