Making vegetable broth is one of those things that's really easy to do, but I bet most of us don't do it. Or, at least, don't do it often.
I use vegetable broth in a lot of my recipes, but I'll be honest, I often use store-bought broth. But I shouldn't because making your own vegetable broth is so, so easy. And you know what else? It tastes so much better too.
Unlike meat-based broths, there's no skimming off fat or any of that ickiness. You don't need to keep the pot on the stove for hours either. But it does require a little bit of advance planning. It also requires these three things:
Onions (or a member of the onion family--leeks or shallots work too), celery, and carrots. That's your starting point, but from there, you can tailor your broth to what you're going to be using it for.
And of course a pot! A large stock pot like this one will work best, or a Dutch oven is a great choice as well.
Add sprigs of thyme and parsley to make a cooking liquid for rice and other grains. If you're going to be using the broth as a base for an Asian-inspired soup (like this Thai Red Curry Soup), try adding fresh ginger and lemongrass.
Now, back to that thing I said about advance planning! You can buy whatever you want for your broth, chop it all up, and put it in your stockpot. But I'm cheap and it kills my soul a little to think about throwing away all those perfectly good veggies.
It's bad enough I have to throw away the onions, celery, and carrots!
So instead of buying what I need, I collect scraps in a freezer bag and when I have a few cups worth, I use them to make broth. Here's what I used in this particular batch:
But really, you can use so many different things. You do want to stay away from cruciferous veggies--no cabbage, no broccoli, no cauliflower, and for the love of all things holy, no brussels sprouts--because they can leave bitter flavors in your broth.
Make sure everything you use is clean too--you don't want to make dirt soup!
And remember, there's a difference between things you don't want to eat vs. things you shouldn't eat. Clean carrot peel is fine in a broth or stock; a moldy carrot is not.
Oh, and speaking of stock! Have you ever wondered the difference between vegetable broth and stock? Broth is seasoned, while stock is not.
So this recipe can be used for both vegetable broth or stock. To make stock, skip adding salt and pepper at the end.
And if you want to make your own broth, but aren't keen on the idea of using your veggie scraps, go check out this vegetable stock recipe too.
Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 onions large, chopped
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 3 carrots chopped
- 8 cups water
- frozen vegetable scraps 2-3 cups is a good amount
- 2 bay leaves
- parsley a few sprigs
- thyme a few sprigs
- salt and pepper to taste, omit if you are making stock
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat.
- Add the garlic, onions, celery, and carrots. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the water, frozen vegetable scraps, bay leaves, parsley, and thyme. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.
- Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large heat-proof bowl or pot; discard solids.
- Once the broth has cooled, transfer it to airtight plastic containers or freezer bags and store it in the freezer. (I usually freeze it in 2-cup portions so I don't have to thaw all the broth every time I use it.)
Nutrition
This post was originally published on January 8, 2013.
Meera says
I love making stock from veggie scraps. I freeze left over in ice cube trays or small tubs for later use in soup, stews or even cook rice with it.
Kiersten says
Freezing it in ice cube trays is a great idea!
Stephanie @ henry happened says
How smart are you to freeze those scraps! I always say I'll make chicken broth after I make a roast chicken and then I always forget. And good tip on the moldy carrots 🙂
Jennifer says
you are brilliant. I even threw away onion skin tonight. I really never would have thought about freezing all that "trash" that I don't cook with.
Courtney says
Can I hug you?! I throw these things away constantly. Going to be nice to stock the freezer or even have fresh vegetable broth ready in the fridge! Genius! 🙂 Plus I actually buy organic veggie broth so I always have it in the house - who knew I had it all along - never wasting my organic produce scraps! Book marked and pinned!! Yeah, kinda excited 🙂
Kiersten says
I used to buy the organic veggie broth too. The cost really adds up! I think you'll really like making it yourself--it's kind of fun collecting all those scraps. 🙂 And it tastes amazing!
lynn @ the actor's diet says
thank you kiersten for this tutotrial!
AMitra says
What an amazing idea!! So much better than the vegetable broth with preservatives at the store! Totally going to try this. I LOVE VEGGIES
Carly says
Brilliant!
Emily says
Kiersten-- why no Brussels sprouts? I've used them to make stock before and it's turned out well. Any particular reason?
Kiersten says
Brussels sprouts can make a broth very bitter. Do you like steamed or boiled sprouts by any chance? If you do, that might be why you like stock made with brussels sprouts. 🙂 I think it's one of those flavors that some people like, but a lot of people hate!
Mary @ Fit and Fed says
I make this too! I put leeks in mine as well as onions, some potato peelings, and two teaspoons of peppercorns. Otherwise our recipes are pretty similar. Except that I don't freeze scraps to use later, I don't think I'm organized enough for that. I DO, however, have some frozen vegetable stock for next time I want to make a good soup!
Kiersten says
I never have potato peelings on hand because I always cook my potatoes with the skin on! 😀
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
I love this! I just started doing this last year and I will not go back! I've always felt the same way as you about making broth with perfectly good veggies so this is perfect for me 🙂
Aaron says
OMG!! Salvation!! I always WANT to make veggie broth/stock (and I am sure it is cheaper), but the few times I have made it the cash register starts ringing in my head thinking how much the veggies cost vs. buying. Using the scraps-- utterly BRILLIANT!! I made stock last week, for the first time in a few years, to use as the base for some veggie split pea soup-- was so good (the smell to die for) and thought "Ok, I really need to start doing this more" now with this idea I can!! And not feeling the pains of using perfectly good veggies!!
Kiersten says
And the best part is, this smells and tastes no different than the stock you make with whole vegetables. It's just much cheaper. Win-win, right? 😀
Brenda Williams says
This is a great way to use all those scraps! You have the best ideas ever. Thanks for teaching me this trick.
Viswa says
I love how you made the peels and scraps beautiful in the photograph 🙂
Kiersten says
I was worried people would think they looked gross--ha! 🙂
Ginette says
Great directions. Just thought I'd share that by putting your food scraps in a cheese cloth for simmering you can then easily discard them, strain the rest for stock, AND use those great carrots, celery, and onion in something else.
No waste :0)
Kiersten says
That is a great idea--thank you! 🙂
Gail says
To think I've been putting my veggie scraps in the compost bin or feeding them to the dogs! Their loss is my gain! 🙂
Sally Cornaga says
Hi Kiersten,
What do you think of adding soy sauce in lieu of the salt? I think it would much enhance the flavor.
http://theproducesavant.blogspot.com/.
Kiersten says
I haven't tried it myself, but I can't see why it wouldn't work!
Brenda Sitter says
don't forget that Soy Sauce has wheat in it and if you are staying away from wheat, wheat free tamari sauce would be a better choice. My body feels so much better since taking wheat and sugar out of my diet. I have returned to my younger Brenda. Hallelujah! I'm a believer in Dr. Davis, Wheat Belly, program.
Terra says
Hi. Great way to reduce, I've been doing this for a few years now. I'm wondering why you specify to not use cruciferous vegetables? I'm really curious..I've been doing brocolli, etc. in mine. Is this just a flavor preference?
Please let me know, thank you.
Kiersten says
I've read in a number of places that cruciferous vegetables shouldn't be used in broths or stocks. Because of their sulfur content, they can impart a bitterness to broths. Since broccoli is milder than brussels sprouts, I think it would impact the flavor less, but I still try to steer clear of it. But if it works for you, there's no reason to stop using it! 🙂
LindaJean says
Another easy way to do this is put all of your frozen scraps in a crock pot and add some water and turn on LOW level and it will all be done when you return home from work and ready to use to make a delicious pot of soup.
Kiersten says
Thank you for the tip--that's a great idea!
Miriam says
This is a great way to use up vegetables when you have no more freezer space:) I made mine with lots of celery leaves and stalks and some chilli and rosemary too. It smells spicy:) looking forward to using it as stock or in my risotto.
Kiersten says
I hope it turned out well! 🙂
Miriam Calleja says
Yes - mine tasted predominantly of celery as I used a lot of it (sticks and leaves). I left out the carrot as I am not too fond (and follow a low sugar diet). Tried some of it to make a soup the next day and the flavour lingers on the palate.. fantastic. I will definitely keep making this.
Leslie Edgar says
How liberating!!! I no longer have to feel guilty about throwing away the veggie scraps, or wondering what I can do with them--yes, I know I could use them in a compost pile; maybe some day. Thanks for the advice!
Kiersten says
Woo hoo! I always feel guilty about wasting things too, so I'm glad I could help. 🙂
Ina Welker says
If you are a juicer, you can also use the discarded veggie scraps to make a stock or broth.
It's delish!
Kiersten says
I'm not a juicer yet, but I have been wanting to start. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Ina Welker says
By discarded veggie scraps I mean the pulp that the juicer produces.
Neeha says
I tried out this after googling..I used up the celery leaves, cauliflower and mushroom stocks and some onion peels....The stock tastes so fresh and aromatic..This should make a gr8 difference to the couscous salad.
Kiersten says
I'm glad it turned out well--thanks for your comment!
Mike "The Nrgizer" says
This would be the perfect addition to my brown rice. I can't wait to try it...
julie says
Quick question....I always make my veggie stock from scratch and I love your tips! What is the deal about letting it cool first before putting in the refrigerator? Is this an old wives tale or is there a procedure to store it properly?
thanks!
Julie
Kiersten says
It's a food safety issue--if you put a big pot or container of broth in the refrigerator, it'll warm up the food around it, which can cause bacteria to multiply. It's best to either cool the broth first and then refrigerate or freeze it (the faster you can cool it the better, so putting the pot into a sink full of ice water is helpful!) or transfer it to several small, shallow containers, which will cool quickly and shouldn't impact the temperature of everything else in the refrigerator.
Julie says
Thank you!