My recipe for Easy Vegetable Stock is so simple and will add so much more flavor to your soup recipes. After making it once, you may never want to buy store-bought vegetable stock again.
When I have time on a Saturday or Sunday, I pull out all of the extra vegetables that did not make it into a meal the previous week and I will make this vegetable stock. Make sure that everything you use in the stock is still fresh. Wilted old vegetables will not miraculously make a wonderful stock!
The base includes onion, carrots, celery and garlic. From there you can add additional vegetables that you have on hand. I will show you my basic stock recipe then share additional ingredients you can add for variety.
Once you know this recipe, feel confident to add additional ingredients and tailor the vegetable additions to enhance therecipe you are making with the stock.
Here are the basic ingredients for vegetable stock:
- Onions
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Thyme
- Bay leaf
- Leek greens
Excellent additions to include which will boost the richness and flavor:
- Chard stems
- Mushrooms: dried or fresh
- A handful of lentils or mung beans
- 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
- Lettuce or swiss chard leaves
Ingredients to avoid when making stock:
- Turnips
- Cabbage or Brussels Sprouts
- Red Beets
- Powdered Herbs
- Ground Pepper
Hot tips when making vegetable stock:
- Use fresh vegetables only, not wilted or spoiled vegetables that have been lingering in the refrigerator for weeks.
- More vegetables equals more flavor.
- Chop vegetables into approximately 1-inch pieces.
- Saute onion, carrot and celery until they begin to brown. This will result in a richer flavor.
- Vegetable stock only needs to cook for 25-30 minutes. Strain immediately to avoid any bitterness.
This stock is perfect to use in:
Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Creamy Zucchini and Fennel Soup
I use this stock as a replacement in many soup recipes that call for chicken stock if I am making a vegan or vegetarian recipe. It can also be used as the liquid when making risotto, fish stews etc.
PrintEasy Vegetable Stock
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of either olive oil or coconut oil
- One large onion, roughly chopped.
- 3 ribs of celery, chopped into 1” pieces.
- 2 large carrots, scrubbed and chopped into 1” pieces
- 5 cloves of garlic, smashed
- Greens from a bunch of scallions
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Additional ingredients:
- A handful of spinach leaves, kale or other greens
- A small handful of dried lentils
- 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
- Several porcini mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons of tomato paste (add after onions)
- 9 cups of fresh water
Instructions
- Prep and chop all vegetables.
- Heat a large deep pan then add olive oil and heat for 1 minute.
- Add onions and sautée for 5-6 minutes until they soften.
- Add celery and carrots to pot and continue to cook for another 10-12 minutes. The darker the vegetables become without burning, the more flavor they will add to the stock.
- Add garlic, green onions, thyme and bay leaves then stir. Add water and bring to a boil then turn heat to medium and simmer for 45-60 minutes.
- When done, strain liquid into a bowl.
- The stock can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays for later use.
- Note: additional ingredients listed can be added just before the addition of the water.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
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