As is true with most recipes, homemade stocks and broths generally taste better and fresher than the store-bought version. But even the simplest of vegetable stocks takes time to make, which often makes the store-bought version a more attractive option. But what if I told you that you could have all the flavor of homemade stock AND the convenience of a store-bought stock powder? You’d probably be pretty intrigued, right? (I certainly was!) 🙂
Today I’m going to share an easy method for making your own homemade vegetable stock powder. It’s incredibly simple to do, and the process only takes a couple of hours. And considering that we ended up with about 36 servings worth of stock powder, it is time well spent, in my opinion! And most importantly, the powder makes a delicious stock that tastes just how you want it to – homemade! Here’s how to make your own vegetable stock powder at home.
Homemade Vegetable Stock Powder
Adapted from As Easy As Apple Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 large carrot
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 medium onion
- 1 handful parsley, stems attached
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Salt
Directions:
Start by rinsing and drying all of your herbs and vegetables. Next, finely chop everything. You want the smallest possible pieces to make the drying process faster. (Using a food processor is the way to go!)
Put everything into a bowl and weigh it with a kitchen scale.
Calculate 20% of the weight of your veggies and herbs, and add that much salt by weight. For example, our veggies and herbs weighed 478 grams, so we added about 95 grams of salt. (If you want low-sodium stock, reduce the amount of salt to 10% of the weight.)
Add the herbs, vegetables, and salt to a large saute pan. Cook over low heat for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The vegetables will release a lot of water, so just keep cooking until there is no more moisture in the pan.
Then, spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with an oven mat or parchment paper. We used one of our new One Good Thing Oven/Grill mats and it worked perfectly for this!
Put it into your oven at the lowest possible heat (which for our oven it was 170).
Bake for 1-2 hours, until all the vegetables are dry, crispy, and brittle.
Let the mixture cool, then put it into your blender or food processor and blend into a fine powder. We used an inexpensive coffee grinder and it worked just fine!
Store your homemade vegetable stock powder for up to 3 months in an airtight glass jar. Store in a cool, dark place.
Using Your Homemade Vegetable Stock Powder
To use, simply stir 1 teaspoon of the powder into 4 cups of water (1 liter).
Use your vegetable stock in your favorite recipes. It makes a great replacement for water in soups, rice dishes, and anywhere else you want some extra flavor!
