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Waste not, want not! Make rich, delicious vegetable broth with scraps from your kitchen. It’s so easy!
Hey, hey! New year, new health goals. And one of my goals this year is to consume less and to conserve more. If you are anything like me, you probably spend a ridiculous amount of money on food. Am I right?
I’ve been making a point to waste as little as possible, especially when it comes to my precious, expensive food. One of the things I’ve been doing is making crazy good vegetable broth from little vegetable scraps. You guys know that I’m a big fan of bone broth, but did you know that a good vegetable broth is a powerhouse of minerals as well? You can do so much with a cozy, warm, flavorful vegetable broth. I use it as a base for soups, stews, and sauces.
And all you need is some scraps from the kitchen. It’s so easy and cheap to make. Just throw your vegetable scraps into a bag in the freezer until you have enough for a batch of broth. Then freeze broth in small portions for making the best soups and sauces EVER! No more buying broth at the grocery store.
There are no rules to what you can or cannot use. I basically use it all. I know that people say not to use cruciferous veggies (like cauliflower, broccoli, and kale), but I throw in little bits all of the time, and my broth tastes amazing. Of course, I balance it out with lots of sweeter vegetables like carrots and sweet potato scraps for a nice flavor.
NOTE: Be sure to use only clean vegetables and scraps. Dirty, gritty broth is no good. And please use your common sense. If it’s moldy, you probably don’t want it in your broth.
What I use in my vegetable broth:
- any veggies that may have gotten a bit sad and wilty in the fridge
- carrot peels and small ends
- sweet potato peels and small ends
- celery ends and leaves
- onion and shallot skins
- green onion or leek ends
- mushroom stems
- small amounts of broccoli stems or kale stems
- slightly wilted greens from fridge
- any other fun vegetable scrapes I may have
The possibilities are endless. And your broth will taste different every time depending on what you put in it. I like to mix it up and add some extras for flavor and to boost nutrients. The recipe below is just a place to start. Feel free to experiment.
Things I add for flavor and nutritional value:
- fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary, cilantro)- loaded with vitamins and minerals
- garlic – anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial
- ginger -anti-inflammatory and immune boosting
- peppercorns
- bay leaf
- shiitake mushrooms – rich flavor, immune boosting, and loaded with vitamins and minerals
- turmeric powder – anti-inflammatory
How to store vegetable broth:
- Be sure to use clean, glass containers.
- Vegetable broth is good for up to a week in the fridge.
- Freeze in thick glass containers. I like to store in smaller portions (about 2-3 cups) to use as needed. I use THIS and THIS. Be sure to leave room for expansion so as not to crack the glass.
- Freeze in large silicone ice cube trays and store in large freezer bags. I have THESE and THESE.
Here’s to a healthy, happy, and less wasteful New Year. Big love to you all!
xo,
K
How to Make Vegetable Broth from Kitchen Scraps
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: about 3 quarts
Ingredients
- 1 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 ribs of celery, roughly chopped
- 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cups of vegetable scraps
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- one inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary
- a handful of parsley or cilantro
- salt to taste
- 12-14 cups of clean water (I use about 3 and 1/2 quarts)
Instructions
- Place everything in a large stock pot. Add water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 1 hour.
- Turn off heat. Using tongs or slotted spoon, remove solids. Then strain through a mesh sieve.
- Store in airtight jar for up to a week. Or freeze in small portions for use later.
Notes
I’ve seen recipes where you saute the carrots, celery, and onion in a bit of oil before you add water. Feel free to do this if you like. It does add a nice flavor. But I’ve been doing this broth for a long time and love how easy and delicious it is just the way it is.
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I love this idea! Such a wonderful way not to waste any food. I love that you freeze it in ice cube trays too! Makes it so easy to use!
I love the idea of adding in all of those herbs and mushrooms for more nourishment! What a great idea! I tend to forget to make veggie broth from my scraps just tossing them in with regular bone broth but veggie stock has so much potential! Thank you for this reminder!
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I love a recipe that allows me to experiment and with different results every time! This is such a fabulous way to reduce kitchen waste. Love it.
Thanks for this awesome tutorial! I just LOVE a good veggie broth! Have one down with the sniffles so off to make this now! Thanks again! 🙂
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Hope your little feels better soon, Halle.
Great idea! I’ve made other kinds of brothbefor, but not veggie broth yet and it would be great to use up left-over vegetable scraps.
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How funny – I was just asking a friend how she makes her veggie broth. I typically make chicken stock but was interested in shaking things up. This will help so much!
oh, yay! That’s perfect!
I love making my one broth! So tasty and affordable!
Thanks for sharing this information with the world, people tend to underestimate how easy it is to make certain things in the kitchen.
What a great recipe, I’m gonna throw a little cauliflower in there. Thanks for the inspiration!
I love cauliflower in my broth too!
I love homemade vegetable broth and this recipe utilize left over in the fridge – what an excellent idea !
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I love making broth. I’ll never buy boxed broth again!
I love recipes that promote no food waste! And freezing them in ice cube trays is such a helpful time!
me, too! It’s crazy how much food we waste!!
This is great! Such a helpful tutorial. I love how it minimizes waste!
I love minimizing waste too. I usually compost, but this feels even better!
I spend about $1000AUD on food a fortnight..!!!!! I blame my eating disorder and insatiable appetite 😛 I always have to throw out so many veggies because I don’t eat them in time. And it’s VERY hard to find healthy, clean stocks here in Perth (Australia) supermarkets, so this is a fabulous recipe for me!!! Thank you 🙂
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It’s so easy and makes so much sense, right?!? Enjoy!
I am retired and do most of the cooking. We love trying new recipes from all types of cuisines.Saving veggie scraps is easy and plentiful. Have a pot on now. Thanks for the recipe of sorts and the idea.
You are so welcome!
Oh my, Katje! In the process RIGHT NOW! My kitchen smells WONDERFUL!
All those years of waste 😪
In my early years did compost – ok but also smelly😱
Then the too many wasteful years – and they end NOW!
Thank you thank you!
Can’t wait to share with my daughter & daughter in law💕💕
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Oh, yay! This makes me so happy!
Thank you so much for this. In the past we fed the left overs to my neighbors FFA animals but thats no longer an option. I have learned how to grow my own crops of veggies and herbs and to can and preserve them when its time. I now know what to do with all the little ofds and ends. Have you ever tried to can your broth? I dont always have a large amount of freezer space. Thank you again.
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I haven’t tried canning it. Please let me know if you try it. Here’s some cool info on it:
http://selfreliantschool.com/make-can-vegetable-broth/