Easy Ham Stock (Plus How To Freeze Or Can It)

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Don’t throw out that leftover ham bone. With a few carrots, some celery, and an onion, it turns into a pot of rich, flavorful ham stock. It’s an easy stovetop recipe that mostly simmers on its own, and I’ll show you how to freeze it or pressure can it for later.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: Ham Stock
Cook Time: 4 to 6 hours
Servings: 8 cups
Main Ingredients: Ham bone, carrots, celery, onion, peppercorns, water
Dietary Info: Dairy-free
Difficulty Level: Easy

A large mason jar filled with homemade ham stock sits on a countertop. The rich golden brown broth shows the finished result of a ham stock recipe.

After a holiday dinner like this Cranberry Glazed Ham or my Baked Ham With Brown Sugar Mustard Orange Glaze, the bone always goes into the stockpot. It still has so much flavor left in it. A few hours later, you have homemade stock for soups all winter.

It’s one of those simple frugal habits that stretches your food a little further. You use up something you’d otherwise toss, and you get a jar of stock that’s so much better than store-bought.

Ham Stock Vs. Ham Broth

Most people use the words ham stock and ham broth for the same thing. You can use them the same way in recipes, too. There is a small difference, though.

Stock is made by simmering bones with vegetables and herbs. The bones give it a rich flavor and body.
Broth is made by simmering meat with vegetables. It’s usually a little lighter.

Since this recipe starts with a leftover ham bone, it’s really a ham stock. But if a soup recipe calls for ham broth, it works just as well.

Why You’ll Love This Ham Stock

No Waste: It turns a leftover ham bone into something useful instead of sending it to the trash.
Simple Ingredients: You only need a few basic vegetables, peppercorns, and water.
Hands-Off: Once it’s simmering, the pot does almost all the work.
Make Ahead: It freezes well, or you can pressure can it for the pantry.

Ingredients

2 large carrots
3 stalks celery
1 large onion
1 ham bone
1 teaspoon peppercorns
16 cups water

How To Make Ham Stock

Step 1: Chop The Vegetables

Cut your carrots, celery, and onion into large chunks. There’s no need to be neat here. Everything gets strained out at the end.

Step 2: Fill The Pot

A ham bone sits in a large pot with chopped carrots. celery. and onion pieces.

A ham bone with carrots. celery. onions. and peppercorns is covered with water in a large pot before simmering into ham stock.

Place the vegetables in a large stockpot with the ham bone and peppercorns. Add enough water to cover everything, but leave enough room in the pot for it to boil.

Step 3: Simmer For 4 To 6 Hours

Bring the pot to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Place the lid on and let it cook for 4 to 6 hours. The longer it simmers, the more flavor you’ll pull from the bone.

Step 4: Strain The Stock

Cooked ham stock fills a large pot with softened carrots, celery, onions, and pieces of ham bone after simmering.

When it’s done, remove the lid and strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve. Toss the vegetables and the bone.

Step 5: Skim Off The Fat

Next, remove the fat. A gravy separator makes this quick if you want to use the stock right away. Or place the stock in the fridge overnight.

The fat rises to the top and hardens, so it’s easy to lift off with a spoon.

Recipe Notes & Tips

Use a big pot: The ham bone takes up a lot of room, so a large stockpot or Dutch oven works best.
Keep it at a simmer: A gentle simmer gives you a clearer stock than a hard boil.
Wait on the salt: There’s no salt in this recipe because the ham already adds some. Taste your stock before you add any more.
Freeze the bone: Not ready to make stock yet? Freeze the ham bone in a freezer bag until you have time.

How To Freeze Ham Stock

Let the stock cool, then ladle it into freezer-safe containers. Leave 1 inch of headspace, because the stock expands as it freezes. Label the containers and freeze for up to a year.

Thaw it overnight in the fridge, or warm it up straight from frozen in a pot on the stove.

How To Can Ham Stock

Step 1: Heat The Stock

Skim off the fat, then bring the stock back to a boil.

Step 2: Fill The Jars

Ham stock is poured into mason jars, with one open jar filled to the top and a second jar partly visible on a wooden board beside a beige plaid kitchen towel.

Ladle the hot ham stock into your prepared canning jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.

Step 3: Wipe The Rims And Add The Lids

Mason jars filled with homemade ham stock have lids and rings placed on top finger tight, ready for the next preservation step.

Wipe the jar rims clean, and place the lids on finger-tight.

Step 4: Process In A Pressure Canner

Process pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes, using the pressure for your altitude below.

Weighted Gauge Pressure Canner

Pint jars:

0 to 1,000 feet: 20 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure
Above 1,000 feet: 20 minutes at 15 pounds of pressure

Quart jars:

0 to 1,000 feet: 25 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure
Above 1,000 feet: 25 minutes at 15 pounds of pressure

Dial Gauge Pressure Canner

Pint jars:

0 to 2,000 feet: 20 minutes at 11 pounds of pressure
2,001 to 4,000 feet: 20 minutes at 12 pounds of pressure
4,001 to 6,000 feet: 20 minutes at 13 pounds of pressure
6,001 to 8,000 feet: 20 minutes at 14 pounds of pressure

Quart jars:

0 to 2,000 feet: 25 minutes at 11 pounds of pressure
2,001 to 4,000 feet: 25 minutes at 12 pounds of pressure
4,001 to 6,000 feet: 25 minutes at 13 pounds of pressure
6,001 to 8,000 feet: 25 minutes at 14 pounds of pressure

A sealed mason jar filled with home canned ham stock sits on a countertop, showing the finished golden brown stock ready for pantry storage.

How To Use Ham Stock

Ham stock is perfect for soups. It’s the base for Ham and Bean Soup and Ham and Potato Soup, and it’s great in split pea soup too. You can also use it to cook dried beans or rice for extra flavor, or anywhere a recipe calls for ham broth.

Looking for more ideas? Try one of these cozy fall soup recipes with your homemade stock.

Substitutions

Ham hock: No ham bone? A smoked ham hock works too and gives the stock a nice smoky flavor.

FAQ’s

Ham stock is made by simmering a ham bone with vegetables and water. It’s a flavorful base for soups, and you can use it anywhere a recipe calls for ham broth.

They’re very close, and most people use the names for the same thing. Stock is made from bones, and broth is made from meat. You can use them the same way in recipes.

A ham bone is the bone left over after you carve a baked or spiral ham. A ham hock is a smaller piece from the lower leg, and it’s usually smoked. Both make good stock.

Simmer it for 4 to 6 hours with the lid on. Bring it to a boil first, then turn it down to a simmer.

Keep it in a covered container in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze it or can it.

Ham Stock

This easy ham stock turns your leftover holiday ham bone into a rich, flavorful base with just a few simple vegetables. Use it anywhere you’d use ham broth in soups all winter, or freeze or can it for later!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 10

Serving Size cups

Ingredients

2 large carrots
3 stalks celery
1 large onion
1 ham bone
1 teaspoon peppercorns
16 cups water

Instructions

Cut your vegetables into large chunks and place them in a large stockpot with the ham bone. Add enough water to cover everything, leaving enough room to boil.
Bring the pot to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Place the lid on the pot and cook for 4 to 6 hours.
When done, remove the lid and strain through a fine mesh sieve.
Next, remove the fat with a gravy separator or place it in the fridge overnight. The fat will rise to the top and harden, making it easy to skim off.

To Freeze

Ladle into freezer-safe containers, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Label and place into the freezer for up to a year.

To Can

Ladle the hot ham stock into your prepared canning jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
Wipe the jar rims clean, and place the lids on finger-tight.
Pressure can pints for 20 minutes and quart jars for 25 minutes.

Notes

No salt is added, since the ham bone already seasons the stock.
A smoked ham hock can be used in place of the ham bone.
Keeps in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days.

Canning pressure by altitude (weighted gauge):

0 to 1,000 feet: 10 pounds of pressure
Above 1,000 feet: 15 pounds of pressure

Canning pressure by altitude (dial gauge):

0 to 2,000 feet: 11 pounds of pressure
2,001 to 4,000 feet: 12 pounds of pressure
4,001 to 6,000 feet: 13 pounds of pressure
6,001 to 8,000 feet: 14 pounds of pressure

Nutrition

These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.

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Kim

Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.