Jump straight to the Vegetable Stock Powder recipe
Have you ever wanted to make your own homemade vegetable stock, but couldn’t be bothered with the effort?
Then you’re going to love this instant homemade vegetable stock powder mix recipe.
It’s the perfect substitute for store-bought vegetable stock powders and liquids, and saves you hours of effort and wasted veggies.
Growing up, we always had a supply of stock cubes on hand for making vegetable broth at a moment’s notice, which was very convenient.
When I moved out of home and started cooking for myself, I graduated to using pre-packaged liquid stock from the supermarket, and although it was also convenient and tasted great, I wasn’t as impressed with the (often lengthy) list of ingredients.
I made a couple of attempts to make my own stock by boiling veggies, but as you might have already noticed, I’m just not that into fiddle (or planning ahead), and I also hated throwing away the “solids” afterwards.
So I decided to invent my own vegetable stock substitute that:
- Was super convenient to make, store and use
- Didn’t contain any fillers or preservatives
- Was concentrated, so I could add flavour to recipes without adding water
- Didn’t required heaps of time in the kitchen
- Didn’t involve throwing anything away
I looked at the basic ingredients that commercial and homemade vegetable stock recipes included, and found the equivalent ingredients in dried form.
And so my instant homemade vegetable stock powder mix was born.
And since I created this recipe, it’s become a staple in our house.
It’s the perfect way to add a hit of flavour to all kinds of recipes, including soups, stews and sauces.
I just make up a batch every so often, and leave it ready and waiting in my pantry for the next delectable dish we make.
I was really pleased recently to finish off my previous batch, so I could switch over to using pink Himalayan salt as the base, making it even more nutritious.
And my herb and spice collection has gradually migrated to organic in recent years, so this recipe just keeps getting better and better.
So if you’re looking for a convenient, homemade replacement for vegetable stock powder, this recipe’s definitely worth a try.
Vegetable Stock Powder recipe
Make sure to read the tips below the recipe to get the most out of this super tasty Vegetable Stock Powder recipe.
Instant Homemade Vegetable Stock Powder
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp salt (52g)
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp celery seeds
- 1 drop bay essential oil OR 1 bay leaf
Method
- Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Store in an air-tight jar in a cool place out of direct sunlight.
To Use
- Add 1/2 tsp homemade vegetable stock powder and 1/2 tsp braggs liquid aminos, tamari or soy sauce to 1 cup of water.
Preparation
- Before: -
- During: 5 mins
- After: -
- Need: Teaspoons, small bowl
Nutrition Information
To use
To turn this mix into liquid stock, simply combine:
- 1/2 tsp instant homemade vegetable stock powder
- 1/2 tsp tamari OR soy sauce OR braggs liquid aminos
- 1 cup water
and use as a replacement for 1 cup of regular vegetable stock liquid.
Tips
- You can use any salt you like for this recipe. I choose to use the best quality salt that I can get, which at the moment is pink Himalayan salt. But whatever salt you normally use in the kitchen will work just as well.
- Pink Himalayan crystal salt contains lots of trace minerals that are good for you, and apparently it tastes better too. So if you have the option, see if you can get your hands on some of this stuff.
- Most of the dried herbs and spices should be available wherever you normally buy your herbs and spices. Sometimes I’ve had trouble getting my hands on celery seed, but it adds a key flavour to the mix, so it’s definitely worth tracking down.
- I use bay essential oil in my homemade vegetable stock powder because I like the convenience, and it’s such a tiny amount. But if you’re not comfortable ingesting essential oils, you can use a dried bay leaf instead, buried in the mix, or ground up and added to it. If you use a whole leaf, you will need to let the mix sit for at least a week or two for the flavour of the bay leaf to infuse through the stock powder.
- Make sure you shake your stock powder jar around now and then to distribute the ingredients and flavours evenly, especially the bay.
- If you want to make your liquid stock soy-free, you can substitute the tamari with any savoury/umami ingredient, such as:
- rice miso
- mushroom soak water or dried mushroom powder
- sundried tomato soak water or sundried tomato paste
- olive brine
- balsamic vinegar with added salt
- kombu (a type of seaweed)
- marmite, vegemite or an equivalent concentrated yeast extract or vegetable extract
- If you do substitute the tamari for one of the above ingredients, just make sure to adjust the water to suit when you’re making it into liquid veggie broth. You’ll also need to play with the amounts of stock mix and umami to get the flavour balance right.
- You don’t need to make this into liquid stock to use it. We often add some straight into soups, stews and sauces to give them a flavour boost without adding additional water.
- This recipe is fully vegan, but given that I don’t dry my own herbs or prepare my own spices, I can’t say how raw it is. If you’d prefer to dry fresh vegetables and create a raw and vegan homemade vegetable stock powder instead, I’ve included some links below to some great recipes for doing exactly that.
Inspiration
This recipe was born out of a desire to have a convenient, additive-free, concentrated vegetable stock powder.
I looked at the standard recipes for making your own homemade stock, and they tended to include ingredients like:
- carrots
- onions
- celery
as the foundation of the broth.
They also included various herbs and spices, including:
- garlic
- thyme
- parsley
- bay
So I basically found dry equivalents for all of these elements and combined them in roughly similar proportions and then tweaked the recipe until the flavour seemed right.
The only thing I couldn’t find was dried carrot powder, and although I’ve attempted to dehydrate and grind carrots for the purpose, I just can’t be bothered with the fuss, so I just left them out.
I created this recipe over 10 years ago and it’s worked so well that I haven’t changed it in all that time.
We always have some on the shelf, and it’s made our lives so much easier and so much tastier!
Resources
If you’re looking for ways to add “umami” or savoury elements to your homemade vegetable broth, here’s a great list of options (not all of them are vegan):
If you want to make your own homemade vegetable broth by boiling up vegetables, here’s a great resource for getting you started:
If you want to dry your own fresh ingredients and make a raw, vegan homemade vegetable stock powder, here’s a couple of great recipes to get you started:
- Vegetable Stock Powder – Raw @ Recipe Community
- Homemade veggie stock powder {raw & vegan} @ Tales of a Kitchen
And have a delicious day :)
43 comments
Aarohi
I have found this years later and thought I’d say…I’ve found carrot powder here
https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/carrot-powder.html
Nikki - Eating Vibrantly
Awesome, thanks for sharing!
Suzy
I needed some vegetable powder for another recipe tonight and was pleased to come across this! I reduced the salt by 1/2, but what I used it in (a panko crumb “breading” mix) was still salty. I’m going to try making another batch salt-free. Has anyone tried it? I just don’t like the taste of salt in general.
Nikki - Eating Vibrantly
Hi Suzy,
Thanks for trying this recipe out. You’re right that it is very salty, to suit the taste buds of people used to a high-salt diet.
These days it’s too salty for my taste buds as well, and I prefer to used a salt-free blend of vegetable powders with mushroom powder for umami.
I’d love to hear how your ongoing experiments work out.
Michelle
Hello! I’m very interested in trying this recipe with the addition of using a mushroom powder blend. I have some umami powder and I wanted to know how much you would recommend putting into the mix? Thanks in advance! :)
Nikki Stokes, Eating Vibrantly
Hi Michelle,
I would say that around 1 to 2 teaspoons would be a good amount in this recipe, but you’d need to test it out and see how much you like.
Rosalie
Hi Nikki,
Thank you, this is just what I have been looking for. I love discovering home-made alternatives with natural ingredients and I am also not a “fiddler” and don’t like wasting veggies in a boiled stock. I haven’t been able to find celery seed, and will try Tammy’s great suggestiion of dried celery leaves.
I am going to experiment with adding some carrot flavour, by finely grating a little carrot and bringing it to boil with the cup of water, cooling, then adding the 1/2 tspn of powder etc.
Nikki Stokes
Hi Rosalie,
I’m glad you liked the simplicity of my recipe – it really does make things so much easier.
And I like your idea of using boiled carrot water to add extra flavour. Enjoy!
Betsy
I get notified of comments on this thread, so I got a notification and looking back through the comments, I was reminded that it was a year ago I found this recipe and made it for the first time. I’m still using it–I keep a batch of the dried ingredients in a jar on hand all the time. It’s still the only vegetable stock I use.
Nikki
Hi Betsy,
I love that my recipe has become a staple in your kitchen, and I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know.
Have an awesome day!
Ian Barrett
Hi Nikki
Very useful but alsp very salty (52g salt plus soy sauce, which usually pretty salty – don’t know about Braggs as we don’t have that in England) means those of us who are on glow or no salt diets couldn’t eat this. I’m going to try eliminating the salty stuff and adding tomato powder. Might also use basil and/or oregano instead of your choice as these are nice flavours. If it works I’ll let you know.
Ian
Nikki
Hi Ian,
Yes, given that salt is the base of this mix, then it’s most definitely not low-salt.
As for Braggs, it’s just a non-fermented gluten-free soy sauce, so any soy sauce substitute would work fine, and they’re also usually quite salty.
If you’re on a low salt diet, then a mix of dried, powdered vegetables would probably be a better choice to add a savoury flavour and depth to your recipes.
But if you don’t have any issues with salt, then this is a fast and easy substitute for homemade stock or packaged liquid stock.
It sounds like you’re looking for a very different recipe from this one, and if you come up with something completely different that works for you then I’d love it if you shared it with us.
Have an awesome day!
Rich
This recipe is a godsend. I live in a place where instant veggie broth isn’t even a thing on people’s radars and the ingredients listed here are just so easy to get a hold of.
Definitely will be trying this soon!
Nikki
Hi Rich,
Thanks. It certainly is an easy way to create homemade stock, isn’t it?
I love it and I’m sure you will too.
Laura
Greetings Nikki!
I am new to yr site and I love what I see. I appreciate all of yr hard work. I just want you to know that 1/4 tsp Fenugreek (an Indian spice) can be used in place of the bay leaf. Most recipes call for 1/4 tsp and if you search for a substitute for Fenugreek, is will say bay leaf. Also, have you ever tried Herbs de Province? Whole Foods sells it in a little plastic for a reasonable price.
Thank you, take care…
Nikki
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the tips! I’ve never come across the similarity of bay leaf and fenugreek. I’ll definitely keep that one in mind.
And I’ll take a look at Herbs de Provence the next time I’m at my local health food store. I use something available locally called “Italian Herb Mix” or “Mixed Herbs” that seems fairly similar.
Betsy
I love this recipe! This is all I use now for vegetable stock.
Nikki
Hi Betsy,
I’m so glad it’s become one of your kitchen staples. It’s super convenient and delicious, isn’t it?
Betsy
It’s both! I sometimes wasted broth when I opened a box or can because I only needed a cup or so, and the rest would sit in the fridge. With the powder, I can make just the amount I need and there’s no waste. ??
Nikki
That’s so awesome to hear! It’s definitely so much better not to be throwing food away.
I really love hearing how my recipes are helping you. Thank you for sharing ♥
Becky
I’m so glad I found this recipe. I’ve been looking for one without nutritional yeast. When you google vegan vegetable broth mix, that’s the only kind I found so this time I left out vegan and wha la…I found your recipe! Thank you!!!
Nikki
Hi Becky,
I’m so glad this recipe is just what you need. Enjoy!
MeganTX
This is a great recipe! I have thought about this before, but wasn’t sure how to determine the amounts. I found out recently that I have some food allergies, tomatoes, oregano, bay leaf, safflower and a few others that make it hard to use any pre-made spices. One thing I’m going to try with this recipe is that I found a freeze-dried vegetable mix that I can use and if I grind the vegetable bits small enough, they MAY add to the flavor like the powdered carrot would. Also, as another alternative to the soy sauce, I use coconut aminos from Braggs. It makes up for the Worcester sauce I used to use.
Nikki
Hi Megan,
I love the idea of the powdered veggies and coconut aminos. It’s certainly a flexible enough recipe to accommodate these kinds of changes.
Have fun with it!
Kathy
I am very excited to find this recipe. One question please. Is Braggs the apple cider vinegar or liquid aminos. Thanks for your response
Nikki
Hi Kathy,
I was referring to Braggs liquid aminos, as an alternative to tamari or soy sauce. I’ve updated the recipe to make it clearer.
Enjoy!
Nikki Nelson
Thank you so much for this!!!! We used to love the liptons onion soup but it has dye and we had to stop using it. My son is severely allergic. We absolutely love this!!!
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
So glad you found this alternative. I’m thrilled to have been able to help you out!
Shawn
is the powder the stock or is it the whole thing with the brags and soy sauce?
the recipe I’m making calls for (Vegtable bouillon powder)
Nikki
Hi Shawn,
The final “stock” is the powder + water + soy sauce/tamari blend.
If your recipe calls for bouillon powder, then just use the stock powder on its own, or sneak in some soy sauce as well if you can for that extra savoury taste.
Tammy G
I used chives instead of onion and crushed dried celery leaves instead of seeds and still it tastes wonderful!
Nikki
Hi Tammy,
That sounds perfect. I’ve been experimenting recently with drying my own onions and spring onions and grinding them into powders.
I’m sure any member of the onion family would do the trick nicely!
Francesca
This is wonderful, such a smart idea, thank you! I just need to go get celery seeds and I’m good to go :-)
Stu
Wow, what a star you are! This is life-changing as I’m such a vegan-cook-geek. Just moved to West China and can’t find cubes, though come to to think of it I haven’t seen parsley in 3 months either… Still, you’ve inspired me.
Nikki
Hi Stu,
Thank you. Hopefully you’ll be able to find all the dried ingredients you need somewhere.
Although I’ve recently discovered that parsley is quite easy to grow (where I am anyway), so maybe you could grow and dry some for yourself.
So glad you’re feeling the inspiration :D
Anna
I do not eat onion, garlic and salt. Do you have a suggestion for how to make a dry stock powder without these ingredients AND have it still be tasty? Thank you.
Tammy G
Chives?
Kristine
I am looking for an alternative to the store bought veg broth cubes coz I don’t eat onion and garlic neither. I think your recipe for this is perfect with easy ingredients but only thing is I don’t see any celery seeds in the supermarket. Is there any other substitute for that? Thanks!!!
Nikki
Hi Anna,
To be honest, you’ve got me stumped. Your best bet might be to find dried versions of the ingredients you are willing to use, and mix those together, which is all I really did. But I really can’t say if it will also be tasty.
If you give it a go, I’d love to know how it turns out.
Anna
Thanks. I use asafoetida (hing) in place of onion/garlic so will try adding that. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Nikki
That’s a great idea. Hope it tastes delicious!
Guy
This recipe looks great! In your recipe, you listed adding “1 bay leaf”, but there isn’t any mention if this gets put thru a blender and pulverized. I’m guessing it does, but could you clarify?
Thanks,
Guy
Nikki
Hi Guy,
Actually, if I use a bay leaf, I just leave it buried in the mix so the flavour can be absorbed by the salt and other herbs, but I don’t actually include it in other recipes when I use the mix.
You can pull the leaf out when you think enough of the scent has been absorbed, or just leave it there as you use the mix and work around it. Just make sure to shake it up now and then to distribute the flavours throughout.
That said, there’s no reason you couldn’t powder the leaf in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle if you wanted to. I’ve just never tried that method.