Learn how to make bone broth from beef bones that is delicious, nutritious, and just overall better than anything you can buy at the store.
This step-by-step beef bone broth recipe is the only one you’ll need to fill your freezer with this homestyle recipe staple. Use homemade beef broth for soups, stews, sauces, or enjoy it by the cup!
You are going to love making homemade beef broth from scratch!
My grocery store has half an aisle devoted to broths and stocks in boxes, cans, and jars. These products are convenient, but they can be expensive, and not nearly as delicious as what you can make with this beef bone broth recipe.
You can also enjoy making vegetable stock (the Instant Pot makes it super easy and fast), or learn how to turn your leftover turkey bones into the best homemade turkey stock.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Beef Bone Broth is a versatile recipe starter. Keep this in freezer bags or containers, and you’ll always have rich, flavorful stock on hand to create your favorite meals. Try my Stuffed Pepper Soup or Instant Pot Pot Roast!
Beef Stroganoff Soup is another amazing meal that you can make with this broth recipe.
Bone broth is also a nutritious and healthy food! Inside this simple broth is collagen that is drawn out of the bones while they simmer. Collagen is known to support aging in a number of ways. Amino acids also come from the bones and can be beneficial to your joints and digestive system. You’ll also get vitamins and minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins A and K2, and zinc.
It’s better than boxed broth. Making your own bone broth will be so much less expensive than buying it, and the flavor is much better too. Roasting the bones and vegetables before simmering them makes a world of difference.
Ingredients In Beef Bone Broth
Here’s what you need to make this basic, delicious broth from beef bones:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Vegetables: Carrots, Celery, and Onion add so much flavor to the stock. You don’t even need to peel the carrots, just wash them well!
- Garlic: I love how garlic enhances the flavor of beef and brings a savory sweetness to the pot.
- Beef Bones: I use about 6 pounds or 2.7kg of beef bones to make bone broth in a large 8-quart stock pot. You can make stock with fewer or more bones too, just adjust the other ingredients as needed.
- Fresh Herbs: Sprigs of rosemary and thyme are perfect here.
- Seasonings: Salt, bay leaves, turmeric, paprika, and some whole peppercorns help create this flavorful broth that isn’t too salty. Be sure to use whole peppercorns rather than ground pepper when making stock.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: The acidity from the vinegar helps to soften the bones so that they release all of their nutrients.
How To Make Bone Broth
- Prep Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C while you wash the carrots and celery and cut them into large pieces. Keep the celery leaves, but set them aside for now. Peel and quarter the onion, and separate the garlic cloves.
- Roast: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup) and arrange the beef bones, carrots, celery (not the leaves yet!), onion, and garlic on it. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the bones have some nice color.
- Fill the Stock Pot: Add the roasted bones and vegetables, along with any juices from the pan, to your pot, then add the celery leaves, herbs, apple cider vinegar, and seasonings. Fill the pot with water, being sure to cover the bones completely.
- Simmer: Place the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer for 12-18 hours, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam that comes to the surface. Remove the pot from the heat, let the bone broth cool for 15-30 minutes, then strain it through a mesh sieve into another large container.
- Chill: Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight. The next day, you’ll find that there is a thick layer of fat on top of the pot. Use a spoon to remove this layer, revealing a thick gelatinous bone broth underneath.
- Store: Spoon the broth into jars or other airtight storage containers. Store in the fridge for 4-5 days, or in the freezer until you’re ready to use it.
Tip!
This bone broth process works with pork bones too! Chicken or Turkey bone broth is also made the same way. Once you get this recipe down, you’ll be able to make all varieties of bone broth at home.
Recipe Tips
- Recipe Yield: In the recipe card below, I’m giving you amounts and instructions to make approximately 80 ounces of broth. You can adjust the recipe to make more or less if you like. Because the process of making bone broth is time-consuming, many people will make two pots at one time!
- Start in the Morning: You will need to keep the stock on the stove at a simmer for at least 12 hours, so I suggest starting early so that you have time for it to cool and be put away before bed!
- Talk to your Butcher: A local butcher will often have bones that they will sell to you at a discount rather than throwing them away. You can also ask your butcher to cut up any large bones to expose the marrow and make them easier to fit in your stock pot.
- Save Bones and Scraps: Any time you have steaks or beef roasts with bones in them, save the bones in a freezer container. Do the same with scraps (ends, peels, etc.) from carrots, onions, and celery. When your freezer containers are full, it’s time to simmer some bone broth!
- The Beef Bones Can Be Used Twice: Do this if you want to be extra frugal! Remove the bones from the stock, then add them back to the pot with more water, fresh vegetables, and seasonings to make a second pot of bone broth. This second boil is called a “remouillage”, which means “re-wetting” in French.
- Use your Slow Cooker: To make a smaller amount of beef bone broth, add the ingredients to a crock pot and cook on low for 24-48 hours with the lid slightly open. Add extra water as needed to keep everything covered.
Beef Bone Broth Variations
The seasonings in this recipe are classic and make a beef stock that can be used in any recipe. If you have plans to cook specific dishes, you may want to infuse your broth with vegetables and seasonings that will complement them.
Asian Beef Broth – Make a delicious broth like the one you enjoy in a bowl of Vietnamese Pho by adding ginger, star anise, cinnamon, Thai chilies, turmeric, and scallions.
Mexican Beef Broth – to make amazing Tex-Mex dishes, infuse your stock with dried ancho or guajillo peppers and a bit of cumin and oregano.
Italian Beef Broth – Simply add a chopped tomato (or a bit of tomato paste) and some dried Italian Seasoning to the stock pot with the other ingredients!
Bone Broth Storing Tips
After your bone broth is cooled and you’ve removed the fat from the top of it, the thick, gelatinous beef broth is ready to be used or stored for later use.
Homemade bone broth will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
For longer storage, place it into freezer-safe containers and freeze it for up to 1 year.
What To Make With Homemade Beef Bone Broth
Use bone broth in your favorite soup recipes, or make a delicious Hawaiian-style Beef Stew. Your homemade broth will make it so much more delicious and nutritious!
Beef broth is used as a flavorful ingredient in ground beef stroganoff, Italian beef sandwiches, shredded beef tacos, and American chop suey as well.
Enjoy bone broth as a healthy beverage. It’s packed with collagen, protein, and electrolytes. I like to add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes before sipping.
More Simple Recipe Basics
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FAQs
I haven’t personally preserved bone broth this way, but it can be canned and made shelf-stable using a pressure canner. I suggest following specific instructions from a knowledgeable source on the subject of pressure canning if you’d like to try it!
Yes! Bone broth, broth, and stock can generally be used interchangeably in recipes.
Choose beef bones that are full of marrow and connective tissue. Femur bones work very well, as do knuckle bones and oxtail.
Some will suggest that you blanch (or boil for a few minutes) the bones before roasting them to remove any impurities, blood, etc. I don’t find this entirely necessary. Skim any foam from the top of the stock pot occasionally. That foam is the impurities, and it’s easy to remove as you’re cooking the stock.
Homemade beef bone broth is easy to make and so much better than anything you can buy at the store! Save your beef bones in the freezer, and save this recipe so you’ll have it when you’re ready to make the best bone broth ever.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
How to Make Bone Broth
Equipment
- 8 quart stock pot
- Baking sheet
- Fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 12 oz/340g carrots or about 4 large carrots
- 8 oz/225g celery or about 4 stalks
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 head garlic
- 6 lbs/2.7kg beef bones
- 4-5 dried bay leaves
- 3 large sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 large sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 2 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Water enough to fill the pot, approx 9-10 cups
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C.
- Wash the carrots and celery, then roughly chop them into large pieces, keep the celery leaves but set them aside for now.
- Quarter the onion, and separate the cloves of garlic from the head, you can leave the peels on.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the beef bones, carrots, celery (not the leaves), onion, and garlic on the lined pan.
- Roast the bones and vegetables in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the bones get some nice color.
- Carefully place the bones and vegetables along with any juices from the pan into a large stock pot.
- Add the celery leaves, herbs, seasonings, and apple cider vinegar to the pot, then fill the pot with water. The water should fully cover the bones.
- Place the pot on the stove, and bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes then cover and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Let the bone broth simmer for 12-18 hours, stirring occasionally.
- After 12-18 hours, remove the pot from heat.
- Let the pot cool for 15-30 minutes then strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into another large container with a lid, and transfer the broth to the refrigerator to chill overnight.
- You can choose to either discard the bones and veggies at this point, or you can make a second batch with the same bones, this is called a remouillage. Put them back into the stock pot, fill with water and new seasonings, and simmer the bones again for another 12-18 hours. After the second batch, discard the bones and vegetables.
- After the broth has chilled overnight, there will be a solid layer of fat on the top. Scrape the layer of fat off and discard. The remaining broth will be gelatinous in texture. Spoon it into airtight storage containers, and store in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer until ready to use.
Notes:
- The exact amount of bone broth produced by this recipe will depend on the amount of ingredients that you use and the size of your stock pot. This recipe gives specific amounts for making approximately 80 ounces of stock, but feel free to make more or less.
- The beef bones can be used twice. Remove them from the stock, then add them back to the pot with fresh vegetables and seasonings to make a second pot (a remouillage).
- The best bones for bone broth will be those with plenty of marrow and connective tissue, such as femur bones, knuckle bones, and oxtail.
- Ask the butcher to cut large bones into smaller pieces to expose the marrow.
- Other seasonings can be added. Try ginger, clove, peppers, turmeric, and scallions to make broth that’s ready to use in your favorite Asian dishes, or add dried ancho peppers, cumin, and oregano for a Mexican spin.
- To enjoy as a beverage, heat up a cup of bone broth and season with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
- To store: Bone broth can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days, or for up to 1 year in a deep freezer.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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