Chicken vs Beef Bone Broth Powder: Which Should You Choose?
A quick, honest comparison from the team at Awaken Wellness (formerly Best Bones Broth). We make both, so we'll lay out where each one shines and let you pick.
The short answer
There's no single winner. It comes down to flavour and what you want it for.
- Go for beef if you want the most collagen and a powder so mild you can put it in almost anything, including smoothies, coffee and baking. It has very little taste.
- Go for chicken if you want a clean, fresh, natural chicken flavour for soups, cooking and a warming mug.
Plenty of households keep both: beef as the near-tasteless everyday collagen booster, chicken for savoury cooking and the kids' meals.
Flavour and how you'll use it
Beef broth powder surprises people. Despite coming from beef bones, the powder is very mild, almost neutral, with hardly any flavour. That's its superpower: you can stir it into a smoothie, your morning coffee, baking, soups or sauces and barely taste it, while still getting the biggest collagen hit. If you want one powder that goes in absolutely everything, beef is it.
Chicken broth powder has a clean, fresh, natural chicken flavour. It shines in savoury food: soups, risottos, gravies, mashed potato, pasta sauces, or a warm mug on a cold day. It's the natural choice when you actually want that broth taste to come through.
One thing worth clearing up: our fresh liquid broths are a different experience entirely, richer and more savoury than the powders. This comparison is about the powders.
Nutrition: collagen and protein
Both are protein-rich and naturally contain collagen, gelatin and the amino acids people drink bone broth for, like glycine and glutamine.
The main difference is collagen density. Beef broth is notably higher in collagen than chicken, because of the bones and connective tissue it's made from. So beef gives you a double win: the most collagen per scoop, in the most neutral-tasting powder. Chicken still delivers good collagen and protein, with that clean, natural chicken flavour many people are actually after.
One thing worth knowing whichever you choose: the collagen should come from the broth itself, not from hydrolysed collagen added back in. We cover how to spot the difference in our bone broth buyer's guide.
Who each one suits
Beef is the easy pick if you:
- Want the most collagen per serve
- Want a near-tasteless powder you can add to anything, sweet or savoury (smoothies, coffee, baking)
- Like the idea of a collagen boost you'll barely notice
- Want one powder that does everything
Chicken is the better pick if you:
- Want a clean, fresh chicken flavour for cooking, soups and mugs
- Are adding it to savoury family meals
- Enjoy a warming, savoury cup
Can you have both?
Yes, and a lot of people do. They're not really competing, they cover different jobs. A common setup is beef as the neutral, mix-into-anything collagen booster, and chicken for savoury cooking and the kids' meals. If you only want one and you're after collagen plus total versatility, start with beef. If you want that clean chicken flavour to come through, start with chicken.
What to look for in either one
Whether you land on beef or chicken, the quality checks are the same:
- Collagen from the broth, not added hydrolysed collagen
- Freeze-dried rather than spray-dried, so more of the nutrition survives
- No fillers like tapioca starch (check the carbohydrate per 100g on the panel, a real broth is close to zero)
- Made with quality, well-raised ingredients
We walk through all of these, with a couple of quick label tricks, in the full buyer's guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does beef bone broth powder taste strong?
No. Our beef broth powder is very mild, almost neutral, which is exactly why people add it to smoothies, coffee and baking as well as savoury food. You get the collagen without a strong beefy taste.
Is beef or chicken bone broth higher in collagen?
Beef is higher in collagen, because of the bones and connective tissue it's made from. Chicken still provides good collagen and protein, with a clean, fresh chicken flavour.
Which bone broth powder is the most versatile?
Beef, because it's so mild. You can add it to almost anything, sweet or savoury, without changing the taste much. Chicken's clean chicken flavour is better suited to soups and savoury cooking.
Which bone broth is best for kids?
Both work. Chicken's clean, natural chicken flavour blends into the soups and savoury meals kids already eat, and beef is so mild it can go into almost anything, including non-savoury foods, without being noticed.
Can I use bone broth powder in cooking?
Yes. Stir either into soups, stews, sauces, gravies, risottos and mashed veg. Chicken adds a clean, fresh chicken flavour, while beef stays in the background and just boosts the collagen and protein.
Want the full rundown on choosing a good bone broth? Read our Bone Broth Buyer's Guide, or have a look at our Organic Chicken Bone Broth Powder and NZ Grass-Fed Beef Broth Powder.
Written by the team at Awaken Wellness (formerly Best Bones Broth), made in New Zealand with certified organic ingredients. Bone broth is a food, not a medicine, and is best enjoyed as part of a varied diet.