Bone broth must be pressure canned. It is a low-acid food, so a boiling-water bath cannot make it shelf-stable no matter how long the jars sit in rolling water. The tested method is hot-pack pressure canning: 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts, at 10 psi on a weighted-gauge canner or 11 psi on a dial-gauge canner at low altitude, with pressure raised as elevation increases.
That short process is why canning is worth learning. A weekend batch of broth stops competing for freezer space and becomes a jar you can open for soup, gravy, rice, or a mug of hot stock. The work that actually determines whether the jars seal and stay safe happens before the canner lid goes on: straining, chilling, skimming fat, and deciding whether you are canning plain stock or soup.
Why Bone Broth Cannot Go in a Water Bath Canner
Water-bath canning reaches about 212°F (100°C). That is enough for high-acid foods such as jam, pickles, and most fruits. Bone broth sits in the same low-acid category as meat, poultry, and plain vegetables. In that environment, Clostridium botulinum spores can survive boiling temperatures and later produce toxin in a sealed jar.
A pressure canner raises the temperature inside the jars to about 240–250°F. That is the heat needed to destroy those spores in a low-acid liquid. An Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker is not a substitute. Those appliances cook well; they are not tested or approved as home canners for low-acid foods.
If you do not own a pressure canner, freeze the broth. Do not “just boil the jars longer.” Extra time in a water bath does not replace pressure.
Stock, Bone Broth, and Soup Are Not Canned the Same Way
This is the distinction most generic articles skip, and it is the one that changes processing time.
Meat stock / strained bone broth is the liquid only, after bones and solids are removed. A few tiny meat shreds clinging to the bones may go back in. That product is what the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) tests as “meat stock”: 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts.
Soup is broth plus vegetables, beans, pasta, rice, or a noticeable amount of meat. Heat moves more slowly through a packed jar. Tested soup times jump to 60 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts.
Long-simmered “bone broth” is a culinary style, not a separate USDA canning category. Official stock directions call for a shorter simmer than many home cooks use (about 3–4 hours for beef bones; 30–45 minutes for poultry carcasses). People still can 12- to 24-hour broth with the meat stock times as long as the jar is strained liquid. Once carrots, onion, celery, or noodles stay in the jar, use soup times—or, more flexibly, can the liquid plain and add vegetables when you open it.
Do not add flour, cornstarch, cream, milk, or other thickeners. Those change density and are not part of tested stock recipes.
What You Need Before You Start
- A stovetop pressure canner with a rack (weighted-gauge or dial-gauge). Dial gauges should be checked yearly for accuracy.
- Pint or quart canning jars free of nicks on the rim
- New two-piece lids (new flats; bands can be reused if they are not rusted or bent)
- Jar lifter, funnel, ladle, clean cloths
- White vinegar for wiping rims
- Your elevation, looked up before you heat the canner
Pints are easier for single meals. Quarts suit family soup pots. Do not use half-gallon jars; there is no tested process time for stock in that size.
Prepare the Broth So the Jars Will Seal
Canning does not fix a poorly strained, greasy pot of broth. Fat is the usual reason lids fail.
Strain first
Pour the finished broth through a colander, then through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Bone fragments and vegetable pulp do not belong in the jar. They interfere with heat movement and leave grit.
Chill and lift the fat cap
Refrigerate the strained broth overnight. The fat rises and hardens into a disk you can lift off in pieces. Skim thoroughly. A thin film left behind will travel up the jar during processing, coat the rim, and prevent a seal. Fat can also go rancid in storage sooner than the broth itself.
A small amount of fat may still appear on top of a sealed jar later. That is normal if the seal is sound. What you want to avoid is a greasy rim at filling time.
Reheat to a boil
Canning stock is a hot pack. Bring the defatted broth back to a full boil before it goes into jars. Cold or lukewarm liquid in the jar is not the tested method.
Salt is optional and is for flavor only. It does not make the broth safer. If you add it, a common kitchen amount is about ½ teaspoon per pint or 1 teaspoon per quart, using canning or other additive-free salt.
Apple cider vinegar used during simmering is a cooking choice to help extract minerals and flavor. It is not a canning acidifier and does not let you switch to a water bath.
Step-by-Step: Pressure Canning Bone Broth
Work with hot jars, hot broth, and a preheated canner so the glass does not crack from thermal shock.
- Heat the canner. Add the amount of water your canner manual specifies (often about 2–3 inches) and set the rack in place. Begin heating.
- Warm the jars. Wash jars in hot soapy water. Keep them hot in the canner, a dishwasher, or a pot of hot water until filling time. Inspect rims for chips.
- Fill. Ladle boiling broth into hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Too little headspace can force liquid out during processing; too much can affect the vacuum.
- Clear the rim. Wipe each rim with a cloth dampened with hot water or white vinegar. Vinegar cuts grease better than water alone. This step matters more for broth than for jam.
- Cap. Apply new lids and screw bands to fingertip tight—snug, not cranked down. Over-tightening can prevent air from escaping and lead to buckle lids or siphoning.
- Load and vent. Place jars on the rack. Lock the lid. Heat until a strong, steady stream of steam escapes the vent. Vent for a full 10 minutes before adding the weight or closing the petcock. Skipping the vent leaves air in the canner and can produce a false pressure reading.
- Bring to pressure and time. Add the weight or close the vent. When the canner reaches the correct pressure for your gauge type and altitude, start the timer:
- Pints: 20 minutes
- Quarts: 25 minutes
- Hold the pressure. If pressure drops below the target, bring it back up and restart the full processing time. Do not count the minutes spent below pressure.
- Depressurize naturally. When time is up, turn off the heat. Leave the canner alone until the gauge reads zero or the weight no longer lifts. Forcing the cool-down by running cold water over the canner can siphon broth out of the jars and break seals. After the canner reaches zero, wait a few minutes, then open the lid away from your face.
- Rest, then cool. Let jars sit in the open canner for about 10 minutes, then move them to a towel. Leave them undisturbed for 12–24 hours. Do not retighten bands while they cool.
Pressure Chart by Canner Type and Altitude
Processing time does not change with altitude. Pressure does, because water boils at a lower temperature as elevation rises.
Dial-gauge canner
| Jar size | Time | 0–2,000 ft | 2,001–4,000 ft | 4,001–6,000 ft | 6,001–8,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pints | 20 min | 11 lb | 12 lb | 13 lb | 14 lb |
| Quarts | 25 min | 11 lb | 12 lb | 13 lb | 14 lb |
Weighted-gauge canner
| Jar size | Time | 0–1,000 ft | Above 1,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pints | 20 min | 10 lb | 15 lb |
| Quarts | 25 min | 10 lb | 15 lb |
These figures match NCHFP meat-stock tables. Confirm your elevation and follow your canner manual if it is more specific.
After the Jars Cool
Remove the bands. Press the center of each lid. A sealed lid stays down and does not flex. Look at the jar: the lid should be concave.
Unsealed jars go in the refrigerator and should be used within several days, or the contents can be reheated and reprocessed within 24 hours with a new lid. Do not store an unsealed jar in the pantry.
Wipe jars, label with contents and date, and store without the bands in a cool, dark place. Bands left on can hide a failed seal and trap moisture that rusts the lid.
Quality window: use home-canned broth within a year for best flavor. Sealed jars stored well can remain safe longer, but quality fades—color dulls, flavor flattens, and any leftover fat can taste stale.
Before opening a stored jar, check for a broken seal, spurting liquid, off odor, or mold. When in doubt, throw it out. Do not taste-test questionable low-acid canned food.
What Canned Bone Broth Should Look Like
A good jar often sets into a soft gel in a cool pantry or after refrigeration. That gel is collagen extracted from joints, feet, and connective tissue. It melts as soon as the broth is heated. Pressure canning can make the gel slightly less firm than a freshly chilled pot, but a jar that still jiggles is a normal result, not a safety problem.
Cloudiness is common, especially from roasted bones or long simmers. Clear consommé is a cooking goal, not a canning requirement. What you should not see is a broken seal, bubbling after the jar has cooled, or an unpleasant smell when opened.
Mistakes That Cause Failed Seals or Unsafe Jars
Leaving the fat on. This is the number-one seal killer for broth. Chill, lift the cap, wipe rims with vinegar.
Canning soup on stock time. Vegetables, beans, pasta, or a heavy load of meat need soup processing times, not 20–25 minutes.
Using a water bath, steam canner, or Instant Pot as the canner. None of these replace a pressure canner for bone broth.
Skipping the 10-minute vent. Air left in the canner makes the gauge lie.
Ignoring altitude. At 1,200 feet, a weighted-gauge canner needs the 15-pound weight, not 10.
Overfilling or underfilling. Stay at 1 inch headspace.
Cooling the canner under a faucet. Rapid cooling pulls liquid out of jars.
Adding thickeners or dairy. There is no tested process for cream-of-anything bone broth.
Reusing flat lids. The sealing compound is single-use.
Canning Compared With Freezing
Canning wins when freezer space is scarce, power is unreliable, or you want grab-and-go quarts for weeknight cooking. The tradeoff is equipment, heat in the kitchen, and a slight softening of that extra-firm gel some people want for sipping broth.
Freezing wins when you do not have a pressure canner, you want the firmest gel, or you only make small batches. Freeze in straight-sided jars with headspace, silicone trays, or freezer bags laid flat. Frozen broth keeps quality for a few months; longer storage is possible but flavor declines.
Many kitchens use both: freeze a few containers for the next two weeks, can the rest of a large stockpot.
How to Use a Jar From the Shelf
Open the jar, spoon off any fat if you prefer a leaner soup, and heat. Canned broth is a finished ingredient, not a finished meal.
Use it to:
- Deglaze a pan and build gravy
- Cook rice, farro, or beans
- Stretch leftover roast into soup
- Warm a mug with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon
Because the jar is plain liquid, you can take it in any direction—chicken noodle one night, beef and barley the next—without being stuck with pre-canned vegetables that went soft.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I can broth I already froze? Yes. Thaw in the refrigerator, bring it to a boil, skim any fat, and can it using the same times. Do not can from the frozen state.
Do I have to roast the bones? No. Roasting is for flavor and color. Raw bones make a lighter stock. Canning safety does not depend on roasting.
Can I can venison, pork, turkey, or mixed bones? Strained stock from common land-animal bones is processed on the same meat-stock schedule used for beef and poultry. Wild game should come from healthy, properly handled animals; if chronic wasting disease is a local concern, follow wildlife-agency guidance on which parts to use.
Why did liquid siphon out of the jars? Common causes are cooling the canner too fast, fluctuating pressure, overfilled jars, or bands that were too tight. If the jar still sealed and the food looks and smells normal, it is usable; store that jar and use it first because the headspace is now larger.
Is a layer of fat on a sealed jar unsafe? Not by itself. Skim more carefully next time if you dislike it. Rancid smell or a failed seal is a different problem—discard those jars.
Can I add garlic, herbs, or peppercorns to the jar? Season the simmering pot if you want, then strain. Leaving large pieces of low-acid vegetables in the jar turns the product toward soup. Keep jars as strained liquid if you want the 20- and 25-minute times.
Bone broth is one of the shorter pressure-canning projects once the pot is strained and defatted. The method is not flexible on equipment or time, but it is straightforward: hot liquid, 1 inch of headspace, 10 minutes of venting, then 20 or 25 minutes at the pressure that matches your gauge and elevation. Follow that tested path and the jars earn their place on the shelf.