Homemade Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps
If you cook from scratch much, then I would bet that you have leftover vegetable scraps. Start saving those scraps and you will be able to make a homemade vegetable broth with saved kitchen scraps for for no cost at all. You can use a stock pot, Instant Pot, or Crock pot for this broth.
Making homemade vegetable broth is one of the easiest and cheapest things you can make to start replacing homemade for store-bought.
For some reason it took me a whole lot longer to make vegetable broth than it did both chicken and beef broth. See how I make my chicken broth here.
I never realized how easy it could be. And how ridiculously cheap!
Do You already save your Vegetable Scraps?
I have always saved my vegetable scraps.
At first I would save them, add them to the compost bin, and then carry them out to the compost pile.
Then we got chickens and I would take the scraps out to them. Chickens love vegetable scraps and they got to expect them in the mornings.
Yet, it wasn’t until we moved and had to say goodbye to our compost bin and chickens that I realized I needed to find something else to do with my vegetable scraps.
In comes homemade vegetable broth.
Can you really make homemade vegetable broth with kitchen scraps?
Yes!
Every time you make a homemade meal, save the scraps that you would normally throw away.
When you chop up an onion, save the ends.
When you peel a carrot, put those peels into a bag and stick the bag in the freezer.
It really is that easy.
Save the scraps of what you are already using in your kitchen on a daily basis.
What kinds of scraps are the best?
There are three vegetables that you really want. Carrots, onion, and celery.
Those are the base for making so many great soups and so it just makes sense to have them in your broth for the base of the flavor profile.
They are so important, that if for some reason I don’t have scraps of one of them, I will grab out a whole carrot or a few celery stocks to throw in the pot when making the broth.
Other great vegetables to have are: leeks, garlic, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, and more.
Then you will also want some herbs to add. Fresh parsley, cilantro, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves are all great additions.
Are there vegetable scraps to avoid?
There are a few vegetables that will make your broth bitter and are better to avoid or use in very small amounts.
These include the vegetables in the brassica family, which are broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kale. You probably also want to avoid turnips and rutabagas.
Step by Step how to make the broth
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First of all, you will want to start saving your scraps when you are preparing vegetables for meals. You can also save those vegetables that are just about to go bad in the fridge and put them into your freezer bag for when you are ready to make the broth.
Once you have a gallon size bag full, you should be ready to make some homemade broth.
Make sure that you have some whole onions, carrots, and celery if there are not enough scraps of any of those vegetables. Give them a rough chop and add them to the pot.
You can use a stock pot that will simmer on the stove for about an hour and a half or so. Or you could use an Instant Pot to make it super fast and hands off. If you would rather have it simmer for several hours, a crock pot may also be used for another hands off option.
Place all the vegetables and scraps into the pot of your choice.
Add some peppercorns and a few bay leaves. You may also use some coriander.
Fill the pot up to the top with water or use the water fill line on the Instant Pot. Bring to a low boil on the stove and reduce to a simmer. Stir every once in awhile.
With the Instant Pot, put on the lid and set the “soup/broth” setting. Let the pressure release naturally at the end. This is the method I have been using because it is so hands off.
I used to always use a stock pot and cook it on the stove. There is something really comforting about a stock pot of broth simmering, so I like this way too.
Once the Broth is Done
When your broth has cooked enough, get out your tools for straining and holding the broth.
You will want to let the broth cool down a little and then strain out the vegetables. Use the strainer (I just got this one and LOVE it) to pull out the vegetables from the pot.
Once all the vegetables are out of the pot, pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into jars or other freezer safe containers. You can also use a coffee filter to pour the liquid through if your strainer isn’t fine enough. I actually usually pour it into a large (8 cup) measuring cup first and then pour it into the jars so that I have less spillage (is that a word??).
You can push down on them to get out the extra liquid. They store quite a bit in them.
Let the jars cool down and then place in the fridge or freezer. They will last about a week in the fridge and several months in the freezer.
Also, make sure to label the jars. I always think that I will remember what is in every container I place in my freezer, but no, I do not! And then it’s a fun (or not so fun) guessing game.
A Variation for Vegetable Broth
I just learned how to make broth using corn ears. Since I had just finished up a big batch of freezer corn, I had a ton of corn cobs leftover. They are usually great to throw out to the chickens or hogs if you have them. But since I don’t, I was so glad my cousin gave me the tip she had seen to boil up the corncobs with some onions and garlic to make a corn broth.
After the broth was ready, I was able to make the best corn chowder. Usually the recipe called for vegetable broth, but using mostly corn cobs, the corn flavor was much more intense.
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