SaurabhYou can use vegetable broth in a variety of recipes. You can make a delicious vegetable soup with it or add it to other types of dishes to give them flavor. But there might be times when you don’t have a stock of vegetable broth in your freezer or fridge and you can’t go to the store. There is no need to panic! You can still substitute this broth with other ingredients to add some delicious flavor to your food.
Vegetable broth is easily replaceable with any other types of broth, water or concentrates. We will discuss each one of these substitutes in this guide! It is important to know that you have options to cook a delicious dish even when you run out of veggie stock.
What to use Instead of Vegetable Broth
If you want to know what to replace your vegetable broth with, here are some very popular ideas!
1. Concentrated cubes
Concentrated cubes come in all types of flavors. You can find beef cubes, chicken, vegetables, or other types of flavored cubes. They are dehydrated concentrates of meat or veggies and one cube should be enough to flavor up to two liters of liquid.
You can find concentrates like that in a granular form too. However, make sure you read the ingredients and choose the concentrates with saving ingredients and no chemicals.
2. Chicken stock or beef stock
A common and very tasty substitute for the veggie stock is chicken or beef stock. You can prepare chicken or other meat broth at home or purchase it already made from your grocery store.
To make chicken broth at home, all you have to do is boil the chicken in water with the seasonings you want and save the broth. You can store the broth in the fridge if you are planning to use it in the next day or store it in the freezer if you want to have it for the long term.
If you have some veggies you want to value, feel free to add them to the mix as well. Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer for a minimum of one hour in order to get the taste you want.
3. Seasoning stock
You might be surprised to find out that you can create a great substitute for the vegetable stock by simply making a seasoning stock. To make this type of stock you will need dried parsley, onion, lemon pepper, and garlic powder.
You can add celery seeds as well if you have it handy and even dill, oregano, thyme, sage, or other seasonings according to your preference. Once your mix is ready, add water and bring it to a boil. You will obtain a delicious alternative to the vegetable broth!
Can you use water instead of vegetable broth?
If you can’t find any of the replacements in the list above, you can always try using plain water instead of vegetable broth. However, you will not obtain the same taste and the same flavor in your recipe.
If you have no other option but to use plain water instead of a specific broth, you can trick the final result by adding seasonings to your food.
Choose the seasonings that will work best with the rest of your ingredients and you will still end up with a delicious dish. You can add all kinds of herbs and of course the classic salt and pepper mix to enrich the taste of your food.
Water alone will also enhance the flavor of the rest of the ingredients you add to your recipe. It will not be a flavor that is as rich as the one you get from veggie stock but it will still have a good taste in the end.
The quality of the rest of your ingredients can also determine how tasty your food is so don’t underestimate their power just because you don’t have the right stock. Always go for ingredients that are as natural as possible or organic ones.
Can chicken broth be used instead of vegetable broth?
We did mention chicken and beef broth as successful replacements for vegetable stock. While this is a great alternative, you will have to consider certain aspects if you use chicken or beef broth in your recipe.
The first aspect you need to pay attention to is the taste. Your final dish will have a different taste if you use any broth with a meat flavor instead of a vegetable broth. Depending on the dish you are making this different taste can be a better or a worse one.
Some dishes will work great with chicken broth while others will work even better with beef broth. If your dish is a vegetarian or vegan dish, then using any type of broth with a meat flavor or even fish flavor would not be an option.
Another aspect is the preparation of this broth. If you want to make it in your house, you have to consider that is going to take you more time to boil the chicken or beef in order to obtain the stock you want. While veggie broth can be prepared in half of the time and with less trouble as we will see in the following recipe!
Storing any type of broth is a similar process. You will most likely add some salt to your broth which gives it conservative properties so it will last some days in the fridge. However, you should use it in a maximum of four days once you placed it in your fridge.
At the same time, if you want to freeze your stock, you will be able to use it for a longer time. Frozen stock can even stay good for several months in the freezer. This process stays the same for chicken stock, beef stock, and vegetable stock.
How to Make Vegetable Broth
Now that you are aware of the best substitutes for vegetable broth, let’s talk about how to make such a broth at home. You can always buy it already made from your local grocery store or supermarket but when it is so easy to prepare it yourself, it might not be worth it.
So, get your pot ready, and let’s get started with this easy to make recipe!
You will need veggies such as carrots, green veggies, and onion as well as garlic. However, the onion and garlic are optional as it depends on the taste you prefer to obtain at the end.
In terms of green veggies, you can go for anything from squash to celery or green pepper. You can use red pepper as well as other veggies of your choice such as potatoes or other veggies you prefer.
On top of your veggies, you will also need some seasonings. You can use the basic seasonings such as salt and pepper but you can also add herbs. Here you can get as creative as you want in order to come up with delicious veggie stock.
An optional ingredient that will add a particularly rich taste to your broth is tomato paste. You don’t need more than one tablespoon of it to make a difference and you will love the result. This could be your little secret!
Once you gathered all your ingredients it’s time to make the magic. Saute the veggies in a pan until they are soft and easy to penetrate with a fork.
Trying them with a fork is a great way to tell if your veggies are soft enough. After they are sauteed right, add water and the seasoning mix you have in order to enrich the flavor of your broth.
Allow your broth to simmer for up to one hour in order to get all the flavors to mix together. Tasting your broth will help you know if it needs more time to cook or maybe some more seasonings. So, you can adjust the intensity of the flavor as you go until you are satisfied with the result.
When your broth is cooled down, you can strain it into the jars or containers that you want to use to store it. This should give you the base you need to cook delicious dishes in the future without having to worry about the broth.
Conclusion
As you can see, making vegetable stock is not complicated at all and it doesn’t take many cooking skills either. Substituting it shouldn’t be any problem either as you have several options to go for if you run out of your veggie stock. If you make sure to have at least one substitute of veggie stock in your freezer you shouldn’t be caught off guard.
On the other hand, you can always make a veggie broth in no time so, there is no need to run out of it, to begin with.
Follow the recipe in this guide and you will be surprised by the results! Plus, your friends and family will always wonder how did you cook such delicious dishes in such a short period of time.
