Citric Acid Free Herb & Ginger Sipping Bone Broth

Total time4 hr 45 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time4 hr

Citric Acid Free Herb & Ginger Sipping Bone Broth

Warm, deeply golden, and fragrant with ginger, turmeric, and fresh herbs, this sipping broth is the kind of thing that makes you feel genuinely nurtured from the inside out. For anyone avoiding citric acid, store-bought broths and bouillons can be a minefield — many contain citric acid as a preservative or flavor enhancer, often buried in the fine print. Making it from scratch here means you control every single ingredient, and the list is refreshingly clean: beef bones, vegetables, aromatics, and sea salt. The apple cider vinegar step is a smart move that helps draw minerals from the bones before the long, low simmer does its work, resulting in a broth that's rich and satisfying without any additives. Fresh ginger and turmeric give it a gentle warmth and beautiful color that no powder blend can quite replicate. The optional lemon juice finish is listed as a serving add-on, so you can easily skip it if you're keeping things strictly citric acid free and still end up with a deeply flavorful mug. This is slow, simple cooking that rewards patience with something genuinely restorative.

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Ingredients

4 servings

2 lb beef bones (knuckle, marrow, or neck bones)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Bragg Organic Raw-Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar - 32 fl oz Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Heinz All Natural Apple Cider Vinegar Spectrum Naturals Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Filtered Dynamic Health Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother
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10 cups cold water
3 medium carrots, roughly chopped
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced
1 (1-inch) piece fresh turmeric, sliced, or 1 tsp ground turmeric
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
½ bunch fresh parsley (stems and leaves)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste

For serving

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (optional)
1 tbsp fresh chives, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

1
Place the beef bones in the stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then drain and rinse the bones under cold running water to remove any grey foam or impurities. Rinse the pot as well.
2
Return the cleaned bones to the pot. Add the apple cider vinegar and 10 cups cold water. Let the bones soak for 20 minutes — this helps draw minerals from the bones before heat is applied.

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