Instant Pot Bone Broth (AIP)

As the weather begins to cool off and we enter into the second half of Fall, you’re no doubt starting to make soups and stews a regular part of your meal rotation!  Especially when you feel a seasonal cold coming on!

Soup is a classic choice to soothe sickness, but what if there was something even more nourishing than soup to help heal and restore your body?  That something is called bone broth and I’ve started drinking it every day as part of my healing process, which you can read more about in my previous blog posts here and here.

Today, I’m sharing an Instant Pot Bone Broth recipe with you because it cuts the cooking time of normal bone broth WAY down.  (Don’t fret – if you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can adapt this recipe for a crockpot!)  Whether you need assistance with autoimmune issues (like me) or just want something warm and comforting to sip on this Fall and Winter, this Instant Pot Bone Broth is for you!

What is bone broth and why should I drink it?  And, what in the world is an Instant Pot?!

Let me explain.

For those who’ve never heard of bone broth and are kind of freaked out by the name (like I was!), think of it like a soup stock or soup broth.  The difference, though, is that bone broth is made from high quality animal bones that are cooked for a long time in water so that the gelatin, collagen, and amino acids from the bones are released into the resulting broth.  This nutrient-dense broth can help in repairing and restoring gut lining, improving the skin, supporting the joints, and boosting the immune system.  In short, it packs quite a punch for your health!

For more helpful info on the benefits of bone broth, check out this great article by Dr. Josh Axe.

So, let me share more about this Instant Pot that I’ve totally fallen in love with! It’s the latest in pressure cooking technology and it’s AMAZING.  If you’re not familiar with pressure cooking, it’s essentially the opposite of slow cooking.  The pressure in the cooking chamber builds up and it can cook stews and large pieces of meat in a fraction of the time that it would normally take, but the result is the awesome texture and flavor that a slow cooker gives.

As if that wasn’t benefit enough, the Instant Pot can also slow-cook and sauté and has settings for making soups, chili, stew, poultry, porridge, rice, grains, and even yogurt!  It seriously seems too good to be true, but I assure you, it’s for real.

This handy appliance helped me survive a 2-week stint on the GAPS diet, which is basically all soups, stews, and bone broth. While a traditional slow-cooker makes bone broth in 24-48 hours, the Instant Pot can make bone broth from start to finish in about 4 hours!  I could also make stews and cook whole chickens in 35 minutes!  It’s a life-saver!

You’ll have to try the Instant Pot out for yourself to truly be impressed, so go grab one on Amazon or add it to your Christmas wish list!  (I purchased the 6-Quart model with the yogurt function, but there are several sizes and varieties to suit your cooking needs.)

All this said, let me walk you through your first batch of Instant Pot Bone Broth.  And, like I mentioned earlier, you can still enjoy this recipe with a slow-cooker, if you’re not ready to jump on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet!

You’ll want to start out by sourcing high quality, organic soup bones.  I made this recipe using grass-fed beef bones, but you could also use chicken or turkey bones.  Whatever bones you find should be organic, so try ordering from a local farm.  If you don’t have that option, you can also order bones online from US Wellness Meats.  You’ll want close to 3 pounds of bones for one recipe of bone broth.

The key to a more delicious, flavorful broth is to roast the soup bones before cooking them.  Trust me on this!  Don’t skip roasting the bones.  I’ve taken that shortcut and the result was a very gamey taste that wasn’t enjoyable to drink.  Roast the bones at 425 degrees for 45 minutes, or longer, if your bones are frozen.

While the bones are roasting, chop up some aromatic veggies and herbs to flavor the broth.  You can leave these out entirely and just cook the bones in plain water, but I like flavoring and seasoning my broth.  I used onion, carrot, celery, ginger, and some rosemary, thyme, and garlic.  Plus, a splash of apple cider vinegar and a little hint of anti-inflammatory turmeric and sea salt.

Once the bones are roasted, add them into the Instant Pot bowl with the veggies.  Then, fill the pot up with filtered water, about an inch or two below the Max Fill line.  I used the “4 L” marker as a guide.  If using a crockpot, fill up to about 2 inches below the top.  (You’ll know you used the right amount of water if your finished bone broth turns to gel in the refrigerator.  If it’s still liquid when chilled, then use less water next time so that you have a more concentrated amount of gelatin in each batch.)

Make sure the bones are all or mostly covered with water and set the stainless still inner pot into the Instant Pot base.  Close the lid and make sure the steam valve is set to “Sealed.”  This will keep the pressure in.  Press the Manual button on the Instant Pot and make sure the pressure is set to “High Pressure.” Adjust the cooking time to 120 minutes.  Then, let it go!  The Instant Pot will beep a few times and automatically start.  It will take some time for the pressure to build up inside the pot, but once it does, the timer will begin at 120 and count down.

For slow-cookers, you’ll cook the broth on High for 4 hours, then set it to Low for 24-48 hours.

Once the Instant Pot finishes cooking, it will automatically switch to the “Keep Warm” function.  Let it stay on the warming function for an additional 1.5 to 2 hours so that the pressure that built up can be released naturally, rather than manually releasing the pressure valve.  You’ll see when the pressure is released by a small silver button that goes down on the top of the lid.  Once the pressure is released, turn the Instant Pot off and open the lid.  The broth will be very hot, so be careful!

Pull out the bones and pick off any meat that you find to save for other uses.  Strain out the veggies and herbs with a strainer.  Then, pour the golden broth through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer into wide-mouth mason jars.  You’ll end up with about 8-10 cups of broth, so make sure you have enough containers to hold it all!

Let the broth cool off for a bit, then cap the mason jars and refrigerate or freeze them.  Once they’re chilled, the beef tallow (fat) will rise to the top and solidify.  You can actually save this to use for cooking or break off small pieces and heat it with the broth.

There you have it!  Healing, nourishing, delicious broth that will soothe and comfort you all during cold season this Fall and Winter.  Whenever I heat up a cup, I add in an extra pinch of sea salt, ginger, and turmeric to my glass.  You can season it however you like!

Since I began drinking bone broth each day, I’ve completely given up my morning coffee in place of this broth!  Weird, I know, but it’s interesting how our tastes can change with new health habits. 🙂  I challenge you to try sipping some of my Instant Pot Bone Broth, or at least save it to use in place of stock in your soups and stews!  Enjoy!

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