Forget store-bought, the best vegetable broth is homemade! This homemade veggie broth is infused with tons of savoury and rich veggie flavour. It adds so much oomph to all your homemade soups, stews, sauces, and more!
Hi friends!
Sharing a pretty simple recipe today that could be the base of so many delicious eats.
I use vegetable broth on the regular, so I figured I’d make my own.
I’ve been wanting to sharing this broth recipe with you all forever!
This homemade veg broth, gets rich colour and flavour from tomato paste and (one of my fave ingredients for broth) dried mushrooms.
It’s seriously good, like drink a hot-cup-of-it good, especially after coming in from outside on a cold day. So relishing!
Veggie Broth Ingredients
- Oil, to get things going
- Veggies, like leek, onion, celery, carrot, parsnip, and baby spinach
- Aromatics and fresh herbs, like garlic, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and rosemary
- Flavour boosters, like dried mushrooms, tomato paste, fresh chili pepper, and black peppercorns
- Water
How To Make Vegetable Broth
Full details on how to make this homemade vegetable broth are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Heat some olive oil in a large pot. Then, add leek, onion, garlic, chili, celery, carrot, parsnip, and dried mushrooms. Cook for a little.
- Stir in tomato paste.
- Add bay leaves, spinach, parsley, thyme, rosemary, peppercorns, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with lid ajar.
- After an hour, carefully remove cover and you have one beautiful sight!
- Strain veggies through a fine mesh sieve, pressing down to get every last bit of goodness. I like to strain the broth twice to ensure everything is removed. Note: the veggies are not going through the sieve, we’re just using the sieve get all the flavour from the veggies.
- Allow to cool slightly, then portion the broth into storage jars. There ya have it, yummy no salt added vegetable broth!
What’s the Difference Between Stock and Broth?
Stock and broth are very often used interchangeably.
However, there are some differences.
Stock is typically made from bones and has a more neutral flavour than broth. Because of the release of collagen/fat and longer cook time, stock has a thicker consistency than broth.
Broth, on the other hand, is usually made from veggies and/or meat and herbs. It’s seasoned and its consistency is typically thinner than stock (because of a shorter cook time).
When it comes to a veggie-based broth or stock, people often use “vegetable broth” and “vegetable stock” reciprocally (and, of course, there are no bones in veggie broth).
To Peel or Not to Peel
Peeling the veggies is a matter of personal preference and how fresh those veggies are.
You can scrub them clean and not peel, should you wish.
For me, I often prefer to peel.
Can I Make Broth From Veggie Scraps?
Absolutely! If you’ve saved veggie scraps (peels and the like from things like carrot and parsnip), use those too. Just ensure they’re clean and free from any odd or spoiled bits (don’t use those).
Ways To Use Vegetable Broth
- Soups, like this celery root soup, vegetable rice soup
- Stews, like this veggie stew
- Gravy and sauces
- As the liquid base for cooking things like rice and quinoa
- In stuffing
- For sipping in a mug (so good on a cold day!)
Tips and Variations
- Use a large pot. There’s a lot going on here. Ensure that it’s deep enough to hold all the liquid and veg.
- Use organic veggies where you can.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have the exact quantity of certain veggies. If you only have two carrots, for example, don’t sweat it!
- Tomato paste and dried mushrooms give this veg broth a rich colour. If you omit those, the colour will be less intense or clearer.
- When simmering your veggie broth, you don’t want a vigorous simmer (or to boil it), a medium-low to medium simmer is best.
- A chili pepper was used and a bunch of black peppercorns. The broth does have a little spice. If you want to omit (or reduce), feel free to do so.
- Use kale instead of baby spinach, if you like.
If you make this homemade vegetable broth recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Veggie Broth Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 leek, sliced (see "Notes" below)
- 2 yellow onions, cut into quarters (peel, but leave root intact)
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed (leave peels)
- 1 red Thai chili pepper, sliced lengthwise (optional)
- 4 ribs celery, cut into 1 to 1.5-inch chunks (plus a few celery leaves, leaves optional)
- 3 carrots, peeled, if necessary, and cut into 1 to 1.5-inch chunks
- 3 parsnips, peeled, if necessary, and cut into 1 to 1.5-inch chunks
- 1 cup dried mushrooms, about 1 ounce or 31 grams (see "Notes" below, point "4")
- 3 tablespoons no salt added tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 handfuls baby spinach
- 1 small handful fresh parsley
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoons black peppercorn
- 10 cups fresh, cold water
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add leek, onion, garlic, chili pepper, celery, carrots, parsnips and dried mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until veggies have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat (to about medium-low heat) to a simmer. Cover with lid ajar and cook 1 hour (up to 1.5 hours for a more intense flavour).
- Strain with a sieve (pressing down on the veggies with a spoon to extract all that goodness). Use immediately in soups, stews, sauces, etc., or allow to cool slightly before portioning into storage jars. Properly store and refrigerate leftovers and use within 3 to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.Recipe yields about 8 cups. Quantity could vary, depending on how long your simmer your broth and the simmer level.Note: No salt was added to this recipe. The broth recipe will likely be the base of other recipes (like soup, for example) where you will be adding salt. Having said that, you can add salt to taste should you wish.
Notes
- Use a large pot. There’s a lot going on here. Ensure that it’s deep enough to hold all the liquid and veg.
- Use organic veggies where you can.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have the exact quantity of certain veggies. If you only have 2 carrots, for example, don’t sweat it!
- Tomato paste and dried mushrooms give this veg broth a rich colour. If you omit those, the colour will be less intense or clearer.
- When simmering your broth, you don’t want a vigorous simmer (or to boil it), a medium-low to medium simmer is best.
- A chili pepper was used and a bunch of black peppercorns. The broth does have a little spice. If you want to omit (or reduce), feel free to do so.
- Use kale instead of baby spinach, if you like.
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Ashlyn @ F5 Method
I have never made my own veggie broth before, but this looks delicious! I never realized how doable it is. Next time I have veggie scraps on hand I’ll have to give it a try!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you so much, Ashlyn. Hope you enjoy!
Valentina
This is one of the most rich veggie broths. I love it the color! Can’t wait to try it is a handful of recipes. Especially soups and stews. Just lovely, Dawn. Hope you have a great weekend! 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Valentina!! Hope your week is going great 🙂
Haylie / Our Balanced Bowl
I’ve never made my own veggie broth but you make it look so easy, simple and delicious!! I love that you can choose exactly what goes in it as well as how much salt!! You make the classics seem simple, Dawn!! Great recipe!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Totally! Thank you so much for the sweet comment, Haylie 🙂
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
So happy you shared it Dawn. I always like homemade over store bought. And this broth looks flavor packed! Pinned!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Me too! Thanks Mary Ann!
David @ Spiced
Every time I discard the top of an onion or the leafy parts of celery stalks, I think to myself “I should make a veggie stock.” Years ago, I used to work with local chefs a lot, and they’d always (always!) keep random trimmings and stuff from their veggies in a freezer bag. Then when the pile got big enough, they’d make broth. You’re inspiring me to do that now, Dawn! This broth looks delicious…especially given how cold and nasty it is out there right now!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thank you David! Stay warm 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
I make a lot of broths, but I’ve never made a veggie one! I love how rich you were able to get this one. The tomato paste and dried mushrooms is such a great idea. I’ve got some veggie scraps so I think I’ll be making a pot of this broth this weekend.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you so much! Enjoy Kathy 🙂
Katherine | Love In My Oven
So good, Dawn!! Thank you for including the differences between stock and broth! I can picture myself sipping on this during a cold winter day. I use store-bought veggie and chicken broth all the time, so I love the idea of making my own!! Pinning!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Katherine! It’s so yummy!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
I use vegetable broth allll the time but I’ve never thought to make my own. I so need to try it because I know it’ll be way better than store-bought. Thanks for the brilliant idea!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Totally! Thanks Kelsie!
Laura
I’ve made veggie stock, or broth, several times, but never have I considered adding tomato paste! That is a great idea! Love it! I like to use all the leftover ends and pieces from a week of cooking, and I find veggie broth a great substitute for meat broths in just about everything!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
It adds a lovely richness to the broth! We use it so much too! Thanks Laura 🙂
Kelly | Foodtasia
Dawn, I never imagined a veggie broth could be so rich and flavorful! This looks amazing! What a wonderful treat to sip a big mug of this broth!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Kelly! We love sipping on it as it is too!