Making delicious bone broth at home is easy — if you have an Instant Pot, that is. Simmering bones and connective tissues to make bone broth can take up to 48 hours but using an Instant Pot yields bone broth in less than two hours.
There may be many health benefits to bone broth, but also, it’s a great way to stretch your dollar and not waste food. While Instant Pots offer multiple cooking tasks, we’ve narrowed in on the best ones for making bone broth, like the Instant Pot Duo Nova, which has a number of easy-to-use presets to get your recipe just right.
What to know before you buy an Instant Pot for bone broth
Look for one or three of the following functions on your Instant Pot to make bone broth.
Pressure cook
Using the “pressure cook” button on your Instant Pot makes bone broth in a jiffy (two hours) as well as helps extract the nutrients from the bone. (For the best flavor, use bones that have already been roasted.) Set your vent valve to “sealing” and high pressure for 120 minutes. Let the pot naturally release pressure for 20 to 30 minutes after the cooking time ends.
Soup/broth
Another option for making bone broth in an Instant Pot is to use the soup/broth function on newer Instant Pots that don’t have a manual feature. Be sure to select the “high pressure” setting and adjust the time to 120 minutes.
Slow cook
Cooking your bone broth using the “slow cook” function makes just as nutritious bone broth as the “pressure cooker” function. If you have more time on your hands, bone broth purists recommend simmering bone broth anywhere from 12 to 48 hours for a richer taste. Use the “slow cook” function on your Instant Pot and set it on low for 24 hours.
Instant pot for bone broth features
Manual
Not all Instant Pot models have a “pressure cook” button but instead have a “manual” feature. This will pressure cook your bone broth and allow you to manually set the time as well. This essentially functions the same as the “pressure cook” function so you can make bone broth in less time.
Smart
Instant Pot smart models allow you to control your cooking device from afar via Bluetooth connection to your smartphone or tablet. You can control the settings of your Instant Pot on an app, for instance, if you need to start cooking when you’re stuck in traffic.
Custom programs
The smart Instant Pot models also allow you to build customizable programs on the app, so you can perfect and set your bone broth recipe. The Ultra Instant Pot models also offer customizable programming, though on the pot itself and not on an app. You can set the exact temperature, cooking time, pressure level, delay timer length and “keep warm” option.
Instant pot for bone broth cost
Instant Pots come in four sizes and five different models, which determine their price. For instance, the basic Lux model costs $80 for a 6-quart size whereas the more advanced smart model costs $160 for the same size.
Instant pot for bone broth FAQ
What size Instant Pot do I need to make bone broth?
A. You can use any size Instant Pot to make bone broth. Most online recipes for Instant Pot bone broth use the popular 6-quart size, but you can just halve the ingredients — or do two batches — if you have a 3-quart pot.
What kind of bones and connective tissue are used in bone broth?
A. It’s really up to you. If you cook a whole chicken in your Instant Pot, you can use the leftover bones, carcass, and skin to make chicken bone broth. Marrow bones and chicken feet will add more collagen and gelatin content to your broth. Beef bones are also popular for making beef bone broth.
Which Instant Pot for bone broth should I get?
Best of the best Instant Pot for bone broth
Instant Pot Duo Nova: available at Amazon
Our take: The perfect Instant Pot for beginners that’ll fully pressurize bone broth quicker than other models.
What we like: Easy-to-use slow cook, soup/broth and pressure cook functions. Smart lid automatically seals your pot. Also comes in a 10-quart size.
What we dislike: Some consumers received defective models.
Best bang for your buck Instant Pot for bone broth
Instant Pot Duo: available at Amazon
Our take: If you don’t need all the bells and whistles of the Nova, this Duo model gets the job done.
What we like: The most popular Instant Pot on the market, the 6-quart size is perfect for mid-sized households. Comes with all the programs you need to make bone broth.
What we dislike: Minor reports of quality-control issues.
Honorable mention Instant Pot for bone broth
Instant Pot Aura Pro: available at Amazon
Our take: For bone broth connoisseurs who prefer the slow-cook method, this is your pot.
What we like: Rectangular design is attractive and more streamlined than other models. The perfect Instant Pot to simmer your bones overnight.
What we dislike: Doesn’t feature a pressure cooker.
Ana Sanchez is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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