Bone broth is a nutrient-rich liquid made by simmering animal bones, connective tissue, and sometimes vegetables in water for an extended period, typically 12 to 48 hours. That long cooking time is what separates it from regular broth or stock and gives it a distinctive richness. A standard cup contains roughly 50 calories and 9 grams of protein, making it a low-calorie source of amino acids, gelatin, and minerals.
How Bone Broth Differs From Broth and Stock
Regular broth is made by cooking meat and vegetables in water for a relatively short time. Stock uses bones along with herbs and vegetables but still cooks for a shorter window than bone broth. Bone broth takes things further: the bones simmer for hours or even days, which draws out far more gelatin and collagen from the connective tissue. When cooled, a well-made bone broth often sets into a jelly-like consistency. That gel is a sign of high gelatin content.
What Goes Into It
The base is simple: 2 to 5 pounds of bones (beef, chicken, pork, bison, or a mix), half a gallon to a gallon of water, and optionally a tablespoon of vinegar. The vinegar creates a slightly acidic environment that helps pull nutrients out of the bones more efficiently. Common vegetable additions include onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, typically added in the last 12 to 24 hours of cooking.
Poultry bones need at least 8 hours of simmering, while beef bones need a minimum of 12. For maximum nutrient and gelatin extraction, chicken bones can cook for 24 to 48 hours and beef bones for 48 to 72 hours, until the bones become soft and crumbly. A pressure cooker dramatically shortens this: about 2 hours for poultry and 4 hours for beef.
Nutritional Profile
One cup of bone broth provides approximately 50 calories, 9 grams of protein, 0.5 grams of fat, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 280 milligrams of potassium, and 450 milligrams of sodium. The protein comes largely from gelatin and the amino acids that form it.
The three amino acids most concentrated in bone broth are glycine, proline, and glutamine. Lab analysis of different types shows that chicken bone broth tends to deliver the highest levels of glycine (about 4 mg per gram of broth) and proline (about 2.4 mg per gram), while turkey broth leads in glutamine (about 4.2 mg per gram). Beef falls in between. These amino acids play specific roles in the body: glycine supports sleep and the production of connective tissue, proline is a building block of collagen, and glutamine fuels the cells lining your intestines.
One common misconception is that bone broth is a good source of calcium and magnesium. In reality, a cup of homemade bone broth contains only about 8 mg of calcium and 7 mg of magnesium. For context, the daily recommended intake of calcium is around 1,000 mg. So while bone broth has real nutritional value, minerals are not its strength.
Joint and Cartilage Support
Gelatin is one of bone broth’s signature components. When you digest gelatin, your body breaks it down into collagen peptides and individual amino acids. A 2017 review in Sports Medicine found that both lab and animal studies show gelatin supplementation increases collagen levels in tissues, which may help protect joints from wear. Cartilage naturally thins over time with use, and providing the body with collagen building blocks supports maintenance of that cushioning layer.
There’s also evidence from studies on people with osteoarthritis. Research using collagen derived from chicken connective tissue found improvements in knee pain, stiffness, and physical function. Bone broth delivers this same type of collagen in a whole-food form, though concentrations vary based on the bones used and cooking time.
Gut Health and Glutamine
Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in the human body, and the cells lining your intestines use it as a primary fuel source. It promotes the growth of new intestinal cells, helps regulate the proteins that keep the gaps between those cells tightly sealed, and reduces inflammatory signaling in the gut wall. When those tight junctions work properly, they prevent partially digested food and bacteria from passing through the intestinal lining into the bloodstream.
Bone broth delivers glutamine in a food-based form alongside other supportive amino acids. This is one reason it has traditionally been recommended during illness or digestive recovery, though direct clinical trials on bone broth itself (rather than isolated glutamine) remain limited.
Skin and Collagen
Multiple studies show that consuming collagen peptides can increase skin elasticity, reduce wrinkles, and improve hydration. The effective range in research is 2.5 to 10 grams of collagen daily for 8 to 12 weeks. One small study found that a collagen-rich chicken soup improved skin elasticity and tone, which is encouraging for bone broth specifically.
That said, most of the strong evidence for skin benefits comes from concentrated collagen supplements rather than bone broth. Bone broth does contain the same amino acid building blocks, but in lower and more variable concentrations. If your primary goal is skin improvement, collagen supplements offer more predictable dosing. Bone broth is better thought of as a complementary source.
How to Make It at Home
Place your bones in a large pot or slow cooker. Cover with water, add a tablespoon of vinegar, and bring to a low simmer. Keep the lid on and stir a few times throughout the day, adding water as needed to keep the bones submerged. Toss in vegetables during the last 12 to 24 hours. Once done, strain the liquid, let it cool, and skim off any fat that solidifies on top.
For a pressure cooker, the process is much faster. Set it to high pressure for 2 hours with poultry bones or 4 hours with beef, bison, or pork. The results are comparable, though some people prefer the deeper flavor of a long stovetop simmer. Finished broth keeps in the refrigerator for about five days or in the freezer for several months.
Potential Concerns
Because bones can accumulate heavy metals like lead from the animal’s environment, some people worry about contamination. Research analyzing homemade and commercial bone broths has found that while trace amounts of lead and other metals are present, the levels are generally low. Drinking a cup or two a day is not considered a meaningful exposure risk for most people. If you want to minimize any potential concern, sourcing bones from pasture-raised animals and avoiding excessively long cooking times beyond 48 hours can help.
The sodium content is also worth noting. At 450 mg per cup, bone broth contributes a significant portion of your daily sodium if you’re drinking multiple servings. You can control this by not adding salt during cooking and seasoning individual portions to taste.