A simple but full-flavored vegan Mushroom stock packed with umami!
Put together this full-bodied mushroom stock with simple pantry ingredients in under five minutes of hands-on time and be rewarded with some of the tastiest soups, stews and sauces ever. The base recipe for this broth is very simple but very, very flavorful, and you can add in more ingredients if you like to make it even richer.
Making a mushroom stock can be as easy as steeping a few dried mushrooms in boiling water and letting them stand for half an hour before draining and using the liquid portion. The mushroom stock recipe I have for you today requires just a little more work and a few more ingredients but it is packed with all the umami your tastebuds will desire. And it is wonderful to have on hand for recipes like this vegan cream of mushroom soup, vegan mushroom stew, and this vegan Irish whiskey sauce.
The recipe below is for a smaller quantity--it makes four cups--but you can definitely scale it up and make a larger quantity and refrigerate or freeze for later use. Just use the servings slider in the recipe card below (hold your cursor on the number of servings) to scale the recipe.
Why make a mushroom stock?
There are many mushroom haters out there, especially kids, but mushrooms have so much to offer nutritionally. They are also packed with umami--with dried mushrooms offering more umami than fresh. A mushroom stock can give any vegan recipe a huge flavor boost, and add that elusive "meatiness" to a recipe that will satisfy just about any eater's tastebuds, vegan or not.
Why you'll love this mushroom stock
- It's so easy to make. It takes just five minutes to throw into the pan the few ingredients you need for this mushroom broth.
- It's made with pantry ingredients. You need some dried mushrooms and a few dried herbs and spices for this stock, although if you want to make it with fresh ingredients you definitely can. I'll tell you how.
- It's quick. Stocks and broths can take anywhere between two to four hours before they reach their full taste potential. But this mushroom stock can be ready in about half an hour if you are rushed, or you can simmer it longer if you have more time on hand.
- It adds amazing flavor to most dishes. I love having a good vegetable stock on hand to add to curries, stews, soups and sauces, and this mushroom stock not only works as well as any vegetable stock would, it really ups the game by adding tons of umami to any dish. You don't have to add it to mushroom-based dishes--you can add it to nearly anything that calls for a vegetable stock.
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried mushrooms. I used shiitake but any type of mushrooms work for this, including porcini mushrooms, oyster mushrooms or a mix. Don't discard the mushrooms after making the stock. You can use them in recipes like the sauce recipe I'll share with you next.
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon allspice berries
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoon dried rosemary. Use 2 tablespoons if using fresh.
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Use 1 tablespoon if using fresh
- 2 teaspoon dried sage. Use 2 tablespoons if using fresh.
- 4 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt. A little bit of salt helps draw out flavors from the ingredients. It's better not to add too much salt to the broth so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe you use it for.
Optional add-ins:
- ½ red onion
- ½ carrot
- 2 tablespoons parsley. You can use just the stems which have lots of flavor.
- 1 stalk celery
- Two cloves garlic. Smash the garlic before adding to the pot.
- Most vegetable scraps and trimmings can be added to a stock, including the tough stems of veggies like asparagus and kale, cauliflower leaves and stems, parsley and cilantro stems, apple peels and any tough green leaves of leeks.
How to make the mushroom stock
- Place all the ingredients for the stock in a saucepan or saute pan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover the pan with a tight lid, lower heat to a simmer, and let the stock cook undisturbed for at least 30 minutes. You can even let it go longer if you have time, up to two hours. When the stock is ready you will see fine droplets of oil shimmering on the surface, indicating that the water has drawn out the natural, flavorful oils in the herbs and spices.
- Turn off the heat, strain with a fine mesh strainer, and use.
You absolutely can, although keep in mind that dried mushrooms have more concentrated umami. Use a cup of crimini or chopped portobello mushrooms instead of the dry mushrooms and follow the rest of the instructions.
The stock will keep in the fridge for up to four days.
For longer storage you can freeze the stock in an airtight container. Or pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Pop the cubes into your favorite recipes.
Recipes to make with mushroom stock
Easy Mushroom Stock
Equipment
- 1 stock pot (or saucepan with lid)
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried mushrooms (I used shiitake but any type of mushrooms work for this, including a mix. Don't discard the mushrooms after making the stock. You can use them in recipes)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon allspice berries
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary (use 2 tablespoons if using fresh rosemary)
- 2 teaspoons dried sage (use 2 tablespoons if using fresh sage)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (use 1 tablespoon if using fresh thyme)
- 4 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients for the stock in a saucepan or saute pan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover the pan with a tight lid, lower heat to a simmer, and let the stock cook undisturbed for at least 30 minutes. You can even let it go longer if you have time, up to two hours.
- Turn off the heat, strain and use.
Recipe notes
- This recipe makes about four cups. You can easily scale it up for more mushroom stock you can refrigerate or freeze for later. Just use the servings slider in the recipe card below (hold your cursor on the number of servings) to scale the recipe.
- You can throw in a few optional ingredients into the stock, including ½ red or yellow onion, ½ carrot, 2 tablespoons parsley, 1 stalk celery and/or two cloves garlic.
- You can make this recipe with fresh mushrooms instead of dry. Use a cup of crimini, shiitake or chopped portobello mushrooms instead of the dry mushrooms and follow the rest of the instructions.
- The stock will keep in the fridge for up to four days. For longer storage you can freeze the stock in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Or pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Pop into your favorite recipes.
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