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jars of bone broth

Bone Broth for Pregnancy

A nourishing ingredient you'll want to keep around in your kitchen that's especially helpful for fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 day

Ingredients
  

Chicken Bone Broth

  • 2-3 pounds chicken parts (necks, backs, breastbone, wings) or carcass
  • 2 peeled chicken feet (optional)
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 onion roughly chopped (remove peels for a lighter colored broth)
  • 2 medium carrots cleaned and roughly chopped
  • 2 celery stalks (leaves included) cleaned and roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves (optional)
  • 1 bay leaf (optional)
  • 1 bunch parsley (optional)

Beef Bone Broth

  • 3-4 pounds beef rib, neck, marrow, knuckle, and/or joint bones
  • 1 calves foot cut into pisces (optional)
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 2 medium carrots cleaned and roughly chopped
  • 2 celery stalks (leaves included) cleaned and roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves (optional)
  • 1 bay leaf (optional)
  • 1 bunch parsley (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Roast bones on a rimmed baking sheet in 400F oven for 15-20 minutes. If bones are already cooked, skip the roasting step.
  • Transfer bones and juices into a pot (the vessel you use will depend on your cooking method).

Stove Top *requires the most babysitting

  • Add the rest of the ingredients except parsley to the pot then cover with filtered water.
  • Bring the pot to a boil and skim off the scum that comes to the top.
  • Reduce heat and cover at a light simmer for 6-8 hours.
  • Check frequently for temperature. You don’t want the broth boiling. Add additional water as needed to keep the pot full.

Slow Cooker *easiest

  • Add the rest of the ingredients into slow cooker except parsley and cover with filtered water.
  • Set slow cooker on low and allow to simmer, covered, for 12-24 hours.
  • Add parsley in 15 min before finishing the broth.

Instant Pot *quickest

  • Add all ingredients except the parsley into the pot and fill with water until you reach the max fill line.
  • Select soup/broth and set time for 2 hours.
  • When cooking is complete, wait 30 minutes for instant pot to naturally depressurize.

All methods

  • Strain broth using a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl and discard solids.*
  • Cool at room temp for 1-2 hours then transfer to storage containers of your choice and refrigerate.**
  • Once the broth is cold, the fat will have risen to the top and solidified. You can choose to leave the fat in the broth or scrap it off to be saved for another use.
  • Use the bone broth as you would any other broth. It makes a great base for soups and sauces, sip it as a nice warm drink, or use it instead of water to make rice.

Notes

*If the bones aren’t falling apart, you can reuse them a second time to make another batch of broth. The second batch will likely be less gelatinous, however.
**I prefer using glass mason jars but be sure to fill no more than ¾ of the way full and use wide mouth jars if you will be freezing the broth. Always allow the broth to cool completely in the fridge before freezing and initially freeze the jars on their side to prevent the jars from breaking. Reusable silicone bags are great for freezing as well.
You broth may gelatinize once cooled, that's a good sign! It will become thin liquid again when heated. 
Keyword bone broth, broth, collagen, gelatin