Homemade Bone and Veggie Broth
Have you ever made bone or vegetable broth before? It’s surprisingly easy!
Just save your vegetable scraps while you’re cooking and store them in the freezer. All the nutrients are in the peels! Vegetable peels are great sources of antioxidants, polyphenols, minerals and dietary fiber.
My go-to scraps are: mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, and onion.
When I lived in South Korea, I used my slow cooker to simmer bones for three days. Sometimes when the broth was finished, I’d roast a squash and blend it into the soup so I could drink it out of a mug.
When I moved to Portland, I bought an Instant Pot, which has been a lifesaver! Bone broth can have a gelatinous texture, but I’ve found that cooking bones and vegetables scraps together creates a much smoother taste and consistency. I get my bones from the farmers market, which I store in the freezer. I like to get a mix of pork and beef bones.
Directions:
If you’re not planning on using bones, skip this first step.
Bones
First, roast 2-3 bones in the oven at 400F for 30 minutes. Place them in an Instant Pot with a splash of apple cider vinegar, (or lemon juice) which helps to extract the nutrients from the bones. Add enough water to fully cover the bones. Cook on high pressure for 2 hours. If short on time, manually release pressure.
I love sipping on a mug of just the bone broth when it's finished. Sometimes I’ll steam milk and make a bone broth latte with honey, a dash of cinnamon and pumpkin spice!
Vegetable Scraps
Add vegetable scraps along with fresh or dried herbs and additional water, being careful not to overfill the pot. Cook for another 90 minutes and allow a natural pressure release.
Straining + Storage
Strain the broth from the bones and vegetables. Let cool for about an hour before transferring to the fridge or freezer.
Mason jars or glass containers work well for storage.
When freezing, be sure to leave space at the top, as liquids expand when frozen, or the container may crack.
Final Thoughts
Combining the bones and vegetable scraps helps mellow the flavor and creates a richer, more balanced broth. Homemade bone and vegetable broth is one of my favorite! It takes my soups to the next level, bringing everything together in a rich and creamy nourishing way. Once I started making my own bone broth, I never looked back.
Just like cooking, when you make your own broth, you have full control over the ingredients and taste level.
Bone broth latte with foam (recipe coming soon)
Pro tip: to speed up the cooling process, place pot in an ice bath.
~References~
Bhardwaj K, Najda A, Sharma R, et al. Fruit and Vegetable Peel-Enriched Functional Foods: Potential Avenues and Health Perspectives. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022
