By Jehan Yusoof  |  Updated August 30, 2026  |  ★ 4.5 (31 reviews) | 7 comments

Beef bone soup made with beef bone broth and root vegetables. An Old-fashioned beef bone vegetable soup to give a hearty and comforting dinner for you and your family to enjoy.
Also known as bone broth soup or a hearty vegetable beef soup, our grandmothers and mothers have been making soups like this for years. To them it was simply common sense: use the bones of the meat, every scrap of beef and every vegetable, without waste.

If you are interested in knowing the benefits of bone broth, here is an easy infographic courtesy of https://www.cognitune.com/bone-broth-benefits/.

Ingredients for beef bone soup

You’ll find exact quantities in the recipe card below.

• Beef soup bones: bones with plenty of meat on them. Shank, neck or ask your butcher for soup bone mix.
• Onions: large onions.
• Garlic cloves and spices: garlic pods, turmeric, cumin, coriander, whole black peppercorns and crushed peppercorns, bay leaves.
• Honey to round off all the flavours.
• Carrots and potatoes: cut into big chunks so they hold up through the long simmer.
• Water as needed.

Tips for the best beef bone soup

• There are a few elements for a good, robust soup; start by choosing good soup bones with meat on them. 50% beef and bone in equal amounts.
• You can’t rush the cooking process of making a healthy vegetable beef broth recipe. You need at least 3 to 4 hours of slow cooking. Don’t rush by cooking over high heat.
• If you think you might not have enough time(at least 3-4 hours)for the beef and the bones to cook, then please leave them in the freezer for another day.
• If you are short on time, see my slow cooker and pressure cooker instructions in the recipe card.
• Use a big, deep pot so you move the ingredients around.
• Don’t burn the onions and garlic; braising is where the flavour comes from.

What you will need in the kitchen

• A large, wide-mouth stock pot or a heavy-bottomed deep pan (7-8 litres/ 8 quart)
• A fine mesh strainer or skimmer for the foam.
• Chopping board and knife
• Wooden spoon, ladle
• Freezer-safe containers for leftover beef bone soup

How to make beef bone soup

photo tutorial

Prepare the beef bones and vegetables

Remove the skin off the carrots and potatoes, then cut them into large chunks.
Wash the bones and meat set aside to drain excess water.
Choose a large pot that can hold the bones and the root vegetables with room to stir

Braise the bones with onions and spices

Set the pot over medium heat and pour in the oil.
Add the sliced onions and minced garlic.

When the onions start to caramelise, add the bones and meat. Season with a pinch of salt.
Braise the bones and onions together over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly so the onions don’t burn.

Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, bay leaves, crushed peppercorns and whole peppercorns.
Add honey to the mixture of onions and bones.

Continue to braise the beef bones and spices for a further 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes and carrots, and cook them for 5 minutes while mixing everything you’ve incorporated so far.

Simmer the soup

After all the ingredients have been gently braised, pour in the water. Season with salt.
Add more water if you need to cover all the ingredients.

Cover and slow-simmer for 3 to 4 hours.

Skim and season the beef bone soup

Cook the beef broth vegetable soup until the root vegetables and beef are tender.
The broth consistency depends on how thick or thin you want it; there are no thickeners like Coconut milk, so the broth will be thin even when it’s reduced.
Check to make sure there is enough salt and serve warm.

• Questions.
  • Where to buy beef soup bones?
    • Ask about the best cuts for a bone broth soup from your neighbourhood butcher; he’ll give you the right mix of both beef-on-bone parts.
    • I know you’ll be tempted to add your own ingredients, but keep in mind none of the spices or herbs you use here should overwhelm the natural flavours already there.
      If you leave the bones and meat to cook long, this will enhance and elevate the soup on its own.
  • No Tomatoes?
    • Not this time; too much of it can overwhelm the base, and too little, well, the purpose is lost.
    • Keep in mind that everything about this soup is big and chunky, especially the beef bones, so make sure you have a pot or pan to stir the ingredients.
  • Can I use a slow cooker or pressure cooker to make the chunky vegetable soup?
    • Yes, especially when you are short on time.

What to serve with beef bone soup

• Serve with warm plain rice.
• All you need is some thick slices of rustic bread or Sri Lankan roast paan.

How to Store, Freeze and Reheat Beef Bone Soup

• Storing in the refrigerator
  • Let the soup cool and store it in a glass container, as plastic containers tend to stain heavily. can be refrigerated and used within 4 days.
• Freezer
  • Remove or strain the bones and vegetables from the bone soup and freeze the broth for 2 to 3 months.
• Reheating
  • Remove the frozen bone broth and let it reach room temperature for at least 30 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a heavy-bottomed pan and slow simmer.

More soup recipes

Indian hot and sour chicken soup(chicken rasam)
Sri Lankan tamarind soup with pepper(rasam)
Coconut Curry Beef Stew with carrots and potatoes
Curried oat soup

Watch more recipes on my YouTube channel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JEHAN
Recipe creator. Food Blogger. Video creator
I’ve been cooking and sharing Sri Lankan recipes, along with other dishes I love making at home on Island Smile since 2015. I’ve tested every recipe on this site more than once in my own kitchen before it goes on the blog.
I grew up eating this food, and I still cook it the way my family taught me, just written down clearly enough for you to follow.
If a recipe doesn’t work the way I say it will, tell me in the comments; I read every one, and I’ll help you fix it.