Homemade Vegetable Broth From Scraps
There's no wrong way to make homemade vegetable broth from scraps, it always comes out delicious, saves money, and is the best way to use up whole veggies. Roasting the scraps first gives it a rich, deep flavor.
4 cups
Calories: 15kcal
Ingredients
- 8 cups vegetable scraps onion, carrot, celery, leek, mushroom, herb stems, etc.
- 8 cups water about 1 cup water per cup of scraps
- 1 tbsp olive oil for roasting
- 1 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- Optional for more flavor: tomato scraps, a splash of soy sauce, or extra mushroom stems
Instructions
- Collect kitchen scraps. Save vegetable scraps as you cook, seeds, stalks, cores, roots, and peels like carrot or other root veg. Store them in a freezer bag until you have enough. (Skip potatoes; they make the broth mealy and cloudy.)
- Roast the scraps. Spread the scraps on a baking sheet, toss with the olive oil and salt, and roast at 400°F for about 20 minutes, until golden. Move them around and rotate the pan so they roast evenly.
- Boil, then simmer. Add the roasted scraps to a large stockpot (a tall Dutch oven or pasta pot works). Add the water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer with the lid slightly cracked. Simmer 30 to 60 minutes for the most flavor.
- Strain. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer set over another pot, discarding the solids. Season with more salt if needed.
Notes
Storage: Keep a portion in the fridge for the next few days and freeze the rest in pint-sized portions to use one at a time. Use mason jars for the fridge or freezer bags for the freezer (I don't freeze liquid in jars, they tend to crack).
Canning: For long-term, shelf-stable storage you can can the broth, but it's trickier. Since broth has no acid or preservatives, you must use a pressure canner and follow a trusted tutorial to do it safely.
Boost the flavor: Add tomato scraps, a splash of soy sauce, or extra mushroom stems.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 15kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g