How to Make Your Own Bone Broth at Home: A Complete Guide

Bone broth has become a kitchen staple for good reason. It's rich, savory, and packed with nutrients that support your joints, gut, and overall wellness. While you can buy quality options like EPIC's bone broth, making your own at home lets you control the ingredients, customize the flavor, and save money—all while filling your kitchen with a comforting aroma.

In this guide, we'll walk you through how to make bone broth from scratch, whether you prefer a slow cooker or stovetop method. You'll get a foolproof recipe, storage tips, and flavor variations, plus honest advice on what to expect from the process.

Why Make Bone Broth at Home?

Homemade bone broth offers several advantages over store-bought versions. You choose the bones, the vegetables, and the seasonings, so you control the sodium and avoid additives. Plus, simmering bones at home extracts maximum collagen and minerals, giving you a richer broth than many commercial options.

Bone broth benefits include supporting joint health, improving digestion, and providing a source of protein and minerals like calcium and magnesium. While you can buy convenient cartons like EPIC's bone broth, making your own allows you to use leftover bones from roasts or whole chickens, reducing waste and maximizing value.

• Save money by using bones you'd otherwise discard
• Customize flavor with your favorite herbs and vegetables
• Control salt and avoid preservatives

Choosing the Right Bones

The best bone broth comes from a mix of bones: marrow bones for richness, knuckles or feet for collagen, and meaty bones for flavor. Beef marrow bones, chicken carcasses, or oxtails are all excellent choices. If you're a fan of EPIC's Smoked Salmon Snack Strips, you might also experiment with fish bones for a lighter broth.

Ask your butcher for bones, or save them from your own cooking. Grass-fed and pasture-raised bones yield a more nutritious and flavorful broth. Aim for about 2-3 pounds of bones for a 4-quart batch. If you're new to bone broth, start with a mix of beef and chicken bones for a balanced taste.

• Marrow bones add richness and flavor
• Knuckles and feet provide extra gelatin and collagen
• Ask for grass-fed bones from a local butcher for best results

How to Make Bone Broth in a Slow Cooker

The slow cooker is the hands-off way to make homemade bone broth. Place your bones in a large slow cooker (or crock pot), add 12 cups of cold water, and include a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. The vinegar helps draw minerals from the bones. Add vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, and herbs like thyme or bay leaves.

Set the cooker to low and let it simmer for 24–48 hours. The longer it cooks, the darker and more concentrated the broth becomes. Once done, strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve, discard solids, and cool. You'll notice it gels when refrigerated, a sign of high collagen.

• Use low heat—never boil—to keep the broth clear and mellow
• Cooking for 24 hours is ideal, but 12 hours works if you're short on time
• Let the broth cool completely before storing to avoid spoilage

Stovetop Method for Faster Results

If you don't have a slow cooker, you can easily make bone broth on the stovetop. Bring the bones, water, vinegar, and aromatics to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Keep the pot partially covered and skim off any foam that rises during the first hour. This helps yield a clearer broth.

Stovetop broth typically needs 12–24 hours. Check the water level periodically to ensure bones stay covered. Once finished, strain and cool as you would with the slow cooker method. The stovetop is great if you prefer to monitor the process and adjust seasonings as it simmers.

• Skim foam for a cleaner, more polished broth
• Top up with hot water if bones become exposed
• Use a heavy-bottomed pot to maintain even heat

Flavor Variations and Uses

Basic bone broth is great on its own, but you can customize it to suit your tastes. For a smoky flavor, add a chipotle pepper or smoked paprika. For a ramen-style broth, include garlic, ginger, and a dash of tamari. You can also add roasted bones for a deeper, richer color and flavor—simply roast them at 400°F for 30 minutes before simmering.

Use your homemade broth as a base for soups, stews, or grains like quinoa and rice. You can sip it warm with a pinch of salt and pepper, or add it to sauces for extra depth. Store it in the fridge for up to five days, or freeze in portions. If you prefer convenience, EPIC's bone broth is a great backup, but homemade offers unbeatable taste and cost-effectiveness.

For a quick snack pairing, consider serving your broth alongside EPIC's Pork Rinds Variety Pack for a crispy, low-carb scoop—or use Beef Tallow to sear bones for extra flavor.

• Roast bones at 400°F for 30 minutes to add caramelized depth
• Try ginger and lemongrass for an Asian-inspired twist
• Freeze broth in ice cube trays for easy portioning

Tips for a Rich, Gelatinous Broth

A great bone broth should gel when chilled, indicating high collagen content. To achieve this, choose bones with plenty of connective tissue, like chicken feet or beef knuckles. Simmer low and slow—never boil—so collagen doesn't break down too much. Adding a little acidic ingredient, like apple cider vinegar, helps extract more gelatin from the bones.

Don't rush the process. Twenty-four hours is a good target for chicken, while beef may benefit from 36 to 48 hours. Keep the water level consistent and let the broth cool untouched. If you don't see a gel, don't worry—it's still nutritious, but you might not have extracted enough collagen. Next time, add a few more joint bones or extend the simmer time.

• Include chicken feet or knuckles for guaranteed gelatin
• Avoid boiling—maintain a gentle simmer for maximum gelatin
• Let the broth cool naturally before refrigerating to improve gel formation

Making bone broth at home is a simple, rewarding process that gives you a nutrient-packed ingredient for sipping or cooking. With our easy homemade bone broth recipe, you can choose your bones, customize flavors, and create a rich broth that rivals any store-bought option. Give it a try, and enjoy the benefits of homemade goodness—any time you're short on time, EPIC's bone broth is a solid alternative to keep in your pantry.