Learn how to make vegetable bouillon that you add to a mug of hot water for an instant soup or your soup pot if you want to skip having to chop up your onions, carrots, and celery.
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Table of Contents
- Stop Buying Vegetable Bouillon Cubes
- Ingredients
- How to Make Vegetable Bouillon
- How to Use Vegetable Bouillon
- How to Store
- Recipe Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- More Kitchen Pioneer Videos
- How to Make Homemade Vegetable Bouillon Recipe
- Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Stop Buying Vegetable Bouillon Cubes
I stopped buying vegetable bouillon cubes years ago and decided just to start making my own. This recipe isn’t exactly for a cube. It’s actually a paste, but it works the same way as the cubes.
If you want to extend the life of your vegetable bouillon you can easily dehydrate vegetable bouillon to make it into a powder.
Looking for more easy homemade ways to flavor foods? Try your hand at dehydrating mirepoix and making chicken bouillon powder. If you prefer, broth you will love this chicken bone broth that’s perfect to use as the base for all your favorite soups and stews.
Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with measurements below.
To make homemade vegetable bouillon you will need:
- Leek: This vegetable is part of the onion family but has a much more mellow flavor. We will be using only the white part.
- Veggies: Carrots and celery are common vegetables used to flavor soups, stews, and sauces so they’re perfect for vegetable bouillon.
- Parsley: Use fresh parsley for the best flavor.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Drying the tomatoes intensifies their flavor making their impact more suitable for vegetable bouillon than regular tomatoes.
- Salt: I am using fine ground sea salt.
How to Make Vegetable Bouillon
All it takes are a few easy steps to make the best vegetable bouillon for your kitchen.
Step 1– Add all the vegetables to a food processor and process for approximately a minute. Stop halfway through the processing and scrape down the sides. Continue processing until the vegetables are finely ground.
Step 2 – Add the salt to the food processor and process for another minute. Stop to scrape down the sides halfway through the processing. The final product should resemble wet sand.
Step 3 – Transfer a portion of the mixture to a small jar to keep in the refrigerator and freeze the rest.
Step 4 – Use it with hot water to make a vegetable broth or as a base for a pot of soup or rice.
How to Use Vegetable Bouillon
In most cases, you will want to add a half to full teaspoon of the vegetable bouillon per one cup of water. Here are some ways to use it:
- Add a teaspoon of homemade bouillon paste to a mug of hot water for an instant soup or add it to your soup pot if you want to skip having to chop up your onions, carrots, and celery.
- The vegetable bouillon paste is quite versatile and can add a little punch of flavor to almost anything. Try adding a bit when you’re making spaghetti sauce or sautéing a chicken breast.
- Add vegetable bouillon to the cooking water for your rice and other grains for a punch of flavor.
- Use it in place of store-bought vegetable bouillon cubes in just about any recipe.
How to Store
This recipe makes about three cups of bouillon. I suggest keeping a small jar of it in the fridge and storing the remaining in the freezer in individual portions.
When you need more, simply remove the desired amount from the freezer and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator for at least overnight.
Recipe Tips
- Take the time to scrape down the sides to make sure all your vegetables are chopped into small pieces.
- Your finished vegetable bouillon paste should be the texture of wet sand.
- Use it to add flavor to all kinds of dishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
The main reason it’s better is that you get to control what goes into it. Many store-bought bouillon cubes contain hydrogenated oils and other preservatives. This homemade vegetable bouillon only contains vegetables and some salt.
Yes, you can add other vegetables such as fennel, parsnips, mushrooms, and zucchini, as well as other veggies. I would recommend avoiding cruciferous veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage which can impart a strong sulfur odor.
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How to Make Homemade Vegetable Bouillon
Ingredients
- 1 Leek, sliced white part only
- 3 Carrots, sliced
- 3 stalks Celery, sliced
- 1 bunch Parsley, chopped
- 1 cup Sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 cups Fine ground sea salt
Instructions
- Add all the vegetables to a food processor and process for approximately 1 minute, scraping down the sides halfway through the processing. The vegetables should be finely ground.
- Add the salt to the food processor along with the chopped vegetables and process for approximately 1 minute, scraping down the sides halfway through the processing.
- The final product should resemble wet sand.
- Decant approximately 1 cup into a small jar to keep in the refrigerator.
- Store the remaining 2 cups in the freezer. Transfer to the refrigerator when needed.
- To use, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of bouillon mixture to 8 ounces of hot water to make a vegetable broth.
Video
Notes
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Favorite Bouillon Supplies
- Duralex Stackable Clear Prep Bowls, 3.5-Inch
- Duralex Stackable Clear Prep Bowls, 4.75-Inch
- KitchenAid 14-Cup Food Processor
- Duralex Lys Stackable Clear Prep Bowls, 6.75-Inch
- Celtic Sea Salt Fine Ground, (One-16 Ounce Resealable Bag)
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Favorite Aprons
- Spice Grinder
- Countertop Burner (On my kitchen island in many recipe videos.)
- Handheld Vacuum Sealing System
- Vacuum Lids
- Whisk
- Silica Gel Packets (Helps keep moisture from building up in your mix)
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
- Fat Separator (Clever kitchen device to help you decant bone broth)
- Flour Sack Towels
- pH Strips (Helps you check on the acidity of your vinegar)
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Hi Mary,
I’m confused about the huge amount of salt in the bouillon. Is there a way around that?
Hi Chava,
Unfortunately, you need a lot of salt to make and preserve the bouillon. When you reuse it, you can use smaller portions in your liquid to help dilute the salt concentration, but that may also reduce the taste.
Thanks so much for your comment.
Love and God bless,
Mary