Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth or Bone Broth From Scraps
Rather than spend money on buying it in a can or a box (or using whole food ingredients that could be better used to feed your family), why not use scraps that would otherwise be destined for the compost heap to make your own Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth & Healing Bone Broth for FREE?? (Stove-Top, Instant Pot, & Slow Cooker Instructions)
Ingredients
- 1 gallon-sized bag Vegetable Scraps see notes below.
- Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Pork, Fish, or Lamb Bones, or Shellfish Shells optional, see notes below.
- Water enough to cover the scraps by 2 inches
- Optional Seasoning & Flavor Boosters see notes below
Instructions
How to Make Veggie or Bone Broth From Scraps (Stove-Top Instructions)
- Step 1: Collect Scraps. Use gallon-sized freezer bags to collect your scraps. I suggest having separate bags for different types of broth. Read the “Recipe Tips” section below for more on this. Once you have a full bag, rinse the veggies thoroughly, then dump the frozen scraps in the cooking vessel of your choice. Step 2: Roast Scraps & Deglaze (Optional). If you have the time, I recommend roasting your scraps (either on a parchment-lined sheet pan or in your Dutch oven or stock pot) to concentrate their flavors. Roast them in a 400F preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. Add about ½ cup of white wine to the pot to scrape up any browned bits.Step 3: Add Water. Cover the frozen or roasted scraps with 2-3 inches of water. This should be somewhere in the ballpark of a gallon. Step 4: Zhuzh it Up (Optional). Add a few flavor boosters like peppercorns, a bay leaf, and any herb scraps. Bring the pot to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the temperature to low.Step 5: Simmer the broth, uncovered, for a few hours (at least 3, up to 24) over low heat. Add more water to the pot as needed to keep the scraps covered. Pro Tip: If you’re going to bed while your broth is still simmering, cover the pot about 80% of the way with a lid, leaving a small gap for steam to evaporate.Step 6: Skim off any foam and fat. I tend to do this whenever I pass by the pot.Step 7: Strain the broth through a chinoise, fine mesh strainer, or a cheesecloth-lined colander to remove any solids. Step 8: Season to taste with kosher salt (optional).Step 9: Use or Store. Your meat or vegetable scrap broth is now ready to use!
How To Make Instant Pot Broth From Scraps
- Step 1: Collect Scraps. Use gallon-sized freezer bags to collect your scraps. Once you have a full bag, rinse the veggies thoroughly, and then...Step 2: Roast Scraps & Deglaze (Optional). If you have the time, I recommend roasting your scraps on a parchment-lined sheet pan to concentrate their flavors. Roast them in a 400F preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. Add the scraps to your Instant Pot, set it to Sauté over medium heat, and add about ½ cup of white wine to the pot. (You can also do this part in a Dutch oven or stock pan if you prefer — I try to keep my dishes to a minimum, so the sheet pan works best for me.)Step 3: Add Water. Cover the frozen or roasted scraps with 2-3 inches of water. This should be somewhere in the ballpark of a gallon. Make sure to not exceed the maximum fill line.Step 4: Zhuzh it Up (Optional). Add a few flavor boosters like peppercorns, a bay leaf, a parmesan rind, and any herb scraps. Secure the lid in place.Step 5: Cook the stock by setting it to Pressure Cook on High for 30 minutes.Step 6: Do a Natural Release for 30 minutes. If the pressure hasn’t dissipated after 30 minutes, you can hit the quick-release valve.Step 7: Skim & Strain the broth to remove excess fat and solids.Step 8: Season to taste with kosher salt (optional).Step 9: Use or Store. Your instant pot vegetable broth or bone broth is now ready to use!
How to Make Slow Cooker Broth From Scraps
- Step 1: Collect Scraps. Use gallon-sized freezer bags to collect your scraps. Once you have a full bag, rinse the veggies thoroughly, and then...Step 2: Roast Scraps & Deglaze (Optional). If you have the time, I recommend roasting your scraps on a parchment-lined sheet pan to concentrate their flavors. Roast them in a 400F preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. (You can also do this part in a Dutch oven or stock pan if you prefer. If you go this route, deglaze the pan with ½ cup of wine for added flavor!) Place the roasted scraps in the slow cooker.Step 3: Add Water. Cover the frozen or roasted scraps with 2-3 inches of water. This should be somewhere in the ballpark of a gallon. Make sure to not exceed the maximum fill line.Step 4: Zhuzh it Up (Optional). Add a few flavor boosters like peppercorns, a bay leaf, and any herb scraps. Place the lid on the crockpot insert.Step 5: Cook the stock for 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. Pro Tip: Leave the lid in place for the full cook time. Removing the lid from a slow cooker lets a bunch of heat out, which slows down the cooking process.Step 6: Skim & Strain the broth to remove excess fat and solids.Step 7: Season to taste with kosher salt (optional).Step 8: Use or Store. Your crock pot bone broth or vegetable broth is now ready to use!
Notes
Nutritional Facts based on vegetable scraps, water, herbs & spices. If you add meat/bones/cheese rinds, these facts will change.
Vegetable Scraps:
- Alliums like onion, garlic, scallion, leek, and shallot root ends and peels.
- Sweet aromatics like carrot, parsnip, and celery root ends, scraps, and peels.
- Mushroom stems.
- Corn cobs.
- Pea pods or green bean scraps.
- Fennel ends and greens.
- Tomato skin, tops, or seeds.
- Chile pepper and bell pepper stem ends and scraps.
- Chard stems.
- Lettuce scraps (e.g. romaine butts).
- Napa cabbage cores and root ends, but no other brassicas!
- Beet peels and roots.*
- Potato and sweet potato peels.*
- Winter squash peels.*
- Herb stems and scraps (e.g. parsley, thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, dill).
- Ginger or turmeric peels.
- Lemon or lime peels, or spent juiced lemons and limes.
- Leftover roasted or cooked veggies that are on their way out.
- Liquid from canned corn, canned tomatoes, or canned beans.*
- Leftover pasta cooking water.*
- Chicken bones, chicken feet, or rotisserie chicken carcasses.
- Turkey bones or carcasses.
- Beef bones, lamb bones, or pork/ham bones.
- Shrimp tails, fish parts (e.g. fish head, tail, or bones), shells from crabs, lobster, clams, or mussels.
- Cheese Rinds. I keep a separate bag of parmesan and other hard-aged cheese rinds (e.g. asiago, grana padano, pecorino) in the freezer, as they add salty, umami goodness to anything they touch. I like to use them to cook beans from dry, to add flavor to pasta sauces, to punch up my soups, or to add flavor to veggie broth. They don’t melt the same as cheese, so you can easily dispose of the rind when you’re done.
- Whole peppercorns & kosher salt for seasoning.
- MSG for a reduced-sodium option that also adds savory, umami depth.
- A bay leaf for complexity.
- White wine for acidity and depth.
- Vinegar (e.g. white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar) for brightness.
- Tomato paste for sweetness and vegan umami.
- Anchovy paste, fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce for a hit of salty umami.
- Brassicas - As much as I love cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, collards, and brussels sprouts, they tend to impart a bitter flavor to broth.
- Bitter Greens - While bitter chicories, broccoli rabe, and mustard greens are yummy to eat, they’ll add too much bitterness to the broth.
- Artichokes - Artichoke leaves are too bitter and should be avoided.
- Spoiled Veggies - While I use my scrap bag to help me salvage veggies that are on their way out, make sure you don’t add any that have spoiled or gone moldy.
- Garlic and onion skins add great flavor, but too many and they can make your stock bitter. Make sure to have a good amount of other veggies and/or allium flesh in there too.
- Red onion peels, beets, and rainbow chard stems will impart a strong color. Make sure to keep this in mind depending on what you’re planning on doing with the broth.
- Starchy items like potato skins, winter squash peels, bean broth, and pasta cooking water will make your broth a bit cloudy. I generally like the added body in most recipes, but keep this in mind if you want a clear appearance.
Nutrition
Calories: 0.01kcalCarbohydrates: 0.001g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!