How to Make Vegetable Broth

While I don’t always make broth from scratch, I’m always very pleased when I do. It tastes so much better and feels really good and healthy and wholesome, you know? But since living in the Netherlands with a tiny under-counter fridge/freezer, I’ve lacked some of the space needed for it.

This is a smaller batch of vegetable broth, just right for about two batches of soup. I’m sharing it in this way for people (like me) who don’t have the storage space for a really big pot of stock, but it can easily be doubled or more if you have a large freezer. The pot I use is just under 4 litres (4 quarts) and the perfect size for us.

It’s the ideal time of year to make this broth – mushrooms, leeks, carrots, onions, and celery are all particularly good in early autumn! They’re available year round, of course, but a bit special at this time of year. I’ve used the herbs readily available in my garden, but there are a number of substitutions offered in that section of the post.

There are several staple recipes on OE, great for weekend cooking if you’d like to try making your own versions. Try a homemade marinara, which freezes well, preserved lemons, or take on a bit of a project with spelt pasta.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Vegetables: it’s very easy to add to this recipe. Try adding celeriac, parsnips, leaves and stems from brassicas, and greens like kale. None of these will significantly change the flavour of the broth, and can easily be popped in if you have some slightly wilted ones in your refrigerator to use up.
• Herbs: change the herbs based on what you like and have on hand. I typically use rosemary, thyme, marjoram or oregano, and lovage (which tastes like celery leaves) at this time of year. Parsley, cilantro, savoury, and others like lemongrass are all excellent as well, depending on what you’re going for.
• Add-ins: there are variations you can do, depending on what you’d like to use the broth for. Try adding some pieces of ginger or fresh turmeric, other spices (like cumin), seaweed, dried mushrooms, or some soya sauce. Just think about what you’re planning on using the broth for. The recipe as written is a solid base recipe that can be added to.

Step by Step

1. Prepare: wash and chop the vegetables, then place them in a large pot.
2. Add water: pour the water over the veg, then top with any herbs you’re using and spices.
3. Cook: simmer for a couple of hours, or until the vegetables are very soft.
4. Serve: either pour into jars or containers for storage, add to soup, or serve as a broth.

Recipe Notes

Season based on how you’re going to use the broth. If I’m eating this as is, without turning it into a soup, I season to taste. If it’s being added to soup, I only add the tablespoon of salt and then season later on. This may still be too much salt for you if you’re sensitive to seasoning or trying to reduce your sodium; always go by your taste and preferences.

Though many people often call this vegetable stock, that’s traditionally made with bones – and I’m not going to tout some magical healing properties of vegan bone broth here. It’s just a really good basic broth and made with wholesome, tasty veg.

You can’t really use the vegetables after being cooked down into the broth (see the cooked picture, step three, for an idea of what they’ll look like – quite grungy by the end). I just add them to the compost heap and call it a day. All the good stuff has been cooked into your broth!

How to Store

Storage: keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Freezing: freeze for up to a month in freezer-safe jars or containers, and thaw in the refrigerator before use.

Expert Tips

• Roughly chop: as you can see in the photos, I do a fairly rough chop. There’s no need to get everything to same size, or to mince the garlic or herbs, because it’s all going to be cooked down for ages anyway.
• Clean well: you will want to thoroughly clean vegetables that often collect sand in the base and any ridges, like the leeks and celery. Sand in broth is not very nice. There’s no need to de-string the celery, though.
• Use the whole vegetable: go ahead and toss the green part of the leek into the pot, as well as the ends of the carrots, herb stems, and mushroom stipes (the stalk/stem). They might as well be used, and won’t alter the flavour at all.
• Use fresh herbs: I don’t recommend subbing dried herbs for this recipe. If you have to buy them, and want to keep costs low, then just use thyme – it packs the biggest punch with the smallest amount. I use a lot of herbs because I grow them, as they’re far to expensive to buy in any quantity.

Favourite Vegetarian Soup Recipes

Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
Carrot, Red Lentil, and Spinach Soup
Vegetarian Borscht
Kale, White Bean, and Lemon Soup

If you make this Vegetable Broth or any other vegetarian staple recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.