Homemade Vegetable Broth (from Leftovers)

Are you a homemade soup lover?  If the answer is “yes,” I bet you’d agree that there’s no such thing as too much broth.  So today I made homemade vegetable broth—from leftovers!  In the week following Earth Day, I am trying to be especially careful to not waste food. 

Homemade vegetable broth can be made using ingredients you may have on hand--and it tastes as good as expensive chicken broth in most recipes!

Homemade Vegetable Broth

I used to make most of my soups using chicken broth. This, alas, resulted in a perennial broth crisis.  I’d sometimes have to buy organic at the store, but this was pricey—and usually not as good.  Finally, I decided to use more vegetable broth.   

One result of this decision was a surprising discovery.  Homemade vegetable broth can be even better than meat broth!  Especially for vegetable soups like Cheesy Cauliflower Confetti or Southwest Pumpkin Black Bean Soup.

Homemade vegetable broth can be made using ingredients you may have on hand--and it tastes as good as expensive chicken broth in most recipes!

Done!

And as a bonus, you may be able to make it using ingredients you have on hand—especially if you are a CSA member.  Every spring, I am sure to have a drawer full of old carrots, a tub of sprouting onions and some limp celery or celery root.  They are just calling out to be used up! 

Old veggies just waiting to become broth!

While staple ingredients for homemade vegetable broth are onion, carrot, celery (plus some herbs), there are no rules.  Feel free to throw in parsnips or asparagus ends or other veggies that you have on hand.  Just avoid cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and broccoli which can dominate the flavor.   

Vegetable Broth Fixings–just add water

After our recent Earth Day celebration, I am especially conscious of food waste.  Did you know that:

  • In the USA, 30-40% of the food supply is wasted, equaling more than 20 pounds of food per person per month… 
  • and organic waste is the second highest component of landfills, which are the largest source of methane emissions (source: World Food Day USA)
  • Food production and transport uses 10 percent of the total U.S. energy budget, uses 50 percent of U.S. land, and swallows 80 percent of all freshwater consumed in the United States…
  • and reducing food losses by just 15 percent would be enough food to feed more than 25 million Americans every year (source: NRDC

So I feel good to have made homemade vegetable broth with leftover local veggies. 

And I’ll feel even better when I turn it into soup!  A belated Happy Earth Day to all!  

Happy Spring!

Basic Homemade Vegetable Broth

Homemade vegetable broth can be made using ingredients you may have on hand & tastes as good as expensive chicken broth in most recipes!
Author: Inger
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
Course Soup
Servings 6 cups
Calories 17 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped onion about 2 onions
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped carrots
  • 1 cups coarsely chopped celery or celery root
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley or a few sprigs of fresh
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 7 cups water

Instructions
 

  • Combine chopped vegetables, seasonings and water in a large saucepan or stockpot. Bring to a boil, then simmer until flavorful, about 1 hour. Adjust salt and pepper as needed.
  • Strain broth and discard (or compost) the vegetables. Use broth within a couple days or freeze.

Notes

Feel free to modify the rations based on quantities on hand. Feel free to add other (non-cruciferous) vegetables and fresh herbs that you have laying around.

Nutrition

Calories: 17kcal
I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

9 thoughts on “Homemade Vegetable Broth (from Leftovers)

    1. Inger Post author

      I hope you enjoy it Brenden! If you get a chance, comment back or tag me on instagram (@artofnaturalliving) with a picture and let me know how it goes.

  1. David

    I love making homemade broths! I keep bags of scraps – like those you mentioned – in the fridge just for this purpose. And my shrimp shells, too, in a separate bag! Vegetable or shrimp broth can be yours in a snap!

  2. Juliana

    Somehow I have never made vegetable broth…great way to use up leftover vegetables…thanks for the inspiration Inger.
    Have a wonderful week ahead 🙂

  3. cheri

    5 stars
    Belated earth day to you too Inger, this year I have been working on reducing the amount of food waste in the kitchen and it has been a work in progress for me. Beautiful veggie broth you made.

  4. Beth

    I’ve never tried making my own vegetable broth – you’ve inspired me that it can be easy! I’d love to try this out, and that pumpkin soup look amazing too!

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