Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
This easy low sodium vegetable broth is the perfect base for your soups, stews and curries. With just 5 minutes of prep time, you can make a big batch of broth that you can store for weeks, if not longer.
Just like my corn stock, this is one essential that is perfect to meal-prep on weekends.
Over the last few months, I have been trying out meal-prepping and making essentials from scratch. From homemade baked beans and fire roasted tomatoes to classic breadcrumbs and scratch-made coconut cream, I've tried it all.
This time, I had a lot of veggies left at hand, and I thought of using them up to make a nice broth to use for the upcoming soup season, and so I did.
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️Cook time: 45 minutes + 5 minutes cooling time.
- 👪 Servings: 2.
- 📋Main ingredients: Aromatics, vegetables, lemon, herbs and spices.
- ♨️Cooking method: Add ingredients to the pot 🡢 simmer for 45 minutes 🡢 cool and store for later.
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Whip up a comforting vegetarian soup with this broth as the base, and some homemade cheese tortellini added in!
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- It's incredibly easy to make. All you need do is spend about 5 minutes chopping and cook everything in a pot.
- You get to control the ingredients- no additives, no preservatives and no nonsense- just like my homemade vegetable bouillon cubes.
Recipe Ingredients
Aromatics: The flavor builders- I used fresh ginger, garlic, onion and green onions.
Vegetables: I used carrots and mushrooms here, but you can also use zucchini, parsnips, celery and tomatoes if you want to.
Lemon: Freshly squeezed, for that citrusy zing.
Herbs: Fresh thyme, parsley and cilantro. You can use other herbs or some mixed herb seasoning if you want to.
Spices: Whole black peppercorns and bay leaves.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- I chose to let the umami from the mushrooms shine and didn't add any salt here. If you want to, I would recommend adding just a bit of infused salt like celery salt, citrus salt or mixed herb salt to bring an extra layer of flavor to the broth.
- I used just a few veggies that I had at hand, but you can also add other veggies like fennel, pea pods, squash, beet, chard, lettuce and even potatoes.
How to Make Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a pot with water. Bring it up to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for 40 minutes.
Step 2: Take off heat and allow it to cool down completely. Strain to remove the solids.
Step 3: Taste and season lightly if needed. Use immediately or store for later.
💭Top Tip
To make things quicker, you can add everything to a pressure cooker and cook it too!
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- If you don't have fresh lemons at hand, a splash of vinegar can help add that bit of tanginess. I love using my hot pepper vinegar for an extra kick of heat.
- You can also make a non vegetarian version of this low sodium broth by adding chicken bones or feet, turkey bones, shrimp tails or even beef or lamb bones- if you have them at hand.
- MSG is a great flavor enhancer to add to the broth if you want to up the flavor without adding a lot of sodium. Tomato paste and fish sauce are two other good options to consider!
- Sometimes, when I'm making this broth to use for my Indian recipes, I add a pinch of homemade garam masala powder (allspice) too!
- Avoid adding veggies like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, artichokes and bitter greens, as they can turn the broth too bitter.
- You can also make a low sodium vegetable broth solely from veggie scraps. Simply transfer your scraps to a Ziploc bag and freeze. Then, when you have enough, add them to a pot and boil. This is an excellent no-waste hack to try.
How to Use Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
This low sodium vegetable broth is perfect for sipping on when you're craving a warm, comforting drink on a cold winter night.
I personally love using using it to loosen up my Tikka masala sauce and other gravy bases. In fact, I've also used it many times to make my doctored up baked beans. Another excellent idea is to use it instead of plain water while cooking rice.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
Store your leftover low sodium vegetable broth in glass jars with an airtight lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can. Simply transfer to freezer-safe airtight containers or bags, and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also use Souper cubes if you have them at hand.
More Essential Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this low sodium vegetable broth or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
Ingredients
- 3-4 garlic
- 1 ginger
- 1 carrot
- 1 green onion
- 1 onion
- 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 1 tablespoon cilantro
- ½ cup dehydrated mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a pot with water. Bring it up to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for 40 minutes.
- Take off heat and allow it to cool down completely. Strain to remove the solids.
- Taste and season lightly if needed. Use immediately or store for later.
Notes
- You can also make a non vegetarian version of this low sodium broth by adding chicken bones or feet, turkey bones, shrimp tails or even beef or lamb bones- if you have them at hand.
- MSG is a great flavor enhancer to add to the broth if you want to up the flavor without adding a lot of sodium. Tomato paste and fish sauce are two other good options to consider!
- Avoid adding veggies like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, artichokes and bitter greens, as they can turn the broth too bitter.
- You can also make a low sodium vegetable broth solely from veggie scraps. Simply transfer your scraps to a Ziploc bag and freeze. Then, when you have enough, add them to a pot and boil. This is an excellent no-waste hack to try.
