Learn how to make rich, nourishing slow cooker bone broth at home with just a few simple ingredients. This easy set-it-and-forget-it recipe simmers low and slow for maximum flavor and gut-healing collagen.
So many recipes benefit from the deep flavor of broth and it's nutrients-including Black Pepper Chicken, French Onion Pasta, and this Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole.
If you love making your ingredients from scratch so you can do quality control, check out this Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup!
🔍 Quick Look: Slow Cooker Bone Broth
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: Up to 48 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: Up to 48 hours and 10 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 6 quarts
- 📊 Calories: ~35
- 🔥 Cook Method: Slow Cooker
- 👩🍳 Main Ingredients: Beef bones, water.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
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Why You'll Love This Broth
- Nutritious: It's full of collagen and minerals.
- Dietary friendly: You get to control the sodium and ingredients!
Needed Ingredients
- Bones-You can use leftover bones from your your chicken and beef dinners, but raw bones are the best! They'll give you plenty of collage, vitamins, and minerals. You can use chicken paws as well!
- Veggies-My go-to veggies for making broth are carrots, onion, and garlic. There's a lot of leeway however, it really comes down to what you prefer!
Variations
Try these different veggie and herb options:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Celery
- Carrots
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Bay Leaves
- Tomatoes
- Jalapenos
- Peppers
- Black Peppercorns
How to Make Slow Cooker Bone Broth
- Step 1: Combine all spices of the chopped veggies, spices, and herbs together in a crockpot.
- Step 2: Pour water onto the veggies and bones and cook for up to 24 hours on low.
- Step 3: Skim out any impurities or foam that's risen to the top.
- Step 4: Remove the bones and all the veggies with tongs or a spoon, or strain it into a large bowl before using.
Benefits and Nutrients of Bone Broth
One of the most well-known benefits of bone broth is how good it is for gut health and digestion. It's a natural remedy for leaky gut, as it's full of L-Glutamine and collagen and helps to seal the gut lining.
It's also rich in glucosamine and proteglycans.
According to Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, bone broth has all of the macrominerals such as sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus potassium, and sulphur "available in ready-to-use ionized form as a true electrolyte solution."
Because of this I'm always looking to add more broth into my diet!
- Broth for soup
- Base for homemade gravy
- Use instead of water when cooking rice
- Add to dog's food for digestion health
- Use for a broth fast
Storage and Reheating
Allow the strained broth to cool completely, then seal it or place it in an airtight container.
If in the fridge, you'll notice that a layer of fat may harden on top. This serves as a seal for the broth (if there's enough of it to completely cover the liquid), and it will allow you to keep your broth much longer in the fridge!
If there isn't enough fat on top to fully seal it, only keep your broth for up to 3-5 days. If you want it longer, take it out and bring it to a boil to make it last another 3 days.
Note that if you're broth turns to gel when cooled, that's completely normal. That just means your broth has a lot of gelatin in it, which is healthy for you! Your hair, skin, and nails will certainly appreciate that!
Slow Cooker Bone Broth FAQ'S
You would NOT want to include potatoes, leafy greens, or cabbage. These ingredients can make your broth bitter tasting.
Yes, and it will affect the flavor! It can become bitter. While some people say you can leave the broth for up to 72 hours, it does seem to lose it's flavor or become slightly bitter, and more so beyond that.
Slow cooking is the way to go. You get the most nutrients possible, while in pressure cooking it's possible to lose some nutrients from the high temperature needed to cook so quickly.
You can actually reuse them to make a lighter, clearer broth! You can also eat the marrow out of them, and toss them when you're done after.
Suggested Ways to Use this Broth
If you tried this Slow Cooker Bone Broth recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Slow Cooker Bone Broth
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 2+ lbs. beef bones or chicken.
- water enough to cover bones
- 2 onions quartered
- 1 bulb garlic smashed
- 4 carrots rough chopped
- 4 stalks celery rough chopped
Instructions
- Place the bones in the slow cooker.
- Wash and chop veggies and add to the slow cooker.
- Pour in at least enough water to cover, if not more
- Place the slow cooker on high and cook for 12-48 hours.
- Skim off any froth that appears on top.
- Strain out the bones and veggies.
- Allow to cool then store in the fridge or freezer!
Video
Notes
- Richer Flavor: You can roast the bones first if you'd like! Roast at 400F for 30-45 minutes.
- Freeze: This broth freezes extremely well! Let it cool then place into mason jars, leaving some space at the top, before placing it in the freeer.
- Sipping: Want to just sip on some bone broth? Add some curry powder for an amazing, almost ramen like flavor, then salt to taste!
Katie says
My favorite thing about this broth is that I don’t have to watch it on the stovetop all day! Super easy.
Rachel Rivera says
I love that too! It takes longer but it's so much easier this way!