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.

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!

Ingredients for Vegetable Broth

Celery, carrots, leek, and onion form the aromatic base of this vegetable stock, and dried mushrooms are the powerhouse ingredient, providing savoriness, richness, and color.

Homemade vegetable broth allows you to get more use out of your vegetables. It can save you money, and save you a trip to the grocery store. As a bonus, your homemade broth will taste delicious and you can control the amount of salt and other seasonings.

Foods in the Brassica family, such as broccoli, are too strong for stock/broth and can impart a bitter taste. Foods in the Brassica family, such as cabbage, are too strong for stock/broth and can impart a bitter taste.

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.

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.

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.

A number of ingredients may make vegetable broth taste bitter. Therefore, it's best to avoid these ingredients – or use them in moderation. Bitter greens, such as dandelion greens or mustard greens. Tough or woody herb stems, such as rosemary stems, thyme stems, oregano stems, or even hard basil stems.

Once the broth is cool, you can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. To store for a longer period of time, you'll need to freeze the broth.

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.

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.

Mashed up with olive oil or butter, say, they make a lovely side dish, or turn them into curries, soups and stews. Here, I use them up in a comforting pie, fortified with beans for bulk, texture and flavour.

It's enjoyable to drink, but the health benefits of it are even more astounding. It's packed with nutrients from the vegetables and herbs so it's like straight liquid nutrition.

Stock! Whether homemade or store-bought it has more protein and usually less sodium per serving as compared to broth. Plus, the flavor is just better which means you'll start with something tastier and will hopefully use less salt to taste at the end.

Consider adding other vegetables and herbs to the stock, like mushrooms, eggplant, asparagus trimmings, corn cobs, fennel stalks and trimmings, bell peppers, pea pods, chard stems and leaves, celery root trimmings, potato parings, marjoram stems and leaves, and basil stems and leaves.

Optional: some people like red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, so add those vegetable scraps if you like the flavor. (I don't love bell pepper in veggie stock). Avoid green bell pepper as it can turn bitter, and avoid the white inside, or pith, of bell peppers as it can turn bitter as well.

She says vegetable mineral broth is loaded with phytochemicals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and vital minerals found in the vegetables, herbs and spices that work together to help keep the disease switch turned OFF.