How to Make Your Own Vegan Vegetable Stock Powder

Be a food saver

Being a foodie is one thing, being a food-saver is another. Back in the day, I was a food hero, dumpster diving in waste bins of the neighboring supermarket. Well disguised in a pink hoodie while the sun sat and the supermarket was about to close for the night. Fearless of suspicious looks of nosy neighbors, large cotton bags for the rescued food and a small one for the occasional flower bouquet that no one cared to buy and was eventually disposed of.

Once, I found a gazillion eggplants, which was the very first occasion of my life to actually prepare and eat eggplants. I’ve come a long way since then in veggie-terms.

Make your own powdery vegetable stock

Time to revive the food salvation by making my own vegetable stock powder using food scraps.

After you wash and chop the vegetables and herbs weigh them to know how much salt you need to add. The salt is 20% of the weight of the vegetables. It seems a lot but salt is a natural preservative which inhibits the growth of molds and bacteria.

Make sure to chop them as tiny as possible or use a food processor to ease this step.

Put the finely chopped vegetables in a pan. To the scraps, I like to add some herbs and aromatics, like whole peppercorns, thyme, crushed garlic cloves and bay leaves. Feel free to experiment with other herbs and vegetables and come up with your own personalized homemade stock powder. For example, you can add garlic, tomato, leek, mushroom, basil or sage.

Cover with your calculated amount of salt and cook on low for 2 hours. The vegetables will lose lots of water and will shrink. Let cook until the water is completely reabsorbed.

Next up is drying: I’m taking advantage of the blistering heat drying my veggies outside on the balcony but of course this recipe is just as doable in winter. Dry your vegetables in the oven with the door very lightly open.

Either way, spread the mixture on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. I place mine on the balcony (facing Northeast) and let it sit outside for 2 days (in 13 hours of intense Madrid sun). If you don’t have the sun-dried option, baking at 300 degrees F should do until it’s dry and slightly crispy. Remember to stir from time to time while the mixture is drying.

Once cooled or removed from the sun, add to your blender and pulse until a fine meal is achieved.

Storing DIY vegetable stock powder

Store the homemade vegetable stock powder for up to 3 months in an airtight glass jar, away from light or moisture.

How to use DIY vegetable stock powder

Use 1 teaspoon for 1 liter (4 cups) of water.

The homemade broth powder makes an excellent Christmas gift or something to take with you when invited to a dinner party