How to Make Broth for Delicious Homemade Soups and More (2024)

Once you know how to make broth (in its many forms), this pantry staple can be sipped plain as a nourishing pick-me-up, used as a base for making delicious soups, or used to add moisture and flavor to all sorts of savory dishes.

But what is broth, anyway? Broth, stock, and bouillon are all terms used for a rich liquid made by simmering poultry, meat, and/or vegetables in water and seasonings. You can purchase broth in cartons, cans, or cubes, but our Test Kitchen relies on making homemade broth to control what goes into a dish—especially the sodium count. Read on to learn a few basic steps on how to make broth so you can create chicken broth, beef broth, and bone broth for all your recipes.

How to Make Broth from Beef or Chicken

Chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth, bone broth—there are many different types of broth. We have specific guides and recipes for each of these, but use the following steps as a general guide to how to make broth at home.

Step 1: Choose Your Meat and Get Your Stockpot Ready

Poultry and beef broth are the two most common types of broth used in recipes. Bones contribute rich flavor to the homemade broth; choose about 3 pounds of meaty bones (leftovers work great for this!), such as roast chicken or turkey, beef roast, and T-bone steaks. Use a tall, heavy stockpot, just wide enough to hold the pieces. It should also have a lid.

Types of Meat for Homemade Broth

• You can use a whole chicken, but bony pieces like wings, backs, and necks are ideal because most of the flavor comes from the bones.
• Opt for bone-in dark meat pieces, such as thighs or legs, for meatier broth over bone-in breasts. They're more flavorful and usually cheaper, and the meat doesn't dry out as quickly.
• For beef, opt for shank crosscuts, short ribs, or arm bones.

Step 2: Add Vegetables and Aromatics

To the pot, add cut-up vegetables, such as celery (with leaves), carrots, and unpeeled onion, as well as seasonings, such as salt, dried thyme, peppercorns, fresh parsley, bay leaves, and unpeeled garlic clove halves. All of these add flavor to the broth. For the herbs, swap dried sage or basil for the thyme, or use a combination. To use fresh thyme or sage instead of dried, add two to three sprigs along with the other seasonings.

Step 3: Add Water and Simmer

Add 6 cups cold water to the pot. Bring the mixture to boiling and reduce the heat. Simmer, covered, for 2½ hours. It is essential to simmer, not boil, the broth. This low-and-slow cooking style allows the flavors to develop. Once the broth is finished simmering, remove the meat and set aside to cool.

Step 4: Strain the Broth

Strain the broth through two layers of 100% cotton cheesecloth layered in a colander or sieve ($5, Target) set over a large bowl. Discard the vegetables and seasonings.

Step 5: Skim Fat from Broth

If using broth while hot, skim off the fat. To use a fat-separating pitcher, let the fat rise to the top, then pour the broth from the spout. Or use a spoon to skim away the fat floating on the surface.

Step 6: Store the Broth

Chill the broth about 6 hours, then lift off the fat layer with a spoon. Place the broth in a container. Cover and chill for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

After the broth chills, it will take on a jelly-like appearance. This is from the collagen in the chicken bones. Once heated, the broth will become liquid again.

How to Make Broth from Vegetables

Our Test Kitchen's method for making stock from vegetables is just like the above steps, only adding a few more veggies, water, and aromatics. Simmer all the ingredients together for 2 hours, then strain. You can cover and chill the vegetable broth up to 3 days or freeze up to 6 months.

How to Make Broth in a Pressure Cooker

Cut down the time while still achieving a rich homemade broth by making it in your multicooker. For a deeper flavor, try sautéeing the meat a bit using the sauté setting before adding the veggies and water. Cook under high pressure for 1 hour. Be sure to allow the pressure to release naturally—a quick release might produce dangerous oily splatters from the release valve. See our beef broth recipe for specific measurements.

How to Make Broth in a Slow Cooker

Using the tips above, place the meaty pieces, veggies, and seasonings in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add water, cover, and cook on a low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on a high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. Remove meat and set aside to cool. Strain, skim, and use or store the broth as directed above.

Use Homemade Broth in These Recipes

Some of these recipes call for canned broth but use your homemade broth instead for a richer, made-from-scratch flavor. If you run out of broth, try one of these Test Kitchen-approved broth substitutes.

• Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
  
• Multicooker French Onion Soup
• Chunky Minestrone Soup
• Cream of Vegetable Soup
• Chunky Vegetable-Lentil Soup