Low Sodium Bone Broths

If you're spending hard earned cash on buying bone broth, make sure it is a quality one. Most you find online or in stores are full of salt. These are awful products that have no place in your kitchen.

They're full of added salt because these brands take shortcuts and are trying to mask the actual flavor of their broth.

You see salt bombs with up to 900 mg sodium content per serving. That is going to do a number on your blood pressure.

If you're looking for the absolute best low sodium options on the market, you've come to the right review article.

The best low sodium bone broth powder is made by Bluebird Provisions. It has 130 mg sodium per serving with 300 mg potassium an 12 g protein. It's a convenient powder format that you can take with you to work or travelling. No need for planning, fridges or freezers.

Before we get started, I'll mention that this website is reader-supported. I spend a lot of time personally evaluating, testing and reviewing each product on this list. When you buy through links on our site, I may earn an affiliate commission.

6 Best Low Sodium Bone Broths

The 6 best low sodium bone broths are Bluebird Provisions Powdered Bone Broth, Bonafide Chicken, Kettle & Fire Mushroom Chicken, Taking Stock, FOND and Pacific Foods Chicken.

You'll notice that there are no beef options on this list. This is because beef tends to have more sodium for a few reasons.

1. The bones naturally have more salt than chicken. So you start with more sodium in the finished broth, even before the company adds any in for taste.
2. Beef tends to need a bit more salt to bring out the natural, rich flavor. As a result, it's difficult to find products with less than 350 mg sodium per cup. The best option is Bluebird Provisions grass fed beef bone broth (200 mg / cup).

Best Overall: Bluebird Provisions Chicken Bone Broth Powder

Bluebird Provisions Chicken Bone Broth Powder is among the lowest sodium of the whole list at 130 mg. It's balanced out with 300 mg potassium, which is the perfect ratio for hydration.

It also has the highest protein component per cup at 12 g. In my experience, it is the most delicious bone broth powder on the market.

I like that is has a rich, familiar taste of a chicken soup broth without the added preservatives or those dreaded 'natural flavors.'

There's just two simple ingredients: water and non-gmo, pasture raised chicken bones. I love that it has a natural chicken flavor without any additives.

The fact that it is sourced and made in the USA is another huge plus. This is definitely the best overall option. I found that my skin improved and my joint pain went away after 2 months of regular use.

Or check the price from Bluebird Provisions.

Best Frozen: Bonafide Provisions Chicken Bone Broth

Bonafide is a staple of the bone broth business. They are one of the first frozen ones on the market in the USA.

They've done a great job keeping their product quality (cooking methods) and recipe the same despite increased competition from other brands offering cheaper, lower quality products.

Bonafide has 10 g protein (with good gelatin conent) per cup and 280 mg sodium. When I tried it, it felt like a yummy chicken broth with a mild, chicken taste.

The potassium in it is 39 mg. Most chicken bone broth for sipping you see tend to have a bit more.

But the reality is that Bonafide does a great job. It is not easy making and selling a frozen bone broth all across the USA. They are happily USDA Organic and a classic chicken bone broth option.

I like to cook with it and make rice or soup. Try some for yourself.

Best Mass Grocery Store: Kettle & Fire Mushroom Chicken

The best liquid, shelf stable bone broth that you can find in many grocery stores is Kettle & Fire Mushroom Chicken Bone Broth.

It is sourced from cage free chicken, made in the USA and has 10 g protein, 290 mg sodium and 355 mg potassium per serving.

There are 1 g of carbs and 1 g of sugar. I personally like the nutrition label and simple ingredients.

It looks like a lot of ingredients but this is because this product is a blend of their chicken and mushroom broths along with some adaptogenic ingredients like Lions Mane powder. 

You can enjoy this delicious mushroom broth knowing that Kettle and Fire is Whole 30 Approved to fit your keto, fasting or paleo lifestyle.

I also use this one for cooking. Since it is shelf stable, it is easy to pop a few in the pantry and bring them out when you have a recipe that calls for broth or water.

You can find this at Walmart, Whole Foods, Kroger and Target in the USA (among many other stores). I like that it is low in salt with a yummy mushroom taste.

Some people are not crazy about the package size, but you get what you pay for when it comes to quality food products.

FOND Pasture-Raised Regenerative Chicken Bone Broth

FOND bone broth makes a regeneratively raised chicken bone broth that is relatively low in sodium. While it is a bit higher than others on the list (290 mg per serving), I wanted to include it because there are such limited options on the market.

FOND is shelf stable and comes in a glass jar. This is a bit tricky and I would imagine they deal with breakage issues when it ships from time to time.

But I applaud them for using regenerative sourcing and offering another low sodium broth option.

Ingredients: WATER, CHICKEN BONES, SEA SALT

As you can see, the ingredients are simple and to the point. This is a broth I'll sip occasionally, but mainly use for making soups and stews in the winter.

Taking Stock® Unsalted Chicken Bone Broth

Taking Stock is a new brand on the market that comes in a convenient, shelf stable standup pouch with a spout in the side.

A friend of mine told me about this product, so I looked it up and decided to try some myself.

Here's what I love:

1. Quality and Sourcing: Global Animal Partnership (level 3) sourcing means they are USDA Organic and pasture raised.
2. Low Sodium: only 30 mg sodium per cup to go along with 140 mg potassium
3. Simple Ingredients: Just 5 ingredients without any fluff or fillers.

Now whenever you see a shelf stable bone broth, you usually assume that there are preservatives or fillers to extend shelf life. Oddly, Taking Stock does not use any of these.

I wonder how long the shelf life is, but they seem to have gotten it done. Speaking of ingredients, lets' take a look.

Ingredients: Water, Organic chicken frames, organic shallots, organic carrots, organic apple cider vinegar.

It's a great splash of flavor when I'm cooking stir frys or sauteeing anything on the stove. It does come a bit bland, but that is what you get with unsalted products.

Pacific Foods Unsalted Chicken

A shelf stable option available at most grocery stores is Pacific Foods Unsalted Chicken Bone Broth. This product is mass made but is a good option if you're on a budget or just getting into bone broth.

You'll find 9 g protein and 90 mg sodium per serving with 158 mg potassium.

I was bummed to learn that Pacific uses some ingredients for flavor and to extend the shelf life. These include dextrose, 'spices,' cider vinegar and rosemary extract.

• Spices are self explanatory. They are a mix of things that are used to make a food product taste better.
• Cider vinegar adds acid to help extend the shelf life.
• Rosemary extract is a natural preservative many companies use to extend shelf life.
• Dextrose is a simple carbohydrate that is also known as glucose. It is a sugar that food companies use to add flavor.

Overall this is an option if you're in store and can't find any others. But the addition of dextrose does add some carbohydrates. 

I used to drink Pacific a few years ago, but found the taste to be not to my liking.

No Salt Added: Osso Good Organic Chicken Bone Broth

Note: it seems as though Osso Good is out of business. So these products may not be available anymore. Leave a comment if you have more information and I will make updates.

This chicken bone broth from Osso Good is a solid option. It uses organic broth bones and lists 13 ingredients including apple cider vinegar, herbs and peppercorns.

It comes in with 7.5 g protein per cup or serving and has 115 mg sodium per cup.

We love that they use filtered water and a traditional, small batch and low and slow cooking method. There is 0.5 g of sugar and 0.5 g of fat per serving which brings it to 40 calories.

Why are low sodium bone broths better?

Low sodium bone broths are better because they are less salty and have more, real umami flavor. This allows you to control the amount of sodium in it because you can add more to taste. Plus, they are better for you. What do I mean by this?

Sodium is delicious to season food, but we get too much of it. Excess sodium can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. It also causes the loss of calcium from your bones. If you are active or getting older, you want to keep as much calcium for bone strength as possible.

Most Americans consume about 1.5 teaspoons of salt per day or about 3,400 mg of sodium. That is much higher than the recommended daily intake of 2,300 mg.

What's the criteria?

The criteria is pretty easy, does the bone broth have less than 300 mg of sodium per serving? My personal preference is more products with less than 200 mg per serving. But if we stuck to that, we'd only have one product on the list.

So I had to use 300 mg in order to get some decent options for you.

What are the reviews for these bone broths?

Like most products, there are mixed reviews for all of these bone broths. Unfortunately, you can no longer trust reviews from company websites because they can be messed with and controlled by the company.

Now we have to look to third party sites like Amazon. Even this is is difficult to trust sometimes, but it is the best unbiased source we have.

Bluebird Provisions gets great reviews for their taste, sourcing, convenience and customer service.

Bonafide Provisions gets good reviews for their quality. This is always a challenge with shipping frozen products. Some people found it a bit bland to taste. 

Kettle and Fire Most people say it is a bit pricey but tastes good. Some did not like the taste, but you cannot please everyone.

Taking Stock Has solid reviews, but some people mention the flavor is a bit bland and that it does not gel in the fridge.

FOND gets good reviews but some people find it a bit neutral in flavor.

Pacific is difficult to get a grasp on because they seem to change the recipe sometimes. Generally, people like the smooth taste.

Osso Good went out of business, but they're products generally had solid reviews

What are the pros and cons of these bone broth brands?

There are pros and cons to every bone broth, let's take a look at each of them in the table below.

What are the differences between these bone broth brands?

There are many differences between these bone broth brands. The main ones are the sourcing, packaging format and nutrition facts.

Bluebird Provisions is in a convenient shelf stable powder format, while the others are all liquid.

Kettle and Fire and Pacific are shelf stable in tetra paks. Conversely, Bonafide and Osso Good are in plastic standup pouches and are sold frozen.

Looking for more? Read our review of the 6 Best Bones Broths this year.

Which bone broth is the best?

Bluebird Provisions makes the best bone broth to drink out of the low sodium options. Why? It has the highest collagen protein, highest potassium (for hydration) and tastes absolutely delicious. It is also the only one that uses 100% recyclable packaging.

You can find them online or on Amazon Prime for free shipping. This one is made in the USA using USA pasture raised chicken.

What bone broth has the lowest sodium?

Bluebird Provisions bone broth protein powder has the lowest sodium out of just about any you will find on the market today. It has 130 mg per 250 ml serving, while most others you will find have 350-550 for the same serving. Look for one that has less than 150 mg if you can.

You want a product with no added salt, natural flavors or yeast extract.

Can bone broth be toxic?

Bone broth is not toxic, but there is one potential issue that a tiny percentage of the population experiences while drinking it: histamine intolerance. If you are sensitive to histamines, you will have an allergic reaction to drinking it.

This is usually nothing serious, you may feel bad or get headaches. In this case, it is best to avoid it.

What are the negative effects of bone broth?

The many negative effect of bone broth is from drinking a fraudulent product. Most store bought products are mislabelled junk that are bad for you.

As long as you drink real, traditionally made versions of it, there are no negative effects. It makes some people poop more, but that is temporary and because it is helping to clean out bad gut bacteria.

Yes, you read that correctly. Most store bought or online versions (including those in soup) are mislabeled junk that a bad for your health.

Why does bone broth say not a good source of protein?

Bone broth says not a good source of protein because it is listed as an incomplete protein. This means that the type of protein (amino acids) found in it are not complete.

Meaning that dieticians and policy makers have decided that you cannot survive using bone broth as your only protein source. You need other protein to get enough essential and branch chained amino acids.

Why are there no low sodium beef bone broths?

Beef bone broth is difficult to source and make taste good (to most people) in large quantities. In fact, the taste tends to come out a bit beefy, strong, bitter or roasted.

For this reason, most brands tend to add more salt to make beef bone broths taste better. But the issue is that they add too much. Many food labels have 500 mg + of sodium per serving. This is too much!

The only good Organic beef bone broth I found that is low sodium is the one from Bluebird Provisions. The problem is that it is only available in Canada.

Closing Thoughts

When it comes to unsalted bone broth, there are surprisingly limited options. That being said, I did my best to explain what you can find online and in store. If you want the easy answer, just go to Amazon and try the Bluebird Provisions chicken.

From here you can try a few other brands and see how you like them.

Do you have a question about these brands or a different brand? Leave a comment and I will get back to you asap.

Bluebird Provisions is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Disclaimer: this information is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the FDA or CFIA. It is not medical advise. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or healthcare issue. Please consult your primary care physician for advise on any of this.