Bone broth is so good for you in so many ways. Making broth or stock is a quick and easy way to add healthy benefits to your diet.
However, making lots of bone broth can take up a lot of room in your fridge…
With all that I have going on in my fridge, I don’t have a lot of extra space to give up. I needed another way to have bone broth on hand at all times, yet still have room in my fridge.
So, I decided to try and dehydrate the broth and see how that works. Here is what I came up with…
Dehydrated bone broth!
Now, if that sounds strange to you, just know this – it’s just bouillon cubes. That’s right – those teeny tiny sodium-filled cubes you buy at the grocery store to add to stock, soups, and stews.
These homemade versions are much better for you and allow you to use up all that broth with no extra waste. Win-win!
Dehydrated Bone Broth Recipe
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Airtight container with a lid for storage (like a mason jar)
- Dehydrator with dehydrator trays
- Stock pots and spoons for stirring
Ingredients
- Bone broth liquid
Instructions
- Start with liquid broth. You can use beef, chicken, fish, or vegetable broth. I have about 2 gallons in this pot here.
- Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer to keep the water boiling off. This process took about 6 hours for me. Make sure you keep stirring while you allow the ingredients to cook down.
- Carefully pour the broth onto the dehydrator sheets.
- Place in the dehydrator at 135 °F – 140 °F (57 °C – 60 °C). This is the longest part of the whole process.
- After 24-48 hours, you should be able to lift the broth off the sheet all in one piece.
- Flip this over, and place back in the dehydrator for another 24-48 hours.
- When your broth looks clearish, and is easily breakable, it’s done.
This took me a total of 4 full days in the dehydrator to complete. But, patience is a virtue, right? Once it reaches this point, place it in a blender, food processor, or even coffee grinder. Blend up until a powder.
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We use the Excalibur dehydrator for just about everything around here and it was a very worthwhile investment. The sheets are amazing in that you can dehydrate more liquidy stuff like broth.
Tips for Making Dehydrated Bone Broth
As you can see from the instructions above, making dehydrated bone broth is incredibly easy! Here are a few more tips to streamline the process.
Add Apple Cider Vinegar
One tip I stumbled upon when making my own dehydrated bone broth was to add a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar to the bones about half an hour before you start cooking them down.
The acid helps to extract some of the minerals out of the bones, meaning you’ll get a healthier product without having to cook the bones down quite as long.
Store Finished Powder in the Freezer
Dehydrated bone broth is shelf-stable. It will last about a month or two in the pantry without going bad. It can last longer if you add a silica gel pack.
The best way to store it, though, is in the freezer.
Yes, I know the whole point of dehydrating bone broth was to save freezer space – but this compact version of broth takes up much less space, and it will stay fresh for about six months or longer if you store it here.
You Can Even Make Dehydrated Vegetable Broth
Want all the nutrients of bone broth – but without the meat? If you’re a vegetarian, then you can even make broth without poultry or beef bones by just using vegetables and grains.
It won’t taste as good or have the same gelatin (collagen from the connective tissues) as bone broth, but it is still a good way to make your own broth.
How Much Powdered Bone Broth Should I Drink Daily?
Generally speaking, for optimal health and nutrition benefits, a daily dose of about 2-4 tablespoons of powdered bone broth is an excellent amount. It may take some trial and error before you find the right amount for your body; as everyone’s needs are different.
I recommend just adding the broth to your regular recipes rather than drinking it plainly – this is the easiest and most natural way to consume it if you’re interested in consuming broth strictly for the health benefits alone.
Can Bone Broth Simmer for Too Long?
Chicken and fish bones break down quickly, so if these bones have been simmering for more than 24 hours, the liquid tends to turn bitter and acquire off-flavors.
Beef, lamb, and turkey bones can remain on a low simmer for up to 3 days without producing an unpleasant taste.
Whatever type of bones you are using, the most important thing is to check frequently on the color and texture of your broth and remove it from heat before it goes stale or sour.
Can You Make Dehydrated Bone Broth in the Oven?
Yes! You can even make dehydrated bone broth in your oven. It will look like stained glass when you do this – you’ll need about eight hours with your oven temperature set at 170 degrees Fahrenheit (75 Celsius).
I still prefer a dehydrator to dry bone broth, since it’s easier to control the temperatures, but this is a good option if you don’t own a dehydrating machine.
To use this dehydrated bone broth, add 1 Tablespoon to 8 ounces of boiling water. It’s great for traveling, camping, and being able to add your bone broth on the go! What are some ways YOU would add bone broth to your diet? Be sure to pin this for later!
Heather’s homesteading journey started in 2006, with baby steps: first, she got a few raised beds, some chickens, and rabbits. Over the years, she amassed a wealth of homesteading knowledge, knowledge that you can find in the articles of this blog.
Well! I never would have thought of that. Look at you ingenious person! Can’t wait to try it!
I make bone broth all the time but never thought of dehydrating it. Thanks for the great idea.
Great info. Does it have to be bone broth or will any broth do.
I am sure that it would work with any broth…as I always say, what can it hurt to try? 🙂
What a great idea! I usually have a crockpot of bone broth going plus lots more jars frozen in the freezer but this way would take up much less space. I definitely need to try this. Does it ever go bad?
I have to be honest, I have stored it for only about 3 months before we used it up…so I don’t know the “full” shelf life of this. But, there’s no water, and stored under dry conditions in an airtight container, it may last a looooong time.
I’m going to try this with the vegetable stock I just made. Thanks for the great tutorial. I didn’t know it would be this easy:)
I’m glad you like it! Let me know how it works for you!
How long will it store in the pantry? fridge? freezer?
I usually use mine up within a year, but properly dried, it should store nearly indefinitely in your pantry.
To make chicken broth.how long in crock before I dehydrate.and what temp and how long in dehydrator .please
Wow, this looks so easy! Just a bit time consuming, but looks well worth it since I’ve been dreaming of a natural alternative to the MSG-filled Maggi cubes (ewww). Thanks for the tutorial, Heather!
let me know how it turns out for you!
Wow, I would have never thought to do this. I think my problem would be patience, lol. I love my Excalibur Dehydrator, I am always drying something now that I have mine. Do you have to use the liners? Just asking because I have been able to get by using parchment so far. I may have to try this and give some to my daughter-in-law who swears by the yucky bottled powder from the grocery store.
Honestly, I have never tried it with parchment…if you try it using the parchment, PLEASE let me know how it goes!! I’d love to hear!! My guess would be that you would want to make sure the broth concentrate was cool before putting it on the paper…
I just did it with parchment successfully! So amazing, saving so much space in the fridge, yay! I did not let it cool before putting it onto the parchment because it would have been stuck- mine got very sticky down to the end, and I did not cook it down as slowly… used the instant pot to make the broth, separated the fat, and then boiled in a giant pot.
I’m trying on parchment paper did u simmered down 80 hrs?
I dehydrated pumpkin mash on parchment paper. Worked great so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work
I boiled down the broth and just put it in the dh. Sure didn’t have much. But, it was a 1 qt Ball jar full. I had frozen it and put it in the fridge to thaw, to make something. Well, that changed and it was just sitting that. So, I remember this post and decided to try it. Will let you know in a couple of days. Thanks.
Can’t wait to hear what you think!
thanks so much for the recipe. love broth. have trouble finding bones.
Hi Ms. Heather,
Can you use any regular food dehydrator? I noticed the Excaliber dy. is a bit expensive for me at this time.
you can use any you have already. 🙂
The fat on the surface may need to be Removed when broth is cold. The fat could spoil the dehydrated broth.
I like to break it into chunks and have a piece of broth “candy”. You can also use a couple chunks to make a cup of liquid broth.
I’m using for backpacking using pork feet + beef bones
What a great idea!
I got a dehydrator two weeks ago and am now looking for things to Dehydrate *lol* currently in it: 2 carrots, 1/2 small watermelon, 1 lemon, 1 lime, 1/3 cucumber and 2 apples. Yes, that’s what was left in the fridge ?
Have you ever tried making the broth into “jelly”? I cook mine down and if I feel it’s necessary I add unflavoured gelatine, then I freeze the lot in either ice cube trays or in silicone muffin “tins” transfer them to zip lock bags once they’re frozen so they’ll take up less space in the freezer and will be well packaged.
I keep a jar of unfrozen jelly-fied broth in the fridge, it keeps longer and it’s easy to add to things like pasta sauce, soup,… It’ll make soup more silky because of the gelatine. 🙂
The muffin tins are great for soup too. Just boil down the broth add some soup veggies and cooked meat, cook it down further until the veggies are done, jelly-fy it and freeze.
A lifesaver when the whole family is down with a bug. Put a frozen Puck into a mug, add some water and microwave.
Now I’m wondering if I can make a kind of broth leather (like fruit leather?) and store that instead because it’ll take up less room… (our blender broke and we used it so rarely I won’t buy another one)
Sorry I’m rambling, must be the fruit fumes in here 😀
Hi Heather! I have been dehydrating for decades with an Excalibur but never thought to dehydrate the homemade broth which is taking up so much room in my freezer. What a brilliant idea! It requires patience but is worth the effort. Have already reduced and frozen chicken, beef, turkey and vege broths. First batch of dehydrated beef broth, following your instructions, is an incredible space saver and no worries if the power goes out. Thank you so much!
Update. Beef broth took 4 days to dehydrate. I am now on day 8 for vegetable broth at 145. There are about 4 square inches that will not dry. I’ve torn them into smaller and smaller pieces but still won’t dry. It’s crazy.
This is brilliant – Thank you! I’m going to try this next week. I’m thinking of using the instant pot for the boiling the water off as I’m more comfortable leaving it unattended.
I do not own a dehydrator.
Is it possible to use a crock pot?
You can’t dehydrate in a crockpot that I’m aware of but you certainly could reduce it to a very condensed soup base and store short term in fridge or longer term in freezer. Would take up much less space than the fully hydrated broth.