Vegetable Stock Recipe

5 from 10 votes

Every good cook needs a great stock. My vegetable stock is infused with layers of healthy flavor from herbs, veggies and spices, and can take a dish from ordinary to spectacular.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: How-to, Meal prep

Cuisine: Global

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: cups (approx)

Calories: 1kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Large stock pot

Ingredients

5 cups vegetable scraps (I used asparagus ends, apple peels, leek greens, mushroom stems, parsley stems and celery tops. See recipe notes for examples of veggies you can use.)
4 cloves garlic (peel and add whole, or leave the skins on and crush the garlic with the flat edge of the knife and then add to the stockpot.)
2 bay leaves
2-inch cinnamon stick
10 allspice berries (crushed slightly in a mortar and pestle or with a knife.)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns (crushed slightly in a mortar and pestle or with a knife.)
12 cups water (preferably filtered water)
2 sprigs rosemary (Other savory herbs are fine too, like thyme or sage. If using dried herbs, use a total of 2 teaspoons,)
½ teaspoon salt (optional, but helps bring out the flavors from the veggies.)

Instructions

Place all vegetables in stockpot. Add herbs, including garlic, bay leaves and rosemary, if using, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and all spice corns to the pot.
Add 12 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Turn heat to medium high and let the stock come to a boil. Then turn down the heat so the stock is at a simmer.
Cover and let the stock cook for an hour. Once it has cooled down, strain out the vegetables, herbs and spices. Press on the veggies to release as much of those flavorful juices as you can. Store in the fridge or freezer (see storage instructions in recipe notes).

Notes

How to store vegetable stock

Refrigerate: Refrigerate the vegetable stock once it has cooled to room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze: Freeze the vegetable stock in portion-sized, freezer-safe boxes or in ice cube trays. Once frozen, you can transfer the vegetable stock cubes to a freezer-safe bag. You can freeze the stock for up to three months.

Nutrition