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PlantPlate.com is here to provide the recipes, information, and practical advice needed to follow a healthy plant-based diet. Whether you're interested in improving your health, losing weight, or eating more sustainably, a whole foods plant-based diet may be the perfect solution for you.

My name's Emma, and I started PlantPlate in 2013 with the help of my husband Scott, a web developer and fellow plantivore. I’m a certified Plant-Based Nutritionist who loves to cook, and I've followed a plant-based diet for over a decade. Having lived in various locations throughout the world - sometimes on a shoestring budget, and often with irregular and demanding work schedules - I’ve had to constantly adapt my diet in order to make it work. It’s taught me a lot, and it’s motivated me to show others just how accessible and enjoyable this way of eating can be.

The recipes featured on PlantPlate are based on minimally processed plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. They're free from all animal products, processed oils and refined carbohydrates, and are made with simple and affordable ingredients. Our articles are aimed at providing you with plant-based know-how when it comes to shopping, cooking, nutrition and day-to-day living. We have answers to common questions and share practical knowledge that we have acquired through experience. Finally, the resources section contains links to books, DVDs, and video presentations from some of the world's leading experts on plant-based nutrition. It is our hope that these resources will help you to fully understand and evaluate the health benefits of this wonderful way of eating.

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Homemade Vegetable Stock

RECIPE By PlantPlate
Low in sodium, free from added oils, and made with all-natural ingredients, homemade vegetable stock is a simple, healthy & inexpensive way to add flavour and depth to your plant-based meals. Use this easy-to-follow base recipe, and make your own today!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 60 Minutes
Yield: Makes 2-3 litres

Notes:

There are several excellent reasons to make your own vegetable stock at home. For starters, you know exactly what's in it! There won't be any artificial flavours, additives, or oils, and you can choose whether or not you want to add salt in order to control the sodium level. Making vegetable stock at home can also be a great way to use up vegetables or scraps that may have otherwise seen the scrap heap- think carrot ends, potato peels, or those celery leaves that you weren't sure what to do with! Finally, making your own stock can be a great way to save money, as it's much cheaper than buying liquid broth from a grocery store. By using inexpensive ingredients like carrots, onions and celery, you can prepare litres of stock for just a few dollars, and freeze it so that it will last you weeks or even months.

Ingredients:

You can use any vegetables that you have on hand. It's especially handy to make use of those that are starting to look a little sad or wrinkly. Vegetable skins and ends that may otherwise be discarded can be used to make stock, however, don't add anything that is badly blemished or really bitter tasting (such as eggplant tips). It's also best not to use too much of anything with a strong flavour, as it will dominate the other vegetables, and make for an unbalanced final product.

For our base recipe, we like to use:

  • 1 leek
  • 2 small onions
  • 4 large celery stalks, plus the leaves
  • 4 carrots
  • 1/2 a bunch of fresh parsley
  • 1 small fennel bulb 
  • 200g (7 oz.) mushrooms
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

Instructions:

  1. Wash all the vegetables. Cut them into medium, even-sized chunks and place in a large pot (6-8 litres / quarts) with 1/2 a cup of water. Saute the vegetables over a high heat for 5-7 minutes until they start to soften a little. Add 2-3 litres of water to the pot (use less water for a more concentrated stock, and more water for a lighter stock). Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat to a medium simmer, and allow the stock to cook for anywhere between 1 and 3 hours. The longer you cook it, the more time the flavour will have to develop. 
  2. Once the stock is done, remove it from the heat. Set a colander over another pot (or a large heatproof bowl) and drain the liquid into it. Allow the stock to cool before dividing among containers and freezing.

Prepared stock can be kept, frozen, for up to 3 months. It's best to freeze it in 1 or 2 cup portions so that you can take out only what you need each day.