Simple, Homemade Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock is so easy to make with vegetables or even vegetable scraps you already have in your refrigerator. Start with onions, carrots and celery and simmer with aromatics for a delicious broth that can be used as a substitute for chicken stock or beef broth in many recipes. 

Are vegetable broth and vegetable stock the same thing?

Vegetable broth and vegetable stock are terms that are used interchangeably. I call a broth a stock that has roasted bones or seafood added to it. The flavors of a broth are also more concentrated defined and developed. So the stock is the foundation of a broth. 

What is a vegetable stock made of?

Basic vegetable stock is made of onions, carrots, celery, and water. But it is very common to add aromatics such as garlic, fresh parsley, bay leaf, rosemary, peppercorns and other herbs. I like to add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste just to round out the flavor profile of the stock. This easy recipe can be doubled or tripled depending on how large your cooking pot is. Just keep a ratio of 2 parts onions to 1 part celery and 1 part carrots. Any extra vegetables added will just be a bonus in flavor. 

Aromatics to use in vegetable stock.

I like to use 2 bay leaves, 10 peppercorns, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 sprigs of rosemary and a small bundle of thyme in my vegetable stock. Other delicious options are:

• Fresh parsley
• Ginger root
• Fresh sage
• Dill (use sparingly)

What should you not put in vegetable stock?

Obviously you should not put in meats such as chicken, beef or seafood. That is a completely different stock. But here are some vegetables to avoid and the reasons why. This are just suggestions to give you a jumping-off point as to what will not work for stock.

• Potatoes – sweet, russet, white, red bliss. All potatoes will give the stock undesirable cloudiness, plus they don’t offer too much flavor. 
• Turnips, Rutabega, Radishes, Kohlrabi – all can add a strong or bitter taste to the stock.
• Pumpkin – not recommended because it will cloud the stock, but add in small quantities if you don’t mind the cloud.
• Corn – doesn’t add much flavor and can make the stock cloudy

Saving kitchen scraps for vegetable stock.

I save my ‘kitchen scraps’ from when I am chopping vegetables in a zip top bag and store them in the freezer. I use onion skins, garlic peels, bell pepper membranes, zucchini tops, you name it..it goes in the bag. When I get a gallon bag mostly full I add in other veggies for the stock.

How to store vegetable stock.

After cooling completely in an ice water bath, I store my stock in the refrigerator portioned out in quart canning jars with lids screwed on. I recommend using the stock within a week. Additionally, stock can be frozen in freezer-safe containers for up to a year. Another smart way to store stock is to portion it out into ice cube trays for an easy way to cool down soups for kids.

How to can vegetable stock.

Vegetable stock can not be made shelf-stable by water bath canning it like you would a jam or jelly Stock needs to be pressure canned. The Spruce Eats has a step by step tutorial that is pretty awesome on how to pressure can stock. 

How to make vegetable stock

1. Wash all the vegetables and chop into 2-inch pieces, or leave whole for easier cleanup. 
2. Heat a large stockpot to medium-high and heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
3. Add the carrots, onions and celery to the pot and stir until the vegetables start to sweat.
4. If adding aromatics, add them to the pot as well as any spices or tomato paste. Stir to warm through.
5. Deglaze the pan with wine, if using. 
6. If not using wine, deglaze the pan with water
7. Add 1 gallon of water to the pot, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
8. Simmer the stock for a minimum of 1 hour. Allow the stock to reduce by 25-50% for optimal flavor. The longer the cook and the more it reduces, the stronger the flavor of the stock. 
9. Turn off the heat and strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into containers, discarding solids.

How to strain the stock

Once you have reached your desired depth of flavor (reducing the stock by 25-50%) it is time to strain the solids away from the stock. I have used a fine mesh strainer over a canning jar fitted with a funnel. To get out every last herb use a strainer lined with cheesecloth. The idea is to get as many of the vegetable particles out of the stock. I don’t go ultra-fine on my straining because I like to have a few ‘floaties’ in there. It reminds me that this is homemade and not a commercial product!

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Yield: 1 gallon

Vegetable Stock

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Vegetable stock is so easy to make with vegetables or even vegetable scraps you already have in your refrigerator. Start with onions, carrots and celery and simmer with aromatics for a delicious broth.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds onions
• 1 pound carrots
• 1 pound celery
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 10 peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• small bunch thyme
• 1 gallon water

Optional ingredients

• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

Instructions

1. Wash all the vegetables and chop into 2-inch pieces, or leave whole for easier cleanup. 
2. Heat a large stockpot to medium-high and heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
3. Add the carrots, onions and celery to the pot and stir until the vegetables start to sweat.
4. If adding aromatics, add them to the pot as well as any spices or tomato paste. Stir to warm through.
5. Deglaze the pan with wine, if using. 
6. If not using wine, deglaze the pan with water
7. Add 1 gallon of water to the pot, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
8. Simmer the stock for a minimum of 1 hour. Allow the stock to reduce by 25-50% for optimal flavor. The longer the cook and the more it reduces, the stronger the flavor of the stock. 
9. Turn off the heat and strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into containers, discarding solids.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4 quarts

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 177Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 215mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 10gSugar: 17gProtein: 6g

Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates.