Best Vegetarian Substitutes for Chicken Broth

Chicken broth is used in so many recipes that it is absolutely necessary to find a good replacement for the vegetarian kitchen.

Any broth that is not being sipped by a dwindling fire in a survival situation has one important requirement: flavor. Many broths on super market shelves fall short in every flavor department except for salt. They are loaded with salt.

But it's easy to create vegetarian substitutes for chicken broth that surpass those store-bought broths in flavor. Here are three easy-to-make options that will blow store-bought chicken and vegetable broths out of the water. Perfect for all your favorite vegetarian soups!

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• Vegetable Broth
• Mushroom Broth
• Kombu
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Vegetable Broth

The most obvious vegetarian substitute for chicken broth is vegetable broth. No chicken broth is noteworthy anyway without the addition of vegetables and herbs to add flavor. Below are the essential building blocks of a good vegetable stock.

(Or you can just skip right over to this homemade vegetable broth recipe and make it for yourself!)

Aromatics

Aromatics are herbs and veggies that release their complex flavors and aromas when cooked. They provide a great flavor base for many dishes, but especially any type of soup or stock.

The majority of flavor in most broth or stock comes from aromatic vegetables. Onions, celery, and carrots (a combination also known as a mirepoix) are the most common broth vegetables, but garlic, ginger, shallot, fennel, peppers (hot or mild), parsnip, leeks, or green onions are great for stock as well.

Shallots have natural pectins, so they can be added  to increase the richness of a broth. Try a vegetable broth with garlic, onion, and green bell pepper to make a tortilla soup or chili. Use a broth with green onions, ginger, celery, and fennel for Asian dishes. Aromatics are the key to imparting all kinds of delicious flavors in your vegetable broth.

Herbs

Herbs are another great way to add flavor to a vegetable broth or stock. Traditionally, these herbs are tied into a bundle called a bouquet garni so that you can drop them into the broth for flavor, but they are still easy to fish out later in the cooking process.

Most broths use woody herbs like thyme, rosemary, or Bay leaves to intensify the flavor, but parsley, basil, cilantro, dill, or chives can also be used.

Making broth is a good way to use up the stems or ends of herbs that you might otherwise throw out. You can also customize your broth to your tastes by being selective with the herbs that you choose to add.

Mushroom Broth

Mushroom broth is another great vegetarian substitutes for chicken broth that bring the rich flavors often associated with roasted meat. Mushrooms are known for their earthy, meaty flavor and are often used to replace the meat in vegetarian recipes.

What makes meat-based broth taste so rich (besides the collagen and gelatin) is the caramelization of natural sugars on the surface of the meat through browning, called the Maillard reaction.

Luckily, this can be easily mimicked with mushrooms by browning them before adding them to the broth. White button, crimini/portabella, shitake, and porcini mushrooms are all great for stock, but try other varieties to find what you like.

How to Make a Mushroom Broth: Brown the mushrooms in a skillet over medium-high heat. Deglaze the pan with water or wine to get all of the browned flavor into your broth. Overcrowding the pan can hinder browning, so sauté them in batches if necessary. Add the sautéed mushrooms to a stock pot with the aromatics and herbs of your choice and simmer away.

(Or go check out this recipe for my favorite homemade mushroom stock!)

Even if you do not like the texture of mushrooms, this is worth a try for the rich flavor that they will impart. You will remove the mushrooms when you strain it at the end anyway. Mushroom broths are very flavorful vegetarian substitutes for chicken broth.

Kombu

Kombu broth is a traditional Japanese broth made with dried kelp called Kombu.

If you add bonito flakes, it becomes a basic Dashi broth. Bonito is dried and shaved fish, so, though not vegetarian. Dashi is a great broth for pescatarians to use.

Making a Kombu uses the same basic techniques as any other broth, but the resulting flavors tend to be more mild. When adding aromatics and herbs be careful not to over power the subtle umami flavors of the kombu. Ginger and green onion are great flavors to add to this broth.

Get the recipe: Kombu Broth (order the kombu online here!)

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These vegetarian substitutes for chicken broth will make your dishes so much better than if you used a store-bought option. They are easy to set in a crockpot and forget about for several hours or over night.

Broths can also be frozen for later use. Try freezing your stock in ice trays, and after they solidify, move the cubes into a zip-top storage bag. These little flavor cubes are great for smaller portions and sauces.

Creating a good broth or stock will help you to easily substitute for chicken stock, and will put the store bought broth to shame!