This slow cooker beef bone broth is rich, deeply savory, and made with roasted beef bones, vegetables, herbs, and a long gentle simmer for the best flavor.
Homemade beef bone broth is one of the most useful staples you can keep in a real-food kitchen. It is simple, economical, and full of deep flavor. Made with roasted beef bones, vegetables, aromatics, and water, this broth becomes a nourishing base for soups, stews, sauces, gravies, and warm sipping broth.
Traditional kitchens have long used bones and vegetable scraps to make rich stocks and broths. It was a practical way to use every part of the animal while creating a flavorful cooking liquid. Today, many home cooks rely on packaged broths or artificial flavorings, but homemade beef bone broth has a depth and quality that is hard to match.
The slow cooker makes the process easy. After roasting the bones, everything goes into the crock pot and gently simmers for many hours. This low, slow method helps create a clear, flavorful broth with very little hands-on work.
🥣 What is Beef Bone Broth
Beef bone broth is a savory cooking liquid made by slowly simmering beef bones with vegetables, water, herbs, salt, and an acidic ingredient such as red wine or apple cider vinegar. The long cooking time extracts flavor from the bones, marrow, cartilage, vegetables, and aromatics.
The best beef bone broth uses a variety of bones. Knuckle bones add connective tissue and collagen, marrow bones bring richness, and meaty bones such as neck bones, rib bones, or oxtails add color and savory flavor.
For beef broth, roasting the bones first is important. Roasting develops a deeper, more complex flavor and gives the broth its rich brown color. While some broths can be made without roasting, beef bones benefit greatly from this extra step.
❤ Health Benefits
Bone broth has become popular again, but it is not a new food. It has been a traditional kitchen staple for generations because it is flavorful, versatile, and made from simple whole-food ingredients.
Properly prepared beef bone broth contains minerals from the bones, collagen from connective tissue, nutrients from marrow, and electrolytes from vegetables. The red wine or vinegar acts as an acidic medium and helps draw minerals from the bones during the long simmer.
Many people enjoy bone broth as part of a nourishing diet because it is warm, satisfying, and easy to use in everyday cooking. It is commonly used in soups, stews, gravies, sauces, and as a sipping broth. It is also popular in paleo, Whole30, and traditional diets.
Collagen-rich broth is especially valued for its body and texture. When made with enough collagen-rich bones and the right amount of water, the broth may gel once chilled. A gelled broth is not required for good flavor, but it is a sign that the bones and connective tissue were used well.
💭 Pro tip: Use beef bone broth instead of water in savory recipes for extra flavor and nourishment.
🐄 Beef Bone Broth vs. Chicken Bone Broth
What is the difference, and when should you use each one?
Beef bone broth and chicken bone broth are both made by simmering bones with vegetables, aromatics, and an acidic ingredient. Both can be used as a nourishing cooking liquid, but they differ in flavor, cooking time, and best uses.
Beef bone broth takes longer to prepare. The bones should be roasted first, then simmered gently for many hours. Beef bones are dense and need time to release their flavor into the broth.
Chicken bone broth is usually lighter in taste and often cooks more quickly. It works well in mild soups, grains, and lighter sauces. Beef bone broth has a bolder, richer flavor that is excellent in beef soups, stews, gravies, and deeply savory dishes.
Both types of broth can be enjoyed warm in a mug. Beef broth is especially comforting when seasoned well and served hot.
🥘 Why Use a Slow Cooker for Bone Broth?
A slow cooker is ideal for beef bone broth because it keeps the broth at a steady, gentle simmer with very little attention. This is important for a clear broth and a well-developed flavor.
Beef bones are thicker than chicken bones, so they need more time. A slow cooker allows the broth to cook low and slow without boiling aggressively. Too much heat can make broth cloudy and may create a harsher flavor.
The goal is a long, quiet simmer. Once the ingredients are in the slow cooker, the appliance does most of the work for you.
🍖 Ingredients
This beef bone broth recipe uses simple ingredients, but each one adds something important to the final flavor.
- Beef bones: Use a mix of marrow bones, knuckle bones, neck bones, rib bones, and oxtails when possible.
- Vegetables: Onion, carrots, celery, and parsnip add sweetness, aroma, and balance.
- Aromatics: Bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, sea salt, and fresh thyme create a savory, well-rounded broth.
- Red wine: Red wine adds flavor and acidity. Apple cider vinegar can be used instead.
- Filtered water: Use just enough water to cover the bones and vegetables.
This is a flexible recipe. You can use vegetable scraps such as onion peels, carrot ends, and celery leaves. The most important guideline is to avoid using too much water compared with the amount of bones, especially if you want the broth to gel after chilling.
💭 Make it nutrient-dense: Use good-quality beef bones whenever possible, such as grass-fed bones if they are available to you.
👩🏽🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
The complete printable recipe is included below for convenience.
This slow cooker beef bone broth uses beef bones, yellow onion, carrots, celery, parsnip, bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic, fresh thyme, sea salt, red wine, and water.
Step 1. Roast the bones
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the beef bones on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes, or until browned.
Step 2. Add bones and vegetables
Transfer the roasted bones and pan drippings to the slow cooker. Add the vegetables, garlic, herbs, salt, bay leaves, and peppercorns.
💭 Pro tip: Bone broth is a great way to use vegetable scraps such as onion skins, carrot ends, and celery leaves.
Step 3. Add the liquids
Pour in the red wine or apple cider vinegar. Add enough filtered water to cover the bones and vegetables.
Step 4. Cook low and slow
Set the slow cooker to low. Cook for several hours, then reduce to warm if needed to maintain a bare simmer. Continue cooking for up to 24 hours total.
💭 Pro tip: For broth that gels when chilled, use a generous amount of bones and avoid overfilling the slow cooker with water.
Step 5. Keep the simmer gentle
If the broth is bubbling too much, switch the slow cooker from low to warm. A gentle simmer helps keep the broth clearer and smoother in flavor.
Step 6. Remove the solids
Once the broth has finished cooking and is cool enough to handle, remove the bones, vegetables, and aromatics. Place them in a colander set over a dish to catch any remaining broth.
Step 7. Strain and jar
Pour the broth through a fine mesh sieve into wide-mouth mason jars or another heat-safe container.
Step 8. Chill the broth
Let the broth cool at room temperature, then refrigerate until fully chilled. A layer of fat may rise to the top and solidify. You can remove it and save it for cooking if desired.
🔪 Helpful Tools
Useful tools for this recipe include a sharp knife, cutting board, rimmed baking sheet, large slow cooker, web strainer, fine mesh sieve, funnel, and wide-mouth mason jars.
🍲 Serving Suggestions
Use beef bone broth as the base for soups, stews, braises, gravies, and pan sauces. It is especially good in beef-based soups and hearty vegetable soups. You can also use it to thin sauces or sip it warm from a mug with a little extra salt.
❄ Storage and Freezing Instructions
To store: Keep beef bone broth in wide-mouth jars in the refrigerator. If a solid fat layer forms on top, it can help protect the broth. For best quality, use refrigerated broth within a reasonable time.
To freeze: Let the broth cool completely before freezing. If freezing in jars, use only wide-mouth jars and leave at least 1 inch of headspace so the liquid can expand. Store frozen broth for up to 6 months.
💬 FAQs
A large slow cooker works best because bone broth takes time, and it is helpful to make a generous batch. An 8-quart slow cooker is a good size for this recipe.
Use a mix of beef bones for the best flavor and texture. Marrow bones, knuckle bones, neck bones, meaty rib bones, and oxtails all work well. Bones with connective tissue are especially helpful for a collagen-rich broth.
Some cooks reuse bones for a second batch, but the second broth is usually weaker. After a long simmer, most of the flavor and minerals have already been drawn into the first batch.
The fat that rises to the top can be removed after chilling. It may be saved and used for cooking, or discarded if you prefer a leaner broth.
Looking for more nutrient-dense recipes? Try simple fermented vegetables, chicken bone broth, beef liver pâté, or homemade mayonnaise.
-
Simple Raw Sauerkraut Recipe
-
Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth Recipe
-
Easy Beef Liver Pâté Recipe
-
Homemade Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
Did you make this? Please leave a recipe rating and review. Thank you! 💚
Printable Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Bone Broth
Anya @ Prepare & Nourish
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Web strainer
- Wide-mouth mason jars
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 5 pounds beef bones marrow bones, knuckle bones, neck bones, rib bones, or oxtails
- 1 yellow onion halved or quartered
- 3 celery ribs
- 3 carrots
- 1 parsnip
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 bay leaves
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns
- 1 ½ tablespoons sea salt
- ½ cup dry red wine or ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- filtered water enough to cover the ingredients
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the beef bones on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes, or until browned. Transfer the bones and pan drippings to the slow cooker.
-
Add the vegetables, herbs, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt on top of the bones.
-
Add the red wine or apple cider vinegar, then pour in enough filtered water to cover all the ingredients.
-
Cover and cook on low for up to 4 hours. Reduce to warm to maintain a bare simmer, or use the lowest setting available. Cook for up to 24 hours total.
-
When finished, let the broth cool enough to handle. Remove the solids with a strainer and place them in a colander set over a dish to catch any remaining broth.
-
Pour the broth through a fine mesh sieve into mason jars or another heat-safe container.
-
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until fully chilled. Remove the solid fat layer from the top if desired.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 3 to 4 quarts, or 12 to 16 cups, in an 8-quart slow cooker. The serving size is 2 cups.
- Use any combination of beef bones available to you. A variety of bones gives the best flavor.
- Vegetable scraps such as onion peels, carrot ends, celery leaves, and parsnip pieces can be used.
- Cook for at least 12 hours for good flavor. A longer simmer creates a richer broth.