Homemade Vegetable Broth from Scraps (2024)

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If you want to stop buying pre-made broth and you want a richer, deeper flavored broth then you need to make this homemade vegetable broth from scraps! Not only will it taste great but you’ll feel good proud knowing you didn’t waste your vegetable scraps. Talk about sustainability in the kitchen!

Ingredients for Homemade Vegetable Broth from Scraps

• A gallon size freezer bag full of vegetable scraps
• 1 onion, finely diced. Use the skins as well! Just plop them in when you add your frozen veggie scraps.
• 1 tbsp avocado, canola or olive oil
• 1 tsp salt, I recommend kosher salt.
• 2 bay leaves, whole
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (freeze leftover paste in an ice cube tray for 1 oz portions to use later on)
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 3-4 tbsp nutritional yeast. It is not absolutely necessary, omit if you don’t have any
• 10 cups water

Step-by-Step Instructions

Making vegetable stock from scraps is so simple. First, you need to fill a gallon size bag with vegetable scraps.

Every time you have vegetable scraps from cooking, put them in your gallon freezer bag. In between putting vegetable scraps in it, store it in the freezer. Once it is full, follow the instructions below.

1. Saute the chopped onion in the pot with the oil
2. Add all other ingredients
3. Bring to a boil then cover and let simmer for 30-60 minutes
4. Taste it and adjust the flavor to your liking. Experiment with more salt, seasonings, different herbs, or more tomato paste/worcestershire sauce.
5. Strain and pour into containers (like mason jars) and freeze for up to a month or keep for five days in the fridge

What Scraps Can You Use for Vegetable Broth

No vegetables are off limits. Use the skins and peels (yes, even the papery onion skins) of onions, carrots, garlic and potatoes. Use the ends of celery, remains of peppers, carrots, or broccoli.

Seriously, any scrap of a vegetable you’re about to toss, put it in your freezer bag. You will be shocked at how fast it gets filled!

How to Fix Bitterness

Taste the broth as you follow the recipe in full. If it tastes bitter to you, there are a couple of ways to fix that.

• Add an additional ⅛ teaspoon of salt, stir, and taste
• For every quart of stock you can add one chopped apple and cook the stock for an additional two hours
• Try a teaspoon or two of sugar, stir it in, and taste it after two minutes
• Consider adding one to four tablespoons of unsalted butter. Add one at a time, melt it in, cook for two minutes and taste.

Watch the Video

Let’s make vegetable broth together! Watch the demonstration video on my Youtube channel below. While you’re there be sure to subscribe!

How to Store It

Storing homemade broth is easy! Especially if you happen to save empty pasta sauce jars or have empty mason jars. This is an easy way to freeze a few cups in one jar and know exactly how much you have.

Store it in a jar in the freezer for up to six months. Be sure to leave about one inch of space at the top of the jar before you freeze it to allow room for expansion.

How Long does Homemade Vegetable Broth Last

Refrigerator

The broth will last up to a week in the fridge as long as it’s in a sealed container. Mason jars and regular tupperware containers work well.

Freezer

I have found that stored in an airtight container or in a freezer bag the broth lasts up to three months. If freezing the broth in a bag, fill the bag and lay it flat to freeze for better storage.

How to Reheat It

If thawing the broth from a jar or bag, put it in the fridge a day before you plan to use it. If you forget to thaw it ahead of time, put the bag or jar in a bowl of cold water. Change the water every twenty minutes until thawed.

What Do You Cook With It

Of course you can use it in your next homemade soup but the broth works great for cooking grains like rice or pasta. You can use just broth to cook the grains or do a mixture of some broth and some water.

It’s also a great base for making your own gravy, adding liquid to a slow cooker meal, or simply drinking it straight when you’re under the weather.

Pin now, cook later!

So tell me, what veggie scraps do you think you’ll have the most of? I usually have lots of bell peppers, carrots, greens, celery ends, and garlic ends. Let me know below or better yet show me how yours turns out!