How To Make Vegetable Broth
on Jun 03, 2024, Updated Sep 03, 2024
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Learn how to make homemade vegetable broth with this easy recipe. Use our broth to enhance soups, sauces, marinades, and more! We’ve used this recipe to make delicious soup recipes like French Onion Soup, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, and Broccoli Soup with Crème Fraîche.
Table of Contents
Vegetable Stock vs. Broth
Many vegetable broth recipes use the terms “stock” and “broth” interchangeably but there is a small distinction. The broth is seasoned and ready to be consumed. Whereas vegetable stock is simmered for longer without adding salt or seasoning.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
Vegetables: For this recipe, we use yellow onions, garlic, carrots, and celery stalks. The onions add a sweet, savory depth of flavor, while the garlic adds a rich, aromatic taste. The natural sweetness of the carrots makes it taste even better.
Seasoning: Season simply with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Although adding Worcestershire sauce, coconut aminos, or soy sauce is optional, each of these ingredients adds a deep umami flavor to the broth, just like beef broth. If you want to make it a little more subtle like chicken broth or light broth, remove the soy sauce and Worcestershire.
Water: This acts as the base of the broth. The vegetables and seasonings infuse the water with amazing flavor.
How to Make Vegetable Broth
Combine: In a large stock pot, add your onions, garlic, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and water.
Boil Then Simmer: Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low to a gentle simmer, uncovered. Let the broth reduce by half for 45 to 50 minutes.
Strain: Strain your vegetables with a strainer, a fine mesh strainer, or a spider tool over a bowl. Discard the vegetables. Adjust the broth with salt and pepper to taste.
Store: Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days, or transfer to the freezer for up to 1 month.
How to Use Homemade Vegetable Broth
Soups: Use it as the flavorful foundation for your favorite soups. It’s ideal for vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Risotto: The rice absorbs the rich, savory flavors of veggie broth. It’s a delicious substitute for water.
Sauce: Enhance your sauces with broth. It also works for making gravy, deglazing pans, or creating light, flavorful sauces for pasta and stir-fries.
Tips, Tricks and Substitutions
Vegetable broth is made by simmering a combination of veggies, herbs, and seasonings in water to extract their flavors. Variations can include fresh herbs (like parsley, rosemary, or thyme), tomato paste, mushrooms, leeks, bay leaves, or vegetable scraps (like stems, peels, etc) to enhance the flavor.
Avoid ingredients that cloud the broth, overpower the other ingredients, or lack flavor. This includes starchy vegetables like potatoes, strong-flavored ones like cruciferous vegetables (like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower) beetroot, overly bitter greens, and any past-prime vegetables.
No. Broth is seasoned and ready to consume, while vegetable stock is simmered longer without adding salt or seasoning.
Sometimes we roast the vegetables in the oven at 400 degrees F and then follow through the same process on the stovetop thereafter. This tends to work better if we’re making a miso-based soup or ramen, as it gives a richer depth of flavor, but it’s totally up to you and your preference.
More Ways to Use This Homemade Vegetable Broth Recipe
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How To Make Vegetable Broth
Equipment
- Strainer or Fine Mesh Strainer or Spider Strainer
Ingredients
- 2 yellow onions, quartered with the peel on
- 1 whole head of large garlic, halved lengthwise with the skin on
- 3 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, coconut aminos, or soy sauce
- 6 cups of water
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, add your onions, garlic, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and water. The Worcestershire sauce, coconut aminos, or soy sauce are optional, but add a deep depth of flavor to the broth!
- Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low to a gentle simmer, uncovered. Let the broth reduce by half for 45 to 50 minutes.
- Strain your vegetables with a strainer, a fine mesh strainer, or a spider tool over a bowl. Discard the vegetables. Adjust the broth with salt and pepper to taste.
- Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days, or transfer to the freezer for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What do you do with the veggies for your broth?? I’m making the beef one right now but do I just throw them out?
Hi Makenzie! Yes at this point you would throw out the vegetables. You’ve soaked up and cooked down all it’s nutrients so you would strain and toss. There is not much more you can do with them after this process!
A special base for so many recipes! I hope you enjoy!