Little Broken

Food recipes from real ingredients

  • Home
  • Meet Katya
    • FAQ
  • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Salads
      • Dressings
    • Main Dish
    • Soups
    • Side Dish
    • Sweets
    • Sauces and Condiments
  • Lifestyle
  • Contact

Home » Recipes » Soups

How to Make Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps

March 16, 2017 By Katya 41 Comments

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
veggie broth from scraps

Making homemade vegetable broth has never been easier! Now you can make your own vegetable broth using kitchen scraps.

There’s little waste and you always have fresh broth on hand for Lentil and Butternut Squash Chili or Summer Vegetable Chili.

https://www.littlebroken.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/How-to-Make-Vegetable-Broth-with-Kitchen-Scraps-17.jpgThis post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Vegetable Broth from Scraps

Making homemade vegetable broth just got so much easier! I started making my own vegetable broth beginning of this year using kitchen scraps. It was actually my husband’s idea and it totally took off in our house.

Now I don’t throw away my kitchen scraps but instead, I save them for the broth. I love that I can reduce waste and have homemade broth in my freezer for soups.

How to Make Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps - homemade vegetable broth has never been easier! Save your scraps and make a broth | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

What Vegetables Are Good for Broth

Before you make the vegetable broth you want to collect a bagful of kitchen scraps. Wash all the vegetables before you peel, slice, chop, etc. You can save the peelings, stalks, and leaves.

Onions, carrots, celery, and garlic are the key ingredients. But there are so many other vegetables that can add flavors such as bell peppers, leeks, green onions, and mushrooms.

The list goes on. The best way to make a vegetable broth from scraps is to simply experiment to see what tastes good to you.

Also, fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley, cilantro and rosemary are all great additions to a veggie broth.

What Not to Put in Vegetable Broth

Stay away from cruciferous veggies, such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts as they can leave bitter flavor in the broth.

Zucchini and green beans tend to become bitter as well when simmered for a long period of time.

Also, some starchy vegetables like potatoes and turnips will make for a cloudy vegetable stock. Beets are too overpowering with their color and taste. 

Wash your vegetables before using the scraps and stay away from anything with mold. 

HOW TO SAVE SCRAPS FOR VEGGIE BROTH: Store your scraps in a gallon size zip-loc bag in the freezer. Simple as that. Keep adding to the bag until it is completely full. Make sure to get all the air out of the bag to avoid freezer burn. 

How to Make Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps - homemade vegetable broth has never been easier! Save your scraps and make a broth | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

Veggie Broth Recipe

When ready to make the broth, you will need: gallon-size bagful of frozen veggie scraps. I pack mine up pretty good. Coriander seeds, whole peppercorns, bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme. That’s usually the base I use.

Depending on the veggie scraps I already have, I might add garlic, onions, parsley, and any other aromatics. Maybe if I don’t have celery and carrot scraps, I will add fresh ones.

How to Make Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps - homemade vegetable broth has never been easier! Save your scraps and make a broth | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

How to Make Veggie Broth

Put your frozen scraps into a stock pot. You’ll need at least a 6-quart pot. Add water and the rest of the ingredients. You want enough water in the pot where you can easily stir the vegetables.

Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a bare simmer, and cook for 1 hour, uncovered.

How to Make Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps - homemade vegetable broth has never been easier! Save your scraps and make a broth | littlebroken.com @littlebrokenAfter one hour, remove the pot from the stove. Cool slightly if needed. Using a skimmer or a slotted spoon, remove all the vegetables. You only want the liquid remaining.

How to Make Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps - homemade vegetable broth has never been easier! Save your scraps and make a broth | littlebroken.com @littlebrokenThen set your strainer over a large bowl and pour the vegetable broth through. You should be left with nothing but clear and clean broth. I also like to put a cheesecloth over my strainer and run the broth one more time to ensure it is completely clean.

How to Make Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps - homemade vegetable broth has never been easier! Save your scraps and make a broth | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

How to Store Homemade Veggie Broth

Let the broth cool completely before transferring into containers or freezer bags. I personally favor freezer bags over containers.

I will measure out 4 cups of broth for each bag and lay flat in the freezer. It thaws out much faster than when frozen in containers. 

Refrigerate fresh broth for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

How to Make Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps - homemade vegetable broth has never been easier! Save your scraps and make a broth | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

4 Recipes with Vegetable Broth:

  • Pasta Primavera with Roasted Vegetables
  • Broccoli Cheddar Soup
  • Veggie Marsala
  • Lentil Chili

If you try Vegetable Broth with scraps recipe, don’t forget to leave feedback and a rating.

Print
clock clock icon cutlery cutlery icon flag flag icon folder folder icon instagram instagram icon pinterest pinterest icon facebook facebook icon print print icon squares squares icon
How to Make Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps - homemade vegetable broth has never been easier! Save your scraps and make a broth | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

How to Make Vegetable Broth with Kitchen Scraps

★★★★★ 4.9 from 7 reviews
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
  • Yield: 8-9 cups 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Simmer
  • Cuisine: American
Print
Pin

Description

Making homemade vegetable broth has never been easier! Now you can make your own vegetable broth using kitchen scraps. There’s little waste and you always have fresh broth on hand. 


Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon bag of frozen veggie scraps, completely full
  • 13–15 cups water
  • 1 tsp. coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp. whole peppercorns
  • 2 bay leafs
  • 1–2 sprigs each: fresh thyme, rosemary
  • Optional extras: garlic, onions, parsley

Equipment

  • Stock pot
  • Slotted spoon or skimmer
  • Strainer
  • Storage containers

Instructions

  1. Add frozen vegetable scraps to a 6-quart stock pot. Add water and the remaining ingredients. You should have enough water in the pot where you can easily stir the vegetables.
  2. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a bare simmer, and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
  3. Take the pot off the stove and remove all the vegetables with a slotted spoon or a skimmer.
  4. Set your strainer over a large bowl and pour the broth through. Broth should be clean and clear without any impurities. You can also run the broth through a cheesecloth.
  5. Cool completely at room temperature and then divide into storage containers or gallon size freezer bags. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • See recipe post for a list of vegetables that make the best veggie scrap broth and also vegetables that should be avoided. 

Keywords: stock, soup, homemade

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @littlebrokenblog on Instagram and hashtag it #littlebrokenblog

 

This post may contain affiliate links.

Recipe updated February 2020 with rewritten post and additional information. No change to the recipe.

Filed Under: Recipes, Soups Tagged With: homemade broth, homemade stock, vegetable broth, vegetable stock

« Grilled Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps
Spring Chicken Salad »

Comments

  1. Lisa M Mcclain says

    January 4, 2021 at 2:21 PM

    I am allergic to carrots do u have a suggestion of what I can replace them with? Or just leave them out.

    Reply
    • Katya says

      January 5, 2021 at 11:19 AM

      You can completely omit the carrots.

      Reply
  2. Sarah says

    July 15, 2020 at 11:59 AM

    What do you do with the scraps after you’ve made the stock? Are they too soggy to compost?

    Reply
    • Katya says

      July 15, 2020 at 6:03 PM

      Pretty much. I usually just toss them.

      Reply
      • Alexi says

        September 18, 2020 at 12:22 PM

        Not too soggy to compost. They should absolutely be composted.

        Reply
  3. Liz says

    June 13, 2020 at 1:38 PM

    Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’ll definitely try this one.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      June 14, 2020 at 2:29 PM

      I hope you enjoy it! Thanks!

      Reply
  4. Allison says

    April 26, 2020 at 4:09 PM

    This a very “student-on-a-budget-friendly” recipe since my vegetable scraps are being reused. Expensive store-bought vegetable stock, never again. This batch used bell pepper cores, carrot peelings/tops, onion remnants, mushroom ends, and leftover garlic clove bits. Thanks for the recipe/concept, very easy to make!

    Reply
    • Katya says

      April 27, 2020 at 11:02 AM

      So happy you found it helpful! Thank you for your feedback.

      Reply
  5. Sherry Ruis says

    April 15, 2020 at 12:35 PM

    Can I put carrot tops in this broth. I’m looking to make this as soon as my bag is full.

    Reply
    • Katya says

      April 16, 2020 at 8:34 AM

      Hi Sherry: Are you referring to the leafy tops? If so, then yes you definitely can.

      Reply
  6. Kimberley says

    April 13, 2020 at 1:09 PM

    Is it necessary to cut carrots up quite small or can I just cut a couple of thick ones to about three inches long? Lol I don’t usually buy or use carrots but a neighbor gave me a couple from her garden.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      April 13, 2020 at 7:12 PM

      Hi Kimberley: Yes, you can definitely chop up the carrots roughly into bigger pieces. That should be just fine.

      Reply
  7. Sandy says

    March 23, 2020 at 11:15 PM

    I was wondering if you ever canned the broth? I love to can things and was wondering how long you should let it boil in the canner. Thank!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      March 24, 2020 at 9:53 AM

      Hi Sandy: I have not canned the broth so I can’t answer with certainty. However, you can easily freeze the broth in freezer safe containers or bags.

      Reply
    • Debra Kawaller says

      March 25, 2020 at 6:22 PM

      You would need to use a pressure canner to can Vegetable broth.

      Reply
  8. Judith Berger says

    March 17, 2020 at 3:52 PM

    Any suggestions for what to do with the scraps when you are done? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Katya says

      March 19, 2020 at 12:22 PM

      You mean the cooked scraps? I usually toss them.

      Reply
    • Debra Kawaller says

      March 25, 2020 at 6:23 PM

      I throw them out. No nutrients left in them. I don’t even put in compost pile.

      Reply
      • Becky MacMillan says

        March 28, 2020 at 10:12 AM

        We typically raise a pig each year, so I do feed them to the pig after when I can. If you know anyone with a pig, they would enjoy them.:)

        Reply
      • geo says

        March 31, 2020 at 8:56 AM

        better to compost them anyway since food waste in landfills is a major contributor of methane gas to the atmosphere

        Reply
    • Vonia says

      May 12, 2020 at 9:49 PM

      Compost

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  9. Sue says

    January 24, 2020 at 10:57 PM

    Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been making this now for the last year, keeping all my veggie scraps and adding a few extra fresh ingredients. I cook from scratch every day for the two of us and usually have a bag full of scraps by the end of the week. I keep the stock in empty sparkling water bottles in the fridge and use it for almost everything- risotto, poaching chicken and fish, reheating veggies in the oven,- everything! Thank you so very much for sharing this and giving me the courage to play with it with whatever I have handy. The addition of the coriander seeds and peppercorns really helps to make this flavorsome. It isn’t always as clear as yours but I don’t mind- just shake up the bottle before I use it. Will never revert to nasty store bought again! we live in a tiny NYC apt and this goes to show you can do this and save food waste anywhere!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      January 26, 2020 at 9:37 AM

      That’s so great Sue! So happy to hear you found this recipe helpful.

      Reply
  10. Suzanne says

    January 18, 2020 at 5:42 AM

    This looks like the perfect recipe for me! I haven’t tried making my own vegetable broth yet but this looks both easy, cheap and delicious! Question: I’ve heard from other people they use a crockpot to make their broth. Do you think it would have the same results?

    Reply
    • Katya says

      January 19, 2020 at 8:22 AM

      Crockpot will work.

      Reply
  11. Nancy Mcleary says

    January 11, 2020 at 1:00 AM

    I love this homemade stock recipe! I perused other stock recipes and found that you can need add leafy greens. I added some lettuce leaves and spinach leaves. Also you can use the base of the lettuce head to the stock. I send Romain.i also added mushrooms.
    My soup was literally the best soup I ever tasted!!! The difference between homemade stock and boxed is incomparable! I made vegetable soup. Oh, with the leafy greens, as you mentioned, don’t add too many.
    I looked at many veggie stock recipes and I absolutely liked yours the best! Everyone who tasted this was amazed at how delicious it is! I now hardly throw any veggie scraps away! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      January 12, 2020 at 1:33 PM

      Thank you Nancy! So happy to hear you’re enjoying this recipe.

      Reply
  12. Gillian Dryjanski says

    January 9, 2020 at 9:40 AM

    I have seen on a few other sites a suggestion for adding tomato paste and/or nutritional yeast. Have you tried this? If you have, how did it turn out? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Katya says

      January 9, 2020 at 11:22 AM

      I can see how little tomato pasta might work but I haven’t tried it personally. As far as nutritional yeast, I am not sure about that as I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it works out if you do try it.

      Reply
  13. Sandii says

    October 11, 2019 at 9:48 AM

    I’ve been making stocks and broths for years with scraps … I keep roast chicken/turkey bones/carcass and add some veggie scraps to those when making bone broth – it really enhances the flavor! Cherry tomatoes also add great flavor to a veggie broth. Our tomatoes are done growing and those left on the vines are a little limp so they’re going into the next broth! I use broth to cook rice – YUM!

    Reply
    • Katya says

      October 13, 2019 at 9:45 AM

      Thank you for the tips Sandii!

      Reply
    • Liz says

      November 29, 2019 at 2:46 PM

      I always save scraps for soup. I add a bit of Vegeta seasoning along with dry pimentos. I freeze some in ice cube trays and bag them. Sometimes you just need a cube of broth to thin out sauces.

      Also, you can bury the cooked scraps in your garden. Great fertilizer.

      ★★★★

      Reply
  14. Paula says

    July 17, 2018 at 10:30 AM

    I have found that blending the cooked vegetable scraps with an emertion blender before straining give a heartier broth

    Reply
    • Katya says

      July 21, 2018 at 5:32 PM

      Thanks for the tip Paula! I will have to try that.

      Reply
  15. Beth says

    June 17, 2018 at 1:59 PM

    My stock is gritty, is there a way to strain out the grit?

    Reply
    • Katya says

      June 19, 2018 at 1:53 PM

      I would use a cheesecloth over a fine mesh strainer. That will give you the cleanest stock.

      Reply
  16. Vicky says

    February 23, 2018 at 4:19 PM

    Hi there!

    Just wondering if you could put leafy greens: spinach, kale, and other ingredients you usually see in salad in this broth…. I have some baby spinach in the fridge that is 1 week ago… and just wondering if I could save it from going to waste :/

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Katya says

      February 24, 2018 at 8:53 AM

      To be honest, I have not tried it with spinach nor any other type of leafy salad greens. But I think it should be okay in small amount.

      Reply
  17. Tanna says

    January 28, 2018 at 5:52 PM

    I have a broth that turned bitter is there a way to fix that?

    Reply
    • Katya says

      January 30, 2018 at 12:50 PM

      Hi Tanna: I have found that certain veggies such as cruciferous veggies (cauliflower, broccoli ,cabbage, etc) will cause bitter tasting stock. I just did a quick google search and found that adding more carrots will possibly add some sweetness to the stock and you may be able to save it. I’m sorry, I can’t be more helpful. I haven’t had any stock turn bitter on me.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS

Welcome

Hello and Welcome! I’m Katya. I believe life is too short to eat bad food and wear boring shoes. I'm glad you're here! Learn more...

Are you an insider?

subscribe to get my latest recipes delivered to your inbox

Popular Posts

Close up of chicken stew in dutch oven

One-Pot Chicken Stew

close up summer corn chowder in a bowl

Zucchini Corn Chowder

Close up side view of cod in tomato herb butter

Cod with Tomato and Herb Butter

Chicken Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna - made with shredded chicken, fresh spinach, mushrooms, and light sauce | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

Chicken Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

Copyright & Disclosure

The content found on Little Broken may be shared, so feel free to Pin, Tweet, Facebook & Share away with a link back to www.littlebroken.com. All images and content are copyright protected so please do not copy or claim my work as your own.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS

Recent Recipes

flax oatmeal
parmesan cheese crisps
shrimp pasta primavera
chili without meat
crustless chicken pot pie
Close up of lemon chicken quinoa salad in white bowl
Copyright © 2021 · LITTLE BROKEN · PRIVACY POLICY · DISCLOSURE · Log in