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Instant Pot Ham Bone Broth

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Don’t throw out that leftover ham bone! Instead, use it to make this healthy Instant Pot Ham Bone Broth.

There’s a lot of flavor and plenty of nutrients in that ham bone and it’s easy to extract it all into a delicious ham stock you can drink or use in other recipes.

Why Make Bone Broth?

You probably already know that cooking with broth can add a lot of flavor to a soup or dish. Well, bone broth is even more flavorful. There are many different types of stock you can easily make at home such as homemade chicken stock and homemade ham stock.

Even better, bone broth contains several important nutrients and minerals that provide health benefits. Protect your joints, fend off osteoarthritis, reduce inflammation and improve digestion by adding bone broth to your diet.

Most grocery stores carry bone broth so you can definitely pick up a container there. It’s so easy to make in your Instant Pot though, you can save yourself the trip to the store.

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Ingredients for Ham Bone Broth

  • Leftover ham bone
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 large onion, quartered
  • 2 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper

Substitutions and Additions

Apple Cider Vinegar: Many people believe it’s necessary to add an acid to extract the nutrients from the bones, but it’s not true. If it makes you feel better though, adding a tablespoon to the recipe won’t hurt anything.

Vegetables: You can skip the veggies if you want, but they do add a nice flavor dimension and some nutritional benefits.

Herbs and Spices: I just used bay leaves (here’s a substitute for bay leaf if you need one) and black pepper, but you can add peppercorns, parsley, rosemary and/or fresh thyme for added flavor. You can also add salt to taste if you would like and 6 to 8 sprigs of fresh herbs or 3 to 4 tablespoons of dried herbs.

Equipment Needed

How to Store Bone Broth

You have several options for storing your broth. I keep mine in wide mouth glass mason jars.

You can also add your broth to an ice cube tray and freeze it so you have easy one tablespoon portions to use later. For larger portions, you can use a muffin pan or baking mold.

If you decide to freeze your ham bone broth, make sure that you leave space for the broth to expand when it freezes. In other words, don’t fill your containers to the rim.

How to Make Ham Bone Broth

Remember earlier when I said that this was easier than running to the store? I meant it.

All you have to do is add all the ingredients to your Instant Pot. Seal the pot (put the lid on and close the sealing valve). Then, pressure cook on high for 60 minutes. There is no need to stand by the stove as you bring a large stockpot or dutch oven to a boil and then turn it to medium-high heat and watch it simmer for an hour or so.

At the end of the cook time, wait for the natural release (don’t turn the valve to venting to get the pressure sensor pin to drop). When the pressure has fully released, remove the lid and strain the broth.

How to Make Ham Bone Broth in a Slow Cooker

If you prefer to use your crock pot, you can use this exact recipe! Instead of adding the ingredients to your Instant Pot, you’ll add them to your slow cooker.

Cook on low for at least 12 hours and up to 18 hours. Then, strain into your desired storage container(s).

Ready to get cooking? Simply print off the recipe card below. Or, if you prefer to follow along on your phone, just toggle on “Cook Mode” in the recipe card so your screen doesn’t go dark while you’re cooking.

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📋 Recipe

Instant Pot Ham Bone Broth

Corinne Schmitt
4.93 from 14 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Natural Release 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 16 kcal

Equipment

  • Instant Pot
  • Strainer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 leftover ham bone
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 large yellow onion quartered
  • 2 carrots cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 celery stalks cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot.
  • Secure the Instant Pot lid and close sealing valve.
  • Cook on high pressure for 60 minutes. When time ends, allow for natural release.
  • Strain broth into mason jars (or other storage container). Discard ham bone and vegetables.
  • Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 16kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 24mgPotassium: 88mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2556IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Need to run to the store for a few ingredients first? Don’t forget to pin this recipe so you can find it when you’re ready to cook!

Last Updated 10/17/2022

7 thoughts on “Instant Pot Ham Bone Broth”

  1. 5 stars
    I just finished making this broth this morning – it is delightful! I did a taste test and was so thrilled with the result that my 1 year old daughter was curious and wanted to try. I gave her one spoonful and she kept saying “MORE!” so she got her own little bowl of fresh warm broth! Can’t wait to turn it into split pea soup tonight – thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • I’m so glad you liked and that your daughter did too! Kids that age are so fun as they’re discovering new things, including new foods. I hope you enjoy your split pea soup. Thanks for commenting.

      Reply
  2. I didn’t want to freeze the ham bone, but didn’t have time to make ham and beans for my husband. I froze all the leftover ham and used your Instantpot method to make the broth. It worked great! I have all the broth save in my @soupercubes portions. I picked the bone clean and have all the little pieces ready for the ham and beans when I make it.

    Reply
    • I’m so glad you found a way for this recipe to work for you. Thanks for sharing with us what you did, because some of my readers might want to try that also.

      Reply

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