This instant pot vegetable broth recipe is about to save you time, money, and taste seriously amazing. Start saving your vegetable scraps now so you can make this kitchen scrap veggie broth ASAP!
Did you know you can make your own vegetable broth at home, for basically free? Its amazingly delicious and easy, plus the flavor just can't be matched from boxed store-bought broth.
A good quality vegetable broth could cost over $2-3 per 4 cups, but I’m showing you how to make up to 12 cups for less than fifty cents!
HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE BROTH IN THE INSTANT POT FROM SCRAPS
1.Label a gallon-sized plastic bag or an airtight container and keep it in the freezer. Add clean vegetable peels, pieces, and parts to the bag instead of tossing in the garbage.
Note: Do not add any pieces, peels, or parts to the bag that are moldy, rotten, or otherwise inedible. Also avoid adding pieces that have dirt on them. See list below for vegetables to add and ones to avoid.
2. Once the bag is full of vegetable scraps, you are ready to start your broth or stock making process! Toss all of the vegetables into your instant pot or electric pressure cooker.
3. Fill the Instant Pot or pressure cooker with water. Enough to completely cover the vegetables, making sure you are under the max fill line. Add Bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
4. Close the lid and set to high pressure. Set the timer for 1 hour and let pressure release naturally for 15-30 minuets, then carefully releases remaining pressure.
5. Once cooled, pour through a fine strainer to separate the broth out from the solids. Add vegetable broth to mason jars, gallon-sized plastic bags, or other airtight containers. If using glass jars, make sure to leave room for the liquid to expand.
Vegetable Broth Stovetop Directions
If you don't have an instant pot or other electric pressure cooker, you can easily make this kitchen scrap vegetable broth on the stove. Follow steps 1-2 above, except add to a large stockpot instead of a pressure cooker.
1. Fill the stock pot with water. Enough to completely cover the vegetables. Add Bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
2. Bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for at least 25-35 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
3. Once cooled, follow same directions as above: pour through a fine strainer to separate the broth out from the solids. Add vegetable broth to mason jars, gallon-sized plastic bags, or other airtight containers. If using glass jars, make sure to leave room for the liquid to expand.
WHAT VEGETABLE PEELINGS CAN GO INTO BROTH?
Most vegetables can be used in homemade broth, but some are much better left out. As said above, any vegetable that is moldy, rotten, or otherwise inedible should stay out of the broth! These lists are not inclusive, but this is a good place to start for delicious homemade broth.
VEGETABLES TO USE IN HOME BROTH OR STOCK
- Onions, outter peels included
- Carrots, clean peels and pieces.
- Celery
- Potatoes
- Leeks
- Garlic, peels included
- Potatoes, clean skins
- Herbs
VEGETABLES TO AVOID PUTTING INTO HOMEMADE BROTH
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Brussels Sprouts
What to do with the veggie scraps after you've used them for broth?
Once you've strained your veggie scraps out of the broth, you can still use them to make something amazing! If you have a compost bin or heap, the used veggie scraps are the perfect addition. You can also check to see if your area offers compost pick up if you don't have your own compost at home.
HOW LONG CAN YOU STORE HOMEMADE VEGETABLE BROTH?
Vegetable broth can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Any that you make and will not be using that same week should be prepped for and stored in the freezer.
When frozen, veggie broth will keep for up to 6 months.
HOW TO USE HOMEMADE VEGETABLE BROTH
Homemade vegetable broth can be used in a number of recipes. Anything from sauces, soups, stews, to cooking rice or other grains. You can save money by using this in place of recipes that call for chicken broth as well, although the flavor will be slightly different, the uses are the same.
So, get your freezer bag ready and stop the habit of throwing away your onion ends and carrot peels. If you cook from home often, it doesn’t take long to fill up a gallon bag, and you will be enjoying your vegetable broth from scraps in no time!
Did you make Instant Pot Vegetable Broth Yet?
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Instant Pot Vegetable Broth From Veggie Scraps
Save your vegetable peelings and those veggies that have seen better days to make this delicious and virtually FREE Instant Pot Vegetable Broth from the scraps you save!
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 2 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 gallon freezer bag of veggie scraps (pieces, peels, and parts of onions, garlic, carrots, celery, mushrooms, potatoes, leeks, peppers, etc. See notes on what NOT to use.)
- 8-10 cups water (Enough to cover the vegetables )
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ tsp ground peppecorns (more if needed)
- ½ tsp salt (more if needed)
Instructions
- Add all veggie scraps to the the instant pot. Cover with 8-10 cups of water, or enough to fully cover the vegetables, but under the max fill line.
- Lock lid and set Instant pot to high pressure for 1 hour.
- Once time is up let the pressure release naturally for 15-30 minutes. Then carefully release pressure.
- Let cool. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Store broth in freezer bags or in glass jars in the freezer until read to use. Broth will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- To thaw for use: Let sit in the refrigerator overnight or run under warm water until thawed.
Notes
If storing the prepared vegetable broth in glass jars in the freezer, make sure to leave enough room for expansion of the liquid as it freezes to avoid breaking the glass jars.
** All nutrition information is an estimate only. The nutrition information will vary depending on ingredients and amounts actually used in preparations.
It is best to NOT use cruciferous vegetables and those that could add an off taste (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts to name a few).
Depending on the vegetables used in each batch, the end result will vary in color and flavor- this is what makes it FUN!
Nutrition
- Calories: 40
Lockwood says
I have been making vegetable broth from scraps for some time, but this was by far the best. I ended up with more broth because it didn t boil off. It was so much faster! I added bits of tomato, a little piece of ginger and the top from a jalapeno pepper. The turmeric added great flavour.
Kelsey says
Such a fun combo! It's the best when you can customize it each time to make it just a bit different.