Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth

Learn how to make beef bone broth in the Instant Pot with this easy and fast (for bone broths!) recipe. Not only is it hearty and tasty, but this Instant Pot beef bone broth is super nutritious and can be used in multiple dishes from stews and soups to gravy and mashed potatoes. Plus, it takes just under 5 hours instead of 12-24 hours on the stovetop or slow cooker. 

What Is Bone Broth?

Bone broth is a nutrient-dense stock made from cooking marrow and collagen-rich animal bones (beef, chicken, turkey, pork) in water for an extended period of time. Vegetables like celery, carrots and onions, as well as seasonings, herbs and garlic are often added for flavor. Apple cider vinegar is also used to help break down the proteins and connective tissues in the bones and meat. 

Properly cooked bone broth is nourishing, restorative and healing, packed with age-defying collagen and minerals. You know it's good by how gelatinous it is when cooled. To get all the goodies and gelatin out of those bones, you normally have to cook the bones in the broth for 12-24 hours on the stovetop or in a slow cooker but it's much faster in the Instant Pot.

Unlike stocks or regular cooking broths, which are cooked for shorter periods of time, bone broth is more nutrient-dense and more gelatinous when cooled, however, some stocks can also have a jelly-like consistency depending on the bones/meat used. 

Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth

The beauty of using the Instant Pot to make beef bone broth (or chicken bone broth) is that you only need 4-5 hours instead of 12 to 24 hours. Plus, you don't lose any liquid during cooking due to evaporation which happens on the stovetop, in which case you often need to add extra water to the broth. 

Cooking beef bones, which are slightly larger and hardier requires around 4 hours on HIGH pressure, while chicken bone broth only takes 3 hours as the bones are smaller and more brittle. 

This Instant Pot beef bone broth recipe is easy and can be made on regular basis to make sure you always have a batch of broth in the fridge or freezer. After all, there are many ways you can use bone broth to get all those extra nutrients and collagen into your diet. 

Ways To Use Up Beef Bone Broth

• Simply sip a cup of bone broth in the mornings or as a quick snack, especially great when you're feeling under the weather.
• Mix in a teaspoon of miso for a little Japanese soup or stir in a little garlic, pepper or scallions.
• Use it as a base for a delicious and nutritious gravy!
• Use bone broth any time you would regular stock or water: stews, soups, ramens, casseroles, stuffing and so on.
• Add a little bone broth to mashed potatoes or scramble eggs; cook your veggies in bone broth instead of water.
• Great to make baby food with a little bone broth for extra nutrition.
• Salt-free bone broth can even be added to smoothies!

What You'll Need

Here is a quick overview of the ingredients you will need to make the broth: 

• Beef bones: knuckles, joints, feet, marrow bones, we love using meaty bones like oxtail, shank and short ribs as well for added flavor. You can use a mix of bones and we recommend choosing some that have a little bit of meat on them. We used 2 pounds /1 kg but you can make a larger batch. We usually do 3 cups of water for 1 pound of bones. 
• Vegetables: onion, carrots and celery is the standard combo.
• Flavors: garlic, bay leaves, whole black peppercorns (or ground pepper is also fine). You can also add cinnamon sticks, herbs like rosemary, sage or thyme, whole star anise. Salt and pepper to taste, we often make the broth with just a little salt and you can add it later in dishes you use it in or to a bowl before sipping.
• Apple cider vinegar: Adding an acid, like vinegar or lemon juice, to your bones and water will help extract the collagen in the connective tissue that adheres to those bones.

How To Make Beef Bone Broth In Instant Pot

We used a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo but you can easily make this recipe in an 8-quart. Find the full recipe ingredients and a nutritional breakdown below these step-by-step photos.

• Prep. Cut the vegetables into large chunks. You can leave the garlic cloves whole, just peel them. Rinse the bones well to remove any blood or other impurities. 
• Step 2. Set the Instant Pot to Saute (Normal setting) and once hot, add a little oil. Sear the beef bones (in batches if needed) for 1-2 minutes on each side and then on the edges as well. Remove to a plate and press Cancel to stop the Saute function. 

• Step 4. While still hot, pour in a cup of water to deglaze the pot. Use a spatula to scrape off the bits of cooked meat or fat stuck to the bottom, which will remain in the liquid.
• Step 5. Add the bones back to the pot and lay the vegetables around. Add the garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and half a teaspoon of salt. Pour in 5 more cups of water (total of 6 cups, about 1.5 litres) and add the vinegar or lemon juice. You can add a little more water if you want. 

• Step 6. Select the Soup/Broth button and press it a couple of times to cycle through setting options until it says MORE and the time shows 4 hours on HIGH. You can also do this manually by selecting Pressure Cooker, HIGH pressure and adjusting the time to 4 hours but it can be a little tedious to change the time.
• Step 6. Once the time is done, allow the pressure to release naturally. Total time including pressure build-up and release should be about 4.5-5 hours. 
• Step 7. Remove the bones and strain the stock into a large bowl or a separate pot. Pour into clean glass jars or Tupperware containers and cool down before refrigerating or freezing. Store for up to 5 days in the fridge and 4-6 months in the freezer.

Proper bone broth will have gelatinous, wobbly jelly-like consistency once refrigerated. The broth will dissolve into its liquid form once reheated. 

What to do with the fat from bone broth?

Beef bone broth contains a bit of fat which will usually float up to the top. It's nutritious and filling so you can absolutely consume it but if you prefer clean, less fatty broth, then simply refrigerate the liquid for a few hours or overnight and remove the fat layer that will form on the top. This same solidified fat can be used for cooking. If you don't remove the fat layer, it will dissolve into the broth once reheated.

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4.24 from 13 votes

Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth

Hearty and nutritious Instant Pot beef bone broth in just under 5 hours rather than 12-24 hours you would need for stovetop cooking or slow cooking. Get all the health benefits of bone broth by adding it to your meals or simply sipping a cup or two on a regular basis.

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Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time4 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 19kcal

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. beef bones with a little bit of meat on
• 2 carrots
• 1 celery ribs
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves of garic
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• About 6-7 cups water about 1.5 litres

Instructions

• Prep. Cut the vegetables into large chunks. You can leave the garlic cloves whole, just peeled. Rinse the bones well to remove any blood or other impurities.
• Sear the bones. Set the Instant Pot to Saute (Normal setting) and once hot, add a little oil. Sear the beef bones (in batches if needed) for 1-2 minutes on each side and then on the edges as well. Remove to a plate and press Cancel to stop the Saute function. 
• Deglaze. While still hot, pour in a cup of water to deglaze the pot. Use a spatula to scrape off the bits of meat or fat stuck to the bottom, which will remain in the liquid.
• Add all ingredients. Add the bones back to the pot and lay the vegetables around. Add the garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and half a teaspoon of salt. Pour in 5 more cups of water (total of 6 cups, about 1.5 litres) and lemon juice or vinegar. You can add a little more water if you want. 
• Pressure cooker. Select the Soup/Broth button and press it a couple of times to cycle through setting options until it says MORE and the time shows 4 hours on HIGH. You can also do this manually by selecting Pressure Cooker, HIGH pressure and adjusting the time to 4 hours but it can be a little tedious to change the time.
• NPR. Once the time is done, allow the pressure to release naturally. Total time including pressure build-up and release should be about 4.5-5 hours. 
• Strain & store. Remove the bones and strain the stock into a large bowl or a separate pot. Pour into clean glass jars or Tupperware containers and cool down before refrigerating or freezing. 

Notes

• We used a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo but you can easily make this recipe in an 8-quart.
• Proper bone broth will have gelatinous, wobbly jelly-like consistency once refrigerated. Any fat will float and solidify at the top and can be scooped out. The broth and the fat will dissolve into its liquid form once reheated.
• Store for up to 5 days in the fridge and 4-6 months in the freezer. We recommend storing in smaller batches/portions to use up as needed. You can defrost it in the fridge, in a microwave or throw into soups or stews frozen. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 19kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 415mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3407IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.2mg

CourseStock

Cuisinehealthy

Keywordbeef, beef bones, bone broth, Instant Pot, Pressure Cooker, stock

Made this recipe?Mention @instantpoteats or tag #instantpoteats!

Buying Ready-Made Bone Broth

Although we love making homemade bone broth, even with the Instant Pot we don’t always have the time! In this case, we usually buy ready-made bone broth. If you don’t have the time to cook bone broth on a regular basis, you can definitely take advantage of the ready-available brands hitting the market.

For those of you in the United States, make sure to check out the Kettle & Fire brand – they use organic ingredients and grass-fed beef, and their bone broth has a fantastic flavour. They’re also non-frozen and shelf-stable, so you can store a few cartons in your pantry. You can buy their bone broth online AND if you use the promo code cravecollective, you’ll get 15% off your first order.

Related: Kettle and Fire Bone Broth Review: Is this Bone Broth Worth It?