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Flavorful Vegetable Stock Recipe (1 Hour)

5 from 21 reader reviews
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 2 LITRES
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 medium yellow onions, rough chop
  • 2 medium carrots, rough chop
  • 2 sticks celery, rough chop
  • 1 leek, cleaned and roughly chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 4-5 sprigs thyme
  • 4-5 sprigs parsley
  • 3-4 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 10 cups water
  • sea salt, to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Swirl it around.
  • Add the onions and sauté, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until you have deep brown edges, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the carrots and celery. Keep sautéing and stirring until the celery is bright green, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the chopped leeks and garlic and sauté until leeks are bright green, about another 3 minutes.
  • Add the thyme, parsley, bay leaves, and black peppercorns. Give it all a big stir.
  • Add a big splash of water and, using the back of your spoon, scrape up all the brown bits and caramelization on the bottom of the pot.
  • Add the remaining water and stir. Place the lid on top, slightly askew. Bring the vegetable stock to a boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes.
  • Strain the stock, discarding the solids. Season with salt at this point if you like. Pour the vegetable stock into jars and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Recipe Notes

  • If you're making something mushroom-y with your stock, 1-2 cups of mushroom stems is great in this stock. Add them with the leeks and garlic in step 4.
  • To store in the fridge: Once you've strained the finished stock, allow it to cool completely. Then you can transfer it to sealable jars and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
    To freeze, just remember to leave about an inch of space at the top of the jar/container before placing a lid on top and freezing. Liquid expands when frozen! Vegetable stock keeps in the freezer for up to 6 months.
How to make flavorful vegetable stock for soups, stews, risotto, and all kinds of other dishes! Having a delicious stock base makes all the difference in vegan cooking. Chopping the vegetables small and browning them in the pot boosts the flavor and allows for a shorter 30 minute simmer time.