Bone broth cannot be safely canned in a water bath. It is a low-acid food, and a boiling-water canner only reaches about 212°F (100°C). That temperature does not destroy Clostridium botulinum spores. Those spores can survive, grow in a sealed jar, and produce botulinum toxin. Shelf-stable bone broth requires a pressure canner, which can hold the jar contents at about 240°F (116°C) or higher for a tested time. If you do not have a pressure canner, freeze the broth.
The long simmer that turns bones into broth does not change this rule. Neither does packing the jars hot, boiling them for several hours, or adding lemon juice or vinegar. None of those steps is a tested substitute for pressure canning.
Why a water bath cannot make bone broth shelf-stable
Home canning safety depends on acidity and temperature, not on how clear or well-cooked the liquid looks.
Foods with a pH above 4.6 are low-acid. Meat, poultry, bones, and the broth made from them all fall in that group. Botulinum spores are common in soil and on food. They are not a problem in the open air, but a sealed jar is low in oxygen. If the spores are not destroyed, they can germinate and make toxin. You cannot see, smell, or taste that toxin.
A boiling-water bath, atmospheric steam canner, or long stovetop boil stops at the boiling point of water. Pressure canning raises the boiling point so the contents of the jar reach the temperature used in tested processes. University extension guidance is explicit: canning low-acid foods such as meats in a boiling-water or steam canner is unsafe, because botulinum bacteria can survive that process.
Adding acid does not fix the problem. There is no tested process that turns bone broth into a high-acid food safe for a water bath. Acid may not mix evenly, and pockets of broth can stay above the safe pH. Community canning guidance and extension-based articles reach the same conclusion: lemon juice or vinegar does not make bone broth safe for water-bath canning.
A pressure cooker is also not a substitute. USDA processes were developed in canners large enough to hold at least four quart jars upright on a rack. Smaller electric multi-cookers heat up and cool down faster, so the total heat treatment is not the same. The National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) does not recommend using those smaller appliances with USDA canning times.
What to do if jars were already processed in a water bath
Jars of bone broth processed only in a water bath should be treated as unsafe, even if the lids sealed and the broth looks normal. A seal only shows that air stayed out. It does not show that spores were destroyed.
If the jars have been sitting for more than about two hours, do not pressure-can them again in an attempt to “fix” them. Botulinum toxin that may already have formed is not reliably destroyed by a later canning cycle, and extension-aligned canning communities advise discarding water-bath-processed broth rather than reprocessing it.
Discard the contents where pets and people cannot eat them. Botulinum toxin is dangerous, and the risk is higher for infants, older adults, and anyone with a weakened immune system. Do not taste a jar to check it.
How to pressure can bone broth using the tested stock method
Plain meat, poultry, or bone broth follows the USDA meat-stock process published by the NCHFP. The process is a hot pack: the broth goes into the jars boiling, then the jars are processed under pressure.
Chicken or turkey stock and beef stock use the same canning times. The simmer before canning can be longer for beef bones; the jar process does not change.
Prepare the broth so it will seal
Crack or saw large beef or pork bones so flavor can extract, rinse them, cover with water, and simmer. Beef stock is typically simmered 3 to 4 hours. Poultry carcasses are simmered 30 to 45 minutes, or until bits of meat loosen. Remove the bones. Small bits of meat may go back into the broth. Do not add noodles, rice, barley, flour, cornstarch, cream, or other thickeners. Those ingredients change how heat moves through the jar, and there is no tested process for them.
Cool the broth and skim the fat. Chilling overnight makes this easier: the fat solidifies on top and lifts off. Fat left in the jars can creep onto the rim and stop a seal. It can also interfere with heat transfer. Reheat the defatted broth to a full boil before filling jars.
Salt is optional and is for flavor only. It is not a preservative in this process.
Fill the jars
Use standard mason jars free of chips on the rim. Keep jars hot. Ladle boiling broth into the jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Run a non-metal utensil around the inside to release bubbles, then recheck the headspace. Wipe each rim with a clean, damp paper towel. A splash of vinegar on the towel helps cut grease. Apply lids and screw bands fingertip-tight.
Set the jars on the rack in a pressure canner that already has the amount of hot water the manufacturer specifies, usually 2 to 3 inches. Lock the lid, vent a steady stream of steam for 10 minutes, then bring the canner to pressure. Start the timer only when the correct pressure is reached.
Process times and pressure
At or near sea level, the tested times are short because the food is a liquid, not chunks of meat:
| Jar size | Style of pack | Process time | Dial-gauge pressure (0–2,000 ft) | Weighted-gauge pressure (0–1,000 ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pints | Hot | 20 minutes | 11 psi | 10 psi |
| Quarts | Hot | 25 minutes | 11 psi | 10 psi |
These times come from the USDA meat-stock tables used by the NCHFP and state extension services.
When the time ends, turn off the heat and let the canner depressurize on its own until the gauge reads zero. Do not rush it with cold water. Wait a few more minutes, then open the lid away from your face. Lift jars out and cool them upright, undisturbed, for 12 to 24 hours.
A jar that gels when cold is normal. Collagen sets as it cools and melts again when heated. Cloudiness after canning is also common and is not by itself a sign of spoilage.
Adjust pressure for altitude
Water boils at a lower temperature as elevation rises, so the canner needs more pressure to reach the same internal temperature. Time does not change. Pressure does.
Dial-gauge canner:
- 0–2,000 feet: 11 psi
- 2,001–4,000 feet: 12 psi
- 4,001–6,000 feet: 13 psi
- 6,001–8,000 feet: 14 psi
Weighted-gauge canner:
- 0–1,000 feet: 10 psi
- Above 1,000 feet: 15 psi
Have a dial gauge checked for accuracy about once a year. A weighted gauge does not need that check, but the vent pipe must be clear before every batch.
Freezing is the safe option without a pressure canner
Freezing does not make broth shelf-stable, but it avoids the botulism risk of an untested canning method. Cool the broth quickly, skim the fat, and leave headspace in freezer containers so the liquid can expand. Jars labeled for freezing, rigid containers, or freezer bags laid flat all work. Smaller portions thaw faster and waste less. Use frozen broth within a few months for best quality; it remains safe longer if it stays frozen and the package is intact.
Refrigerated broth is a short-term option only. Use it within a few days.
Mistakes that cause failed seals or unsafe jars
Most seal failures on broth trace back to fat. Skim before filling, and wipe rims until a finger comes away clean. Too little headspace lets broth boil out and foul the seal. Bands tightened with a wrench instead of fingertips can buckle lids.
Processing in a water bath “just this once,” or extending a water-bath boil for hours, does not create a safe product. Reprocessing a failed seal is only appropriate when the jar was pressure-canned correctly and you catch the problem within about two hours. Refrigerate the jar, reheat the broth to boiling, repack, and run a full pressure process again. After that window, refrigerate and use soon, or discard.
Broth with a large amount of vegetables is no longer plain stock. Tested soup processes are longer — often 60 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts, and longer still if seafood is included. If the jar is closer to a vegetable soup than to strained bone broth, use a current tested soup process from the NCHFP or a recent Ball or extension publication, not the 20- and 25-minute stock times.
Before opening any home-canned jar, check that the lid is still concave and does not flex. Discard jars that are leaking, spurting, foaming, or bulging, or that smell off. Boiling is not a reliable rescue for a jar that was never processed correctly.
Frequently asked questions
Can bone broth be water-bath canned if it is boiled for several hours? No. Extra time at 212°F does not destroy botulinum spores. Only a pressure canner, used for the tested time and pressure, is accepted for shelf-stable meat stock.
Do roasted bones change the canning method? No. Roasting can deepen flavor, but the jar is still low-acid broth. Use the same pressure process.
Can I can broth in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker? Not with USDA times. Those appliances are not the canners the processes were built for. Use a stove-top pressure canner that holds at least four quart jars, or freeze the broth.
Why did the jar seal and then later unseal in the pantry? A late seal failure can mean food was forced out by spoilage gas, or the lid was never sound. Do not taste it. Discard the jar.
Is canned bone broth supposed to be solid? Often, yes. A gelled jar usually means the bones released collagen. Warm it and it will liquefy. Gel is a quality sign, not a safety test.