Bone Broth vs Collagen Powder: Which Should You Choose?
Collagen powder is one isolated ingredient, often with flavourings and sweeteners. Bone broth powder gives you collagen within real protein, 19 amino acids and a savoury spoonful that works in coffee and dinner. Here’s how they compare.
In this guide
You’ve seen the tubs. Pastel labels, a scoop buried somewhere inside, and a flavour called something like “Strawberry Dream”. Collagen powder is everywhere right now. But is a spoonful of white powder in your morning coffee really the best way to get it?
Here’s a question worth asking: where does collagen powder actually come from? The answer is animal skin, bones and connective tissue – the same raw stuff that goes into a proper bone broth. One gets broken down and stripped back to a single ingredient. The other gets slow-simmered into real food.
So which should you choose? Let’s break it down.
What is collagen, anyway?
Collagen is a protein. Collagen makes up around 25–30% of all the protein in the human body, and it’s also found in the bones, skin and connective tissue of animals. Its building blocks are a particular mix of amino acids, with glycine, proline and hydroxyproline as the major components. When you simmer bones for hours, that collagen breaks down into the broth – which is why a good bone broth sets like jelly in the fridge.
Collagen is popular with people who want more protein in their day and like the idea of getting it from a food their grandparents would recognise.
What is collagen powder?
Collagen powder (often sold as “collagen peptides”) is collagen that has been extracted, broken down into smaller pieces and dried. It’s one isolated ingredient. That’s it.
And that’s fine if you only want one thing. But flip over a few tubs and have a look at the ingredients list. In the UK, ingredients have to be listed in order of weight, with the main ingredient first. In the flavoured ones you’ll often find flavourings, sweeteners, acids and colours sitting further down the list. Is that what you were picturing when you bought a “clean” supplement?
What is bone broth powder?
Bone broth powder is bone broth – bones slow-simmered in water for hours, then gently dried into a fine powder. Nothing is isolated or stripped out. You get the collagen, plus the rest of the broth’s protein and its full spread of amino acids, in one savoury spoonful.
Our Pure Beef Bone Broth Powder is 99.8% grass-fed British beef bone broth. The other 0.2% is a pinch of sunflower lecithin to help it stir in smoothly. No added salt, no sweeteners, no flavourings. One main ingredient you can actually picture.
Bone broth vs collagen powder: side by side
| Collagen powder | Pure Beef Bone Broth Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | One isolated ingredient | Whole bone broth, slow-simmered then dried |
| Ingredients | Collagen peptides, plus flavourings and sweeteners in many flavoured tubs | 99.8% grass-fed British beef bone broth, 0.2% sunflower lecithin |
| Per 10g spoonful | Collagen only | 8,500mg collagen within 9.6g protein, 19 amino acids |
| Taste | Usually sweet-flavoured or bland | Neutral and gently savoury |
| Where it works | Drinks and smoothies | Coffee, smoothies, soups, stews, sauces, gravy, a mug on its own |
| Added salt | Check the label | None |
| Cost per serving | Varies by brand | About 83p (£24.99 for 30 servings) |
What you get in one spoonful of Pure Beef
One 10g tablespoon. That’s all it takes.
Nearly all of that 9.6g protein is collagen – 8,500mg of it. And because Pure Beef is high in protein, it’s a genuinely useful top-up: protein contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass and to the maintenance of normal bones. The UK reference intake for protein is 50g a day, so one spoonful covers almost a fifth of it.
Not all bone broths are equal either
If collagen is what you’re after, it pays to compare. Here’s how much collagen you get in a 10g serving across our range:
Beef bones are rich in collagen, and Pure Beef sits right at the top. If you want the most collagen per spoonful, that’s the one.
Why bone broth wins
Bones, water, time. No stripping back to a single isolate, no flavour lab.
8,500mg collagen within 9.6g protein per spoonful, plus 19 amino acids.
Sweet collagen tubs are stuck in drinks. Bone broth works in your coffee and your dinner.
One main ingredient. And every batch is tested – you can see the test results for yourself.
How to use it (yes, even in coffee)
Pure Beef is neutral in flavour, so it disappears into whatever you’re making. Stir a tablespoon into your morning coffee – try The Broffee – or into a smoothie, soup, stew or a sneaky bolognese. Try doing that with a tub of “Strawberry Dream”.
Need more ideas? Here are 7 easy ways to use bone broth powder.
Questions people ask
Is bone broth better than collagen powder?
If you want real food rather than a single isolated ingredient, yes. A spoonful of Pure Beef gives you 8,500mg collagen within 9.6g protein, 19 amino acids and no sweeteners or flavourings – and it works in savoury food as well as drinks.
Does bone broth have collagen in it?
Yes. Simmering bones for hours draws the collagen out into the broth. How much you get depends on the bones and the method, which is why it’s worth checking the label. Pure Beef has 8,500mg per 10g serving.
Can I take bone broth instead of collagen powder?
Plenty of people swap their collagen tub for bone broth powder. You still get your collagen, plus a savoury ingredient you can cook with – one product doing two jobs.
Can you put bone broth powder in coffee?
Yes. A neutral one like Pure Beef stirs straight into coffee. Start with a teaspoon if you’re nervous, then work up to a tablespoon.
Which bone broth has the most collagen?
Beef bone broth tends to be the richest. In our range, Pure Beef leads with 8,500mg per 10g, followed by Beef Marrow at 6,500mg.
How much bone broth should I have a day?
Most people have one or two servings a day. We’ve covered it in more detail in how much bone broth a day. If you’re pregnant, on medication or have a medical condition, check with your GP or pharmacist first.
Our pick: Pure Beef Bone Broth Powder
The most collagen in our range, 9.6g protein per spoonful, 19 amino acids and no added salt. Grass-fed British beef bones, slow-simmered for up to 16 hours, then dried into a fine powder that disappears into coffee, smoothies and dinner. About 83p a serving. Why buy a tub of one ingredient when you could have the whole broth?
Shop Pure Beef Bone Broth Powder →
Prefer a ready-seasoned mug? Browse the full bone broth powder range.
Related Reading
- Bone broth benefits
- How much bone broth a day?
- Is bone broth powder as good as homemade or liquid?
- Grass-fed vs grain-fed beef
- How much protein do I need?
Sources & Further Reading
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