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Instant Pot Vegetable Broth

Homemade Instant Pot Vegetable broth makes the perfect stand-in for store-bought broth! Once you try it out you may NEVER want to buy it again! It freezes great so you always have some on-hand to use to make soups, sauces, and other dishes. Even better you control the flavor and can easily adapt it to your needs. Requires less than 20 minutes hands on to make!

A jar of instant pot vegetable broth on the table with veggies around it and an instant pot in the background.

Why Homemade Veggie Broth Rocks!


  • ZERO WASTE! Making homemade vegetable broth is the perfect way to utilize veggies that are slightly old or less fresh and as well as to use leftover veggie scraps thus reducing waste.
  • YOU CONTROL THE INGREDIENTS. Make a broth that is 100% veggies, water, and seasonings! This means no preservatives or ingredients you can't pronounce. It also means you can season it the way you want it and even change it up for different uses.
  • BUDGET-FRIENDLY. Using scraps and fresh vegetables makes broth less expensive than buying it in the store. It freezes great so make a batch using leftovers and freeze it until you need it!

Ingredients

Here's a look at the simple ingredients you need to make homemade broth to use throughout soup season to make the best soups.

Ingredients to make vegetable broth in the pressure cooker on the table before cooking.
  • Oil: Use a neutral-flavored oil for sauteing the vegetables. I prefer to use coconut oil but you can also use olive oil, avocado oil, or another neutral vegetable oil.
  • Onion: Yellow or sweet onions are my favorite choice.
  • Broth Basics: Carrots and celery layer in versatile flavors with the carrots bringing some sweetness and the celery and celery leaves adding more depth of flavor.
  • Garlic: Use fresh garlic for the best flavor.
  • Nutritional yeast: This adds a savoriness similar to chicken as well gives the veggie stock a color similar to regular broth.
  • Seasonings: Bay leaf, fresh thyme, parsley, whole peppercorns, and kosher salt are added for an herbal and savory essence.

Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below

How to Make Vegetable Broth in the Instant Pot

Ingredients to saute in the instant pot.

Step 1: Add. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and nutritional yeast to the pot with some olive oil.

Veggies after sauteing in the instant pot.

Step 2: Saute. Cook until tender. This takes about 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally as it cooks.

Herbs and seasoning added to the veggies in the pressure cooker.

Step 3: Season. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley, thyme, and salt to the pot of vegetables.

Water added to the pot.

Step 4: Pressure cook. Add the cold water to the pot and stir. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.

Vegetables draining in a colander.

Step 5: Strain. Let the broth cool slightly and then strain the broth into a large bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to gently press the vegetables to release any excess liquid.

Vegetable broth in the instant pot after cooking with a ladle in it.

Step 6: Continue to cool a bit longer and then strain the broth again using a fine mesh strainer. Store or use in recipes.

If you love making Instant Pot recipes, you've got to try this Chicken Minestrone Soup next!

Handy Tip: Keep Scraps!

Keep a container or bag of scraps in your freezer. Add scraps to it over a few weeks or months to save them up to throw into your next pot of homemade broth. This may include vegetable trimmings, peels, slightly wilted veggies, or any parts or whole vegetables you don't use.

Alternate Cooking Methods

This easy vegetable broth recipe works great using the stove, slow cooker, and electric pressure cooker. Here's a look at some other ways to cook it.

  • Stove: This veggie broth works great on the stove. Grab a large soup or stock pot and saute everything as indicated in the recipe over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Add everything else to the pot, cover with a lid and cook on low for 60-90 minutes. You want the vegetables to be very soft.
  • Slow Cooker: Saute the vegetables on the stove and then load everything into the slow cooker. Cook for 4-5 hours on low heat until the vegetables are very tender.

For both alternate methods follow the instructions for straining and cooling the broth.

Dietary Modifications & Variations

  • Oil-Free. I like the flavor of sauteing the veggies in a bit of oil. I find it deepens and enhances their flavors a bit. If you want to make an oil-free version of this soup you can skip that step.
  • Vegetable Stock with More Intense Flavor. To make homemade stock, strain the vegetables and then cook the broth to reduce it by half for a broth with a stronger flavor.
  • Darker Broth: Add some soy sauce, coconut aminos, or tamari sauce to the finished stock to give it a darker color. This also adds some savory and salty flavors to the broth.
  • Roasted Vegetable Broth. Instead of sauteing you can roast the vegetables in the oven for a sweeter and deeper flavor. Toss the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic with the oil. Lay it out on a single layer on a baking tray and roast for 35-40 minutes or until carrots are tender and browned.
  • More Flavor: I love adding some miso or kombu to broth for an additional boost of savory flavors. Miso is best stirred into the broth after cooking while the kombu works well to cook with the vegetables.

Expert Tips

  • Store: Use souper cubes to freeze the broth and then transfer the frozen portions to an airtight container. This allows you to easily grab a cup or two at a time from the freezer as you need it. The soup keeps for up to three months in the freezer.
  • Using the Broth: You can use the broth as a replacement for store-bought broth in any recipe. It's great for homemade soups, pasta dishes, casseroles, cooking rice and much more.
  • Don't Use Spoiled Vegetables: While it's perfectly fine to use slightly old, wilted, or trimmings avoid using anything that's not suitable to eat. If you wouldn't eat it then don't use it.
  • Don't Cool the Stock with the Vegetables. Strain it from the vegetables once it's safe to handle and let it finish cooling separate from the veggies.

Recipe FAQs

Are there any vegetables you shouldn't use in broth?

Yes! You want to avoid vegetables that have a strong flavor. These include turnips, rutabagas, onion skins, and cruciferous vegetable such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower. Also beets and too many greens will affect the color of your broth so keep that in mind.

What vegetables work best to make broth?

Other than the basics -- onion, carrots, celery, and garlic -- you can also use chard stems and leaves, fresh mushrooms, potato peels, celery root skins, parsley root Jerusalem artichokes, and eggplant. If you are using potato and carrot peels or root vegetables make sure to scrub them very well. If you're looking to add a particular flavor to your broth you can also use asparagus ends, winter squash skins, fennel, corn cobs, and cilantro.

Can I use dried herbs and spices to make broth instead?

I don't recommend it. Fresh herbs are best. Powdered herbs and black pepper may become bitter when used in a broth. Some spices will work fine.

A jar of homemade vegetable broth on the table with a carrot and some garlic to the side.

Did you try this soup recipe? Please leave a 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating if you loved it and your comments below! For more recipes, you can follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!

A jar of instant pot vegetable broth in front of the pressure cooker and veggies around it.

Instant Pot Vegetable Broth

Homemade Instant Pot Vegetable broth makes the perfect stand-in for store-bought broth! It freezes great so you always have some on-hand to use to make soups, sauces, and other dishes. Requires less than 20 minutes of hands-on cooking time!
Print Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: instant pot vegetable broth
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Pressurizing and Releasing: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 46kcal
Author: Lyn Croyle

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1-2 tablespoons of neutral oil such as olive oil coconut oil (no flavor), or avocado oil.
  • 1 large onion cut into medium diced pieces
  • 2 carrots cut into thick slices
  • 2-3 stalks celery cut into thick slices and a handful of celery tops with leaves
  • 8 cloves garlic quartered or coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
  • 1 cup parsley coarsely chopped
  • 3-4 sprigs thyme
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 8 cups water

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil using the saute setting. When hot add onion, carrots, celery, garlic and nutritional yeast. Cook 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Add bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley, thyme, and salt. Add six cups of water. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
  • Let the broth cool slightly and then pour the broth through a strainer into a large bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to gently press the vegetables to release any excess liquid.
  • Continue to cool. Strain the broth again using a fine mesh strainer.

Recipe Tips

Check the post above for how to use vegetable scraps, other veggies to add and what to avoid! 
  • Store: Use souper cubes to store the broth in easy to grab portions in the freezer. This allows you to easily grab a cup or two at a time from the freezer as you need it. The soup keeps for up to three months in the freezer.
  • Using the Broth: You can use the broth as a replacement for store-bought broth in any recipe. It's great for soups, pasta dishes, casseroles, cooking rice and much more.
  • Don't Use Spoiled Vegetables: While it's perfectly fine to use slightly old, wilted, or trimmings avoid using anything that's not suitable to eat. If you wouldn't eat it then don't use it.
  • Don't Cool the Stock with the Vegetables. Strain it from the vegetables once it's safe to handle and let it finish cooling separate from the veggies.

Nutrition

Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 617mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3246IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg
A Pinterest graphic with images of vegetable broth and text on top.

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