How to Can Broth Safely – Chicken, Turkey & Beef
Canning your own broth is one of the easiest ways to stock your pantry with something nourishing, shelf-stable, and packed with flavor. This guide walks you through the USDA-recommended pressure canning method for chicken, turkey, beef, or venison broth- no guesswork, no shortcuts.
Not only will it save you money, but it’s a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and minimize waste that ends up in landfills.
What is Bone Broth
Bone broth is a rich, flavorful stock made by simmering bones in water. Some people call it stock, others say broth. You’ll see both terms used throughout this post so it’s easier to find what you’re looking for.
Adding vegetables boosts the nutrients in your stock. Low in calories and high in hydration benefits, it’s also commonly recommended for digestion support.
Bone broth must be processed in a pressure canner, not a water bath canner, to make it shelf-stable. For long-term storage, either pressure can it or freeze in freezer bags for up to 6 months. Pressure canning is just as simple as water bath canning, but it requires a dedicated pressure canner.
What Tools do You Need?
- pressure canner
- Canning tool set
- quart canning jars
- large Dutch oven, large stockpot
- or 6 qt crockpot or slow cooker
Ingredients You Need
- Carcass or bones from beef, pork, venison, turkey, chicken
- Onion: Just rough chop them. There is no need to peel the skin off.
- Carrot: Again, no need to peel them. Just chop into large chunks.
- Celery: Use the tops too. They add a delicious flavor to the broth.
- Herbs or aromatics. See suggestions below.
Optional Herbs and Flavorings
- Fresh parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram (or substitute kitchen scraps. See this article for vegetable stock from kitchen scraps.)
- Garlic cloves
- Salt and whole peppercorns
- Some people add apple cider vinegar, but we’ve found that there is no reason to do this, either for flavor or food safety reasons.
How to Make the Stock
If using large bones like beef bones, venison bones, or pork bones, you can roast them in the oven at 400°F / 200°C for about 40 minutes. (This is strictly optional) For chicken or turkey, add the carcass directly to your large stockpot or slow cooker.
Rough chop the vegetables.
Add the celery, carrot, onion, cloves of garlic, and aromatics to the pot.
If using a stockpot, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour. If using a slow cooker, turn it on to the low heat setting. Slow cook for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours.
Let broth cool. Skim off excess fat, if desired. Carefully remove any bones.
Separate the meat from the bones and the vegetables.
Note: You can make the stock in your Instant Pot, too. Add the ingredients to the pot. Place the pot on high pressure for one hour. Allow to release for about 15 minutes naturally.
How to Can Bone Broth
Reheat the stock. Prepare the jars, lids, and pressure canning pot.
Add the meat to the jar if using it for soups and stews. Eliminate the meat for a clear broth.
Ladle hot broth into pint or quart jars with the aid of a canning funnel, leaving a 1-inch headspace.
Wipe rims with a dampened paper towel. (You can also use vinegar to dampen the towel to remove any fat accumulated on the rim.)
Center the lid on the jar using a magnetic lid tool.
Screw on the bands fingertip tight.
Add the jars to the pressure canner. Attach canner lid. Turn the burner on medium-high. Let the pot release steam for a full 10 minutes.
Add a weighted gauge or dial gauge. When it comes to proper psi (pounds per square inch), for your elevation above sea level, begin your timer.
For pressure and times at specific altitudes, see the chart in the recipe notes below.
Once time has elapsed, remove the canner from the burner. Allow pressure to release naturally.
Once all the pressure has been released, carefully open the lid and move it partially off the top of the canning pot. Let it rest like that for 5 minutes.
Then, remove the lid and allow the jars to rest another 5 to 10 minutes in the canning pot.
After resting, remove the hot jars to a kitchen towel placed on your counter and let them thoroughly cool for 12-24 hours, undisturbed.
Check the seals. Press down in the middle of the lid. If it flexes up or down, the jar is not sealed and should be refrigerated and used first.
Then, remove the bands. Gently pick the jar up by the lid to check the seal further. Again, if it is not sealed, use it first.
Label jars with contents and the date. Store in a cool, dark space.
How to Use Bone Broth/Stock
Use this rich stock for soups and stews, or get creative. Cook rice or potatoes in it for an easy flavor boost. It’s also great in sauces, stuffing, gravies, and marinades.
Clear broth is often recommended as a home remedy for colds. Think of what your grandmother gave you when you were sick: chicken soup.
How Long will the Stock Last?
Properly sealed jars will last at least 12 months for older lids, 18 months for the newer Ball brand lid that is guaranteed for 18 months.
In theory, as long as the seal on the jar is good, the product will still be safe after the expiration date.
Pro Tips for Your Success
- Use meaty bones for the base of soups.
- For more refined sauces, strain the meaty broth.
- For chicken stock or turkey stock, use the entire carcass.
- Be sure to remove all of the bones, especially from turkey or chicken stock.
- You can either roast beef, pork or venison bones before cooking in water, or use them raw. If your meat has already been cooked, there is no need to roast. The stock is good either way.
- Although the stock can be cooked in as little as a couple of hours, the longer the stock cooks down, the more flavorful it will be.
- A stock that is cooked down for longer periods is called a brown stock. If you want a clear yellow broth for chicken or turkey, cook for a short time.
FAQs
No. Do not can any low-acid foods, like bone broth, in a water bath canner. A pressure canner MUST be used.
No. You can leave the fat in. No. You can leave the fat in. Depending on how you plan to use the broth, it may add valuable flavor.
Yes. Pressure canning broth has been tested in home kitchens and is perfectly safe. Be sure to adjust pressure for elevation. See the table in the recipe notes.
Don’t miss our complete step-by-step guide to canning.
Other Pressure-Canned Pantry Staples
Canning bone broth is an easy task that takes very little hands-on time and can save you quite a bit over store-bought versions. Make your own today!
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Canning Bone Broth {chicken, beef, turkey, pork, venison}
Ingredients
- bones or carcasses from beef, chicken, pork, turkey, venison
- 2 medium onions quartered
- 4 large cloves garlic crushed
- 2 stalk celery
- fresh parsley
- minced fresh rosemary
- sage leaves
- fresh thyme
- water
Instructions
For broth
- Place bones or carcasses in 6 quart crockpot or large Dutch oven.bones or carcasses from beef, chicken, pork, turkey, venison
- Add onion, garlic, rough chopped celery, ad any herbs that you would like.2 medium onions, 4 large cloves garlic, 2 stalk celery, fresh parsley, minced fresh rosemary, sage leaves, fresh thyme
- Cover with water.water
- Slow cook on low for 8-10 hours or overnight. Or bring Dutch oven or stockpot to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.
- Beef, pork and venison should cook for at least 4-5 hours on the stove. Poultry can be cooked for only 2-3 hours on the stove.
- Remove from heat when meat easily pulls off of the bone. Allow to cool. Skim off fat, if desired.
- Separate any good meat for soups and stews.
How to can the broth
- Reheat broth.
- Prepare pressure canner according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Add water to pot. Begin heating.
- Prepare jars, lids and bands.
- Add meat to jar, if you would like to can a meaty broth. Eliminate for clear broths.
- Fill jars with hot stock, leaving 1"-headspace. Apply lids with a jar lifter. Screw on bands fingertip tight.
- Place jars on the bottom insert. (never place jars directly on the bottom of the pan.)
- Fill canner and close lid. Allow steam to vent for 10 minutes. Then add the pressure regulator. Bring the pressure up to 11 psi (for dial canner, below 1000 feet above sea level) and maintain it there.
- See notes for elevation and canner type in notes below.
- Process pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes. (below 1000 feet above sea level.)
- After allotted time, remove from heat. Allow the canning pot to release pressure naturally. (This can take up to an hour.)
- Release remaining pressure. Remove lid. Allow jars to sit in the pot for about 10 minutes.
- Remove for the canning pot. Set on a towel placed on the counter, undisturbed overnight.
- Check seals in the morning. (Lid does not press up or down when pressed in the center)
- Store jars in a cool dark place for up to 18 months, if using the new 18 month lids.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
Pressure settings for different altitudes
Dial gauge pressure canning pot 0-2000 feet above sea level 11 psi 2000-4000 feet 12 psi 4000-6000 feet 13 psi 6000-8000 feet 14 psi Weighted gauge pressure canning pot 1-1000 feet above sea level 10 psi above 1000 feet 15 psi Processing time pints 20 minutes quarts 25 minutesPro tips for your success
- Use meaty bones for the base for soups.
- For more refined sauces, strain the meaty broth.
- For chicken stock or turkey stock, use the entire carcass.
- Be sure to remove all of the bones, especially from turkey or chicken stock.
- You can either roast beef, pork or venison bones prior to cooking in water, or just use them raw. If your meat has already been cooked, there is no need to roast. The stock is good either way.
- Although the stock can be cooked in as little as a couple hours, the longer the stock cooks down the more flavorful it will be.
- A stock that is cooked down for longer periods of time is called a brown stock. If you want a clear yellow broth for chicken or turkey, just cook for a short period of time.
Nutrition
Originally published November 22, 2020. Updated August 17, 2025.
I’d like to prepare the broth in my pressure canner, rather than an instapot. Then clean the canner and can the broth. What instructions would you give for the cooking part?
For chicken, pressure cook for 2-3 hours. For marrow bones, it will probably take about four hours.
Should I be skimming the fat off of the broth before canning?
You can skim the fat, if desired. The best way to do that is to cool it off in the fridge. Then skim the fat. Then reheat it to boiling and can it.
I have a newer Instapot which gets to 15 psi, however I am now reading this will not maintain a high enough temp to safely can my broth. What temp does your pressure canner maintain at 11psi? With your above info it seems I should be ok using mine? What’s your input please. Thank you
Hi Susan. From everything I have read, and Instapot won’t work for canning. Pressure canning requires precise and consistent pressure levels to ensure the safety of the food being preserved. Traditional pressure canners are designed specifically for this purpose and have been tested and approved by relevant food safety authorities for home canning. On the other hand Instant pots have not been.
You’re having people add meat to broth then pressure can for 25 minutes? That’s not safe. Strain the broth. Canning meat takes 75-90 minutes.
That is incorrect. Small bits of meat can be added back to the broth. If you are canning meat in jars, then it must be processed at 75-90 minutes. See this article from the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Here is a recipe for canning meat.
The apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) helps pull the collagen from the bones. You don’t taste it in the finished product, but it IS worth adding. The collagen is what helps broth be so filling & good for your gut!
We just see very little difference in the finished product, Lisa.
Thank you so much for this info. One question though – I have half gallon jars, how long to pressure cook?
There are no tested recipes with half gallons. Can them in quart jars. Sorry KIm!