Homemade Vegetable Stock
The best way to use vegetable food scraps for the tastiest vegetable stock ever
About This Vegetable Stock Recipe
I’m so excited to share this vegetable stock recipe today since I recently learned how awesome it is. It’s unbelievably easy and free, and it tastes SO much better than any broth you’d find at the store. Whenever you do make your own stock, the extra time and effort will always be worth it.
You can make this recipe with whole vegetables but the best and cheapest way is to use your vegetable scraps! All you have to do is get a freezer bag or two and save your skins, ended, stems, leaves, and other bits. As you cook throughout the week keep adding your scraps to the bag and store it in the freezer. Once you have a fully stuffed bag you’re ready to make vegetable stock.
I like to make a huge batch at a time and freeze a supply for later use. I use 2 gallon bags of scraps but this can be scaled up or down depending on how much you want to make.
After straining, I like to portion mine out into large yogurt containers so I can defrost a reasonable amount at a time. This recipe will keep for many months in the freezer.
Why Homemade Vegetable Stock Is Amazing
This homemade vegetable stock is one of my favorites for a few reasons. One, I use it as the base for so many other recipes. Two, it is so much more delicious than store-bought. Three, it uses vegetable scraps that would otherwise be garbage. And Four, it’s totally FREE!
Ways To Use Vegetable Stock
-
- Soup
- Stew
- Lentils
- Chili
- Rice
- Pasta
- Risotto
- Mashed Potatoes
- Gravy
Scraps to Save for Stock
Save the stems, leaves, skins, and ends of pretty much any vegetable scraps you have. I find too much potato and sweet potato scraps can make the stock a little bitter but pretty much anything will work.
-
- Carrot
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Green onions
- Fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, bay leaf, cilantro, rosemary, and basil
- Mushrooms
- Eggplant
- Asparagus
- Corn cobs
- Fennel
- Bell peppers
- Pea pods
- Lettuce
- Zucchini
- Jalapeno
If you make this recipe don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes y’all have made is my favorite!
Homemade Vegetable Stock
Prep Time
2 minutes
Cook Time
60 minutes
Total Time
62 minutes
Yield Various
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1-2 gallon bags of leftover vegetable scraps
- 2 -3 gallons of water
- Salt to taste
- 10 -20 Peppercorns
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Add the frozen bag of vegetable scraps, salt, and peppercorn to a large pot.
2. Cover with water. Turn on high heat and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40 – 60 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
4. Cool and strain. Portion into freezable sizes (I like to reuse large yogurt containers.
5. Enjoy!
