Bone Broth vs Stock — What’s the Real Difference?

Have you ever stood in front of the grocery aisle wondering if there’s any real difference between bone broth, stock, and regular broth? You're not alone. These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they’re not the same—especially when it comes to how they’re made, their ingredients, and nutritional profile.

Whether you're enjoying it for its nutritional value or using it while cooking, understanding the differences between bone broth and stock can help you choose the right option for your needs. Keep on reading to learn what sets them apart.

What Is Bone Broth?

Bone broth is a nutrient-rich liquid made by simmering animal bones—typically beef, chicken, or fish—for an extended period, usually between 12 to 48 hours. This slow cooking process extracts the nutrients naturally present in bones and connective tissues, such as minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, as well as collagen, gelatin, and amino acids. The bones and connective tissues can be simmered on their own, but some people like to add vinegar to help extract nutrients, along with vegetable scraps and herbs for more flavor. 

Due to its long simmering process, bone broth is thicker and more flavorful than regular broth or stock. It’s often enjoyed on its own as a warm, nourishing drink or used as a base for soups, sauces, and stews. Once cooled, it may firm up into a jelly which is the collagen that has broken down to gelatin.

What Is Stock?

Stock is a flavorful liquid, traditionally made by simmering animal bones and connective tissue, often with small amounts of meat still attached. Sometimes, the bones are simmered together with onion, carrots, and celery to add depth of flavor. Stock is typically simmered for a much shorter time than bone broth—usually between 4 to 6 hours. It’s is commonly used as a base for soups, stews, and sauces, but it’s rarely sipped on its own like bone broth often is.

While the making of stock has some similarities to the process of making bone broth, stock contains less collagen and minerals due to the shorter cooking time and slightly different ingredients. 

What Is Regular Broth?

Regular broth is made by simmering meat, vegetables, herbs and spices, and sometimes bones for a shorter period, usually 1 to 2 hours. Unlike bone broth or stock, the process of making plain broth focuses more on extracting flavors from the meat rather than the bones, which may result in a lighter, clearer liquid.

Because of the shorter cooking time and emphasis on meat, broth tends to have a slightly milder flavor and contains less gelatin and minerals compared to bone broth. Plain broth is commonly used as a base for soups and cooking grains, but it can also be enjoyed on its own as a warm, comforting drink.

Bone Broth vs Stock vs Regular Broth

The table below shows a quick overview of the main differences between bone broth, stock, and standard broth.

Bone Broth, Stock, and Broth Can Come From Different Sources

Broths and stocks can be made from many different sources—including beef, chicken, fish, lamb, or even vegetables.

While the base ingredients of bone broth, broth, and stock may change, the main differences between them still apply:

• Bone broth is simmered the longest (12-48 hours) and uses bones with connective tissue. It’s typically made without much meat and can come from various sources like beef, chicken, or fish.
  
  

• Stock has a shorter cooking time (4-6 hours) than bone broth and is made from bones and connective tissue, sometimes with small amounts of meat still attached. Aromatic vegetables, like onion, carrots, and celery, might also be added.
  
  

• Broth is typically made by simmering meat (or vegetables) for a shorter time (1-2 hours) than bone broth and stock. It often includes some vegetables, herbs, and spices for flavor and results in a lighter liquid.
  
  

Although vegetable stock isn’t made from any animal parts, it follows the same general idea as meat-based stock: Ingredients like onion, celery, and carrots are simmered to create a savory and flavorful liquid. However, vegetable stock doesn’t contain the same protein compounds (like gelatin or collagen) found in broths and stocks made with bones. The terms stock and broth are often used interchangeably in plant-based cooking — but you won't get that gelatinous texture that naturally would come from bones and connective tissues.

Are Bouillon Cubes a Good Substitute?

Bouillon cubes and powders are often used as a quick substitute for broths or stocks, but the quality is far from the same. They’re typically made from dehydrated broth concentrates and tend to be highly processed. Most contain added salt, sugar (including syrups), starches, seed or palm oil, MSG, and other additives that wouldn’t be found in a homemade broth or stock. 

Nutritionally, bouillon products fall short compared to bone broth as they don’t contain the same amounts of collagen, gelatin, or amino acids. While bouillon products can add flavor to a dish, they simply don’t offer the same nourishment and often come packed with excess salt.

Conclusion

While bone broth, stock, and plain broth are quite similar to some extent, there are some clear distinctions — especially in cooking time, ingredients, and nutritional value. Due to the use of bones and connective tissue, stock is richer than regular broth, but bone broth is simmered the longest, resulting in a more concentrated source of nutrients like collagen, gelatin, and amino acids.

If you’re simply looking to add flavor to a dish, any of them can work. But if you’re after nourishment, especially from animal-based whole foods, bone broth is the most nutrient-dense option.

Don’t have time to simmer bones for hours? DENSE Bone Broth Powder is a simple alternative made from grass-fed, pasture-raised beef bones and nothing else—no additives, no flavorings—just slow-simmered broth. Since it’s unflavored, it’s incredibly versatile: sip it warm, mix it into soups, stews, or sauces—you can even add it to smoothies!

👉 SHOP BONE BROTH