Vegetable Stock Cubes
on Oct 29, 2023
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Are you tired of store-bought vegetable stock cubes with a long list of ingredients and additives that you can hardly pronounce? What if I told you that you can make your own natural and flavorful vegetable stock cubes in under 30 minutes 🙌?
Plus, the ingredients you need are probably already in your fridge, and they can last for 3-4 months without any preservatives. These nutrient-packed stock cubes will add depth and richness to your soups, stews, and sauces, elevating their taste with the goodness of wholesome ingredients.
Say goodbye 👋 to artificial flavor enhancers and hello to homemade, delicious stock cubes.
Why You’ll Love These Vegetable Stock Cubes
Making your own vegetable stock cubes is a great way to replace store-bought versions that often contain additives and preservatives.
Most commercial vegetable stock cubes consist of dehydrated broth and various artificial flavors, colors, and other additives 👎.
With homemade vegetable cubes, you can control the ingredients and tailor the flavor to your liking.
Additionally, these homemade stock cubes save space and are perfect for long-term storage. You no longer need to worry about bulky broth containers taking up valuable space in your refrigerator. Instead, you can store perfectly portioned cubes in your freezer, which take up minimal space and are readily available for any recipe 👌!
How to Prepare These Vegetable Stock Cubes
To prepare these homemade vegetable broth cubes start by heating up some olive oil in a large pot.
Add the washed and chopped veggies and sauté for a few minutes. Once sauteed, add salt 🧂 and cover the pot. Let the mixture simmer until the water evaporates and the veggies are soft.
Once the veggies are soft, transfer them to a food processor and blend until you obtain a smooth, velvety veggie purée 🤤. Be sure to scrape down the sides to ensure an even consistency.
Next, line a baking dish with parchment paper, spread the vegetable purée evenly using a silicone spatula or spoon, and freeze ❄️ until solid.
Once frozen, remove the frozen block from the baking sheet, and cut it into equal-sized squares. Wrap each square into a 5 by 5-inch foil (or parchment paper on top of foil) and transfer them into a Ziplock bag ready to be stored in the freezer.
Alternatively, you can use an ice cube 🧊 tray to freeze the purée. Either way, you’ll be left with perfectly portioned, flavor-packed, homemade vegetable stock cubes!
Variations and Substitutions
Here are some ways you can get creative with this recipe and make it your own:
- Experiment with different flavor profiles by adding other vegetables like mushrooms 🍄, bell peppers, fennel, butternut squash, sweet potato 🍠, or anything else that’s lying around in your fridge.
- Add herbs and spices 🌿 to enhance the flavor. Some great additions would be thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, parsley, cayenne pepper, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, or even some ginger for an extra immuno-boost.
- For a slightly deeper and richer vegetable flavor, consider roasting the veggies in the oven instead of sautéing them.
- Instead of salt 🧂, you can use alternatives such as nutritional yeast, soy sauce, tamari, or even Vegeta (my Eastern Europeans know 😉).
- Consider making different shapes and sizes of the cubes. Larger cubes might be suitable for big batches of soups and stews, while smaller cubes might be appropriate for quick seasoning.
Nonna’s Tip
Make sure to blend in a food processor or blender as an immersion blender can leave some of the veggies stringy at times.
Other Creative Ideas
There are many different ways to use these bouillon cubes such as:
- Throw them into rice 🍚 as it cooks for extra flavor.
- Add 1-2 squares to a cup and pour hot water on top. You can add a pinch of salt and sip away when you feel under the weather.
- Sneak it into pasta sauces for picky eaters. You can also take a look at my Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce.
- Use it as a base for any bean or lentil stew 🍲. A perfect example would be my Coconut Chickpea Stew.
- Make Pastina Soup by adding 1-2 cubes to a pot of water, then add the salt and pastina. When the pastina has cooked, take it off the heat and add grated Parmigiano on top. Enjoy!
Best Served With
Add these vegetable stock cubes to any soups, stews, or sauces that call for broth or stock. Try my:
- Lentil Soup
- Lasagna Soup
- Hidden Veggie Meatball Soup
- Hidden Veggie Chicken Soup
- Spinach Soup or any other Soups and Stews on my website!
Similar Recipes
- Easy Pastina Soup
- Hidden Veggie Meatball Soup
- Hidden Veggie Chicken Noodle Soup
- Hidden Veggie Orzo Soup
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Baking sheets are essential in the kitchen. These are great!
I have had my Vitamix blender for 12 years and I cannot live without it. It is hands down the best blender in the world. Definitely an investment but worth every penny.
If you're looking for an amazing pot, this one is incredible quality.
A great food processor is an essential appliance in my kitchen. This is one of my favorite brands.
I love these silicone ice-cube trays. They are BPA free and so easy to use for any of my recipes like my homemade vegetable bouillon cubes!
This is the parchment paper that I use for all my recipes!
This is the salt that I have used for years in all my cooking!
Common Questions
Yes, you can definitely use other vegetables. Either add to the vegetables I used in this recipe or substitute them with what you have in the fridge. Some suggestions are mushrooms, bell peppers, fennel, butternut squash, or sweet potato.
Yes, a stick blender or immersion blender will work, but keep in mind the texture may not be as smooth.
Yes, you can certainly use an ice-cube tray. Tap HERE to look at my favorite one! You can easily pour the veggie purée into the tray and freeze.
I use Redmond real salt. Please note that depending on the salt you use, your dish may be more or less salty. Salt is always to taste, so taste and adjust as you cook.
These frozen stock cubes will last in the freezer for up to 3-4 months.
Yes, you can definitely use frozen veggies in this recipe. Often I freeze vegetable scraps as I cook and use these scraps when I make vegetable stock. However, keep in mind that the water content in frozen vegetables is higher and therefore may alter the texture and concentration of the cubes.
Vegetable Stock Cubes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs , diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 leek, washed and diced
- 6 mini bell peppers , (or one large) diced
- 5 garlic cloves, diced
- 1.5 teaspoons salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the olive oil and heat it up on medium heat.
- Add the washed and chopped veggies. Sauté for a few minutes, add the salt and cover until the water has evaporated and the veggies are soft.
- Mine took about 15 minutes on medium-low heat, but this will depend on your stove.
- When the veggies are soft, transfer them into a food processor and process until you have a veggie purée. If you need to open the food processor to scrape down the sides, please do so and continue to blend until smooth.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the purée onto the baking sheet making sure to spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon or silicone spatula.
- Place the tray in the freezer and let it freeze completely.
- Check on it every hour and once frozen, take the block of vegetable purée out of the baking sheet with the parchment paper, and place onto a wooden board. Cut into equal-sized squares.
- Wrap each square into a 5 by 5 inch foil and transfer into a Ziplock bag. Leave the bag in the freezer and use a square any time you are making soups or stews. I like to add a piece of parchment paper onto my foil, but that's totally optional.
- NOTE: if you want to use an ice-cube tray for ease, you are more than welcome to. Simply pour the puree into the tray and freeze!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So great to have on hand in a pinch!
I enjoy having these on hand! Not only are they all-natural and healthier without the additives, but it is far less expensive to just make them at home! Can’t recommend enough!
Hello! I appreciate your recipes and love them all! I’m wondering if you have a recipe for homemade chicken or beef stock?
Hi Jeaninine, I definitely have to get one up because I do. I just haven’t been able to get it up yet with the holidays but I will add it to my list
Can’t wait to make this, sounds good
I think you’ll love them!