Homemade Vegetable Broth Herbs (Printable)
A fragrant, nutrient-rich vegetable base perfect for soups, risottos, or sipping hot.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
02 - 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
03 - 1 large onion, quartered
04 - 1 leek, cleaned and sliced
05 - 1 parsnip or turnip, roughly chopped
06 - 4 garlic cloves, smashed
07 - 1 small potato, peeled and diced
→ Herbs & Seasonings
08 - 1 small bunch fresh parsley
09 - 5 sprigs fresh thyme
10 - 2 bay leaves
11 - 1 small bunch fresh dill
12 - 10 whole black peppercorns
13 - 1 teaspoon sea salt
14 - 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
15 - 8 cups cold water
# How to Prepare:
01 - Wash all vegetables thoroughly. Chop carrots, celery, parsnip or turnip, and potato into rough chunks. Quarter the onion, slice the leek, and smash garlic cloves.
02 - In a large stockpot, combine the prepared vegetables, parsley, thyme, dill, peppercorns, coriander seeds, bay leaves, and salt.
03 - Pour 8 cups of cold water into the stockpot. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
04 - Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface occasionally.
05 - Remove the stockpot from the heat and allow the broth to cool slightly for easier handling.
06 - Pour the broth through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a large bowl or separate pot. Discard the vegetables and herbs.
07 - Taste the broth and adjust seasoning if necessary. Use immediately, cool completely and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It tastes like you've been cooking all day, but honest work is just an hour away.
- You control exactly what goes in, which means no mystery ingredients or sodium overload.
- One pot transforms humble scraps into liquid gold that makes everything taste better.
02 -
- Never let the broth boil hard—a rolling boil breaks vegetables into tiny pieces that cloud everything and make it taste bitter instead of clean.
- That moment when you first smell the broth deeply simmering is when you know it's working; if your kitchen doesn't smell incredible by minute 20, something's off and you can usually trace it back to starting with cold ingredients or using old herbs.
03 -
- Save your vegetable scraps throughout the week in a freezer bag—clean carrot peels, celery ends, onion layers, herb stems—and use them as your base; this turns kitchen waste into liquid gold.
- If your broth tastes flat after straining, don't panic—a small pinch of sea salt or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice right before serving lifts everything and makes it taste alive.