The Best Vegetable Broth (2024)

After trying my favorite vegetable broth recipe, you will never want to buy boxed broth again!My homemade veggie broth is hearty, rich, and much more flavorful than you can buy at the store.

The Best Vegetable Broth (1)

We love rich chicken and bone broths, so it was a challenge to create a meatless vegetable broth that makes usjust as happy. After a few tries, we came up with this rich, hearty veggie broth recipe. I could not be happier with how this turned out. I know you’ll love it.

I often enjoy this homemade vegetable broth without anything added (it’s so satisfying) and use it as a substitute for chicken broth in my favorite soup recipes (also see these recipes for vegetable soup and creamy potato soup).

How to Make Homemade Vegetable Broth

First, roast your vegetables for a rich and satisfying broth.Roasting onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and garlic until nicely brown intensifies the broth’s flavor and adds color. The roasted vegetables add a rich, satisfying quality to the broth.

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Second, add tomatoes.Tomatoes add sweetness, color, and umami. Tomatoes are naturally high in glutamate, which means they help out with that “fifth taste.” Umami makes dishes taste good, adding that super delicious quality. By adding tomatoes to the broth, it becomes rich and crave-worthy.

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Finally, use dried mushrooms.Even though we didn’t add any bones or meat to this recipe, we still had to have some “meatiness” in the broth. Mushrooms are the solution. Just one ounce of dried mushrooms turns this veggie broth from okay to something you question whether it’s vegetarian.

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With my three easy tricks, you can make rich, crave-worthyvegetable broth in under two hours. We sip on it during the day, have used it to make vegetable noodle soups, and have already used it in some of our favorite soup recipes. This homemade veggie broth is definitely something you should add to your kitchen (it even freezes for up to three months!).

Ways to Use Homemade Vegetable Broth

I sip on this vegetarian broth without anything added and use it to make vegetarian dishes. Some of my favorite recipes where I’ve used this hearty veggie broth are this lentil soup with lemon, this dreamy butternut squash soup with crispy chickpeas, and this hearty veggie tortellini soup. I also use it to cook rice and grains. Try swapping it for water to make quinoa or this incredible cilantro lime rice!

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The Best Vegetable Broth

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This homemade vegetable broth is hearty enough to enjoy alone as soup and perfectly replaces boxed stock in your favorite recipes. Roasting is the secret to rich and hearty vegetable broth. When seasoned well, we find this veggie broth just as satisfying as bone broth.

Think of the recipe below as a guide, and feel free to add any vegetable scraps in your fridge or freezer. Leeks, turnips, or mushroom scraps are all excellent. For even more richness, we add dried mushrooms (these can be purchased online, and I often find them in the spice aisle of larger grocery stores). They pack a punch and add a “meatiness” to the broth.

Makes approximately 10 cups

You Will Need

1 pound (450g) onion, 2 medium

1 pound (450g) carrots, 5 medium

1/2 pound (226g) celery, 4 to 5

1 pound (450g) tomatoes, 3 medium

4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 ounce (14g) dried mushrooms such as porcini, oyster or shiitake

Half a bunch of fresh parsley

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 to 2 cups vegetable scraps from fridge or freezer, optional

1 teaspoon sea salt, optional

12 cups (2.8L) water, preferably filtered

Directions

  • Roast Vegetables
  • 1Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Set aside a large, rimmed baking sheet or a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish for roasting the vegetables.

    2Peel the onion and roughly chop it into 1-inch chunks. Scrub the carrots and celery and cut them roughly into 1-inch chunks. Rinse the tomatoes, and if they are large, half or quarter them.

    3Add onion, carrots, celery, tomato, and garlic to the baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and roast for 15 minutes. Stir the vegetables and roast for another 15 minutes. Stir once more and roast until the vegetables are nicely browned and the tomatoes are caving in, another 10 minutes or so.

  • Make Vegetable Broth
  • 1While the vegetables roast in the oven, cover the dried mushrooms with 1/2 cup of cold water and set aside for 5 minutes.

    2Spoon the roasted vegetables into a tall stockpot. Add 1 cup of water to the baking sheet or pan, then stir it around, scraping up as much of the browned bits stuck to the bottom as possible. Pour over the vegetables in the stockpot.

    3Add the parsley, thyme, bay leaves, vegetable scraps, and salt (if using).

    4Add the partially rehydrated mushrooms, and then pour the water they sit in through a fine mesh strainer to catch any grit. Add the strained mushroom water to the pot with vegetables.

    5Cover with 11 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

    6Strain broth and use immediately, refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. When using, taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with additional salt or, if you are okay with using it, a few dashes of fish sauce.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • Dried mushrooms alternative: If you can’t find dried mushrooms, you can add mushroom scraps or chopped mushrooms to the onions and carrots when they roast. Dried mushrooms will taste stronger, but this will still make a delicious broth.
  • The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have omitted salt since you will need to add to your tastes.

Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 cup / Calories 70 / Protein 2 g / Carbohydrate 10 g / Dietary Fiber 3 g / Total Sugars 5 g / Total Fat 3 g / Saturated Fat 0 g / Cholesterol 0 mg

AUTHOR: Adam and Joanne Gallagher

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The Best Vegetable Broth (2024)

FAQs

What makes the best vegetable broth? ›

In addition to the classic aromatic trio of onions, carrots, and celery, I use dried mushrooms and tomato for the base of my stock. Both add a rich umami flavor that you'd otherwise achieve from chicken or meat. Garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and black pepper perfume the broth for a complex flavor.

How to add more flavor to vegetable broth? ›

Herbs add the “umami” to the soup, in my opinion. I went with fresh thyme, parsley, and rosemary and a bay leaf for good measure. And for even more depth of flavor? Tomato paste and nutritional yeast!

What not to put in vegetable stock? ›

What Not to Use for Making Vegetable Stock
  1. Moldy or rotten vegetables. ...
  2. Anything with a very strong, specific flavor (or color)—Cabbage, broccoli, artichokes, and beets are a few examples.
Oct 5, 2021

What's the difference between vegetable stock and vegetable broth? ›

Vegetable stock is made with untrimmed, sometimes whole vegetables, while broth is made from trimmed, roughly chopped vegetables. Vegetable stock generally takes longer to cook (at least 2 hours) than broth, which usually cooks for less than 30 minutes.

What gives vegetable soup that depth of flavor? ›

Dried herbs and seasonings: homemade seasoned salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and dried bay leaves lend flavor to the soup.

How do you make water taste like vegetable broth? ›

If you are going to sub water for stock, McKinnon suggests adding salt and herbs (like thyme, bay leaves, and rosemary) to your water to compensate for the lost flavor.

How do you deepen the flavor of broth? ›

"If your broth is lacking in savory richness, try adding roasted onion, tomato paste, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, or miso. These ingredients add umami flavor and depth to broth," she says. The choice of ingredient depends on the recipe, though.

Why is my vegetable broth bland? ›

Let the Broth Evaporate and Cook Longer

If your broth tastes thin and bland, you may want to cook and let it evaporate for longer. That helps concentrate its flavors and gives you a better-tasting soup broth. Be sure to remove the lid to let the steam escape.

How do you make vegetable soup not taste bland? ›

Perk up a Bland Soup With Simple Pantry Staples

Add a splash of vinegar (any kind!), or a squeeze of citrus. Chances are, you could use a little more salt. Go ahead—it's ok. Salt perks up flat flavors and helps balance out bitter-tasting ingredients.

Should I put potato peels in my vegetable stock? ›

Save those vegetables that may have lost their crunchy appeal for a flavorful veggie stock. Even if stored properly, celery and carrots may become floppy after some time, but don't let them go to the compost. Throw in your onion skins, potato peels, and other veggie scraps from cooking to add more flavor to the mix!

What not to put in homemade broth? ›

Foods in the Brassica family, such as collards, are too strong for stock/broth and can impart a bitter taste. Corn doesn't add a lot of flavor and can make the stock/broth cloudy. Excellent for making stock/broth. Avoid bitter greens and members of the brassica family (kale, cabbage, Bok Choy).

What ingredient items should never be used in stock preparation? ›

Dark greens (spinach, kale, etc) can make a stock bitter and of course greenish in color. Cabbage also can impart a overwhelming bitterness. Potatoes can cloud a stock from their starchiness, so they are not good when you want clear stock for something like a soup or consomme.

Is vegetable broth worth it? ›

“Vegetable broth works at multiple levels- it's a healing food, makes the dish alkaline [which helps protect healthy cells and balance essential mineral levels], adds additional multiple nutrients, plus you can customise it according to your needs,” says Delhi-based Kavita Devgan, a popular nutritionist and author.

Is vegetable bouillon the same as vegetable broth? ›

A vegetable base is simply a concentrated version of a vegetable stock or base where more of the water has been allowed to evaporate while simmering. Bouillon is a dehydrated broth or stock formed into a small cube.

Is drinking vegetable broth good for you? ›

Vegetable broth contains iron that helps to stimulate the formation of red blood cells, helping to avoid anemia, increase energy levels, and avoid tiredness. Homemade broth helps to manage body metabolism, optimizing nutrient absorption, and resulting in a lighter feeling.

What vegetable scraps are good for vegetable broth? ›

Saving Vegetable Scraps for Stock

Vegetables that add sweetness include carrots, parsnips, golden beets, fennel, corn cobs, pea pods, and leftovers of previously roasted vegetables. Vegetables that contribute savory bass notes include onions, leek tops, mushroom stems, spinach, chard, squash peels.

How do you make homemade broth more flavorful? ›

To the pot, add cut-up vegetables, such as celery (with leaves), carrots, and unpeeled onion, as well as seasonings, such as salt, dried thyme, peppercorns, fresh parsley, bay leaves, and unpeeled garlic clove halves. All of these add flavor to the broth.

Is it cheaper to make your own vegetable broth? ›

This easy vegetable broth recipe is a great kitchen staple to have in your fridge or freezer to add to all kinds of recipes. Cheaper than the boxed veggie broths you find in the store, it is also a great way to use up vegetable scraps or almost gone veggies.

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