How to make it

How to make bone broth, and cool and store it safely

Name: Bone broth
Total time: 7 h
Yield: About 3 quarts
Ingredients: 3 to 4 pounds (1.4 to 1.8 kg) bones: chicken backs, necks and feet, or beef knuckle, neck and marrow bones; About 4 to 5 quarts cold water, enough to cover the bones by an inch or two; 1 onion, quartered (skin on is fine); 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped; 2 bay leaves and a few black peppercorns; Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice, for flavor; Salt, added at the end to taste

Roasted bones, water, a few vegetables and a long, gentle simmer. The cooking is easy; the part people get wrong is cooling a big pot fast enough. The health claims are mostly untested.

By the editors of Alimentotherapy Last reviewed October 19, 2026 6 min read Not medical advice

Makes: About 3 quarts
Hands-on: 30 minutes
Total time: About 7 hours, plus overnight chilling

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The short answer

Roast or rinse bones, cover them with cold water, simmer gently for several hours with vegetables, strain, then divide the hot broth into shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours; USDA says leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 3 to 4 months frozen USDA. Our bone broth page grades the joint, skin and gut claims as not supported: an analysis of broth samples found its collagen building blocks were well below the amounts used in collagen researchAlcock 2019.

Ingredients and method

Ingredients

3 to 4 pounds (1.4 to 1.8 kg) bones: chicken backs, necks and feet, or beef knuckle, neck and marrow bones
About 4 to 5 quarts cold water, enough to cover the bones by an inch or two
1 onion, quartered (skin on is fine)
2 carrots and 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves and a few black peppercorns
Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice, for flavor
Salt, added at the end to taste

Equipment

Large stockpot (8 quarts or more) or a slow cooker
Roasting pan (optional)
Fine strainer or colander lined with cheesecloth
Several shallow containers with lids, 2 to 3 inches deep
Large bowl or clean sink for an ice-water bath
Food thermometer

Handle raw bones like raw meat
Keep bones refrigerated until you use them. Wash hands, boards and the sink after handling them, and keep them away from food that will not be cooked.
Roast for flavor (optional)
For a darker, deeper broth, spread beef or chicken bones in a roasting pan and roast in a hot oven until well browned. Scrape the browned bits into the pot with a splash of water.
Cover with cold water and bring up slowly
Put the bones in the pot, cover with cold water by an inch or two and bring slowly to a simmer. Skim off the gray foam that rises in the first half hour.
Simmer gently for hours
Add the vegetables, bay and peppercorns, and keep the pot at a bare simmer, partly covered. This page uses about 6 hours, a cooking choice rather than a tested figure; longer gives a richer taste. Top up with water if the bones are exposed.
Strain
Lift out the bones and strain the broth through a fine strainer or cheesecloth. Season with salt to taste now, not earlier, because the broth concentrates as it cooks.
Cool fast
Do not leave the pot to cool on the stove. Divide the hot broth into shallow containers, or stand them in an ice-water bath, and put them in the refrigerator so all of it is chilled within 2 hours of cooking. Hot food can go straight into the fridge.
Skim, store and reheat
Next day, lift off the fat cap if you like. Refrigerate and use within 3 to 4 days, or freeze for 3 to 4 months. Reheat broth to a rolling boil before serving.

If you need the equipment

The step that matters most: cooling

Long-simmered broth is safe while it is hot. The risk comes afterward. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service names leaving food out at an unsafe temperature as one of the two main causes of foodborne illness, says bacteria grow rapidly between 40°F and 140°F, and asks for leftovers to be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking, or 1 hour above 90°F USDA.

Its advice on volume fits broth exactly: a big pot of soup takes a long time to cool, inviting bacteria to multiply, so divide it into smaller, shallow containers. Hot food can go straight into the refrigerator or be chilled first in an ice or cold water bath USDA.

In the kitchen

A practical routine: ladle the strained broth into several shallow containers, stand them in a sink of ice water and stir until the steam dies down, then cover and refrigerate. Freezing some in small containers or ice-cube trays gives you single portions.

How long it keeps, and how to reheat it

FSIS gives 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and 3 to 4 months in the freezer for leftovers; frozen food stays safe longer but loses quality. Thaw in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave, and use thawed broth within 3 to 4 days. When reheating, bring soups and sauces to a rolling boil, or heat leftovers to 165°F measured with a food thermometer USDA. Frozen broth can go straight into a saucepan without thawing.

What bone broth can and cannot do

Collagen, joints and skin. Broth is often sold as a source of collagen. When researchers measured the amino acids that make up collagen in commercial, café and home-made broths, the amounts in broth made to a standard recipe were significantly lower than a 20 g dose of the collagen supplements used in research, and broths made to other recipes varied widely Alcock 2019. There are no trials showing broth changes joint pain, skin or the gut lining, which is why our bone broth page grades those claims not supported.

Comfort when you are ill. A warm, salty drink is easy to get down and helps with fluids. In a study of 30 people with colds or flu, a hot drink gave quick relief of symptoms as they rated them, without changing measured nasal airflow Sanu 2008. That is the limited-grade use on our broth page, and the same idea behind chicken soup.

The lead question

Bones store lead the animal took in over its life. In a small blinded study, organic chicken broths contained several times the lead of the water they were made with: 7.01 micrograms per liter for chicken-bone broth and 9.5 for broth made from skin and cartilage, against 0.89 for tap water prepared the same way Monro 2013. One study of three broths does not tell you your pot is unsafe, but it is a reason not to make broth the center of the diet. Our nose-to-tail guide covers organ meats and their nutrients and limits.

Food safety

Refrigerate broth within 2 hours of cooking (1 hour if the kitchen is above 90°F). Bacteria grow fastest between 40°F and 140°F.
A big pot cools too slowly on its own: split it into shallow containers or chill it in an ice-water bath before refrigerating.
Keep refrigerated broth at 40°F or below and use it within 3 to 4 days; frozen, it keeps best for 3 to 4 months.
Reheat sauces, soups and broths to a rolling boil, or 165°F on a food thermometer.
Bones can hold lead from the animal's environment; one small study found more lead in chicken bone broth than in the water it was made with. Vary your foods rather than drinking large amounts every day, especially in pregnancy or for young children.
Commercial broths are often high in sodium; check the label on a low-sodium diet.

Common questions

How long can bone broth sit out before refrigerating?

No more than 2 hours after cooking, or 1 hour if the room is above 90 degrees F, according to USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Divide a big pot into shallow containers so it cools quickly.

How long does homemade bone broth last?

USDA advises 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and 3 to 4 months in the freezer for leftovers. Reheat broth to a rolling boil before serving.

Is bone broth a good source of collagen?

Not a reliable one. A 2019 analysis found broth made to a standard recipe had significantly lower levels of collagen amino acids than a 20 g dose of the collagen supplements used in research, and home and cafe broths varied widely.

Sources

Primary research and government sources, each checked on the date this page was reviewed.