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A good, homemade vegetable stock is the start of so many great recipes.

Few things beat a good, homemade broth or stock. Store-bought just cannot compare. But there are things you need to know about making vegetable stock at home. So today, I’m going to go over that information and then give you a recipe you can follow if you so choose.

A single jar of this Clean Eating Vegetable Stock sits on a table with it's lid off. You can see into the jar. The broth is a dark, golden brown color.

Vegetable stock has always been a little ambiguous to me because there are just so many ways to make a good broth. You can follow a recipe or just toss in the veggies you have on hand (for the most part). I think that’s why I waited so long to try it myself.

But now that I’ve had to make stock for culinary school, I can’t believe I ever bought the stuff. There is just so much more flavor in the homemade variety. And when you start with a good stock, anything you make with it is going to taste pretty darn amazing. This recipe is very close to the recipe I used for school but with a couple of tweaks for flavoring the way I like it.

Showing this Clean Eating Vegetable Stock after it's just been made. The veggies and stock are still in the pot and ladle rests in the pot filled with golden-brown vegetable stock.

Vegetable Stock Basics

Hardy veggies are always going to be your main ingredients. Think carrots, onions, and celery.
You can use anything on hand to help flavor your broth.
You want to add a small amount of salt during cooking. Don’t wait until the end because the salt helps bring out the flavors.
As you cook, store up things like carrot tops, celery ends, and extra onions in the freezer to use for stock when you’re ready.
The best stocks are not made from scraps alone. Make sure you’re adding in some of the whole vegetables, too.

Mise en place for this Clean Eating Vegetable Stock Recipe shows all the individual ingredients that go into the stock pot.

Vegetable Stock Falvorings

Garlic cloves (you don’t even have to chop them! Just crush them with the side of your chef’s knife and toss them in!)
Peppercorns
Bay leaves
Sun-dried tomatoes (these add the most wonderful flavor!)
Fresh herbs like parsley. Choose your herbs based on what you will use the broth for.

A beautiful mixture of vegetables sit in a pot, ready to go on the stove to make this Clean Eating Vegetable Stock.

More Healthy Stock Recipes

Homemade Vegetable Stock Recipe Card

Homemade Vegetable Stock

Anything you use stock or broth for is made better with a homemade stock.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Base Recipes, Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 1 40

Servings: batch

Ingredients

4 cups chopped celery
4 cups chopped red onion
4 cups chopped carrots
8 medium garlic cloves
½ cup sun dried tomatoes (dry packed, not oil packed)
3 medium bay leaves
2 tsp. pepper corns
1 cup chopped, fresh parsley
½ tsp. salt (good quality)
16 cups water

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a strong simmer and cook for 1½ hours.
Allow to cool.
Strain the broth into food-safe storage containers and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data is not available for this recipe. Data will depend heavily on how far your liquid cooks down during simmering.