I’ve been making my own bone broth every week since December 2024. It started almost by accident, I kept seeing people talk about it on Instagram, got curious, did some research, and decided to try it. After testing a few recipes and tweaking things along the way, I’m sharing with you today my go-to version: simple, affordable, and honestly better than anything you’ll find in powder form at the store. The kind of thing you can easily work into your daily routine.
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What is bone broth?
Bone broth is a rich liquid made by simmering bones, usually chicken, beef or pork, with vegetables and aromatics for several hours. The long, slow cooking process is what makes all the difference: it’s what draws out the collagen, minerals and nutrients from the bones and marrow. The result is a deeply nourishing broth that has nothing in common with your regular store-bought stock.
Once cooled, it may turn gelatinous or stay liquid, both are completely normal! It depends on the collagen content of the bones you used. Bones richer in cartilage (knuckles, neck, feet) tend to produce a more gel-like broth. If yours stays liquid, don’t worry, all the goodness is still there. Week to week, mine alternates between the two and I never know in advance which one I’ll get!
The benefits
Bone broth is naturally rich in collagen, protein, and minerals like calcium and magnesium. The exact nutritional values vary depending on the bones, cooking time and ingredients, so I won’t pretend to give you precise numbers for a homemade batch. But what we do know is that all these good things are in there, and that’s more than enough!
Here’s what I personally look for when drinking it regularly:
- Collagen, great for skin elasticity and hair health. And so much cheaper than the collagen powders you find at the store! Plus, I know exactly what’s in it.
- Protein, a solid boost to start the day.
- Gut health, bone broth is well known for its soothing effects on the digestive system.
- Immune support, a warm cup every day feels like a small act of care from the inside out.
- Anti-inflammatory properties, this is actually one of the main reasons I’ve kept it up. I started making bone broth by chance, and six months later when I received my lipedema diagnosis, I realized that drinking ginger and turmeric daily was already helping with my inflammation. So I kept going. Bone broth is recognized for its anti-inflammatory effects, which can help manage lipedema symptoms on a daily basis.
- Intermittent fasting friendly, it’s also the first thing I have around noon to break my fast (I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for almost a year now). Warm, nourishing and gentle on the stomach, it’s the perfect way to ease your body back into eating.
What you’ll need
- Bones, I usually use just over 1 kg (about 2.5 lbs). I get mine at St. Lawrence Market, from a butcher shop called La Boucherie. They sell ready-made bags which is super convenient. Otherwise, just ask your local butcher!
- 1 small or medium onion
- 1 or 2 medium carrots
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- Fresh turmeric
- Fresh ginger
- A few stalks of celery
- 1 lemon (for the juice)
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- Fresh or dried herbs: thyme and rosemary (1-2 sprigs each if fresh, or 1 tablespoon each if dried)
- A few black peppercorns
My bone broth recipe
The preparation:
- Roast the bones in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400°F / 205°C.
- While they roast, wash and roughly chop all your vegetables and place them in a bowl. Set aside the salt, lemon and apple cider vinegar for later.
- Once the bones are nicely roasted, take them out and let them rest for a few minutes.
- Place the bones in your pot, mine holds 4L, for reference.
- Add the bowl of vegetables you just prepared.
- Cover everything with water.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the apple cider vinegar.
- Add salt closer to the end of cooking for best flavour, adjust to taste.
- Bring everything to a boil for a few minutes. You can skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.
- Reduce to the lowest heat setting (I keep mine at 1) and let it simmer for at least 12 hours. Sometimes I go up to 18 or even more. If I need to step out, I note the time and turn off the heat, then pick up where I left off when I’m back.
- If you have an Instant Pot, you can also use it to speed up the process!
Straining and storing:
- When you’re ready to take the broth off the heat, let the pot cool down a bit first so you don’t burn yourself. Then remove the bones, vegetables and aromatics. I usually use a large skimmer to get as much out as possible before the next step.
- Place the covered pot in the fridge overnight to let the fat solidify on the surface.
- The next morning, gently lift off the fat layer. You can keep it for cooking if you’d like!
- Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer. If your broth has gelled, let it sit at room temperature for a bit to liquefy before straining.
- Pour the clean broth into Mason jars and refrigerate.
- Each day, I drink about one cup, warmed up for 1 minute 20 seconds in the microwave. Before I started intermittent fasting, it was the first thing I had in the morning. Now I wait until around 12:30 when I break my fast.
- This batch gives me about 4 jars, enough for two of us drinking it daily for a week. I start the next batch when we open the last jar.
I hope this recipe inspires you to make bone broth part of your daily wellness routine. Feel free to leave any questions or comments below, I’d love to hear from you!
