Vegetable stock recipe: How to make vegetable stock from scraps

Your partner has just whipped up a delicious vegetable gratin. You’re looking at the mountain of colourful vegetable scraps scattered over the chopping board, across the floor, in (but mostly around!) the bin. It’s the thought – and delicious dinner – that counts. What if those scraps didn’t have to go to waste? Follow our vegetable stock recipe made from scraps to give those veggie peels a new life! Reduce waste while cooking hearty, flavoursome meals for your loved ones! That’s more love and care, less waste.  

Why you should make a vegetable stock from scraps

There are many benefits to cooking vegetable stock from scraps. After all, a stock or vegetable broth made from scraps is a great way to cook more with less and treat your loved ones to a delicious and healthy warm meal, made completely from scratch! So, why should you make a vegetable scraps stock? 

• Reduce food waste. All your scraps would have ended up in a bin otherwise! Show care to the planet by collecting your vegetable scraps, and reusing them in a broth instead.  
• Save money on your groceries. Preparing a meal with vegetable scraps means less food items to buy during your grocery shopping trip! You’ll be able to cook several meals using the same vegetables, which means you waste less in the kitchen, spend less at the shops, all the while creating more tasty meals. A win in every way! 
• Make healthy meals. Vegetable broths have numerous nutritional and health benefits. They are said to have antioxidant properties,¹ they’re a source of fibre, and contain vitamins A and C,² which are all good for your body! 
• Suitable for vegetarians. It can sometimes be difficult to find recipes that are adapted to vegetarians. That’s not an issue with a homemade vegetable stock from scraps! Treat your loved ones to a nice meal, no matter their dietary requirements. 
• Quick and easy. No need to be a professional cook to make a vegetable scraps stock. All you need is your scraps, water, and 30 minutes! 
• It’s yummy - as simple as that! A vegetable stock from scraps is the perfect recipe that you and your loved ones are guaranteed to enjoy to add flavour to your meals. Children, adults, and elderly, this vegetable stock recipe is for everyone! 

Making a delicious meal and leaving a great big trail of destruction in your wake. They just seem to go hand-in-hand, especially when you let the little ones help out (but those floury little handprints all over the kitchen are just adorable!) That’s just fine: making mess is fun. And now, with these tips, it can be tasty, too! 

Making vegetable stock from scraps: which scraps to use 

Now that you’re convinced and determined to make a vegetable scraps stock, you probably want to know how to make vegetable stock from scraps. The first thing you need to ask yourself is, which scraps to use. There are several options depending on your preferences, but here is a list of our favourite scraps to use in a vegetable scraps stock: 

• Vegetable peels and skins. Onion, garlic, carrot and potato skins and peels have a lot of flavours, and are perfect for a vegetable broth! 
• Roots. Don’t throw away your veggie roots! Instead, add them to your vegetable scraps stock. 
• Stems. Add some herb stems for some extra flavour. 
• Corn cobs. Corn leftovers and cobs will add a light, sweet taste to your vegetable broth that you’re sure to enjoy! 
• Vegetable ends. Every part of your vegetables can be tasty, even the ends! So don’t be afraid to throw them in your stock or even a vegetable broth made from scraps, too. 

Once you’ve collected the vegetable scraps you want, wash them, and put them in the fridge to keep them fresh, ready to be reused when you get around to cooking your vegetable broth from scraps. For the vegetable scraps that you don’t want, you can always put them in the compost! 

Bit of a newbie to the world of composting? No worries! Just read our composting explainer and you’ll be chomping at the bit to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in. Oh, and did you know that Plenty Original, Flexisheets, and Max kitchen roll sheets are now certified compostable?* They’re great in the house and now they’re great for the plants, too!

Vegetable stock recipe from scraps

Now that you’ve gathered your favourite vegetable scraps from the furthest corners of the kitchen (why do they end up everywhere?) it’s time to start making your stock from vegetable scraps. Follow our vegetable stock recipe! 

Takes about 30 minutes 

What you’ll need for this vegetable stock recipe from scraps: 

• Vegetable scraps 
• Boiling water 
• Salt, pepper, and any other seasoning 

Here’s the quick step-by-step recipe to make vegetable stock from scraps: 

1. Unwrap the vegetable scraps you’ve got stored in your fridge. 
2. Put them in a pot filled with tap water. 
3. Place the pot containing the vegetable scraps and the water on a stove, over high heat.  
4. Bring the water to boil. 
5. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes.  
6. Add salt and pepper, and any extra seasoning that takes your fancy. 
7. Turn off the heat and let the pot cool before straining the stock into a container. 
8. You can store the stock in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days or you can freeze it for later and use when needed.

Bon appétit! You now know the benefits of making vegetable stock from scraps, and how to make it at home. It’s time to gather that multi-coloured mound of soon-to-be delicious veggie scraps, roll up your sleeves, and turn what was once decorating every kitchen countertop (and floor, and cabinet...) into something rich, delicious and hearty for your friends and family. They’ll love it, knowing that you’ve prepared it with love and care, all the while reducing food waste! Check out our article for more ideas on how to reduce food and kitchen waste. 

Sources:

¹ Juana Fernández-López, Carmen Botella-Martínez, Casilda Navarro-Rodríguez de Vera, María Estrella Sayas-Barberá, Manuel Viuda-Martos, Elena Sánchez-Zapata, José Angel Pérez-Álvarez, Vegetable Soups and Creams: Raw Materials, Processing, Health Benefits, and Innovation Trends

² Sánchez-Moreno C, Cano MP, de Ancos B, Plaza L, Olmedilla B, Granado F, Martín A. Consumption of high-pressurized vegetable soup increases plasma vitamin C and decreases oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers in healthy humans, J Nutr. 2004 Nov;134(11):3021-5

*Plenty kitchen towels are certified as home and industrially compostable according to NF T 50-800 and EN14995.  

**Length of roll when compared to Plenty Original. 

***Winner General Household Category (Survey of 8,000 people in UK & ROI).