How to Make Vegetable Broth in the Instant Pot (From Scraps) 
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How to Make Vegetable Broth in the Instant Pot (from scraps!) – save your veggie scraps and make this delicious and healthy stock in the Instant Pot! Simple, budget friendly, and nutritious! Whole30, Paleo, and Keto friendly.
Original post 12/17, updated 01/22
Looking to minimize your food waste, save money, and add lots of important nutrients to your meals? Yes, please! Soups are my go-to in the winter months, so I always like to have plenty of stock on hand for making our favorite recipes but buying bulk quantities of quality stock can get pricey. Since I love to meal prep on Sunday for the week ahead and the process usually results in a giant pile of produce scraps – peels, ends, extra herbs, etc. that go in the garbage – I decided to save those scraps for making this delicious homemade veggie stock in the Instant Pot.
Talk about budget friendly and nutrient dense! The Instant Pot makes quick and simple work out of making your own homemade vegetable stock and you’ll save money by not having to purchase broth, while controlling the ingredients. This vegetarian version is especially economical, but if you’re looking for a flavorful and budget friendly chicken broth, check out my Instant Pot Chicken Stock using the same method!
How to Make Vegetable Stock in the Instant Pot from Scraps
To make this vegetable stock, start by keeping a large gallon size Ziploc bag handy for storing all of your veggie scraps. Throughout the week, fill it with any veggie scraps you have. Most of my scraps come from meal prep day as I’m usually prepping veggies for snacking and/or making various soups. When it’s full, follow the recipe to make the broth or pop it in the freezer to make later.
The only other added ingredients are salt and pepper, and minced garlic and turmeric powder for their flavor and anti-inflammatory powers. These additions can easily modified to your taste!
What Scraps are Good for Making Vegetable Stock?
My favorite combination of veggies includes carrot peels and ends, celery ends and leaves, potato peels, onion ends and peels, and leftover fresh parsley and cilantro, because those are the most frequently used vegetables in my kitchen. Every time is a little different and that’s okay! Hearty root vegetables are especially great – also try adding scraps from parsnips, squash, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower. The flavor always comes out amazing and makes the perfect stock for soup.
Recipes Using Instant Pot Vegetable Broth
The recipe yields about 8 cups of broth, which I like to use in some of my favorite soups below. If you love soup and make it on a regular basis, this is a huge money saver! Use it for vegetarian soups or substitute in recipes that call for chicken or beef broth if desired.
Can you Freeze Vegetable Broth?
Yes, absolutely! I often store the broth in mason jars in the fridge, but if I don’t plan to use it right away, I will freeze some or all of the broth. The broth is good for up to 6 months in the freezer.
To freeze, first let the broth cool and fill your desired storage containers. Try using these silicone Souper Cubes for freezing individual 1-2 cup portions. Or if you prefer to use large plastic freezer bags for storing, I recommend these handy tools for holding the bags in place while you fill them. Then lay the bags flat in the freezer until frozen.
Instant Pot Vegetable Broth
Ingredients
- 1 gallon size bag of veggie scraps
- 8-9 cups water
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, optional, adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place veggie scraps in Instant Pot. Add turmeric, garlic, salt and pepper, and water. Be sure you don't go beyond the max level of the pot.
- Press Manual button and set for 30 minutes. When cycle is complete, allow for slow natural release. Remove lid and strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Discard solids.
- Store in air tight containers in the refrigerator or freeze broth for later use.
Notes
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Vegetarian
Keto Friendly
Dairy Free
39 Comments on “How to Make Vegetable Broth in the Instant Pot (From Scraps)”
Omg! I can relate to your situation (of throwing the scraps away) so much!!!! Thank you for helping me!
I want broth for another recipe. I don’t have a stockpile of scraps. Surley I won’t need a gallon bag full of fresh veggies to make this broth. I am sure you made it at least once from fresh veggies. How much will I need? Please and thank you. B. Karr
Sure, just use what you have but only add enough water to cover the veggies and add seasonings as needed. Fresh herbs make a huge difference in flavor if you have them!
I have been doing this for ages. I save 6-8 bags of all my veggies scraps in the freezer then I let them defrost and use very little water a cup and do the veggies for a half hour in my instant pot, strain and freeze in quart jars in my freezer. I like my broth/veggie stock very dense. I can always add water and it takes up a lot less room in my freezer. They actually have to be done in two batches if I wait for 8 gallon bags. I usually use 5-6 bags and it is quicker to do. I just do the veggies no salt, pepper or any additives. That way I can use it for my soups , veggie chili. lentil loaf and everything. Very yumminairy.
Good to know!
Hello! I have bags of veggies in freezer and got happy when I saw your comment. So 6-8 gal bags veggies and 1 cup water is it? And for 1/2hr.
Excited to try this out. Thanks! Linda
I large bag of veggies and 8-9 cups of water!
Of course you can dilute it later. Why didn’t I think of this?!? Thanks for the idea! This will take up way less space this way! 😃
Hi Judy! Thanks for the tip, but when you use the minimum amount of water, do all the veggie still gets covered by water? If it’s a cup of water with a pot full of veggie scrap I feel as if the top portion of the veggie will not be covered by the liquid and I wonder if it will prevent it from releasing the flavor or nutrient. What’s your take on it?
I was running out of space in my freezer (very small at the bottom of my refrigerator) and found this recipe and decided to try today! I used a gallon freezer bag heaped with frozen veggie scraps, including plenty of kale, sweetpotatoes, etc., even half a lemon rind. I followed these directions and voila the broth tastes delicous. I am sipping it from a mug with an added 1/8 tsp of Himalayan salt and 1/8 tsp of ground turmeric stirred in. Will be trying this again and again. Better than storebought, for sure!
Very tasty , thank you!
I have been making vegetable broth from scraps for some time, but this was by far the best. I ended up with more broth because it didn’t boil off. It was so much faster! I added bits of tomato, a little piece of ginger and the top from a jalapeño pepper. The turmeric added great flavour.
Making my second batch in two weeks!! Ive added avocado peels and sweet potato peels to this batch♥️
What can I do if I don’t have all the scraps. I wash and do not peel mainly carrots any type of potato, used tea leaves and tomatoes.. For it’s extra fiber.I could add the whole vegetables but that could get costly.. I do have scraps from things like onions and herbs. Any suggestions would be helpful.
To get the most use from your scraps, if you make this broth without salt, throw the scraps in your compost pile instead of the trash when you’re done. You probably don’t want to add salt to your garden soil, though.
If I use this veg broth to make bone broth are the nutrients still available or would it totally kill all the nutrients. I have so many veg that my bones don’t fit well. I’d like to have good strong veg/bone broth and trying to figure out the best way to make it. Thanks!!!!
I don’t know if this will help, but today I’m doing the bone broth and veggie broth separately and then will combine them, before freezing. Bone broth/stock takes an hour and veggies only take 30 minutes. I’ve had broth come out
“sour” because I overcooked the veggies (when I included them with the bones. At least, I think that’s what happened.) So I’m trying it this way, using Nikki’s recipe for my veggie scraps.
Would cauliflower and or broccoli core/leaves be good for broth?
Yes! I often add them. If you don’t want a strong broccoli/cauli taste be sure to use a larger ratio of other veggies. 🙂
Will this veggie broth still be usuable with most soups as a base even though it’s flavored with turmeric??? Not sure if that only lends itself to certain flavor profiles. Please let me know. Thanks!
Sure! I use it all the time for soups but it’s really a personal preference. I don’t find the turmeric flavor to be too strong, but you could always leave it out!
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I too love the Instant Pot.
One addition, the anti-inflammatory benefits from turmeric come from curcumin which is activated by piperine – basically black pepper. So if the addition of turmeric is in the hopes of maximizing its benefits, some black pepper will need to be added 🙂
I used my steamer basket and this is delicious. I have no idea why I haven’t done this before. Thank you for sharing
Excellent way to cut down scraps!!! Love it!!!
Very convenient way to make the most of scraps. I hate throwing stuff away, and this broth is so hearty for soups. Love, love, love
Excellent idea!
I have always thought about doing this, just seemed complicated, but you made it seem so easy, I gave it a go, and loved the results. Nice to have.
I love broth, great instructions, easy to follow. Thank you.
Didn’t know I could do this in the instant pot!! What a nice idea! It is quickly becoming one of my most used appliances! I hadn’t considered vegetable scraps being very useful before, but since making this recipe, I am going to be a broth making machine! Love the use of turmeric powder as well, I would have no idea how to get this to be the right flavor and not too swampy tasting, but I have been delighted by the results of this recipe! Thank you very much Niki!!
-E.B.
Scrap tossing no more! Very yummy flavor
Nice little hack for repurposing ingredients! Makes me feel like a real chef.
I have done this by stove or slow-cooker for years. Love, love, love it in the IP! It is more flavorful and, honestly tastes “fresher”!
Don’t forget the stems of herbs, fennel fronds, green bean trimmings, tomato seeds; everything adds to the flavor!
Thanks for the tech update for this old cook!
Hey, Tina! Thank you so much for leaving a review. Those are great tips!
Making this vegetable broth in the Instant Pot turned out so much more flavorful than store bought broth! And it was so easy to make – definitely going to be making this instead of buying the store bought version from now on!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful tip! Can’t wait to give it a try and savor the goodness of homemade vegetable broth made with love and creativity.
Such a resourceful way to make vegetable broth, nothing goes to waste!
Thanks for the tips. I actually made two batches and they both came out great. Now I am all stocked up on stock for back-to-school cooking season.
Do you ever pressure can the veggie brothade in the instapot?
Sorry, I haven’t ventured into canning, although I would love to someday!