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how to make vegetable stock
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5 from 5 votes

Homemade Vegetable Stock from Scraps

Servings: 8
Author: Jen Hansard
Prep Time2 hours
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
This homemade vegetable stock recipe is a total flavor booster for soups, grains, and sauces made from simmered veggie scraps and transformed into rich, savory liquid gold with a deep, layered flavor that store-bought broth just can’t compete with.

Equipment

  • 6-quart pot
  • fine-mesh strainer
  • freezer-safe glass jars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup onion scraps tops, bottoms, and skins
  • 2 cups celery scraps tops and bottoms
  • 2 cups carrot scraps tops and skins
  • 4 garlic cloves tops, bottoms, and skins
  • ½ cup herbs parsley, rosemary, thyme
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp sea salt, unrefined optional
  • 12 cups water

Instructions

  • Add vegetable scraps to a 6-quart pot.
    Bowl of vegetable scraps and carrot peels to make homemade vegetable stock.
  • Pour water on top, making sure everything is covered by 2 inches water. Leaving an inch or two below the top of the pot so it doesn’t boil over.
    Pouring water on top of vegetable scraps to make stock.
  • Cover, bring to a boil at high heat, and then reduce to a rolling simmer for 2+ hours or until vegetables are so soft they are falling apart.
    Spoon with carrots, celery and onions that have been cooked into a stock.
  • Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer and discard scraps.
    Scooping vegetable broth into a sieve to separate the vegetables from the liquid.
  • Pour broth into air-tight containers, like quart-size mason jars.
    Pouring vegetable stock into mason jar.

Notes

  • To make this in a crockpot, add all ingredients to the crockpot. Cover with water by 2 inches then cover and set to low for 8-10 hours. Follow steps 2-3 above.
  • The nutritional info is based on my sample recipe; yours will vary depending on the types of vegetables you use.
  • I just make a batch of stock whenever I get a full-gallon bag of veggies. No need to thaw them in advance!
  • Don't be afraid to use onion shells, garlic skins, really ALL the scraps you have. 
  • Feel free to boost your broth with fresh turmeric, fresh ginger, or a tbsp of apple cider vinegar. 
  • Refrigerate broth for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the broth for up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup, Calories: 23kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 0.2g, Saturated Fat: 0.04g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g, Sodium: 242mg, Potassium: 213mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 3954IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 33mg, Iron: 0.4mg