Easy Vegetable Broth Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What not to put in vegetable broth? ›

INGREDIENTS TO AVOID IN HOMEMADE VEGETABLE BROTH

This includes: “Flavorless” Vegetables – like zucchini or white potatoes; these aren't going to do anything bad to the broth, but they're not going to help it either. Cruciferous Vegetables – such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

Making vegetable stock costs virtually nothing.

Be mindful of the costs associated with adjunct flavors like salt, pepper, bay leaves, and other spices. They're all great additions, but not necessary if you don't already have them on hand.

I always include dried mushrooms in my vegetable broth to add a savory richness that you would otherwise get from chicken and other meats. You can use any variety of dried mushrooms or a blend. Some common types that should be easy to find are shiitake, porcini, oyster, or morel.

Water. This simple swap should suffice in most recipes that call for broth. To give H2O more depth, you may want to compensate by adding more spices like salt, pepper and bay leaves to your recipe and a tablespoon or two of olive oil to mimic the richness of broth.

Some vegetables just don't taste great in a stock! Cruciferous vegetables will get funky tasting, and seemingly mild vegetables like zucchini, green beans, and bell peppers can get bitter if simmered for too long.

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.

Storing and Using Homemade Vegetable Stock

Allow the stock to cool to room temperature. Then, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze it for several months.

Boost the Umami of Vegetable Broth

Soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos add great depth, but watch out for using too much—you'll end up making the stock only taste like super-salty soy. Start with about 2 teaspoons per quart and adjust from there. Remember, you can always add more.

Carrots, onions, garlic, celery, peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes are just some of the vegetables you can add to your bone broth to give it added flavor and nutritional value.

How do you take the bitterness out of vegetable broth? ›

How do you fix bitter vegetable broth? Add sweet vegetables like carrots and beets. They will sweeten the broth and deepen its color. You might also add a bit of miso (or salt) and/or a squeeze of lemon juice.

Onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms are the ideal starter vegetables for stock, but feel free to swap any of these for leeks, tomatoes or parsnips.

Onions, carrots, and celery are always the base of a good vegetable broth. Add any leftover vegetables and herbs that need to be used up, and will add flavor.

Vegetable stock likely comes unseasoned, while broth usually contains salt and other seasonings. Vegetable stock is made with untrimmed, sometimes whole vegetables, while broth is made from trimmed, roughly chopped vegetables.

Avoid bitter greens and members of the brassica family (kale, cabbage, Bok Choy). Other greens can be used in small quantities. Good in small quantities (no more than 1/5 of the stock ingredients). Foods in the Brassica family, such as kohlrabi, are too strong for stock/broth and can impart a bitter taste.

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.

Add bright, fresh flavor to vegetable broth

Just warm up the broth, toss in some parsley, cilantro, tarragon, sage, thyme, or a combination, and let the broth steep like tea for several minutes before fishing the herbs out. Don't boil fresh herbs in broth, though, or they could make the stock bitter.