Easy Homemade Vegetable Broth
If you don’t know the difference between stock and broth, it’s okay. And it actually doesn’t matter what you call the product of this recipe, anyway!
Stock is usually made with animal bones, and vegetable broth has no animal parts (unless you decide to throw some chicken bones, necks, gizzards, etc. in there to jazz it up), so you can call this stock or broth.
Our house hasn’t bought any broth for a while, outside of a few powders I keep on hand just in case I don’t get around to making more before I run out. I sometimes throw some chicken bullion powder into the broth for extra flavor.
Making broth is a great lazy day activity, and it makes the house smell great… I let the stockpot simmer for a few hours on a Sunday and end up with cooled and freezer-ready broth by bedtime.
I’ve started sauteing my vegetables in broth instead of oil. It gives so much more flavor and is much healthier!
But what vegetables make for good broth? We don’t eat anything with seeds, so all tomatoes are gutted, and the guts are saved for broth. The ends of mushrooms, roots of garlic and onion, smashed whole garlic cloves, cut-off ends of celery, carrots and their peels, and anything that’s not quite up to quality standards for cooking but is not spoiled gets thrown in a baggie and added to the stockpile. See notes below for veggies that are good and not-so-good for broth.
Let’s get into it.
Easy Homemade Vegetable Broth/Stock
Time commitment:
Prep - 30 minutes if using fresh veggies
Cooking time - ~1-3 hours (varies based on your preference and time)
Cooling time - 1-2 hours
Ready in around 3-6 hours!
Equipment list:
Large bowl for straining broth from cooked scraps
12 qt stockpot (like this one that has “stay cool” handles) OR a really big soup pot OR Dutch oven you can cook liquid in (most are cast iron and liquid isn’t really good in cast iron)
Stirring spoon/ladle
Knife and cutting board if you’re making this with fresh ingredients
Funnel for pouring broth into jars (I have one of these that works perfectly)
Strainer, fine mesh or regular veg (pick up this 3 pack and you’ll be set!)
4-6 quart jars (grab a pack of 12 from your local Walmart for about $16 and they’ll last you FOREVER unless you give jars away too often like I do)
TIP: Save your jars, bands, and lids. When you’re NOT canning, you can reuse the lids! Jars are infinitely reusable as long as they’re not cracked or broken, and the bands can be used if they’re not dented or too rusted. I save my empty broth jars and lids and pull them from the cabinet each time I make a batch of this stuff.
Stovetop
Ingredients:
2 bay leaves, optional but recommended
TIP: Buy on Amazon using the link OR pick up from your grocery store’s Hispanic food
aisle. Very cheap and these are dried so they last a while. They’re a secret ingredient in soups.
1-2 gallon freezer bags of veggie scraps OR a couple chopped onions, a bag of carrots, a bunch of celery, 3-4 garlic cloves (can be unpeeled but give them a good smashing)
TIP: veg scraps that make great broth: guts and ends of tomatoes, mushrooms, cilantro/parsley/thyme/rosemary stems and leaves, garlic peels and ends and whole smashed cloves, carrots including the peels, onion including the outer layers, asparagus ends, celery ends.
TIP 2: veg scraps that DO NOT make for a great broth (too bitter): cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, turnips, potatoes and other starchy veggies, plus anything like beets that can create an undesirable color.
Salt to taste, optional pepper to taste
Enough water to cover the vegetables in the pot with a little water on top
TIP: Don’t add too much water or you will have more water than broth! You should have a good mix of water and veggies, like when making an omelet and balancing the egg with your add-ins.
Optional: a bunch of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, or parsley (a regular bunch you buy at the store, not like “grab a whole bunch”)
Optional: chicken leftovers, like trimmed pieces (not the fat) of wings, bones that are cleaned off of meat or fat, necks, gizzards, etc.
Steps to get fresh veggie broth/stock:
Gather all your equipment and ingredients. Make sure your jars, lids, and bands are prepped and ready.
Wash and roughly chop veggies if using fresh. Wash any herbs if using them fresh.
Put your stockpot on the stove and add the veggies.
Add enough water to cover the veggies with a bit of water on top.
TIP: Don’t add too much water. Think about it like this: when making an omelet you’re balancing egg and add-ins, and that’s the same idea we want to follow here. If it feels like too much water, it probably is.
Add a little salt to start. You can add more later as you taste the broth.
Add in bay leaves if using.
Let simmer on the stove at medium heat for at least an hour, but as long as you want to develop flavors. Check on it every so often and give it a good stirring.
TIP: The longer this simmers, the more the veggies will reduce and add their flavor into the broth. I’ve let this go for more than 3 hours and ended up with great flavor.
When the veggies have broken down into mush, or after at least an hour, turn off the stove and let the broth cool for at least 10 minutes, but you can let it get to room temperature.
Now comes the fun part! We need to separate the cooked veggies from the liquid, so place a strainer over the top of your large bowl, and in batches, start pouring the contents of the pot over the strainer.
TIP: You need to follow this step, even though it takes time and can get messy. You’ll want chunks of cooked veggies removed and any seeds, herbs, or bits. Don’t worry if you have some debris left in the broth, this is normal. Just pick out large chunks.
TIP 2: You can smash a potato masher, wooden or metal spoon, or spatula over the top of the veggies to push as much liquid out as possible. A lot of liquid will remain in the veggies unless you force it out!
Return the broth back to the pot and boil for about another 15 minutes, until it reduces by a bit. This gives you very concentrated broth with the best flavor.
TIP: Taste it as it boils. Does it need salt? Do you want to add pepper or other dried herbs? This is a great time to add in more seasoning, including if you have broth or bullion powder to add.
Turn off the heat and let the broth cool until it’s not too uncomfortable to handle. Then, ladle your broth into jars using a funnel or doing it very carefully to avoid a mess.
TIP: Like with canning, leave at least half an inch of head space between the broth and the lid. This helps with freezing and thawing and the liquid changing its form.
TIP 2: If your jars have measurements on them like mine, fill them to the measure lines instead of filling them all the way up. If you’re using the broth in a recipe, the lines make it easier to know how much you’re using, and you don’t have to dirty up a measuring cup.
Cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge or freezer. The broth will keep in the fridge for a few weeks, and in the freezer for a few months. When pulling from the fridge, remember the rule of thumb before using it: if it looks, smells, or tastes bad, get rid of it! Also, if there’s mold in the broth or in the jar, toss it out.
TIP: You can pressure can this recipe, but not water bath. I don’t can because this stores just fine in the freezer and never lasts long enough for me to worry about spoiling.
And finally, don’t forget to keep saving your veggie scrapes to make more broth. The scraps freeze well in gallon bags.
