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Instant Pot Vegetable Broth From Scraps

ByKim Posted on Updated on

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If you’ve ever wondered how to make vegetable broth at home, this Instant Pot vegetable broth from scraps is one of the easiest ways to do it. It’s a simple method that uses leftover veggie scraps you’d normally throw away and turns them into a rich, flavorful homemade broth.

A quart jar of homemade vegetable broth made in the Instant Pot.

It is a great way to save money and reduce waste in your kitchen. Just add everything to your Instant Pot, let it cook, and you’ll have a big batch of homemade vegetable broth ready to use for soups, stews, and everyday cooking.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

  • Recipe Name: Instant Pot Vegetable Broth From Scraps
  • Cook Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes (including pressure build and release)
  • Servings: About 5 quarts
  • Main Ingredients: Vegetable scraps, water, seasonings
  • Dietary Info: Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, budget-friendly
  • Difficulty Level: Easy

Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Vegetable Broth

  • So Easy To Make: This Instant Pot vegetable broth is as simple as it gets. Just add your vegetable scraps, water, and seasonings, then let the Instant Pot do the work.
  • Saves Money: Making vegetable broth from scraps is a great way to stretch your grocery budget. You’re using things you would normally throw away to make something useful.
  • Great For Everyday Cooking: Having a homemade vegetable broth on hand makes it easy to add flavor to soups, rice, pasta, and more.

Ingredients

  • 12 cups of vegetable scraps
  • 20 cups of water or to the max line
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon of parsley or fresh parsley scraps
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons of rosemary
  • 2-3 bay leaves

How To Make Instant Pot Vegetable Broth From Scraps

Frozen vegetable scraps in the Instant Pot.
The seasonings were added to the pot.

Start by adding your vegetable scraps to the Instant Pot. You can use a mix of peels and ends you’ve saved.

Pour in enough water to cover everything, making sure not to go past the max fill line on your Instant Pot. I make this in my 8-quart Instant Pot and use about 20 cups of water.

Add the oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, rosemary, and bay leaves.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the valve is set to sealing. Select the manual (or pressure-cook) setting and set the timer to 60 minutes.

Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for about 15 minutes. After that, carefully turn the valve to vent any remaining pressure.

Vegetable broth after cooking in the Instant Pot.

When it’s safe to open, remove the lid and strain the broth to remove the vegetable scraps.

Let the broth cool slightly, then transfer to jars or containers for storage.

Mason jars filled with homemade vegetable broth.

How To Freeze

Freezing is an easy way to preserve your vegetable broth until needed. After straining, let the broth cool, then pour it into freezer-safe containers or freezer bags. Make sure to leave at least 1 inch of headspace to allow for expansion.

Place the lids on, label and date the containers. Then place them into the freezer.

How To Can

Canning is my favorite way to preserve broth, it’s simple and always ready to use.

Quart jars filled with vegetable broth are sitting on a wooden cutting board on the counter.

Ladle the hot broth into your prepared jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.

Wipe the jar rim with a damp cloth or paper towel to remove any stickiness. Place the lid on the jar and tighten the ring down until it’s finger-tight.

Place the jars into your prepared pressure canner, and lock the lid in place. Let the canner vent steam for 10 minutes, then place the weight on. Process pint jars for 30 minutes and quart jars for 35 minutes, adjusting the pressure weight to your altitude.

Altitude Adjustments For Canning Vegetable Broth

When canning broth, the time remains the same at all altitudes, but the required pressure increases.

For weighted gauge pressure canners:

  • 0 to 1,000 feet – 10 lbs
  • Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs

For dial gauge pressure canners:

  • 0 to 2,000 feet – 11 lbs
  • 2,001 to 4,000 feet – 12 lbs
  • 4,001 to 6,000 feet – 13 lbs
  • 6,001 to 8,000 feet – 14 lbs

Recipe Notes & Tips

  • Save scraps in the freezer – As you prep vegetables, store peels, ends, and scraps in a freezer bag. Once you have enough, you can make a full batch of vegetable broth. It’s an easy way to stay consistent with making homemade broth.
  • What scraps work best – Onion skins, carrot peels, celery ends, garlic skins, potato peels, squash peels, sweet potato peels, sweet pepper ends, tomato ends, and herb stems all add great flavor to homemade vegetable broth.
  • What to avoid – Skip strong or bitter vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and large amounts of kale, as they can make the broth taste off. I’ve used cabbage in small amounts 1 or 2 leaves, but don’t use too much.
  • Don’t overfill the pot – Keep everything below the max fill line so your Instant Pot can come to pressure properly.
  • Adjust seasoning after cooking – You can keep the salt light while cooking and adjust it later depending on how you plan to use the broth.

FAQ’s

It will keep in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days when stored in an airtight container.

Yes, it freezes really well. Let it cool completely, then store in freezer-safe containers or bags. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays for small portions.

No, you can add frozen vegetable scraps straight into the Instant Pot. Just add your water and cook as usual.

Yes, you can simmer everything in a large pot on the stove with the lid on for about 1 to 2 hours instead.

It usually means there weren’t enough scraps or they didn’t have enough flavor. Next time, add more onion, garlic, or herbs to boost the taste.

Yes, you can leave the salt out and season the broth later, depending on how you’re using it.

More Easy Recipes:

A quart jar of homemade vegetable broth made in the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Vegetable Broth From Scraps

This Instant Pot vegetable broth is an easy, budget-friendly way to turn vegetable scraps into a flavorful homemade broth. It’s simple to make, uses what you already have, and is perfect for soups, cooking grains, or everyday meals.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Serving Size 20 servings (about 10 pints or 5 quarts)

Ingredients

  • 12 cups vegetable scraps
  • 20 cups water or to max line
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley or fresh parsley scraps
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 2-3 bay leaves

Instructions

  • Add the vegetable scraps to the Instant Pot and add water to the max fill line.
  • Next, add the oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, rosemary, and bay leaves.
  • Place the lid on, turn the valve to sealing. Pressure cook on manual for 60 minutes.
  • Let the broth naturally release for 15 minutes, then vent.
  • Strain the broth to remove solids and transfer to containers for storage.

Notes

How To Freeze

After straining, let the broth cool, then pour it into freezer-safe containers or freezer bags. Make sure to leave at least 1 inch of headspace to allow for expansion.
Place the lids on, label and date the containers. Then transfer them to the freezer.

How To Can

Ladle the hot broth into your prepared jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
Wipe the jar rim with a damp cloth or paper towel. Place the lid on the jar and tighten the ring down until it’s finger-tight.
Place the jars into your prepared pressure canner, and lock the lid in place. Let the canner vent steam for 10 minutes, then place the weight on. Process pint jars for 30 minutes and quart jars for 35 minutes, adjusting the pressure weight to your altitude.

Altitude Adjustments For Canning

When canning broth, the time remains the same at all altitudes, but the required pressure increases.
For weighted gauge pressure canners:
  • 0 to 1,000 feet – 10 lbs
  • Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs
For dial gauge pressure canners:
  • 0 to 2,000 feet – 11 lbs
  • 2,001 to 4,000 feet – 12 lbs
  • 4,001 to 6,000 feet – 13 lbs
  • 6,001 to 8,000 feet – 14 lbs

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 32kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 251mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 12853IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 0.3mg

These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.

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