If you haven’t attempted stock from scratch, vegetable stock is a smart place to start: It’s as easy as combining vegetables, aromatics, and cold water in a large pot, letting the mixture simmer until the flavors concentrate, and straining and cooling the liquid.
“Making stock at home not only makes your house smell incredible, but allows you to control the flavor and volume of stock you make,” says Evan Hennessey, chef-owner of Stages at One Washington, The Living Room, and the forthcoming Topolino in Dover, New Hampshire.
Before you raid your produce drawer, peruse these chef recommendations for the best (and worst) veggies to use for a standout homemade stock, plus tips for extracting the most flavor. Then put your savory stash to work in all your cozy seasonal favorites, from soups and stews to risottos and casseroles. You may never go back to store-bought.
Onions, carrots, and celery
Regardless of the style of stock you’re aiming for — light and delicate or rich and robust — the traditional mirepoix trio serves as a crucial backbone. “For a deeply flavorful stock, I consider carrots, onions, and celery absolutely essential — they’re the foundation of both vegetable and meat stocks,” says John Ho, chef and manager at FLIK Hospitality Group and chef with Resident. “Carrots contribute sweetness, while onions and celery help naturally clarify and balance the flavor.”
This base canvas provides a starting point for all kinds of variations. “For an all-purpose stock, I will always have standard mirepoix, but when making vegetable stocks for Asian-style dishes, I might adjust that some and swap out to something more like ginger, carrots, and scallions,” says Ian Rough, executive corporate chef at Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.
Joe Anthony, managing partner and executive chef at Arvine in New York City, adds, “You can also sub out different vegetables depending on the time of year — as an example, use celery root instead of celery during the winter.”
Pro tip
Keep it simple (to start): If you’re new to homemade stock, you can’t go wrong with the trifecta of onions, carrots, and celery. “I recommend sticking with the core three vegetables and then gradually adding small amounts of complementary ingredients (such as garlic or herb stems) near the end of cooking to enhance the aroma without overwhelming the stock,” Ho advises. Rest assured, a pared-down, properly made stock will still edge out the boxed stuff any day.
Mushrooms
“Mushrooms bring a lot of depth and flavor; they can [also] help to add color and richness to your stock,” notes Rough, who harnesses the power of meaty portobellos when making rich, demi-style vegetable stocks. Pantry-friendly fungi — and your bag of kitchen scraps — come in handy here. “Dried mushrooms can be a great ingredient when you’re looking for some serious mushroom depth,” Rough says.
Anthony adds, “Using the scraps of vegetables can be both very flavorful and practical as well. Leek tops, onion peels, and mushroom stems are my usual suspects.”
Kombu (dried kelp)
This powerhouse dried staple, a key ingredient in Japanese dashi, lends wonderful complexity to stocks — simply drop a sheet into the simmering pot. “It releases subtle umami notes that round out the flavor beautifully,” Ho says.
Hennessey bolsters mirepoix veggies and celeriac with the double savory punch of dried kelp and dried mushrooms. “Adding the dried seaweed [provides] that nice gentle element of salt we love, and the dried mushrooms really ground the flavor in the earth — this is full flavor cooking,” he explains.
Similarly, Anthony starts with a base of kombu and dried mushrooms and builds out the stock’s profile with ingredients like garlic and onions.
Pro tip
- Roast vegetables before simmering: Roasting vegetables like carrots is an easy way to deepen the stock’s flavor. Hennessey recommends cranking up the heat to 450°F: “This allows for caramelization and concentration of the natural sugars as well as really making the vegetables come alive,” he explains. For an extra boost, Hennessey deglazes the accumulated brown bits on the baking tray with wine and sherry vinegar, and pours the mixture into the stock pot.
Herbs and spices
“Aromatics are a great way to give your stock character and define the use in later dishes,” says Rough, who points to rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and black pepper as classic enhancers. But the beauty of stock is that you can customize your blend based on the application (and personal preference): Chefs suggest everything from toasted fennel seeds and fresh oregano to lemongrass and Sichuan peppercorns.
For the cleanest flavor, toss in your herbs at the end of simmering. “Adding them while the stock cools lets them steep gently, almost like tea, and infuse a fresh, herbaceous layer without becoming bitter,” Ho says.
What vegetables should you avoid?
Not all veggies are ideal for stock, chefs say. “I tend to avoid things like peppers of any kind and potatoes, [which] make the stock cloudy and don’t add flavor,” Hennessey notes. “Tomatoes are fine, but I’d avoid other nightshades,” which includes eggplant, tomatillos, and okra.
“Beets and certain other root vegetables can discolor the stock and overpower the gentle flavor of the base trio,” adds Ho. He also recommends steering clear of asparagus, salad greens, and cruciferous veggies like broccoli, all of which “can make the stock cloudy or muddy-tasting after roasting and simmering for a couple of hours.”
Pro tip
Reduce stock to concentrate flavor: “The following day, I like to return the stock to the stove and reduce it by about half to intensify the roasted vegetable flavor,” Ho says. “Once reduced, I cool it again and portion it into cups or pint containers.”
