Homemade vegetable broth with scraps may sound intimidating but it is actually quite simple to make! Making veggie stock from kitchen scraps is a great way to reduce waste and save money.
This recipe was originally published on February 17, 2019. It was updated on January 8 2025 with updated photos and helpful step by step instructions.
Vegetable broth is a key ingredient in so many cozy soup recipes such as chickpea noodle soup, ten vegetable soup, and butternut squash black bean soup. No need for store-bought broth; it’s super easy to make your own broth using veggie scraps.
Simply start saving your food scraps in a Tupperware or gallon sized ziplock bag and store the bag in the freezer. Save scraps such as carrot ends and peels, onion ends and wimpy looking herbs and celery. Once you collect enough scraps, simmer them in water with salt and a bayleaf until all their flavors have been released.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Making homemade vegetable broth from scraps is easy and budget-friendly!
- There is minimal preparation required since the scraps are cooked from frozen.
- Make a big batch of broth and freeze it until you’re ready to use it.
Ingredient Notes
- Vegetable scraps - fill a gallon sized bag with peels from veggies such as onions and carrots. Add old wimpy vegetables and herbs like celery and parsley.
- Water - I use tap water. You will need 10-12 cups, or enough to cover the veggie scraps.
- Salt - add a teaspoon or more of salt to bring out the flavors of the vegetables.
- Bayleaf - this is optional but I think it adds a lot of flavor.
Substitutions and Variations
- Extra vegetables - you can add additional whole vegetables such as onions, carrots, celery or peppers for more flavor.
- Spicy - add red pepper flakes.
- Dried mushrooms - throw in a couple of dried mushrooms for extra umami flavor.
- Low-sodium - reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon.
Step by Step Instructions
Save up your vegetable scraps by adding them to a gallon zip lock bag. Store the bag in the freezer until it is full of scraps.
Add the frozen vegetable scraps to a large pot with a bayleaf and salt. Cover the vegetables with 10-12 cups of water.
Bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Simmer for at least one hour and up to three hours.
Strain out the vegetable scraps using a strainer or colander. Make sure to catch the broth in another large pot or bowl.
Strain the broth a second time (if desired) through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer to catch any tiny particles.
Allow the broth to cool and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
Hint: I like to remove the big scraps of broth with tongs or a spider ladle before using the mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
Vegetable Scrap Recommendations
- Must use: the ends and peels of onions, celery, carrots and garlic. These key ingredients create the flavor base for both!
- Add in: veggie scraps such as bell pepper cores, mushroom ends, tomato ends, corn cobs, potato peels, stems of herbs, leeks and green onions.
- Limit: cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts as they can leave a distinct bitter flavor in the veggie stock.
Tips and Tricks
- Feel free to add extra vegetables if desired for added flavor. Sometimes I throw in a few extra cloves of garlic or an onion.
- Measure out the broth and label the container before freezing. Then you’ll know exactly how much broth you have and it’ll be easy to use in a recipe.
Storing and Freezing
Store vegetable scrap broth in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Use it in recipes as directed.
Freeze veggie broth for up to 3 months in an airtight container. I recommended labeling the container with the amount of broth (for example 2 cups). That way you know how much to pull out of the freezer when you need to thaw it out.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe makes about 10 cups of vegetable broth. For reference, one store-bought box of broth is usually 4 cups, or 32 ounces.
No, you can allow the kitchen veggie scraps to simmer freely in the water.
I do recommend using a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer in order to catch any tiny particles that might slip through in a larger colander. While this is not required, it helps keep the broth more clear.
Homemade vegetable broth with scraps
Equipment
- 1 Fine Mesh Strainer or Cheesecloth
Ingredients
- 1 gallon-sized bag of frozen vegetable scraps (carrot peels, onion peels, peppers, etc. - see notes)
- 10-12 cups water
- 1 bayleaf
- 1- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large stock pot. The vegetable scraps can be cooked from frozen.
- Bring the broth to a boil. This will take about 20 minutes since the scraps are frozen.
- Once the broth comes to a boil, reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 1 to 3 hours to allow the flavors to develop.
- Turn off the heat and let stand for 15-20 minutes to slightly cool.
- Strain the broth into another large pot or bowl using a fine mesh strainer or a cheesecloth. You may have to work in batches depending on the size of your pot.
- Use the broth immediate or store it in air tight containers. It will store in the fridge for up to a week and the freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Use the ends and peels of onions, celery, carrots and garlic. These key ingredients create the flavor base for both!
- Add in bell pepper cores, mushroom ends, tomato ends, corn cobs, potato peels, stems of herbs, leeks and green onions.
- Limit cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts as they can leave a distinct bitter flavor in the veggie stock.
- Feel free to add extra herbs, spices or vegetables for additional flavor.
Fgraz says
I usually save my scraps for the compost, but I’ll certainly consider this from now on.
Emily Toshiko says
Thank you! 🙂
Em says
My whole house smelled amazing when I made veggie broth! I ended up freezing it all in order to use on a later day. Back to saving up my scraps for the next batch!