Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth

Homemade bone broth is an all-day affair - literally! But not in the Instant Pot. This Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth recipe produces fantastic results in a fraction of the time over stovetop preparations.

What is Beef Bone Broth?

Beef bone broth consists of beef bones that are boiled in water until they release their nutrients. The result is a savory broth that is slightly gelatinous, resulting from the release of collagen. Making bone broth can be a time-consuming process on the stovetop, but can be sped up with an Instant Pot (or another type of pressure cooker). 

Why all the hype? And what can I use Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth for?

Homemade bone broth has enjoyed its time in the foodie spotlight, and for good reason. 

It’s delicious, easy to make, and the flavor is customizable. You can use pork bones, veal bones, chicken bones, etc. instead of beef bones. Or use a mix of any/all of the above! Plus, you are using parts of an animal that may not otherwise be used. Go you.

You can add veggies to the mix, or leave them out. Same goes for seasonings. 

Plus, the time commitment involved, though considerably less with an Instant Pot involved, provides an appreciation for the effort involved in making a good bone broth. 

I’m not gonna comment on the purported health benefits as I’m not a nutritionist, but bone broth has been widely touted as beneficial for hair, skin, and nail health due to the collagen (protein) in it. Whether you drink it on its own to soak up the benefits or want to use it as a fabulous soup base, this simple recipe produces excellent, great-tasting results.

My Instant Pot

I find it important to share that the Instant Pot I am using in this recipe is an 8-quart model. This is the exact Instant Pot I own - I highly recommend it!

Pre-Roasting your Beef Bones

While this Beef Bone Broth recipe is to be made primarily with your Instant Pot, I do highly recommend roasting your bones in the oven first. This adds complexity to the resulting broth and is well worth the time investment, so I include the steps here.

How do you make Beef Bone Broth in the Instant Pot?

I kept this Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth recipe short and simple - no added seasonings or veggies. Just beefy bones, water, apple cider vinegar (which aids in mineral release), and a teeny tiny amount of salt.

Note: This recipe yields 16-17 cups of broth. I used an 8-quart Instant Pot to make this beef bone broth. If using a 6-quart Instant Pot, you may need to adjust the amount of water added so that you don't go above the max fill line.

INGREDIENTS  

• beef bones (I used meaty ones)
• apple cider vinegar
• water, filtered (in an 8-quart Instant Pot, this is just below the max fill line)
• salt

See the recipe at the bottom of the page for ingredient quantities.

INSTRUCTIONS 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange your beef bones on a large baking sheet. 

Roast beef bones for 30-35 minutes on the top oven rack. 

Add roasted beef bones (along with drippings from the pan), 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 16 cups of filtered water, and 1 teaspoon of salt to your Instant Pot (I used an 8-quart model; reduce the amount of water if using a 6-quart to ensure you don’t go over the max fill line). 

Seal the lid and set your Instant Pot to High Pressure cook for 2 hours. The Instant Pot will take around 30 minutes to begin cooking.

When the 2 hours are up, leave it alone for 90 minutes to naturally release the pressure. If you want to hurry up the process, release after 30-45 minutes (there will still be a significant amount of pressure to let off). 

Fill your sink with ice. Remove the interior pot from your Instant Pot and nestle in the ice. For safety reasons, it’s best to cool off your bone broth as quickly as possible.

Once cool, transfer the beef bone broth to lidded containers (like Mason jars) for storage. Strain over a fine-mesh sieve to filter the bones and other chunks out. I prefer to finish chilling in the refrigerator, then skim the solidified fat off the top before deciding the beef bone broth's final destination - fridge or freezer. 

Store the beef bone broth in the refrigerator for up to five days or freeze for up to three months. 

NOTES

• I used water that was filtered in a Brita pitcher.
• Apple cider vinegar is supposed to help release minerals from the bones.

Equipment

For this super easy Bone Broth, you will need the following equipment:

• Instant Pot (or another electric pressure cooker) - I use an 8-quart Instant Pot
• Baking sheet
• Fine-mesh sieve
• Mason jars (or other lidded containers for storage)

Learn more about making bone broth in your Instant Pot

This is the best, most comprehensive guide to Instant Pot Bone Broth I’ve come across - and it includes directions on including veggies in your broth. My version of Instant Pot Bone Broth was inspired by this one, but I wanted to keep mine as simple and straightforward as possible; so easy you could memorize the recipe.

Quick Beef Broth Add-Ins

You can of course tweak this basic Beef Bone Broth to give it more flavor. Here are a few tasty and recommended additions:

• Black and/or pink peppercorns
• Dried herbs like rosemary or thyme
• Cloves
• Bay leaves
• Roasted vegetables, like carrots, peppers, and onions
• Garlic cloves

What can you use homemade Beef Bone Broth for?

Homemade Beef Bone Broth has SO many great uses; here are a few to get you started.

• Soup! An obvious choice, but worth mentioning! Try this 4-Ingredient Potato Soup and this Instant Pot Pinto Bean Soup.
• Gravy, mmm
• Drink it! It's good for you!
• Use it to flavor rice (like in this Instant Pot Basmati Rice), quinoa, and other grains while they cook

Want more Instant Pot Recipes?

• Instant Pot Spanish Rice
• Instant Pot Basmati Rice
• Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth
• Instant Pot Pinto Bean Soup
• Instant Pot Turkey Breast

Have an Air Fryer Lid for your Instant Pot? Try these Air Fryer Recipes!

• Air Fryer Pickle Spears
• Air Fryer Adobo Chicken
• Smoky Air Fryer Chickpeas
• Air Fryer Walleye
• Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
• Crispy Air Fryer Tacos

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