Here’s how to make Instant Pot vegetable broth from veggie scraps — so easy! Start saving your vegetable scraps for this frugal, flavorful, and easy homemade vegetable broth, and you’ll never need to pay for store-bought again.
A while back I’d mentioned seeing an article on saving veggie scraps to make vegetable broth, and a couple of you confirmed that this was a great idea (yes, onion skins and all!). Since then I’ve been keeping a bag of scraps in my freezer and have tried a couple of different ways of making broth — but after some trial and error over the past few weeks, I think it’s finally time to share the results.
THIS is the best method and combination of seasonings for making easy vegetable broth from scraps I’ve found so far, using the Instant Pot.
*** Note: This homemade vegetable broth recipe freezes really well, too!
Instant Pot vegetable broth isn’t faster, but…
The Instant Pot isn’t necessarily much faster than making vegetable broth on the stove top, given the amount of time you have to wait for this much liquid to come to pressure and naturally release. After you dump everything in the pot and get it going, though, it’s hands-off until it’s time to strain. The Instant Pot also seems to give the broth a much richer flavor; I can definitely taste the difference, and you almost want to drink the broth by itself, it’s so good.
- No Instant Pot? Use the same ingredients but bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer in a large pot on the stove top for at least an hour (preferably longer), stirring occasionally, before straining.
I didn’t use the whole bag here, but this particular bag of veggie scraps just contained: Celery leaves and the ends of the stalks, carrot peels and tops, onion skins and a little bit of onion, a few old mushrooms, a bit of leftover chopped parsley, and the parsley stems. Wash veggies before you add to your bag, and just keep a bag in your freezer to keep filling with scraps throughout the week.
How to Make Instant Pot Vegetable Broth From Veggie Scraps
Ingredients
About four cups of veggie scraps (it’s OK to throw them in frozen, but don’t use cabbage, broccoli, or other cruciferous vegetables because they will make the broth bitter)
10 cups of water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp thyme
3 whole peeled garlic cloves
Directions
Add all ingredients to your pot and stir. Close lid and turn valve to sealing, then set your Instant Pot to manual high pressure for 20 minutes. (Hit the manual button, use the + – buttons to bring the time to 20 minutes, then hit the manual button again to start.) When the Instant Pot beeps, let it naturally release for 15-20 minutes before turning the valve to release the remaining pressure.
Open the pot and remove vegetable scraps with a slotted spoon into a fine mesh strainer placed over a large bowl. Use the back of your spoon to press the liquid out from the veggies, then discard scraps.
Pour the remaining broth through the fine-mesh strainer to catch any more stray pieces.
You’ll end up with over two quarts of delicious vegetable broth — made from scraps you would previously have discarded! How’s that for a great frugal homemade alternative to boxed vegetable broth, and another great meal prep use for the Instant Pot.
It’s easy to make homemade vegetable broth every couple of weeks…
… and now I’m sad about all the veggie scraps I’ve wasted over the years! But all we can do is move forward from here, right? 😉 (I’ve also been using scraps when making chicken broth, but that’s a post for another day.) Keep your homemade Instant Pot vegetable broth refrigerated for up to a week, or freeze for later use.
Instant Pot Vegetable Broth From Veggie Scraps, printable recipe
Instant Pot Vegetable Broth -- From Veggie Scraps
Ingredients
- About four cups of veggie scraps
- 10 cups of water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp thyme
- 3 whole peeled garlic cloves
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to your pot and stir.
- Close lid and turn valve to sealing, then set your Instant Pot to manual high pressure for 20 minutes. (Hit the manual button, use the + - buttons to bring the time to 20 minutes, then hit the manual button again to start.)
- When the Instant Pot beeps, let it naturally release for 15-20 minutes before turning the valve to release the remaining pressure.
- Open the pot and remove vegetable scraps with a slotted spoon into a fine-mesh strainer placed over a large bowl.
- Use the back of your spoon to press the liquid out from the veggies, then discard scraps.
- Pour the remaining broth through the fine-mesh strainer to catch any more stray pieces.
- You'll end up with over two quarts of delicious vegetable broth -- made from scraps you would previously have discarded!
Notes
More Frugal Homemade Ideas?
If you’re looking for more “frugal homemade” ideas, read more here:
Anything else you’d like to see covered in these categories? Comment here!
The Instant Pot is so great for meal prep!
If you’re looking for more Instant Pot meal prep ideas, also check out this easy Instant Pot boneless skinless chicken breast to slice or shred for recipes throughout the week.
Lynn says
I save my veggie scraps and bones for broth. So much better than store bought and makes your home smell so good! I just bought an 18 qt roaster to make bigger batches so I’m not sure I have room for an instant pot. I do have a Mirro pressure canner than I could use for cooking as well. However, I mostly use it to can the stock. Much easier at meal time to open a jar of stock. Plus, I just had a mishap where the circuit breaker that powered my freezer was tripped while we were on an extended trip. Everything defrosted and had to be pitched!
Nb says
I love this! I’ve been doing almost the same with Chicken carcass. We use the $5 rotisserie chicken from Sam’s all the time. I throw the carcass with water in the crockpot overnight. (I don’t have an instapot). It’s so great having stock all the time. We’ve been having lots of soup. Just made crockpot broccoli cheddar soup using the stock. If I don’t have time I will throw the chicken carcass in freezer until I need stock.
Love all the recipes you have been posting.
CarolS-T says
Sorry if this is a dumb question (I don’t cook) but I can do this with a crock pot? I love the idea of “cooking” while I am really doing some thing else.
rachel says
I don’t see why not. I give chicken broth from a carcass 8-10 hours on low in the Crock-Pot, so would do the veggie broth for 8 hours with the same ingredients, then strain as above.
rachel says
Thanks! 🙂 I do the same with the $5 rotisserie chicken from Costco.
Tami Proctor says
Try browning the chicken carcass in the oven first for a richer flavor. I have a huge stockpot that will go in the oven and on the stove so there’s less clean up. I typically do 2 chicken carcasses at a time for meal prep.
jane says
I’m glad you posted this. I started throwing veggie peels in a freezer bag a few weeks ago, after reading about it here. I was happy to see the recipe today! Hope you and Mr. 9 feel better soon.
rachel says
Thanks! If you are making on the stove top I just added that you should bring it to a boil before simmering — I inadvertently left that out earlier.
Taral says
That’s a great idea!!!! Will be doing it too!!!! Have too many things going into compost. Can I use broccoli stalks or no cruciferous at all ?
rachel says
I don’t know if I’d risk it — but if you only like to eat the florets, maybe you could save the stems and use them for something like a cream of broccoli soup where they’d be pureed in?
Brent Eamer says
This is golden, thank you so much for posting. I always knew scraps were good, but to combine with Instant pot!
LynAl says
Great Recipe. I’ve made this a quite a few times now. Always delicious and great not to waste.
It finally dawned on me last night that i have a metal mesh strainer made to fit in my instant pot. It made getting the vegetables out of the broth magic. I just grabbed the whole thing when it was done and set it into my bowl. Then I mashed the veggies right in the strainer. Yeah.
I save all of my cabbage/broccoli family veggies in a separate bag. I sautee and onion, then my scraps, a few broccoli flowers, 2 potatoes, garlic 4 cups of my veggie stock/water and cook for 5 min HP with QR. Then I add a cup of cream and puree it. Also yummy.
Meredith says
Do you use the 6-quart Instant Pot for this? Thanks for the recipe! Looking forward to making this.
rachel says
Yes I did! Enjoy. 🙂