Writing a cookbook has caused two problems in my kitchen.
- I either have an insane amount of food around the house or insane amount of grocery shopping to do (there never seems to be an in-between stage).
- I have a TON of leftover veggie scraps that are difficult to use up. I'm talking random herbs that are beginning to dry out, ends of onions, peels from carrots and squash, kale stems, ends of celery, the list goes on.
I'm not a fan of wasting food, so this means my roommate and I are splitting entire pans of lasagna, apple pies, fudge, or whatever else I'm cooking up. I also deliver food to my friends, family, and force feed anyone who visits.
As for the veggie scraps, I'm not wasting those either! My two main plans of attack, are to juice the scraps (green juices baby!) or make a delicious Vegetable Broth from Veggie Scraps that I can use in other recipes, such as my Tuscan Vegetable Soup, Lentil Tacos, or Quick Vegan Pho.
Isn't that a gorgeous, rich, vegetable broth? Campbell's, you ain't got nothing on me. Vegetable Broth from Veggie Scraps for the win!
It seriously makes me feel exceedingly satisfied putting all those leftover veggie scraps to use. It's just so easy to do... if you don't spill it everywhere and get tangled in wires. Aye yai yai!
 
So, save up the veggie scraps, sauté up some onions and garlic. Add the scraps to the pot along with some spices, and water. Boil, strain, done. Homemade vegetable broth, BOOM.
How to Make Vegetable Broth from Veggie Scraps
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic,, minced
- 1 freezer bag full of veggie scraps, (onion ends, leftover herbs, carrot peels, broccoli stems, kale stems, squash skins, mushroom stems, celery ends, or any veggie scraps you have)
- 12 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon salt,, optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and garlic and sauté for around 5 minutes until it begins to brown. Add in all the veggie scraps, water, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes until they broth is fragrant and rich in colour. The broth will vary in colour and taste depending on the scraps used. Put a fine colander over a large bowl or another large pot. Strain out the veggie scraps and discard. Use your broth right away or store it for later. It freezes very well.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
Kathy says
I made my first batch of broth using all scraps I had in my freezer. I used two gallon bags full of onion, carrots, peppers, garlic, celery, zucchini, and any other vegetable I had leftover. I used a lot of the onions skins too. But when I made the broth and tasted it, it left a funny taste in our mouths. It was kind of a strong taste but the taste is indescribable. Not a good taste. Would it be the onion skins that left that taste or another type of vegetable. I put nothing else in it but a little salt and pepper. I'm afraid I'll have to dump it all out (2 gallons) cause I don't want to use it to make anything with having the funky taste.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Kathy, It's difficult what to say what is causing the taste without being in the kitchen with you. Do you think some of the vegetables might have gotten freezer burnt? Freezer burn tastes pretty bad! Hope that helps!
Bill says
This morning, I made yet another batch of this broth. This afternoon, I used four cups of it to make a pot of my personal favorite, mushroom barley soup. It just started simmering so I cannot yet report results. CUL8R!
Chad Walls says
Warning!!! Only use organic scraps or from your own personal garden. Any scaps saved from the grocery store have way too much chemicals even if you are told otherwise. The effect is broth highly loaded with chemicals your body doesn't need. Saving table scarps is old school before the time of chemicals. You are better off using actually vegtables such as carrots, celery, onion, and garlic after the skins have been pealed away. Just be careful! The effect of these chemicals made into a broth is similar to bio-accumulation of pesticudes such as DDT. The chemicals will be more concentrated in the broth if the wrong kind of table scaps are chosen - you will get sick!
Pat says
Thank you your comment! It addresses the concern I’ve always had about making broth from just any veggie parts, including things like the root end of an onion or onion skins (nearly impossible to clean well). I much prefer to use scraps leftover from veggies that have been washed, peeled, and just need to be used up. If grown organically, then those peels, etc. (once washed to remove dirt) are fine to use as well.
I’m new to this website and have already marked several soup recipes that I’d like to try out 🙂
Lynn says
Your website is hilarious. I love watching vegans compete as to who is the "purist" vegan. Thank you for the delicious vegetable broth recipe. I am making a double batch right now. We eat a lot of fresh vegetables and I have to keep up on my vegetable broth or my wife complains about the frozen bags of compost that take up room in the freezer. For those who choose the middle way, you can stretch your "nonvegan" stock by mixing vegetable broth with it. I cuts down on fat and nobody ever notices.
Aaron Cadam Samuels says
Hey, looks good! I'm just curious why an ad for "Cascade," a Proctor & Gamble product, is popping up on your site. Proctor & Gamble is one of the worst offenders of animal testing. I like my food AND my websites cruelty-free.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Aaron, While I do have animal product ads blocked, unfortunately, there is no real way to block animal tested product ads as of yet. As everyone sees different ads based on their location, there is also no way that I would be able to block them all based on what I see either. The good news is that you could look at it like the bad guys are paying me to promote my vegan message! The ads on my site help support the work that I do so that I can continue to provide free vegan recipes.
Aaron Cadam Samuels says
Thank you for your response! Understood. That's awesome that you have animal products blocked! And thanks again for the wonderful site!
Sam Turnbull says
I'm glad you enjoy it 🙂
Dina says
Easy and delicious! Just what I was looking for! And you video is fun and adorable!
Dina says
Easy and delicious! Just what I was looking for! And your video is fun and adorable!
Bill Fox says
I've sautéed the onion and garlic. I've thrown in a number of small bags of scraps and am waiting for the water to heat. Since I only had small and large sandwich bags, I only added water to cover; about 8 cups. It looks about right. I wish I had some parsnips to chop into the soup. My mom's (1927-2000) chicken soup recipe had parsley root for sweetness and in later years switched to parsnips. (Europeans used parsnips for sweetness before they had sugar cane.) Well, there's always next time. I can't wait to taste the results.
Malene says
Hi Bill. Hope your broth was delicious. I don,t think parsnips were used as a sweetener, not even in Europe ; Maybe you are thinking of sugar beets, that has a high content of sugar. We still use that for producing sugar. They taste sweet, when you eat them.
Eve says
Hi!
I've never try to make homemade broth so I'm pretty clueless!
Do you wash with water the veggie scraps beforehand? And what about the onion peels that have some kind of black powdery thing on them. Do you use them?
Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Eve, I recommend watching the video to see how it's done. The black powdery stuff is likely dirt. 🙂
Eve says
Hi!
I've already watched it, but your bag of veggies is already ready, so I don't know how you washed them beforehand. I'm especially wondering about carrots as the peel is often dirty/brownish. And can dirt goes in between the peel of onions?
Thanks again!
Susan says
Hi, Sam, Do you collect your scraps in a gallon ziploc in the freezer and add as you acquire until bag is full? I do not collect them quickly enough to use fresh as I cook for only myself most of the time. I make soup a lot and go through the store bought broths quickly!!
Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Yep, I just keep a bag in the freezer and add to it as scraps accumulate. 🙂
Joey says
I get my girlfriend and her friends to give me all the scraps that they would otherwise compost because they're all vegetarians and I don't use enough veggies to keep up with my soup making. I give them a couple quarts each for their troubles and its been quite a fair exchange!
Susan says
Thank you! Very nice idea!
Meera says
Great video! I haven’t ever made homemade broth but now O’Neill try it. You’re hilarious by the way! You should have your own cooking show 🙂
Meera says
I’ll* try it lol silly autocorrect
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks so much, Meera!
Brianna says
Do you happen to know how I could make this in the instant pot?
Sam Turnbull says
I'm sure it would be similar just less time needed.
Sarah says
Would the pulp and seeds from a butternut squash work for this as well?
Conhumdrum says
First attempt today, and it tasted terrible. It's like I just boiled water with pepper in it
Maybe I'll skip the pepper altogether next time too allow the veggies to come through. I'm not giving up though, will report back once it's better
Sam Turnbull says
Did you make sure to have a large bag of veggies packed to the brim? If you only have a small amount the veggies wouldn't provide much flavour. Hope that helps!
Mary Lake says
I make my stock in the crockpot, low and slow. are you using the onion skin, the papery dry outside?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes sure, you can add onion skins. 🙂
Kara says
Hi Sam
Firstly I have to say how much I LOVE your book! I had it for Christmas and have been using it almost every day since. But I just wanted to ask, do you recommend any brand of vegetable broth to buy? I live in the UK and have been using stock cubes, but sometimes they've been a bit salty. Just wondering if you had any suggestions... though I hope to make this sometime soon 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Kara! So thrilled you are loving the book so much 🙂 I like Presidents Choice brand but I believe it's only available here in Canada. I don't know what the brands would be in the UK. I would recommend checking to see if there are other brands or low salt versions available to you. Enjoy!
Kara says
Thanks so much!! Still loving the book, btw 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
So happy to hear that 🙂