Low Waste Homemade Bone Broth

How to Make “Trash Broth” from Scraps! 🍗

If you’re looking for an easy, budget-friendly, and sustainable way to make rich, flavorful chicken broth, then this Low-Waste “Trash Broth” is for you!

Instead of tossing veggie scraps, meat trimmings, and leftover bones, I save everything in gallon-sized freezer bags until I have enough to make a big pot of homemade broth. It’s packed with nutrients, flavor, and zero waste!

Why You’ll Love This Low-Waste Bone Broth

✔ Reduces Food Waste – Use every bit of your veggies and meat scraps!✔ Budget-Friendly – No need to buy extra ingredients—just use what you already have.✔ Rich in Nutrients – Bone broth is full of collagen, minerals, and gut-friendly benefits.✔ Customizable & Versatile – Perfect for soups, stews, and sauces!

How to Make Low-Waste Chicken Broth (“Trash Broth”)

Step 1: Save Your Scraps

I like to keep gallon-sized freezer bags where I collect scraps over time. Once the bags are full, it's time to make broth! If I have any produce in the fridge that is about to go bad, I add it to the freezer bag

What to Save for Broth:

🥕 Veggie Scraps – Trimmings, peels, and skins from:

• Onions (outer skins and root ends)

• Celery (tops, bottoms, and leaves)

• Carrots (ends and peels)

• Garlic skins

• Herbs (stems from parsley, thyme, rosemary, etc.)

• Mushrooms, bell pepper tops, and any veggie about to go bad

📌 Pro Tip: Rinse your veggies before freezing so they’re ready to go!

🍗 Meat Scraps – Bone-in trimmings from:

• Rotisserie chicken bones & skin

• Chicken wings, drumsticks, or any bone-in cuts

• Beef or pork trimmings (fat, tendons, etc.)

• Trimmings from chicken breast

📌 Bonus Nutrient Boost: Add extra drumsticks or chicken feet for more collagen and depth of flavor! When I know my freezer bags are full enough I buy a pack of drumsticks or cook a whole turkey or chicken for bones before. They are very low cost and create wonderful bone broth.

Step 2: Cook the Broth

Ingredients:

• Frozen veggie & meat scraps (from your freezer bag)

  • ends of celery and carrots, peelings, basically anything! I always add a whole onion skin on and everything and a whole head of garlic chopped in half.

• Extra chicken drumsticks (optional, for richer broth)

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (helps extract nutrients from the bones)

• Water (enough to cover everything in the pot)

• Herbs & Spices (optional): Bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic, thyme, parsley stems, lots of salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Dump everything into a large stockpot. No need to thaw—just throw your frozen scraps right in!

2. Cover with water until all ingredients are submerged.

3. Add apple cider vinegar 

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer all day (8–36 hours) for the best flavor. If I am in a time crunch, 6 hours works too, but the longer the better.

5. (Optional) In the last 1–2 hours, add extra chicken breasts. This makes tender shredded chicken for soups, salads, and more! I plan to make soup, chicken salad or and recipe that requires shredded chicken.

6. Strain the broth using a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth.

7. Store in glass jars.

📌 Pro Tip: Let the broth cool before refrigerating to prevent condensation inside the jars.

How to Use Your Homemade Broth

This rich, flavorful bone broth is perfect for:

🥣 Soups & Stews – Use it as a base for homemade soups!🍚 Cooking Rice & Grains – Swap water for broth when cooking rice, quinoa, or lentils.🍲 Sauces & Gravies – Adds depth to pan sauces and gravies.🥤 Sipping Broth – Warm up a mug of broth for a nourishing drink!

📌 Freezing Tip: Pour broth into ice cube trays for small portions you can easily use later!

Why This Low-Waste Broth is a Must-Try!

Making homemade bone broth from food scraps is one of the easiest ways to reduce food waste while creating something deeply flavorful and nourishing. It’s budget-friendly, full of nutrients, and completely customizable.

Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe – A great way to use your shredded chicken!

If you make this, tag me on Instagram @Weeknight_Homemaker—I’d love to see your kitchen creations!

Happy cooking & sustainable living! 

💚Lauren

The Weeknight Homemaker