Bone broth is a nourishing, versatile base for soups, stews, and sauces, and it’s incredibly easy to make at home. This crock pot bone broth recipe ensures you’ll have a rich, flavorful broth with minimal effort, perfect for busy days. Whether you’re sipping it as a warm drink or using it in your favorite recipes, homemade bone broth delivers unmatched depth of flavor and nutritional benefits.
Bone broth is particularly popular during colder months when its warmth and comfort are most appreciated. It’s a staple in many holiday traditions, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas, when it’s used as a base for gravies and soups. It’s a great way to enhance dishes like chicken soup or traditional broths.
I particularly like to make this recipe when I get a whole chicken from the store. My preferred method is to spatchcock it and roast it. We normally eat roast chicken the first day, and then I take the meat off the chicken carcass. I use the leftover chicken bones to make this broth and the meat to make other recipes with chicken, like chicken salad. (I also take used veggies from this broth and feed them to my own chickens. Leave nothing to waste!)
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Broth vs. Stock vs. Bone Broth
Understanding the difference between broth, stock, and bone broth is essential for any home cook. Chicken bone brothand beef broth are simmered for a long time, often over a stove top or in a pressure cooker, to extract nutrients like bone marrow and much collagen from the bones. This extended cooking process results in a rich bone broth that is not only flavorful but packed with nutrient information beneficial for daily values and even those on a medically restrictive diet.
On the other hand, beef stock and homemade chicken stock are typically cooked for a shorter period and focus more on extracting flavors rather than nutrients. If you’re looking for a nice broth for sipping or a soup base, a simple homemade chicken broth or batch of bone broth will be a great option for its light flavor. However, if you’re after the best bone broth for its health benefits, go for the deeper, more nutrient-dense homemade beef bone broth or homemade slow cooker bone broth made with enough bones from your local butcher or local grocery store.
💞 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Effortless Prep: With just a crock pot and a handful of ingredients, this recipe requires minimal hands-on time.
- Rich and Nourishing: Packed with nutrients like collagen, amino acids, and connective tissues, this broth supports skin health and immunity.
- Customizable: Adapt the recipe with your favorite herbs, spices, or animal bones to suit your taste.
- Cost-Effective: Make the most of leftover bones and vegetable trimmings.
- Versatile Use: Sip it as a cozy drink, or use it to elevate homemade soups, sauces, and grains.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Store it in the fridge or freezer for meal prep convenience.
🍴Ingredients
This recipe is designed to be versatile, so rather than providing a strictly prescriptive list, I’ve included a few mandatory ingredients (because, after all, you can’t make good bone broth without bones!) along with optional ingredients. These are items you might already have on hand or enjoy the flavor of, allowing you to customize the broth to your liking. Feel especially free to use ingredients that are past their prime—just make sure there’s nothing moldy in there. A slightly squishy bell pepper, for example, can add some interesting flavor!
Mandatory:
- Set of roasted chicken bones from a whole chicken, several roasted beef bones, pork bones, or raw animal bones
- Apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, lemon juice or wine (the acid helps extract nutrients from the bones)
- 10-12 cups of water
Optional:
- Carrots, roughly chopped
- Celery stalks, roughly chopped
- Small onions, quartered
- Cloves of crushed garlic
- Tablespoon herbs de Provence
- Sprigs of fresh Thyme
- Bay leaf
- Black peppercorns
- Salt to taste (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
🍳 Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Bones
If using raw soup bones, marrow bones, or neck bones, roast them in the oven at 400°F (200°C) for 20-30 minutes to enhance the extra flavor. If you are using a rotisserie chicken or roasted chicken, you can skip this step.
Step 2: Assemble Ingredients
Place the bones, vegetables, apple cider vinegar, and herbs in your crock pot.
Step 3: Add Water
Pour in enough water to cover the bones and vegetables, leaving about an inch of space at the top to maintain the proper water level.
Step 4: Cook
Set your slow cooker to low and cook for 12-24 hours. The longer it cooks, the richer the homemade broth will be.
Step 3: Strain
Once cooked, strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a large bowl. Discard the solids.
Step 4: Store
Let the broth cool, then transfer it to jars or containers. Refrigerate Crock Pot Bone Broth for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Hint:Adding apple cider vinegar helps draw out minerals like calcium and magnesium from the bones, giving your broth extra nutritional value. You can also use a cup of wine, but you want something with acid. Don’t skip this step!
📋 Substitutions
- Use any mix of bones you prefer, such as turkey bones or pork bones.
- Swap herbs de Provence for fresh thyme or rosemary for a different flavor profile.
♨ Variations
- Spicy Bone Broth: Add a few slices of ginger and a dash of red pepper flakes for a warming kick.
- Herbaceous Broth: Toss in extra fresh herbs like dill or basil during the last hour of cooking.
- Vegetarian Broth: Replace the bones with mushrooms and seaweed for a plant-based alternative.
🍴Equipment
- Large Slow Cooker
- Fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth
- Roasting pan (if roasting bones)
- Storage containers or jars
🍲Storage
Store the Crock Pot Bone Broth in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze in freezer-safe containers or silicone molds for easy portioning.
Tips for Making the Best Bone Broth
Creating the best bone broth is all about patience and preparation. Whether you’re making chicken bone broth or homemade beef bone broth, start with bare bones or marrow bones for optimal results. For a quicker method, use an Instant pot or a pressure cooker, which can reduce the time to just an hour bone broth while still delivering great taste.
Freeze a big batch in portions for personal consumption or to use in crockpot recipes or a favorite chicken recipe.
Finally, explore different ways to incorporate your broth. Whether you use it as a soup base, for homemade chicken broth, or simply sip it on its own, it’s one of the most versatile ingredients you can make at home.
⭐ Top Tip
For a clearer broth, avoid stirring the mixture while it’s cooking. This helps keep the broth free of impurities and sediment.
💭 FAQ
You can freeze bone broth for up to 6 months in airtight, freezer-safe containers. Make sure to leave some space at the top of the container to allow for expansion.
The protein content in bone broth can vary depending on the type and amount of bones used, but it typically contains about 6-10 grams of protein per cup.
Allow the bone broth to cool completely before pouring it into freezer-safe containers or silicone molds. Label the containers with the date and freeze flat if using resealable bags for easier storage.
Bone broth lasts up to 5 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. If frozen, it can last up to 6 months.
The best bones are those with lots of connective tissues, like chicken feet, wing tips, and marrow bones.
👪 Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍶 Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Bone Broth:
📖 The Cookbook Inspiration
This recipe is inspired by the principles of nutrient-dense cooking found in cookbooks like Broth and Stock from the Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruther. I learned so much about making broths by reading her book. For more ideas, explore her book for additional recipes and tips on using bone broth in everyday meals. This is a simplified version of a couple of recipe combined into what was easy for me to make, but you need this book if you are regularly making broths or stocks.
📚 Cookbook Pairings
Interested in baking cookbooks? Check these out!
📖 Recipe
Crock Pot Bone Broth
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth
- Roasting Pan (if roasting bones)
- Storage containers
Ingredients
Mandatory
- 3 lb animal bones Can come from one roasted chicken, several roasted beef bones or raw chicken or beef bones.
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or Cup of Wine
- 10-12 cup water
Optional
- 2 Carrot roughly chopped
- 2 Celery stalk roughly chopped
- 2 Onion small, quartered
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence
- 1 sprig Thyme
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon Black peppercorns
- salt to taste, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the Bones: If using raw bones, roast them in the oven at 400°F (200°C) for 20-30 minutes to enhance the flavor. If you are using a roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken, you can skip this step.
- Assemble Ingredients: Place the bones, vegetables, apple cider vinegar, and herbs in your crock pot.
- Add Water: Pour in enough water to cover the bones and vegetables, leaving about an inch of space at the top.
- Cook: Set your crock pot to low and cook for 12-24 hours. The longer it cooks, the richer the broth will be.
- Strain: Once cooked, strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a large bowl. Discard the solids.
- Store: Let the broth cool, then transfer it to jars or containers. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Use any mix of bones you prefer, such as turkey or pork.
- Swap herbs de Provence for fresh thyme or rosemary for a different flavor profile.
- For a clearer broth, avoid stirring the mixture while it’s cooking. This helps keep the broth free of impurities and sediment.
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