Basic Vegetable Stock

Perfect simple vegetable stock and a great way to use up old vegetables. I throw all my vegetable trimmings in the freezer (stems from mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus etc) and bring them out when I make the stock. I don't add any salt because I use it in many different recipes and I like to season to taste at the end.

I loved the versatility of this recipe. I used the old, tired veggies sitting in my fridge and cut them up, threw them onto a baking sheet sprayed with olive oil PAM and after roasting, tossed them into a crockpot to simmer for the day. I also used dried herbs since that is what I had. I love having a veggie based stock for my vegetarian daughter to use. We used some to make our own version of vegetarian gravy. We the froze the gravy and remaining stock into single sized portions for her.

I keep a gallon zip loc bag in my freezer and add trimmings from fresh veggies as I slice and dice along with small bits of leftovers. When it's full, I dump it in the water with seasoning and simmer for a couple of hours then freeze in canning jars. That way, I always have fresh stock available.

Amazing! Thank you for this recipe! I used a combination of fresh with frozen peppers & pearl onions etc.. the combinations are endless, add tomatoes or paste for a different base. A tip - if you only have dried herbs, the rule of thumb is use three time less dried then fresh. If it calls for 1 tbsp fresh, use about 1 tsp dried. I tripled this recipe so I have more for next time I need it. Thanks again!

Yummy, and I had all I needed in my fridge. Doesn't call for anything I haven't heard of, and doesn't assume that because you're vegetarian, you like lentils, garbanzo beans, and tofu.

Been doing this for years. Except I toss the veggies with olive oil & roast at 400 for 1 hour. [Roasting brings out more flavor] Turning every 15 min. Then I simmer for an hour or more. I keep a bag in the freezer and just keep filling it with cut offs and peelings. This also includes onion & garlic skin. They're full of flavor. I don't save the outer leaves of the celery. Too bitter. Stock never tastes the same but it's always good.

This was the tastiest vegetable stock I ever made. Amazing how something so simple can turn out so yummy. I added some mushrooms and bay leaves, and substituted dill for the thyme and parsley. I didn't even need to add any salt. It was great. Thank you so much for sharing. I will definately make this again.

Every Saturday, I used to come home with the week's groceries, and end up throwing out edible but rather sad-looking veggies that were taking up fridge space. I decided to look for something useful to do with them, and so I found this great recipe. I love it because it is SO versatile - you can throw in pretty much anything! It freezes well too. I'll never buy veggie bouillon again. Thanks!

This was really excellent. (it smelled so good cooking) I felt like my soup started so much healthier without having to use boullion or store bought broth that is so high in sodium and preservatives. Sauteeing everything first really intensifies the flavor, and the olive oil really lends something to the broth. (Did need more than 1 tablespoon of olive oil, however.---Maybe I used too large of a pot)

Delicious! I reduced the salt, and will use even less next time. I couldn't bear to "discard the vegetables", so our dog gets a serving of them with her kibble every day. She wolfs it right down!

We used this stock to make the Curried Winter Soup and it turned out nicely. 15 minutes prep time is a gross understatement, though, unless you are much better with your knives than we are.

this is a great vegetable stock, and is helpful in cutting back on food waste by using what you have on hand. i used extra herbs in place of the salt for a no sodium broth with all the flavor. my only suggestion is - DO NOT TOSS THE VEGGIES - these can be used in healthy smoothies by using approxamatly 1/2 cup cooked veggies with 1 cup liquid of choice, i prefer a mild juice like apple or pear to add a little sweetness.

I absolutely love this idea and can't believe I never thought of it myself! With the amount of veggies we go through in a week, this is the perfect solution for the trimmings and the occasional extras--not to mention the leftover fresh herbs I usually have. I did end up simmering mine for about an hour to intensify the flavor (I used onion, shallot, garlic, fennel stalk, corn cob, green pepper, thyme, oregano, parsley, and basil), and I prefer extra sea salt. I love that I can get a different flavor every time. Thanks for sharing!

This is a good soup starter. I'm going to try to make this again, I felt like it was not as salty as the boulin cube. which is what I'm trying to get away from (high salt).

Originally I just made this because the supermarket close to me doesn't sell vegetarian broth (what year is this again? :rolls eyes:) anyways it's amazing I make this and keep in the freezer... who needs broth from the store?? not me!

This is a great recipe to make fast, healthy veggie stock. I use it to make vegetarian soup for my 14-month-old daughter and she loves it! Thanks!

Great recipe. Easy to do, and I love being able to use up my veggie "odds and ends" for something great. I had been making a lot of soups and buying veg stock, but now I'm making my own stock at almost no cost. Thanks for the recipe!

This is a perfect use for veggies past their prime! I subbed dried herbs, added sliced mushrooms & a couple of cubed potatoes & a leftover corn cob & I simmered for a couple of hours before straining. This broth was so rich that I was able to sub it for beef broth w/ very good results...thanks Stan Webber!

I tried this during the winter for split pea soup and it was wonderful. Now that it is summer, I am using this as a crab soup base.....

Perfect stock base. I've tried many other stock recipes on here and they all smelled terrible and tasted strange. All I added to this was some Swiss Chard it it took this amazing stock over the top.

HEY..this is super easy and sooooooo inexpensive stock. I started freezing when asparagus came in spring..everything..tomato peelings, leftover potatoes, used limp celery,tips of okra, leftover peas..you name it..hey, Stan, I GOT IT~SMART AND THRIFTY, plus delicious. I doubled the water and seasonings and threw in the last herbs-rain has stopped a lot of our gardening this year, here in MS. Please try this..you'll have your very own stock for the winter months.

Fabulous vegetable stock. Fortunately, in Warsaw, we can buy pre packaged vegetables for stock, so I just threw in celery root, parsnips, and leeks in addition to the recipe. It turned out to be a very aromatic stock which was fabulous for the risotto I was making. Will definitely make again!

This is a great basic vegetable stock recipe. I will be using this whenever I need stock and don't have chicken stock on hand(which I will admit I generally prefer). Thanks for sharing!

This turned out pretty good - in fact there's still some in the freezer. I've been using it here and there. We like to use stocks and broths when we make rice or in place of wine or extra oil in some dishes. I added a red pepper that wasn't too fresh anymore but didn't want to throw out yet. I also added some peppercorns while cooking.

This saved the day when I was preparing the brine for our Thanksgiving turkey this year! I needed a gallon of vegetable broth -- who wants to buy that?! Plus, I'm sure the taste of this will far exceed the canned variety. I didn't actually try the broth by itself, but I'm giving it four stars for being just what I needed, straight-forward, and and saving us money. My husband was there when I strained it, and jumped out of his chair when I went to throw out the vegetables. He liked them so much he nearly made himself sick trying to eat them all!

After simmering, I threw the veggies in the blender with a few ladles of the stock. Blend until smooth (you can adjust how much stock you use depending on how thick you want the soup). After blending, I added another ladle of the whole veggies to give it some chunks as well as some cooked pasta. You could add some beans or lentils as well for protein. My kids loved it!

Easy and excellent! I saved up all my vegetable odds and ends in the freezer over the summer and fall and added them to this recipe (a la Step 4). I also used about 2 cups of water that I'd boiled potatoes in to make it slightly heavier.

I never thought of making my own stock until I came across this recipe, and I am so glad I did! I add a bigger variety of veggies than this recipe calls for and cook it much longer (about 2 hours) and it comes out great! I followed the advice of another reviewer and freeze veggie scraps for a couple months, then throw them into the broth. Awesome for making quick soups. I am cooking some right now and will freeze it into ice cube trays! Yum!

I make this often and freeze portions in ziplock bags. It makes a big difference to use home made stock in soups, sauces, and gravies. If I don't have the green onions, I leave them out. Leeks are a nice addition, to. As is, this is pretty much the perfect standard vegetable stock good cooks and chefs use.

This stock is greatness. I used carrots, zucchini, celery, mushrooms, onions, broccoli and jarred garlic. I tossed the veggies with olive oil and the garlic and then spread them on a baking pan to roast for a full hour at 400F. Then added them to the water and finished the recipe according to directions. My culinary school graduate fiancé was amazed at the depth of flavour. I poured the stock into ice cube trays and stored them in a tupperware container once frozen. Now when we need stock we just take out a few cubes and Voila!

This is so flavorful! I use it to cook veggies & pastas for my 15 month old twin grandsons. It is a great way to make sure they are getting nutritional food when they visit. And, they love it. I can make it, use what I need and keep the rest in the refrigerator.

This is a fantastic recipe. I love soup in the winter. Typically, I buy vegetarian soups in the can with low salt, however they are not as good as home made soup. Then I found this recipe! I make a big pot of this to use as stock, put it in the frig.,then throughout the week as I use it add different vegetables to it.

A nice stock and easy to make. I used this as the stock in Pasta e Fagioli, instead of chicken broth, to make it vegetarian.

Works for me!

simple, easy, yummy.

Excellent basic veggie stock. I use it as the base for a number of vegetarian dishes. I also use it as a substitute for water in some recipes. Freeze it in 2 cup portions and use it to make super quick soups on the fly.

Simple but great base stock to have on hand in freezer. I made an enormous quantity to use as base for several soups and stews. I also froze several ice cube trays as other reviewers suggested and I really like having the cubes to drop in a sauce or gravy rather than water or commercial broth.

This recipe was ok. The yield was only 4 cups for me. Still worth the effort though.

This is great! I threw in all of the veggies I didn't end up eating by the end of the week. I love that it allows me to not waste food.

Very simple, easy to make, and delicious!

We only buy vegetable stock when it's on sale because it's so expensive! Never imagined it's be so easy/cheap to make. I used dried oregano, parsley and rosemary for the herbs and i grated the garlic in, it basically dissolved into the stock, so yummy!

This is an easy, great vegetarian stock recipe! I didn't have the fresh thyme so I subbed Italian seasoning, other than that I stuck to the basic recipe and it worked out great. I used a rather larger pot than needed as another reviewer did so the oil/garlic burned a little on the bottom of my pot and but it still worked out OK and the stock is way better than any store bought I've tasted. This will be a great recipe to tweak depending on available ingredients. I can't wait!

so easy, so good!!!

Great use for extra veges! These are easy "secrets" that help enhance recipes naturally.

Great! I was able to make this on a whim because i actually had the ingredients in my kitchen.

Keep the veggies and blend them up. They will help thicken your soup and give great flavor. Take the broth and pour them into ice tray and freeze that also to have some for later date.

Great recipe. I had some tired looking veggies so I just used those. In addition to the listed veggies, I had zucchini, yellow squash and red bell pepper. I also roasted everything per other reviewers. I pressure canned it in quart containers. So now I have shelf stable veggie stock. Thanks for this great recipe. I never thought to can vegetable stock before.

Absolutely fabulous!! This is my #1 go-to recipe for veggie stock... I use it as my base for most of my cooked rice recipes and other dishes that call for some type of stock/broth. LOVE IT!! I sometimes add a little bit of cumin and chili powder for a bit more spicier flavor. Also, I play around with the vegetables I add... I love it with mushrooms!

Nice recipe for us frugal chefs! I used leftover veggie clippings/peelings and this turned out pretty good. An excellent way to use up those spare veggie parts. Thanks so much for sharing. :)

A solid vegetable stock, easy and inexpensive to make. Recommended.

Thank you for this basic and versatile recipe for veggie stock. My new husband is vegetarian, but over the years I had gotten quite good at making chicken stock. :) Making veggie stock was a different task for me, but I enjoyed it and will make again.

I added two corn cobs(corn cut off and added as well) and fennel. It's amazing by itself! I'm using this for a gumbo, but I'm going to keep the veggies. Why not put them in a blender or processor? I can discard the cobs :)

Great recipe! The stock came out delicious. I like being able to make our own, it's fresher, more nutritious and no fat or salt.

Very easy to make and it tastes good. I can't wait to try it in recipes.

I'm new to broths this was easy and yummy :-)

Good recipe! I will use this as my go to stock recipe. My family tends to have old vegetables in our fridge and now i now what to do with it. It looks exactly like and tastes like store bought! This is a recipe you can experiment with which i like. I did add some ginger and mushrooms to my stock.

Made it on thanksgiving when I ran out of stock. it was delicious!

Works! Makes a good brothy thing.

A most excellent vegetable stock, flavourfull and versitile. Will definately prepare again.

I have never used vegetable stock in a recipe before, & have never seen it in my local stores. This basic recipe opens a whole new world of cooking for me. I have been hungry before so I do not like to waist food if there is a use for it. I always thought about composing my leftover vegetable scraps, but it sounded like too much work ! As I do not have enough scraps as of yet, I am saving ALL my vegie scraps in the freezer (peelings & all) to make what looks like a wonderful use of the old, outdated, & leftover vegies & pieces. I will replace the use of water in many recipes. Looking forward to using vegie stock next time i make split pea soup, or making any stew or any soup from scratch. I like the idea of freezing in ice cube trays... I will take 1 cup of broth & see how many ice cube "cubes" it fills up in the tray. Label a zip-lock, freeze into cubes & store in zip-lock for future use.

Followed it to the "T" for the most part, added the garlic later as I didn't want it to burn when sauteing the veggies. When it cooled down I used my stick blender to puree the veggies to add more body to the stock before straining through a fine mesh strainer. The color was identical to the photo for the recipe. Forgiving, easy and delicious.

What a delicious veggie stock! I have used this in place of both chicken and beef stock and it was amazing. I froze all of the stock in 2 cup portions and thaw and use as needed. Thanks for the recipe!

I brined 2 turkeys this year: one with this stock and one without. The difference was noticeable and I will always use this recipe as my vegetable stock.

i use this EVERYTIME I make my soups! I also have used this recipe for others things and it is SOOOO flavorful and robust that I have to make this just to keep as a pantry must. I no longer have to buy store bought stock anymore because this recipe is so much better! Thank you for sharing! :D

Fantastic!!

Made mine totally organic with the exception of the bay leaves. I didn't have any regular onions but did use a huge bunch of green onions. I also used 1 t dried thyme, 1 t dried parsely and sea salt. Worked out great!

Liquid Gold!!!

This is a wonderful base. I use it all the time. I started saving my old veggie cuts as one reviewer suggested. Sometimes I make veggie stock, other times I boil carcasses; just depends. You can't go wrong with this recipe.

This is so perfect for getting rid of leftover vegetables. So easy and versatile.

The veggie stock came out so flavorful and yummy.I can't wait to use it for my vegan soups. thanks for a great recipe that will save me lots of money!

I made this almost exactly as written - the only difference was I used dried herbs as I didn't have fresh ones. This is very good basic stock. I like that the flavors are subtle - making this very versatile. I made a simple bowl of soup with rice and chopped green onion which was very good and I plan to use the rest to make the curried butternut soup (also on this site). To those people who suggested roasting the veggies - this is a completely different flavor and is not basic broth. There are lots of roasted veggie broths which I don't care for. This one is just right.

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I love this recipe because it uses common vegetables. I use organic, make a big batch and freeze it in canning jars. This is the best recipe for veggie broth I have tried. Thanks Stan for sharing this great recipe!

I did add a turnip to the basic ingredients . I needed a gallon so this was less expensive and more flavorful than commercial products. I would make it again in a heartbeat now that i know how simple it is.

Good results and easy to do! I am going to use it to brine my turkey so I made a gallon, but plan on making it again to use in other recipes. I used a bit of yellow pepper, mushrooms, potato peels, carrots, onion, celery. Omitted the green onion and bay leaves because I didn't have them and used thyme, and rosemary. I started my freezer bag of scraps for next time as one cook suggested. I love being thrifty when it is so easy.

Used all the ingredients and added our own dehydrated beet, celeriac, mire-poix, green onions, and garlic powders. Awesome. After draining we discarded the veggies into our compost bin which will feed our plants. Full-Circle, and Environmentally Sound. Thank You for this recipe!

Very easy and delicious base.

It’s my go to when making my chick pea soup. Great recipe!

I made the vegetable stock but how long will it last in the fridge

Easy recipe with Great Results!

This is the easiest and best tasting stock I've ever made!

Excellent! Very user friendly.

Simple, nutritious and delicious! I added some fresh basil for some extra flavour and it turned out great. Definitely using this recipe for every veggie soup in the future!

I varied the recipe substantially from what's on the list, adding peppers and using powdered garlic and even some lettuce hearts. I don't like to start anything without a basic recipe and this is my first attempt at a vegetable stock so this was very helpful. I made the stock with cast-off vegetables, peelings and leftovers, sauteing as instructed and adding herbs and salt as per the recipe. Very pleased. Thank you.

Flavorful and versatile.

Awesome recipe and works just fine with onion and garlic powder and dried herbs as opposed to “fresh.” I also added a dash of turmeric and some coriander/cilantro which adds nice body and to make it even more wholesome, I blended in the veggies. Great for gravies, soups, seitan, etc.

I have made stock before, but mine usually involves chicken. I thought this time I would go with a straight vegetable broth. I did not use any salt so the sweetness of the carrots could come through. To any broth I make bay leaf, and garlic are crucial.

Definitely will make again. Very easy and full of flavour. Was great in my soup.

Delicious! I followed the directions almost exactly but added baby bella mushrooms and red bell pepper and omitted the salt. I also simmered for about 2 hours which definitely made the stock much more flavorful.

Excellent, easy and affordable! Best of all, hardly any sodium. I added a turnip because I had one on hand and froze it in separate tupperwares to use whenever I needed stock. Next time I think I will add more water just to increase the quantity I get as it's mostly for cooking and not so much for soup base so having it slightly diluted wouldn't hurt it too much.

Very tasty and easy to make. I also added leeks, green beans, bok choy and turnip. Chopped all veg, then sautéed with little olive oil to bring out flavors. Strained it to use as a broth. I also kept some of the vegetables and mixed it with some broth to eat as a vegetable soup to take to work for lunch. Delicious!

Awesome recipe! I added cabbage and it was perfect !

I started of with this recipe but used zuchini and corn kernels as they were the only vegetables. But sincethe corn kernels did not mash up decided to grind it. Since it was hot it blew up so finally had to have it as zuchini and corn soup but it tasted good...

Gotta stock up on stock.

I included several additions: one cup of leftover roasted vegetables parenthesis yellow squash zucchini and onion”, and auto, cloves, tarragon, red pepper flakes, Oregano sage and dried chili peppers. I also cheated by adding a little mesquite smoke flavor. Came out delicious! A little bit sweet,, savory, and hot, with a hint of a smoky finish. I made this to be the stock to be added to a roux for a chicken pot pie I’ll make for dinner!

It was perfect . The flavor was even and I could taste all the ingredients. I did substitute some dried parsley instead of fresh and I added a small amount of cilantro. There's so much you can do with this recipe!

It is perfect for me because of my diabetic diet but I did not add salt because I am on a low sodium diet as well. Yummy!

Doubled the recipe. Used dry thyme because I didn't have any fresh. Delicious. Definitely will make again.

Very flavorful and very easy. I'll be making my own from now on. I was making a parsnip soup so I added in parsnip peels and mushrooms to match the soup.