How to choose a good bone broth

Good bone broth is not complicated, but standards matter.

  • Real ingredients - bones, meat, vegetables, herbs and seasoning, not flavourings and additives.

  • Meaningful protein - not because protein is the whole story, but because it is a useful sign that the bone broth is doing more than adding savoury flavour.

  • Naturally occurring collagen - present because of the ingredients and the long cook, not added afterwards to make the product look more functional.

  • Proper slow cooking - a well-made bone broth sets into a jelly when chilled, which tells you gelatine has been extracted.

  • A flavour you can live with - bone broth only becomes a habit if you actually want to drink it or cook with it.

  • No unnecessary additives - the point is food-based nutrition, not a long ingredient list trying to imitate it.

Decide whether you want bone broth for daily drinking, cooking or a protein boost, and the right product follows.

The best bone broth for drinking

For drinking, flavour and balance matter more than almost anything else.

A mug of bone broth needs to taste like something you would willingly have again tomorrow. It should be savoury, rounded and satisfying, without tasting artificial or over-seasoned. The nutrition matters, but it is wasted if the product sits in the cupboard because it feels like homework.

For this occasion, a premium ready-to-drink bone broth is usually the best choice. It has the depth and texture that come from slow cooking, and it does not ask you to mix, dilute or disguise it. The Classic bone broth to drink range is made for this use: warm it gently, pour it into a mug, and drink it as a small daily serving of food-based protein and collagen.

Sometimes convenience matters more. For travel, work or a desk drawer, instant sachets remove the friction. If you prefer a sweeter, lighter format, bone broth shakes give you the protein and collagen without a savoury drink.

The best bone broth for cooking

Cooking bone broth has a different job.

In a soup, stew, risotto, gravy or sauce, the priority is flavour, nutrition and sensible value. You do not necessarily need the highest possible protein per serving. You need a proper base that does more than a stock cube, without making everyday cooking feel precious.

That is where Cooking Bone Broth makes sense. It gives food the depth you expect from a good stock, with the added benefit of naturally occurring protein, collagen and minerals from slow-cooked ingredients. It is a straightforward swap for stock cubes in most meals, especially where the bone broth has enough time to become part of the dish.

Use bone broth anywhere you would use stock: soups, casseroles, rice, lentils, sauces, gravies, ramen, bolognese, pies and slow-cooked meat. The difference is not only taste. A stock cube mainly adds flavour; a well-made bone broth adds flavour and nutrition.

The best bone broth for collagen, protein and fasting

Some uses need a more concentrated format.

If your priority is collagen and protein, a bone broth powder or concentrate can be the most efficient option. It gives you more nutrition in less volume, which is useful if you are adding bone broth to food, travelling, or using it as a simple daily support without opening a carton.

For more detail, there are separate guides to the best bone broth for collagen, the best bone broth protein powder, and how bone broth fits with fasting.

In short: for the best drinking experience, choose a premium liquid bone broth. For concentrated protein and collagen, choose a bone broth powder or concentrate. If you are fasting, breaking a fast or avoiding sweet snacks, bone broth is savoury, light and protein-led, without feeling like another supplement.

The healthiest bone broth

The healthiest bone broth depends on what your body and your diet need.

For a traditional, nutrient-dense bone broth made from proper ingredients, a premium sipping bone broth is the most complete choice. It gives you the experience closest to homemade stock: savoury, warming, naturally rich in protein and collagen, and easy to use in daily meals.

For restricted diets, the answer may be different. If you are eating low-FODMAP, AIP, carnivore-style, or simply trying to keep ingredients as plain as possible, Pure Bone Broth can be the better choice. It is made without vegetables, herbs or flavourings, so the ingredient profile is simpler.

Healthiest does not always mean the richest flavour, the longest ingredient list or the most impressive claim. Sometimes it means a bone broth that tastes good enough to use every day. Sometimes it means the simplest format. Sometimes it means a cooking bone broth that helps you make better meals more often.

Best bone broth in the UK, and where to buy

A good bone broth usually costs more than a stock cube because it is not the same thing.

A stock cube is primarily a flavour shortcut. Bone broth is a slow-cooked dish made to provide flavour, along with protein, collagen, and other nutrients from the ingredients themselves - the full bone broth vs stock comparison sets out why. That does not mean the most expensive option is automatically the best. It means price should be judged against the role the bone broth is playing.

If bone broth helps replace ultra-processed snacks, improves the base of home-cooked meals, or gives you an easy way to add protein and collagen to your day, the value calculation changes. You are not comparing like with like when you compare bone broth with a cube.

Freja Bone Broth makes bone broth for different uses: ready-to-drink bone broth for sipping, cooking bone broth for meals, pure formats for restricted diets, and powders or sachets where convenience matters. You can buy bone broth in the UK across every one of those formats. For how a group of women used daily bone broth over six weeks, there is a fuller account of what they reported in our six-week pilot run with an NHS GP surgery. For stockists and online options, see where to buy bone broth.