Make a delicious vegetable broth that keeps all the nutrients right in the mix with this super easy method. It’s a wonderful way to add extra veggies to soups, pastas, and more.
Vegetable Broth
For years, I’ve heard of people making vegetable broth from veggie scraps—but then I realized it’s also possible to make broth with pureed vegetables in the mix. That means you get to keep all the vegetable goodness and enhance many recipes with more nutrients.
I love this as an option for recipes for kids, for when we’re sick and wanting extra comfort, or simply as a way to add nutrients into a child’s diet when variety is otherwise lacking. Also: It’s a wonderful and easy way to add flavor to all sorts of foods.
We love this as a base for Pastina Soup, Alphabet Soup, Minestrone, and Black Bean Soup. It’s my favorite alternative to chicken stock and it’s so easy to make at home.
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at what you need to make this homemade vegetable broth so you know what to have on hand. (I love this since the ingredient list is so basic.)
- Carrots: I use regular carrots here and simply wash them and trim the ends. You don’t need to peel the since they’ll be pureed at the end.
- Celery: Along with carrot and onion, I add celery for that classic flavor you expect in broth. Simply trim the ends and give it a quick rinse.
- Onion: I like to cook with yellow onion as I like the flavor, but white onion works here, too. Trim the ends and cut it in half.
- Garlic: I usually add fresh garlic cloves if I have it. I don’t add a ton since I don’t want the flavor to be too strong, but if you love garlic, add more!
- Water: I use regular filtered tap water as the liquid here. You don’t need anything fancy, just the normal stuff will do.
You can also season this with salt and pepper to taste, or add tomato paste, parsley leaves, or ginger to make a delicious broth for Rice Noodle Soup. I don’t typically add bay leaf, but you could add that and remove it before pureeing.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s an overview of how to make this quick vegetable broth so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full recipe.
- Wash, dry, and trim the vegetables. Discard any peels.
- Add to a pot with a lot of water. Simmer. I prefer to keep it at a heat level below a boil so it cooks more gently.
- Once the ingredients are very soft, add them to a blender.
- Puree smooth, thinning with additional water as you like to reach the desired consistency.
You can now use this as is or use it half-and-half with chicken stock.
How to Store
Let the homemade broth cool at least slightly and store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to a week. Or, let cool fully and freeze in a Souper Cube or in an ice cube tray. Freeze for up to 6 months.
If you use an ice cube tray, you can add one frozen cube at a time to a child’s serving of pasta or rice to add flavor and cool the hot food down.
Recipes that Use Vegetable Broth
Below are some of my favorite ways to use homemade vegetable broth.
Best Tips for Success
- Trim and wash the veggies before adding to the pot.
- Puree really, really smooth for the best results.
- Add more water or chicken broth as desired to thin out (or lighten the color of) the sauce.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Feel free to double the garlic.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste for more Italian flavor. Add herbs such as basil or parsley if you like.
- To make this into an Asian-style broth, grate 1 inch ginger on a fine microplane into the soup. Then add 1-2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce and 1-2 tablespoons lime juice.
- Use an ice cube of the broth to add directly to a bowl of pasta or rice to add flavor and cool the food. Stir it in the hot food to thaw and mix.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe, so please comment below to share and rate it.
One-Pot Vegetable Broth
Ingredients
- 1 onion (medium)
- 4 carrots (medium)
- 4 celery stalks
- 2 cloves garlic
- 8 cups water
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Peel all the vegetables and garlic.
- Add to a large pot with the water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are very, very soft. Poke with a knife and make sure it comes out clean.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to a blender with 1 cup of the liquid. Blend smooth. Return the blended mixture to the pot with the remaining liquid and stir to make the final broth.
- (If you want to lighten the color or make this go farther, you can add 1-2 cups additional water. You can also mix with chicken broth.)
- Use in soups, and pastas, or store for future use.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Or transfer to an ice cube tray or a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.
- Use an ice cube of the broth to add directly to a bowl of pasta or rice to add flavor and cool the food. Stir it in the hot food to thaw and mix.
- To cook pasta in the broth: Bring 1 quart of the broth to a simmer over medium heat in a medium pot. Add 8 ounces of a small shape of pasta (such as pastina, orzo, or abc pasta). Simmer for the time on the pasta package, plus 2-4 minutes or until the pasta is tender and cooked through and the broth is mostly absorbed. Add 1 tablespoon butter, a pinch of salt to taste, and Parmesan cheese as desired.
- Trim and wash the veggies before adding to the pot.
- Puree really, really smooth for the best results.
- Add more water as desired to thin out (or lighten the color of) the sauce.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste for more flavor.
Do you know how long this might take if cooked in an Instant Pot?
I would guess 8-10 minutes on high.
I ended up with just over 2 quarts making this as directed. I did cover my pot about 3/4 during the simmering process and I used an immersion blender to purée right in the pot. Toddler loved the broth as is, can’t wait to cook pasta in it.
I didn’t love the taste on its own, but making pasta in the broth was a GAME CHANGER. Myself and my toddler really enjoyed this. Huge win. Thank you!!
I make this on repeat in my house! My son loves it and it’s great to keep frozen. Thank you!
Hi! Do you recommend covering the pot during the simmer step? I read through the recipe and tips and am not seeing the answer. Thanks!
I would partially cover or simmer on low to avoid all of the liquid evaporating.
Delicious and so easy! I prepared some pasta as per the recommendations for my toddler, threw in a spoonful of marina and some parm and she ate it all! This from a usually veggie adverse kid. Love all your recipes!
LOVED this recipe! Been meaning to try it for awhile and I already had chopped some mirepoix earlier this week, and we’ve been feeling a bit under the weather so this was perfect. I put some in the freezer and then added bone broth to what remained in the pot and cooked pastina in it for dinner! YUM and so comforting, and my 1 year old devoured like 6 helpings 😆 thank you Amy, you always have the best recipes. Probably never buying veggie broth again.
So glad to hear that!
My son was a huge fan!! He’s 19 months and by no means a picky eater, but I could imagine this coming in super handy when he’s sick or teething. I blended mine with bone broth for extra minerals and protein. Love!
I’m not sure if I did something wrong, but mine turned out pulpy and stringy and I couldn’t get my 4 year old to eat it after she tried a couple bites. I blended it as best I could in a vitamix. I think this is a great idea and I desperately need to get more veggies in my kids, it just didn’t work out for me. I had to strain it which I’m worried removes some of the nutrients. I’d love your thoughts or suggestions!
Maybe add more liquid next time so it can blend more finely or if your celery is super stringy to start, you could use a veggie peeler on the outside of it?
Very easy and tasty! Great for kids.
THIS IS DELICIOUS. Unfortunately my toddler won’t even try one bite…yet…but this is seriously so good!
I wish I hadn’t added it back to the pot with the remaining water and kept it a bit thicker for pasta purposes. Will probably skip that step next time. But super easy to make overall!
It can be more difficult to get the pasta to cook thoroughly in very thick broth so I think it should still work out for you!
Made this with 1/2 water and 1/2 chicken bone broth and I’m currently sitting here sipping it from a mug (making chicken and stars for dinner). Delightful!
The recipe I never realised I needed. For some reason, making my own broth felt overwhelming but this was so easy. Now a weekly recipe I make for the family. And great for the freezer too. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I was feeling helpless because my one year old had a really bad cold, so I made him this and cooked pastina in it and it was not only delicious, but it made me feel like I was actually doing something to nourish him and boost his immune system.
I only have red onion in house and celery and carrots that I don’t want to waste. Can you use red onion in this recipe?
Sure
To make this protein friendly, could upu puree white bean into this?
Sure
How much broth does this recipe yield? Is it 2 quarts or do the 8 cups of water cook down a lot? I am wanting to make a full box of pasta with it and since your pasta directions only call for 8oz of pasta and 1qt of broth, I am unsure if I will need to double the recipe. Thanks!
It’s usually a little over a quart in the end, so you could double it or thin it with chicken stock or water to get the 2 quarts you need to make a pound of pasta.
Well, I made this and neither of my kids would eat it. It was too plain for them. I even put some seasoning they like in it and still wouldn’t eat it. So now I have all this broth/sauce. I put it in my freezer, any suggestions what else I could do with it?
You can use it as broth in any other soup.
i bought 14.5oz of mirepoix from trader joe’s and now i’m not sure how much water to use😂 cheating causing confusion. do u have any idea?
I think I’d do the same amount of water!
I loved this and already made it! I stored a jar in my freezer, and was really excited to use, but my glass jar cracked! Not sure why as the broth was cooled when I put it in.
One question I have when I make this again, I know you took your veggies out of the freezer to make this broth. How can I store my carrots/celery in the freezer before they go bad? Do you recommend chopping them up small first? Thanks!
Glass jars shouldn’t be frozen if they are over pint size, as far as I know. For storing the veggies in the freezer, you can simply dice them and put into a bag and freeze.
I do freeze in glass quart jars and the trick is to use the wide mouth jars and leave 1″ headspace. The cracking occurs when the narrow necks and mouths of some jars prevents the expansion upward and so the freezing liquid forces itself outward. This is a great recipe and so versatile…thanks!
This was such an easy way to boost forgot and add a little extra nutrition to broth. I cooked pasta in it tonight and topped it with parmesan. My 3.5 year old adored it, as did my husband and I!
Loved this! Put all ingredients in instant pot for 10 minutes on high pressure with 10 minute release and the vegetables came out perfect for blending.
I’m so glad to hear that and thanks for sharing that option worked!
Yummy! This is so easy to have on hand and delicious in so many recipes. Today I made the pasta but added some frozen veggies and mild Italian sausage (cooked separately) and it was a hit. Very versatile and feels glad to know everyone is getting some extra nutrients with the veggies in the broth.
This is a great soup base! It seriously works with anything. Would adding a red bell pepper change the taste and texture much?
I haven’t made it with bell pepper and I imagine it would change the flavor slightly—which could be fine if you enjoy that flavor!
Hi! I love your recipes. After blending the veg and water, do you return it to the pan with the remaining water left? Or do you discard the leftover water (would save and freeze). Thanks so much!
Return the blended mixture to the pot and stir it all back in. Use all the water. (It’s very nearly too much volume for a standard blender which is why I do it this way.)
Hi! Could you use a hand blender with everything in the bot instead of a blender? Making this today!
Hi Kirsten,
I believe this should work – it would all depend on the strength of your hand blender. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
It says salt to taste… but what do you recommend? Do you add any yourself?
I usually add 1/2 teaspoon.
I cooked small pasta with this and my husband and I really enjoyed it. I think it’s an awesome idea. My kids refused to eat it, but hey, maybe one day 🙂
My 2 year old loved as did I! So yummy! Thanks for all your amazing work! 🤩
Trying this tomorrow! We have a big stalk leftover from the broccoli we cooked tonight, could I toss that in? I wouldn’t purée it, I’d take that out once it was done cooking. But I wasn’t sure if it would add any bitterness? I’m not sure what it tastes like!
I don’t think it would add bitterness but it may give an undertone of broccoli flavor. It just tastes like mellow broccoli.
Would this be cannable and then shelf stable? I know there’s a lot of science that goes into the process of canning… didn’t know if you’d tried it!
I haven’t tried that and I would look at either the ball canning site or a university extension site to see if you can find info. I’ve only ever put it into the freezer (and with a quick search I can’t find reliable canning info…)
Feeling clueless and desperate as to what to feed my picky toddler for dinner tonight, I decided it was finally time to try this recipe! I didn’t want too big of a pot of soup, so I cut the recipe in half and added 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and I used all 4 cups of the cooking water (half recipe), plus an extra splash. I served it with mini shell pasta and my little girl loved it.
Thank you for this great and easy way of getting extra veggies into my kiddo!
Also, just wondering if zucchini makes a nice addition to this?
Glad to hear it! I haven’t tried zucchini and I don’t think I’d use a lot of it as it might change the texture some