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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    May 3, 2016 86 Comments

    Vegetable Broth from Veggie Scraps

    22.1K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Writing a cookbook has caused two problems in my kitchen.

    1. 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).
    2. 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.

    How to Make Vegetable Broth From Veggie Scraps! Waste not want not. This easy DIY recipe uses up all those leftover veggie scraps to make a homemade broth. Video tutorial included. #itdoesnttastelikechicken
    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!

     How to Make Vegetable Broth From Veggie Scraps! Waste not want not. This easy DIY recipe uses up all those leftover veggie scraps to make a homemade broth. Video tutorial included. #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    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.

    Print Recipe
    5 from 14 votes

    How to Make Vegetable Broth from Veggie Scraps

    Waste not want not. This easy DIY recipe uses up all those leftover veggie scraps to make a homemade broth.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time45 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Course : Soup
    Cuisine : AmericanCanadianFrenchItalian
    Servings: 12 Cups
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    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
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    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

    *Depending on the veggies you use, your broth may vary in potency. Feel free to add more water to thin it out, or to cook the broth down to make it more intensely flavoured if needed.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 10kcal
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Bon Appetegan!

    Sam.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bill says

      May 16, 2022 at 4:02 pm

      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!

      Reply
    2. Chad Walls says

      April 08, 2022 at 11:04 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Pat says

        April 17, 2022 at 12:29 pm

        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 🙂

        Reply
    3. Lynn says

      August 22, 2021 at 7:02 pm

      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.

      Reply
    4. Aaron Cadam Samuels says

      May 28, 2020 at 3:27 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        May 28, 2020 at 4:38 pm

        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.

        Reply
        • Aaron Cadam Samuels says

          May 28, 2020 at 7:02 pm

          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

          May 28, 2020 at 9:48 pm

          I'm glad you enjoy it 🙂

      • Dina says

        June 07, 2020 at 3:52 pm

        5 stars
        Easy and delicious! Just what I was looking for! And you video is fun and adorable!

        Reply
      • Dina says

        June 07, 2020 at 3:54 pm

        5 stars
        Easy and delicious! Just what I was looking for! And your video is fun and adorable!

        Reply
    5. Bill Fox says

      May 03, 2020 at 3:56 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Malene says

        August 06, 2020 at 4:01 am

        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.

        Reply
    6. Eve says

      March 30, 2020 at 3:06 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        April 03, 2020 at 1:44 pm

        Hi Eve, I recommend watching the video to see how it's done. The black powdery stuff is likely dirt. 🙂

        Reply
        • Eve says

          April 03, 2020 at 2:28 pm

          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!

    7. Susan says

      March 25, 2020 at 11:42 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        April 03, 2020 at 12:37 pm

        Yep, I just keep a bag in the freezer and add to it as scraps accumulate. 🙂

        Reply
      • Joey says

        May 13, 2020 at 11:00 pm

        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!

        Reply
        • Susan says

          May 14, 2020 at 6:55 am

          Thank you! Very nice idea!

    8. Meera says

      February 08, 2020 at 11:52 pm

      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 🙂

      Reply
      • Meera says

        February 08, 2020 at 11:52 pm

        I’ll* try it lol silly autocorrect

        Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        February 22, 2020 at 11:14 am

        Aww thanks so much, Meera!

        Reply
    9. Brianna says

      February 01, 2020 at 12:04 pm

      Do you happen to know how I could make this in the instant pot?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        February 07, 2020 at 11:18 am

        I'm sure it would be similar just less time needed.

        Reply
    10. Sarah says

      January 19, 2020 at 6:48 pm

      Would the pulp and seeds from a butternut squash work for this as well?

      Reply
    11. Conhumdrum says

      July 02, 2019 at 2:17 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        July 03, 2019 at 2:36 pm

        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!

        Reply
    12. Mary Lake says

      April 24, 2019 at 9:26 am

      I make my stock in the crockpot, low and slow. are you using the onion skin, the papery dry outside?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        April 26, 2019 at 11:25 am

        Yes sure, you can add onion skins. 🙂

        Reply
    13. Kara says

      April 21, 2019 at 9:25 am

      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 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        April 22, 2019 at 5:02 pm

        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!

        Reply
        • Kara says

          April 23, 2019 at 12:57 pm

          Thanks so much!! Still loving the book, btw 🙂

        • Sam Turnbull says

          April 26, 2019 at 11:12 am

          So happy to hear that 🙂

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    I'm Sam. Bestselling cookbook author and full-time vegan recipe creator! I LOVE vegan food, but it didn't start that way. As someone who comes from a family of hunters, butchers, and chefs I'm the last person I thought would go vegan. Here's My Story →

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