How to Make Vegetable Broth

Learning how to make vegetable broth is a fundamental kitchen skill made much easier, thanks to the instant pot. 

Use this flavorful, homemade vegetable broth to braise meats, add flavor to herbed rice and risotto, and make fantastic soups like this Fresh Tomato Soup . 

Homemade Vegetable Broth Recipe

Homemade vegetable broth is full of vitamins and nutrients that sometimes get lost in their more processed grocery store cousins. It also makes great use of vegetable scraps that would otherwise end up in the trash. 

This vegetable broth recipes also costs a fraction of the cost of store-bought broth.

So it is really a win in the kitchen all the way around.

How to Make Vegetable Broth

You will need about 2 gallons of vegetable scraps to make this batch of homemade broth.

I keep freezer bags in my freezer and just add scraps to the bags until they are filled. Once I collect enough, I pull out my instant pot and make a batch of broth. 

Because this broth is not processed like your grocery store broth, you’ll need to freeze it once it is made if you don’t plan to use it in a couple of days. 

Tips for Delicious Broth

Keep in mind that your broth will taste like the vegetables you make it with. So while carrots and onions are pretty standard, vegetables like spicy peppers will give your broth a distinct taste.

You can also use scraps from herbs. For example, if you use fresh parsley, don’t throw out the stems. They make great, flavorful scraps. But keep in mind herbs like cilantro will also create a taste that while delicious in some dishes might taste off in others. 

Don’t over salt your broth! Generally vegetable broth will be an ingredient in another dish – so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to add salt later. 

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Homemade Vegetable Broth

This homemade vegetable broth recipe is filled with healthy vitamins and nutrients for a fraction of the cost of pre-bought stock. The best part? You can cook it in your Instant Pot!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, Whole Food

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 47kcal

Author: Cynthia Rusincovitch

Equipment

• Slow cooker

Ingredients

• 2 gallons vegetable scraps
• water, to cover
• 1 tbsp salt

Instructions

• Place vegetable scraps in the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Cover with water.
• Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
• Stir in salt taking care not to make it too salty.
• Pour liquid through a strainer into a large bowl or pot to remove the vegetable scraps.
• Store in containers and freeze.

Nutrition

Calories: 47kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Sodium: 4657mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2016IU