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Labeled vegetable stock in mason jars.
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How to Make Vegetable Broth

Learn How to Make Vegetable Broth to elevate all your soups, stews, and plant-based entrees. After just 15 minutes of prep time, this easy Vegetable Broth recipe practically cooks itself!
Course Pantry
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings (1 cup each)
Calories 38kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion coarsely chopped (see note 1)
  • 1 large carrot or 2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 2 celery ribs coarsely chopped
  • 1 large parsnip peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 medium turnip peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 8 ounces mushrooms quartered
  • 6 cups water cold, divided (see note 2)
  • 1 tablespoon salt

For the sachet (see note 3):

Instructions

  • In a large Dutch oven or stock pot over high heat, add onion, carrots, celery, parsnips, turnip, mushrooms, salt, and 4 cups cold water and bring to a boil. If desired, tie parsley stems, thyme, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns to make a sachet or add loosely to the pot.
  • Reduce heat to medium and simmer 2 hours. Return to a boil over medium-high heat, skim foam off the top, then reduce heat to low. Add remaining 2 cups water and continue reducing over medium heat for 1 hour longer.
  • Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth, pressing down on the solids to remove as much liquid as possible. Season to taste with salt. Place in a large bowl and chill covered overnight in the refrigerator.
  • Divide the broth into freezer-safe containers (leaving at least 1/2-inch for expansion), label, and freeze. Or, refrigerate and use within 4 days.

Notes

  1. Vegetables: Some cooks save old vegetable trimmings to add to their broth. I prefer to start with new, fresh vegetables because I think the broth will taste better. So yes, we peel the carrots, and save your vegetable scraps for composting!
  2. Cold water: Key word: "cold." This helps keep the broth clear, not cloudy. The amount of water used and the length of simmering time helps determine the intensity of the final product.
  3. Herbs and spices: A sachet is a fancy term for parsley stems, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and optionally, garlic or cloves, tied up in a piece of cheesecloth with twine. A tea ball or a loose leaf tea bag can also do the job nicely. Using some sort of packet makes it easier to pull these small ingredients out of the broth later. Alternatively, you can simply add everything straight to the pot since you strain the broth at the end anyway.
  4. Yield: This Vegetable Stock recipe makes eight 1-cup servings (64 ounces), the equivalent of two of those large cartons of stock or a little more than four 14 1/2-ounce cans of stock.
  5. Storage: Store this Homemade Vegetable Stock recipe in the refrigerator and use within 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cup | Calories: 38kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 226mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2135IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg