If you are going to make broth in a slow cooker, you need to be prepared to use it for dinner. If you don’t not only will your senses revolt, but so will your family! The aroma of broth cooking a in a slow cooker permeates the entire house and as my daughter says “deceptively smells like food”. So after making a batch of vegetable broth, I usually use some of it to make Minestrone Soup.
Making homemade vegetable broth is very frugal, especially if you use veggies from your garden. It is easier to make than bone broths, because you don’t have to worry about the bones or the fat.
While I have given approximate measurements for the ingredients, don’t forget that you can use vegetable scraps to make up a portion of the vegetables used in this vegetable broth recipe. I add carrot peels, celery tops, and odd bits of onion to a container in the freezer. On broth making day, I pull out the frozen vegetable scraps and add it to the slow cooker to supplement the vegetables used in the broth.
I have listed my favorite spices to use in vegetable broth, but feel free to experiment and tailor the spices to match your preferences.
How to Make Vegetable Broth in a Slow Cooker
Ingredients:
- 2½ – 3 onions
- 6 – 8 cloves garlic
- 6 – 8 stalks celery
- 6 – 8 carrots
- 1 large potato
- 16 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- dash of pepper
Directions:
- Add the water to Slow Cooker.
- Do not peel the vegetables. Just wash them and coarsely chop them. Add them to the water.
- Add spices and pepper to taste.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Strain the broth through a fine mesh colander.
- You can use the broth immediately, place it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it. If you freeze the broth, leave room for expansion.
Printable Recipe for Vegetable Broth in a Slow Cooker
How to Make Vegetable Broth in a Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2½ - 3 onions
- 6 - 8 cloves garlic
- 6 - 8 stalks celery
- 6 - 8 carrots
- 1 large potato
- 16 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- dash of pepper
Instructions
- Add the water to Slow Cooker.
- Do not peel the vegetables. Just wash them and coarsely chop them. Add them to the water.
- Add spices and pepper to taste.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Strain the broth through a fine mesh colander.
- You can use the broth immediately, place it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it. If you freeze the broth, leave room for expansion.
More Homemade Broth Recipes:
How to Make Beef Broth in a Slow Cooker
How to Make Chicken Broth in a Slow Cooker
How to Make Turkey Broth in a Crock Pot
Kristin says
Can this be canned in either a pressure or water bath canner?
Alea Milham says
This would need to be canned in a pressure canner. Follow the recommended times for your canner and altitude.
Alison @ Under the Big Oak Tree says
I love making homemade vegetable broth in the slow cooker! I make mine using my veggie scraps when I chop vegetables for other meals and salads!
kelly says
Have normal size slow cooker (Hamilton Beach Stay and Go)after placing all ingredients in the pot it would only fit 8 cups of H20. Could the 16 cups be a misprint? thank you
Alea says
Hi Kelly, I am pretty sure I can fit 16 cups in my slow cooker, but I could have made a mistake. I will check when I get home. In the mean time, I think it would be just fine to go ahead an make it with 8 cups of water. If you find it is too strong at the end, you can always add water to the final product to achieve the desired flavor.
teresa says
This broth is so good! It’s hard to make very flavorful vegetable broth with no salt, but this is definitely my new favorite. In the process in making the Minestrone and hope it is just as flavorful. Thank you for the recipes!!
virginia miller says
Vegetable broth sounds wonderful, but what do you do with all the good veggies after the broth is made? Stew perhaps?
Alea says
I put the leftover veggies in the compost pile. They are mushy and most of the nutrients have been transferred to the broth.
Tiffani Jacques says
How long does this broth last for if I choose to refridgerate or freeze it for future use?
Thanks!!!
Alea says
I keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week and the freezer for 3 months.
Laureen says
Yum, I love homemade vegetable broth! It snowed here in Vancouver last night, I think some nice warm soup would be perfect today.