Making your own Low Sodium Bone Broth is a simple way to create a deeply flavorful, nutrient-rich base for soups, stews, or for sipping on its own. This recipe puts you in full control of the ingredients, ensuring a pure and healthy result without the high sodium found in many store-bought versions.
Once you have a batch of this rich, homemade bone broth, you'll have the perfect foundation for countless flavorful meals. Explore our collections of healthy soups, chilis, and stews for delicious ways to put it to use.
BONUS: For quicker and hands-off ways to make this heart-healthy bone broth, scroll down the page to check out how to make it in a slow cooker and pressure cooker.
This homemade bone broth is a healthy choice because it allows you to directly manage the sodium content while maximizing nutritional benefits from quality ingredients.
A mix of bones is ideal. Use a combination of meaty bones like short ribs or shank for flavor, and bones with lots of cartilage and connective tissue like knuckles, joints, and chicken feet to maximize gelatin and collagen.
When cooled and stored properly in an airtight container, homemade bone broth will last for up to one week in the refrigerator. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 3 months.
To enhance gut health benefits, focus on a long, slow simmer (8+ hours) to extract the maximum amount of gelatin and collagen. Including apple cider vinegar in the recipe, as this one does, can also help draw more minerals from the bones.
For most people, drinking a cup of bone broth daily is considered safe and can be a healthy routine. It's a good source of nutrients and hydration. However, you should consult a healthcare provider if you have specific health conditions or concerns.
Homemade bone broth, like this recipe, will almost always have the least amount of sodium because you have complete control over the salt. When buying store-bought broth, always look for versions explicitly labeled "low sodium" or "no salt added" and check the nutrition panel.
If you enjoyed the process of making this nourishing bone broth, you'll love these other healthy soup and stew recipes. Each one is packed with wholesome ingredients and designed to be both comforting and simple to prepare. Explore these dishes to expand your collection of go-to healthy meals.
Beyond soups and broths, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is all about finding delicious and satisfying main courses. This collection features some of our favorite heart-healthy dishes that are perfect for any night of the week. From one-pan meals to lighter takes on classic comfort food, these recipes make healthy eating a delight.
The main differences are the ingredients used and the cooking time.
The Bone Broth Diet is a popular eating plan that combines principles of intermittent fasting and a low-carb, whole-foods diet with the regular consumption of bone broth. Proponents believe this approach can offer benefits for weight management, gut health, and skin vitality. A typical bone broth diet plan involves a weekly cycle where you eat healthily for five days and conduct a bone broth fast for two days.
On the five "non-fasting" days of this diet with bone broth, you consume balanced meals consisting of whole foods like lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables, and healthy fats, while avoiding dairy, grains, sugar, and processed foods. On the two "fasting" days, you abstain from solid food and exclusively drink several servings of nutrient-dense bone broth throughout the day to stay hydrated and nourished.
Is the bone broth diet healthy, and what are the benefits?Proponents claim the diet can be healthy for some people when followed correctly for a short period. The potential benefits are often linked to the nutritional content of bone broth (like collagen and amino acids) and the calorie restriction from the fasting days. These benefits may include improved gut health, reduced inflammation, better skin elasticity, and joint support.
Can I just drink bone broth to lose weight?While a bone broth fast creates a significant calorie deficit that can lead to short-term weight loss, drinking only bone broth is not a balanced or sustainable long-term weight loss strategy. The structured plan combines fasting days with days of eating nutritious, whole-food meals. Lasting weight management is best achieved through balanced eating habits and a healthy lifestyle.
What is the 7-day or 21-day bone broth diet?These refer to the duration of the diet plan. The 7-day bone broth diet is a common introductory cycle, consisting of five days of eating whole foods and two fasting days. The 21-day bone broth diet is a longer-term plan that typically involves repeating this weekly cycle three times to establish a routine and potentially see more significant results.
Disclaimer: The Bone Broth Diet involves significant changes to your eating habits and may not be suitable for everyone, especially those with pre-existing health conditions. It is essential to check with your doctor or a registered dietitian before starting a bone broth diet or any new restrictive eating plan.
Recipe yields 8 servings
Roast Raw Bones: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place raw broken up carcass on prepared baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes. Note: To save time, use bones from two (2) rotisserie chickens to be able to skip the roasting process.
Prepare the Liquids: Place roasted bones and any juices into an 8-quart stockpot. Add filtered water, apple cider vinegar and salt to stock pot. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Using a spoon, skim off any impurities. Cover and simmer on low for 4 hours.
Add Vegetables and Flavoring Agents: Remove lid and skim off any foam and impurities. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, ginger, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Cover and continue simmering another 2 to 10 hours (Note: duration of cook time will determine how marrow-rich the broth will be). Be sure not to bring broth to a hard boil or it will look foggy.
Strain the Broth: Place a large pot in the sink and set a large fine mesh sieve in the pot. Strain broth through the sieve into the pot, extracting as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Cool broth to room temperature, transfer to large mason jars or airtight containers and refrigerate. The next day, scrape any fat off the top and discard it.
To Store: Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Broth will thicken as it cools, but will liquify when reheated. To freeze, be sure to transfer broth into freezer-safe containers, leaving room for expansion as it freezes. Store frozen for up to 3 months. When using after being frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or heat while frozen. Be sure to bring to a rolling boil before consuming.
While the traditional stovetop method yields fantastic results, it requires several hours of simmering and attention. If you prefer a more hands-off approach or need to speed up the process, a slow cooker or an electric pressure cooker are excellent alternatives. Both methods will produce a similarly rich and nutrient-dense broth with slight adjustments to timing.
Add roasted bones and juices to a 6-quart slow cooker or crockpot. Add 12 cups of warm filtered water along with apple cider vinegar and salt. Set slow cooker on low and cook for 10 to 15 hours.
Halfway through cooking, add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, ginger, bay leaf and peppercorns and continue cooking on low. Follow the same straining and storage instructions as the stovetop instructions.
Add roasted bones and juices into a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, ginger, bay leaf, peppercorns, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Add 10 to 12 cups of filtered water, until max fill line is reached.
Cook on high pressure for 2 hours. When cooking is complete, wait 30 minutes for Instant Pot to depressurize, then release pressure. Follow the same straining and storage instructions as the stovetop instructions.
While this recipe uses a chicken carcass, you can easily substitute with beef marrow bones, a leftover turkey carcass, or a mix of different bones for a more complex flavor. If using beef bones, roasting them for 30-40 minutes will yield a deeper, richer taste.
To make a completely salt-free broth, simply omit the Kosher salt. The flavor will come entirely from the roasted bones and vegetables.
You can add other vegetable scraps you have on hand, like leek tops, parsnips, or mushroom stems. Avoid using cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or cabbage, as they can make the broth taste bitter.
If you do not have apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon of lemon juice will serve the same purpose of helping to extract minerals from the bones.
Customize the flavor by adding other aromatics during the last few hours of simmering. A few sprigs of fresh parsley, thyme, or a star anise pod can add a new dimension to the broth.
Now that you have a batch of delicious homemade chicken bone broth, put it to good use as a flavorful base in your favorite meals. These recipes showcase how a quality broth can elevate everything from classic comfort food to exciting noodle bowls.