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.

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.

Herbs: Herbs like fresh parsley, fresh thyme, bay leaves, and basil provide a range of aromatic and fresh flavors. They infuse the broth with their unique herbal profiles, adding complexity and fragrance. Peppercorns and sea salt: Black peppercorns provide a subtle spicy kick and add a touch of warmth to the stock.

If you don't keep stock on hand but you don't want to lose out on flavor, McKinnon suggests dissolving bouillon cubes in water. Bouillon powder (which, like cubes, is made of dehydrated veggies and seasoning) is another easy way to add flavor to your vegetarian cooking.

Boost the Umami of Vegetable Broth

Soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos add great depth, but watch out for using too much—you'll end up making the stock only taste like super-salty soy. Start with about 2 teaspoons per quart and adjust from there. Remember, you can always add more.

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.

"If your broth is lacking in savory richness, try adding roasted onion, tomato paste, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, or miso. These ingredients add umami flavor and depth to broth," she says. The choice of ingredient depends on the recipe, though.

Saving Vegetable Scraps for Stock

Vegetables that add sweetness include carrots, parsnips, golden beets, fennel, corn cobs, pea pods, and leftovers of previously roasted vegetables. Vegetables that contribute savory bass notes include onions, leek tops, mushroom stems, spinach, chard, squash peels.

A vegetable base is simply a concentrated version of a vegetable stock or base where more of the water has been allowed to evaporate while simmering. Bouillon is a dehydrated broth or stock formed into a small cube.

How do you add flavor to soup without broth? ›

Consider introducing flavor boosters, like a splash of white wine, an old Parm rind, a splash of soy sauce, or a dollop of miso paste into the mix. And, if all else fails, increasing the quantity of the aromatics in a recipe—onions, garlic, celery, herbs, etc.

Foods in the Brassica family, such as collards, are too strong for stock/broth and can impart a bitter taste. Corn doesn't add a lot of flavor and can make the stock/broth cloudy. Excellent for making stock/broth. Avoid bitter greens and members of the brassica family (kale, cabbage, Bok Choy).

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.

However, do not add onions, carrots, celery or herbs to your initial pot of simmering bone broth. Instead, enjoy the pure, rich flavor that comes from just the bones, fat, connective tissue and any small amount of meat that may still be on the bones; it is not something that needs or wants amending.