The BEST Beef Stock Made in Instant Pot or Stovetop

This is the best beef stock you have ever had! Roasted beef bones and savory vegetables cook in the Instant Pot or stove top for a amazing, rich stock that is perfect for all your favorite recipes that call for beef stock.

Beef stock is something that you should make from scratch.  It isn’t as hard as you think and the quality is 100x better than anything you get in the store!  Using an Instant Pot can make the process faster and easier still!  This recipe packs plenty of flavor and calls for roasting the bones and vegetables before you make the stock which smells amazing and makes excellent stock!

I try to always keep plenty of homemade stock on hand in my freezer for cooking and just in case somebody gets sick and we want something easy and healthy to feed them!

The Most Flavorful Beef Stock Recipe

The best, highest quality stock comes from roasting up your own bones!  Beef stock or beef bone broth is known for smelling kinda funky while it is cooking but this recipe takes care of that by pre-roasting everything.  The house will smell mouth wateringly good and the stock when you are down is blow your mind good!

You can use all sorts of different bones for a great beef stock.  I like to find a combination of marrow bones or meaty bones like oxtail, shank, and short ribs.

Beef Stock VS Beef Broth – Know the Difference

Beef broth and beef stock are not the same thing.  Stock and broth are two different items.  Stock is what you get when you boil up animal bones in water.  It is usually flavored with vegetables and herbs.  Broth is NOT made with Bones.  Broth involves simmering some meat and / or vegetables and herbs in water.  The terms get used interchangeably but you need to know they are two distinctly different things that taste different and have different uses!

What is Bone Broth?

Bone Broth isn’t broth at all (see above) it is STOCK.  And really the term “bone broth” is a fancy marketing label for one of the recent health crazes.  I’ve got nothing against the term – and it could very well be healthy for you (I’m not a nutritionist – I’m a cook so I’m going to stay in my lane here.)  But for the purposes of understanding what you are buying or making you need to know that Beef Bone Broth is just Beef Stock by another name. 

Is it Better to Cook Beef Stock in the Instant Pot or on the Stove?

It used to take FOREVER to make beef stock on the stovetop (still does) but making Instant Pot Beef Stock is FAST and EASY.  I still think it is nice to know how to make it on the stovetop if you need to but when I have the choice I do it in the Instant Pot EVERY time!  I don’t know if one is more nutrient rich than the other but I know the Instant Pot version has great flavor in less time.

Why I Roast beef bones for Stock

Some people complain that boiling beef bones stink up the house like none other. This recipe does not do that because I roast the beef bones first. You will have a pleasant order of roasting beef and veggies that will probably make you want to cook a pot roast. Sorry about that!

The final product has a nice depth of flavor that makes it a delicious drinking broth or a good base for anything “beef” you want to do. When beef bones go into the stock pot raw the results can smell and taste pretty rank.

Storing Homemade Beef Stock For Later

There is little more satisfying than taking your amazing homemade beef stock and storing it for use later!  Of course my husband is a soup and stock addict so I have a bit of trouble saving enough to tuck away!  But when I can I like to freeze my stock so I always have some on hand.  My plan used to be to freeze it in quart mason jars but I have to say that glass in the freezer is asking for trouble!  And I often didn’t need four cups of stock at a time!

Now I use a Souper Cubes 1 cup tray to freeze one cup portions of stock for later.  The tray is silicone with markings on it to show exactly how full to fill it for 1/2 or 1 cup portions.  The lid fits on tightly so nothing spills while it is going to the freezer or freezing.  When the cubes are frozen I pop them out put them in a labeled Ziplock bag.  When I need stock my stash is ready in the freezer!  A cube can easily be heated for drinking, soup making or a sauce I’m making.

Helpful Tools for Making Beef Stock

• Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker – makes the process mostly hands off
• Sieve or Mesh Strainer – you need to strain the stock when you are done
• Large ice cube tray such as Souper Cubes
• Rimmed baking sheet for roasting
• Easy Release Fat Separator – This is the easiest way to remove the fat from the stock when it is hot.  You can also chill it in the refrigerator, remove the fat, and then use it.  (Save the fat for fried rice or to add richness to other cooking!)
• Canning Funnel – If you are filling jars with stock this is a very helpful tool!

Delicious and Healthy Things to do with Beef Stock

1. Drink it!  SO lovely for sipping.  Grind some black pepper in or simmer some green onion and enjoy a tasty, healthy drink!
2. Add it to gravy…. Mercy but it is good!
3. Use it to flavor sauces
4. Add it to soups and stews
5. Serve it when people are recovering from surgery or stomach bugs

The Best Beef Stock Substitute

If you run out of tasty homemade stock sometimes you need to use a beef stock concentrate as a stock substitute.  I think I’ve tried them all and I LOVE Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base.  You can also buy it in a low sodium version.  There is even a no – beef vegetarian version that does taste really good.

This is an ingredient that I ALWAYS have in my fridge with a unopened jar waiting in the pantry!  I use it to punch up the flavor in soups and a lot of vegetable dishes.  I even use the chicken one in mashed potatoes!  A little bit gives a wonderful hint of background flavor!

Recipes To Use Beef Stock In

• Hearty Beef Stew
• Hamburger Soup to Stretch Your Meat

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4.60 from 5 votes

The Best Homemade Beef Stock

This is the best beef stock you have ever had! Roasted beef bones and savory vegetables cook in the Instant Pot or stove top for a amazing, rich stock that is perfect for all your favorite recipes that call for beef stock.

I often double this recipe so that my oven roasting time can be used for two batches at once. Then I just leave on on the counter while I cook the first pan of bones in the Instant Pot. Or you can do one in the IP and one on the stovetop.

This makes about 8 cups of broth

Course stock

Cuisine American

Keyword beef stock, been bone broth, instant pot stock, stove top stock, oven roasted beef bones for stock, making stock in advance

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Roasting Time45 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Mirlandra Neuneker

Author Mirlandra Neuneker

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

For Oven Roasting

• 2 pounds beef bones (mixture of marrow, oxtail, shank, back ribs)
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 medium carrot (don't use if you plan to add stock to Asian cooking)
• 1 large onion (sweet, white, yellow - whatever you have)
• 3-5 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

For Simmering the Stock

• 2 dry bay leaves
• 1 bunch parsley stems (if you have some around)
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon butter (for stove top cooking)
• 6 cups boiling water
• 1 teaspoon sea salt optional

Instructions

Roast the Bones and Vegetables

• Preheat oven to 400F. Break long vegetables like carrot and celery in half. Don't remove any of the onion skin - just cut the entire onion into quarters.
• Arrange the bones, vegetables, garlic, and peppercorns on a sheet pan or cookie sheet. Roast in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, turning once to allow browning on all sides.

To Cook the Stock in an Instant Pot (About 2 Hours 30 min)

• Scrape everything into the Instant pot. Add the rest of the ingredients. If you are sensitive to salt you can season afterwards. (The butter is only used in the stove top method to prevent foaming.)
• Set the IP for 120 minutes on high pressure. It will take about 10-15 minutes for the pot to come to pressure.
• Do a manual or natural release.
• Use a tongs to remove bones and veggies. Strain all the stock through a mesh strainer. Discard solids. Discard them. Pour broth through a sieve to remove herbs and any bone particles that remain. Skim fat from top are reserve for another purpose. Or refrigerate the broth and remove the fat after it has chilled.
• Stock can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week or frozen for up to six months.

To Cook the Stock on the Stovetop (About 4 Hours)

• Scrape everything into stock pot Instant pot. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the water. If you are sensitive to salt you can season afterwards. (The butter is used in the stove top method to prevent foaming.)
• Fill stock pot with hot water until bones are covered, plus 2". Bring to a boil on high, then turn down to a light simmer. Cook for about 4 hours. The butter will help keep broth from foaming. If water dips below the level of the bones add more water to keep them covered.
• Use a tongs to remove bones and veggies. Discard them. Pour broth through a sieve to remove herbs and any bone particles that remain. Skim fat from top are reserve for another purpose. Or refrigerate the broth and remove the fat after it has chilled.
• Stock can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week or frozen for up to six months.

Your Rating Matters

When you leave a comment or star rating, it means more than you might think. It helps me understand what you’re enjoying, builds trust for other readers, and supports real, tested cooking content. If you have a moment, I’d truly appreciate you sharing your experience. - Mirlandra

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 29kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1388IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

A Note on Nutrition

Nutritional info is an imperfect estimate. Please take it with a grain of salt.

I read each and every comment and I try to respond to questions asap, so ask away! If you’ve made a recipe, I would love to hear about it! Please come back and share your experience and give the recipe a 5-star rating so other people will know how much you loved it!

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Originally published September of 2014.  Updated April of 2021