An all-natural and sodium-free vegetable broth rich in umami flavor and featuring vegetable scraps. — Perfect for soups, stews, beans, and oil-free sautéing.
Do you buy vegetable broth? I used to buy broth all the time, even before we chose to follow a plant-based lifestyle. I used to buy all kinds of broth, including vegetable broth. After some time, I learned that the majority of store-bought broth tends to have a few issues. The broth available at most grocery stores tends contains a lot of sodium and other stuff my body doesn’t like, such as artificial caramel coloring to make broth look the way it’s supposed to look. Seriously, the next time you have your hands on one, take a look at the back of the carton.
You will more than likely see that it contains a lot of salt and caramel color. When my husband was told he needed to reduce his sodium intake, I realized broth was one culprit that could easily go. For a while, I simply used water in place of broth; snd while water does work, vegetable broth adds more flavor to recipes. And this is coming from a girl whose favorite beverage is water. Plus, commercial broth can be rather expensive. Over time, one carton costing $2-$4 can add up very quickly in the grocery cart, week after week, especially in the fall and winter months when soup, chili, and stew are on the menu.
It wasn’t until I purchased an awesome (and somewhat inappropriate) cookbook, Thug Kitchen, that I learned that I could make vegetable broth for free. Yep, you read that correctly. The stuff is FREE. Free as in no cost whatsoever. Plus, it’s free as in free from excess sodium and free from artificial colors and flavors. Simply create an ambrosial vegetable broth made purely of vegetable scraps, herbs, and water. No kidding. I have made it many many many times over the past few years. You can make it with just about anything you use in your cooking; but a few essential scraps include onions, carrots, and celery, Other fantastic scraps include tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs (especially bay leaves and parsley), spinach, corn, green beans, and whatever your heart desires.
Please note that some vegetables can lend a slightly bitter profile or stronger one – one flavor that resembles a particular vegetable. Close your eyes and think of it this way. Scratch that. You can’t read with your eyes closed. So imagine with your eyes open as you read this broth-y metaphor.
Your vegetable broth should resemble a ‘choir’ of vegetables and herbs singing their praises in flavor unison. You don’t want any one vegetable to sing a “solo” piece. Rather, vegetable broth is a “choir” effort. * Lots and lots of choir singers invited – no soloists wanted.* Regardless of how much you like that soloist, that soloist’s voice can ruin the entire composition if they don’t blend in properly. You don’t want to taste any one particular vegetable. It’s not cabbage broth or broccoli broth. It’s vegetable broth. So keep this in mind as you throw those vegetable scraps in. It’s best to use a smaller portion of brassicas like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, turnips, turnip greens collard greens, kale, and bok choy. These all work great in vegetable broth, but only in smaller quantities than the rest of your vegetable scraps. So be sure to include a greater portion of onions, celery, and carrots.
So how does it work? Oh, allow me to show you.
Cook any meal just like you normally do. But instead of throwing the vegetable scraps in the trash, down the garbage disposal, or in the compost bin, place them in a freezer-safe ziplock bag or freezer-safe container. Then close it up and put it in the freezer. The next time you’re cooking and have vegetable scraps, do the same thing. This time though, just add to the existing bag of scraps. That’s it. Easy-peasy. Then, when you have about 6 cups of scraps, you can make an incredible rich vegetable broth for free.
Since then, I’ve also learned about umami and how much it adds a mouth-watering flavor to foods. Wait, what’s umami? I’m going to go a little Alton Brown on you for just a moment. Healthline explains that “Umami is one of the five basic tastes, alongside sweet, bitter, salty, and sour. It was discovered over a century ago and is best described as a savory or “meaty” flavor. The word “umami” is Japanese and means “a pleasant savory taste.” Scientifically speaking, umami refers to the taste of glutamate, inosinate, or guanylate. Glutamate — or glutamic acid — is a common amino acid in vegetable and animal proteins. Inosinate is mainly found in meats, while guanylate is more abundant in plants.” It gives a sense of satiety and adds to the savoriness to a dish.
Want to amp up the umami? Just add in some sun-dried tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, miso, dulse, seaweed, or dashi kombu. All of these foods or plants have higher quantities of glutamate or guanylate that add amazing depth to your vegetable broth. In order to maintain the probiotic benefits of miso, you should add the miso after the broth is cool. But it can be added to the broth anytime if you’re adding it solely for the umami boost. To add another layer of umami to elevate the flavor in your broth, you can sauté some fresh diced vegetable to caramelize the onions.
So there you have it. You have to make this vegetable broth because 1) it’s free, 2) it contains no sodium or artificial flavors or colors, 3) it tastes great because it adds umami to your foods, and 4) it’s super easy. Did I mention it’s free? I mean, it actually doesn’t cost anything for you to make this broth. Well, if you buy the shiitake mushrooms and dashi kombu to use in this and only this, then your vegetable broth does cost something. But because one package of dashi kombu lasts a really long time, a jar of broth probably only costs about 10 cents. So, yeah, it’s basically free.
I like to use the soup/broth setting on my Instant Pot but you can do it on high pressure in any pressure cooker. You can also make this vegetable broth in your slow cooker or on your stove top. The idea is to extract the flavor and umami from the contents. Once the ‘extraction’ process is complete, strain, pour the vegetable broth into sterilized mason jars and seal them up with corresponding lids. Once cool, place the jars in the refrigerator for later use. The heat should seal the lids so they should be good for a couple weeks in the refrigerator. Just make sure your jars and lids are clean before use.
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups vegetable scraps (fill the basket)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 2-4 inch piece of dashi kombu
- 1-2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 4-6 quarts filtered water – enough to cover vegetables and scraps. (Do NOT exceed the Max fill line.)
Instructions
- Place vegetable scraps in a stainless-steel basket. If you don’t have a basket, place in the Instant Pot liner/pot.
- Add bay leaf, garlic, dashi kombu, shiitake mushrooms, etc. to the basket.
- Insert the basket into your Instant Pot liner.
- Fill with filtered/purified water.
- Place the liner into your Instant Pot and secure the lid. Be sure the valve is set to “sealing” on the lid.
- Select the soup/broth setting (or high pressure) on your Instant Pot.
- Increase/decrease the time to 30-40 minutes.
- Once the cycle is complete, allow to naturally release pressure.
- Strain your broth by removing the basket insert (or pouring the contents through a mesh colander).
- Using a ladle and funnel, carefully transfer the broth into sterilized mason jars.
- Place clean lids on each jar to seal them up.
- Once cool, place the jars in the refrigerator for later use.
Notes
Any type of pressure cooker works. Your broth can be made in as little as 30 minutes or as long as you want. I typically set mine for 40 minutes. The results remain the same – flavorful broth.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can use a slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Strain and bottle per the instructions.
Vegetable Scraps: Essential scraps include onions, carrots, and celery, Other fantastic scraps include tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs (especially bay leaves and parsley), spinach, corn, and green beans. Use a smaller portion of brassicas like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, turnips, turnip greens collard greens, kale, and bok choy.
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Umami Vegetable Broth
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups vegetable scraps *see blog or note below
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 2-4 inch piece of dashi kombu
- 5 quarts filtered water
Instructions
- Place vegetable scraps in a stainless-steel basket. If you don’t have a basket, place in the Instant Pot liner/pot.
- Add bay leaf, garlic, dashi kombu, shiitake mushrooms, etc. to the basket.
- Insert the basket into your Instant Pot liner.
- Pour enough filtered water to cover the scraps – do NOT exceed MAX fill line.
- Place the liner into your Instant Pot.
- Select the soup/broth setting (or high pressure) on your Instant Pot.
- Increase/decrease the time to 30-40 minutes. (I normally use 40 minutes.)
- Once the cycle is complete, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure.
- Strain your broth by removing the basket insert or using a mesh colander.
- With a ladle and funnel, carefully transfer the broth into sterilized mason jars.
- Place clean lids on each jar to seal them up. Each jar should seal within 1-2 hours.
- Once cool, place the jars in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.