Five Ideas for Making Your Own Specialty Vegetable Broths

As the weather cools off, the idea of sitting with a hot mug of something becomes more and more enticing. While tea or hot chocolate might be a go-to in this situation, a delicious cup of plant-based broth is a wonderful option, too.

Sipping broths can also be a great boost to our immune systems, and they can make otherwise humdrum dishes richer in flavor. Luckily, putting together a tasty, powerful broth is a relatively simple endeavor, one that is only mildly more difficult than boiling water.

Having a basic, flavorful broth will make those plant-based holiday meals even better. It’ll add depth to dishes like mashed potatoes, stuffing, and nut loaves. They’ll store well in the freezer, and making ice cubes with them makes adding a bit of broth an easy option any time you want.

1. Saving Your Scraps Vegetable Broth

One of the great things about cooking from scratch or with lots of fresh vegetables is that all those onion ends and broccoli stems can be compiled to make vegetable broth. All you need to do is save the veggie scraps together in a bag in the freezer until that bag is full. Then, toss them all in a pot together, add some spices and herbs, and boil it for an hour or so.

Having plenty of classic seasoning vegetables in this mix is a good idea (and usually not a problem). Onions, celery, and carrots are a great start. Save the paper bits when peeling garlic. Turmeric and pepper are ideal spices, and parsley, thyme, and bay leaf are great herbs to include.

2. Wild Mushroom Broth

For those who commonly enjoy mushrooms, wild or not, making a broth with the mushroom scraps is fantastic. Shiitake mushrooms are phenomenal for this because the stems are too tough to eat, but they are full of flavor. Medicinal wild mushrooms like turkey tail and reishi are also perfect for mushroom broths.

Otherwise, dirty bits of mushrooms can be rinsed clean and added to the broth as well. Including some spring onions or shallots will round out the flavor, or the mushrooms can be used to flavor that base saving your scraps vegetable broth.

3. Corn Broth

Corn broth is a fantastic way to extend that summertime favorite for gardeners: sweet corn. Sweet corn is a showstopper on the grill. In season, it is a favorite for the dinner table, either on the cob or off the cob. Savvy gardeners grow enough to freeze for later, and making corn broth is a marvelous way to use those de-kerneled cobs.

It’s as simple as putting the old corn cobs in a pot of water, adding a bit of salt and pepper, and boiling them for a while to infuse the water with sweet corn flavor. Some folks like to add garlic, onion, and bay leaf as well. This makes a delicious drink, or it can be perfect for adding to vegan corn chowder or in cornbread recipes.

4. Vegan “Bone” Broth, aka Umami Broth

Bone broth has become all the rage in many carnivorous diets, and there are all sorts of claims about the health benefits of drinking it. Well, vegan “bone” broth can be equally full of healthful attributes and full of umami characteristics that make it nearly addictive.

Starting with the base vegetable broth, the trick is to add in sources of umami. This includes ingredients like seaweed, shiitake, miso paste, ginger, and citrus peels. Soy, sesame oil, and chilis can add to the amazingness as well.

5. Onion & Herb Broth

While the cool weather is lovely for feeling cozy, it unfortunately also equates to a rise in colds and cases of flu. So, it’s important to be on it providing our body with all the preventive nutrients it might need. Onions are fantastic for cold prevention, and herbs are heaving with medicinal components.

Using a mix of onion family scraps—onions, garlic, leeks, chives, shallots—as the base, throw in helpful spices (turmeric, ginger, cayenne, and black pepper) as well as evergreen herbs like thyme, oregano, sage, and rosemary. Sip this like a cup of tea to ward off colds and wintertime illnesses. Add it to stuffing for extra tastiness.

Don’t Fear the Broth

Honestly, broth is extremely easy to make and just about as difficult to mess up. The biggest fear would be over-salting it. Start with about a teaspoon of salt per quart of broth and taste after that.

Related Content:

• Top 5 Cooking Techniques to Get the Most Nutrition Out of Your Veggies
• 10 Plant-Based Ramen Recipes to Keep You Cozy All Winter!
• How to Make a Delicious No-Bone Broth [Vegan]
• How to Make Oil-Free Vegan Vegetable Broth
• Mushroom Vegetable Broth [Vegan]

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