I've been making the same vegetable stock for years, and then a few months ago someone emailed me and said...
Have you ever used nutritional yeast in your veggie stock?
Nutritional what?!!
Supposedly this mystery ingredient will fill in the meatless void of your veggie stock. Said another way...veggie stocks typically lack the depth and savoriness of meat stocks, but the heavy dose of umami from nutritional yeast can save your savoriness. No bones involved.
I had no idea this "nooch" was so popular in the vegan world. Producers use heat to deactivate the yeast cells and then package it for flavor purposes only. Here's the bag I snatched up on Amazon:
And yes, some people put it on popcorn 🙂
Give it a taste and you'll know why it's a good candidate for veggie stocks -- it has a rich, cheesy, almost nutty flavor that hits all the umami nerves on the palate.
Do some Google research and most articles will point towards Andrea Nguyen's "The Pho Cookbook" where she uses a concentrated nutritional yeast mixture to enrich her Pho broth. I'm not sure if this is a recent phenomenon started by Ms. Nguyen, or if it's just recent to me, but you can see that Asian-style recipe here if you're curious.
She creates a concentrated mixture and adds it in after the fact, but I'm just gonna plop some in my standard veggie stock recipe at the beginning and let it simmer away. Because with stock I've found that easier is usually better 🙂
How To Make Homemade Vegetable Stock
There are also a couple other ingredients I've been meaning to experiment with -- mushrooms and tomato paste. Both of these are heavy hitters in the umami world, and I'd like to see how much savoriness they can bring to a traditional veggie stock.
So I'll make two batches: one with the nutritional yeast and one using tomato paste and mushrooms.
Both batches will use the traditional mirepoix:
For a single gallon of stock you'll want to be in the neighborhood of:
1 pound onions (approx. 2 large onions)
1/2 pound carrots (approx. 2-3 medium to large carrots)
1/2 pound celery (approx. 3-4 celery stalks)
But don't sweat the exact weights too much as a "recipe" for stock is always willing to accommodate what you have in your kitchen. In other words....just make it!
Be sure to give the veggies a good chop as this will increase the surface area that gets exposed to the simmering water.
I'll start by browning the mirepoix in some oil at just over medium heat.
It seems like I let this cook longer each time I make stock as the additional browning gives you a bump in flavor, so don't be afraid to let some color develop over a 10-15 minute sweat.
Once browned, each pot will get:
1/2 bunch parsley
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 gallon cold water
The pot on the left gets 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast.
And the pot on the right will get:
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 pound mushrooms
Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer, partially covering.
Big Important Note: I probably add less salt to stock than most peeps because I think it gives you more leeway down the road. So I salted the veggies when they were sweating, but there's no additional salt in these pots yet -- if that grates you then you can add 1/2 teaspoon salt to a gallon sized pot for the simmer, and then add more to taste when it's done.
Simmering for 60-90 minutes will extract the majority of the flavor from the veggies. Here's how these batches looked after 90 minutes:
And the flavor?!
Even though the tomato/mushroom batch on the right looks more enticing, the taste battle was not even close and the nutritional yeast batch was a clear winner.
I have to admit I was a little shocked at the improvement in flavor from this simple ingredient. More depth, more savoriness, and just plain better -- awesome!
The nutritional yeast will cloud up your stock if you add it in at the beginning, but I think that's a good trade-off for the improved flavor.
I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt to this 3/4 gallon of stock and then slurped down an entire bowl of it. It's quite satisfying as is, and when you consider that this is only the starting point for your soups and sauces then the possibilities become endless.
Again I want to mention that I typically only partially season homemade stock. A half teaspoon of salt at this point will get you going, but you'll need more to fully season it down the road -- I just think it's better to wait to fully season it until you know which recipe you're using it in.
And the tomato/mushroom mixture?
I have to admit I was quite disappointed with it.
There was a slight increase in savoriness but it was tiny compared to the nutritional yeast version. I also didn't like having such a present tomato flavor in my stock as I could see this conflicting with certain recipes.
So for now I am completely sold on adding in nutritional yeast to my veggie stocks, but I will skip the tomatoes and mushrooms.
As with most stocks, this one will freeze quite well. If you freeze it in cup-sized portions you can pull them out of the freezer for months to come. Or you can always use a larger Ziploc for storage.
I've been using this stock in a simple Mexican bean soup for the past few days and it is absolutely delicious 🙂
I'll put up a recipe for that bean soup next week (see here), but in the meantime please keep this Better Vegetable Stock recipe in mind!
It's such a massive improvement compared to store-bought stock, and it will send your soups and enchilada sauces through the roof.
And who knows, maybe you'll sprinkle some of that nutritional yeast on your popcorn too 🙂
Buen Provecho.
Scroll down for the recipe box, and feel free to use the comments section below if you have questions or want to leave feedback on this recipe. For up-to-date recipes follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.
Better Vegetable Stock
Ingredients
- 1 lb. onions (approx. 2 onions)
- 1/2 lb. carrots (approx. 2-3 carrots)
- 1/2 lb. celery (approx. 3-4 stalks)
- 1/2 parsley bunch
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 gallon cold water
- olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional, plus more to taste)
Instructions
- Chop up the onions, carrots and celery into evenly sized chunks. Give 'em a good sweat over medium heat in some oil. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until they are browning. You can optionally add a sprinkling of salt.
- Add the remaining ingredients: 1/2 parsley bunch, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, and 1 gallon cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and partially cover.
- Simmer for 60-90 minutes.
- Strain the stock to remove the leftover veggies. I added a half teaspoon of salt at this point, but keep in mind this will only partially season the stock -- this will give you some leeway when using it in various recipes.
- Portion into 2-cup or 4-cup sized containers (or use muffin tins for smaller portions). Freeze the portions you won't immediately need and store the rest in the fridge where it will keep for a few days.
Notes
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Terry
I just feel happy after reading these post!
I hit the jackpot Patrick when I found you and all the wonderful recipes, we love everything Mexican, so great of you to share! Thank You, sincerely, Miss Terry
Patrick
Hey thanks much Terry, I'm so glad you are finding some keepers on my site! Cheers.
Latika
How much is approximately 1/2 a bunch of Parsley as bunch varies store to store and farmers markets
Patrick
Hi Latika, good question! I think an average sized bunch of parsley is around 2 oz., so a single ounce of parsley would be a good starting point for this stock -- but don't sweat the weights too much as there is lots of leeway when making stock. Cheers.
Paul Fikslin
Obviously the nutritional yeast version is better because your just adding MSG! Latest multiple propagandi I’ve read says that it’s safe however. Just seems like cheating to me. All those nice vegetables don’t need msg IMO to be good. I love all you recipes so far and your made from scratch philosophy. Just not a big fan of MSG. I think there is still more controversy there to be resolved contrary to most recent articles. I guess everything in moderation. Maybe 1 tbsp might be enough. Lol
Patrick
Hey thanks for mentioning this Paul. That does kinda make me want to investigate a bit more -- my impression was that if it occurs naturally, as it does in nutritional yeast, then it's a slightly different compound that the body processes differently than the dreaded MSG. Cheers.
Connie J
I agree, Patrick. Nutritional yeast is in no way the same as MSG. I know this personally from how my body reacts to both. I have bad reactions to MSG, but not a good quality Nutritional Yeast. So for me, I listen to my body as use it often in many recipes for the B vitamins.
Siamesemama1
Please forgive the delay in commenting. Your food is absolutely the best Mexican I've learned/cooked from online sources. I had a friend from Jalisco state who taught me so much over the years & you are the real deal. I had to rave on your veggie stock-it's the care in the building blocks of a recipe that separates good from great. Your recipes are great. Thank you for so much fun & enjoyment for past 3 years. Love your enchiladas tingas, the enfrijolados, pickled jalapenos con carrots & so much more. My friend is no longer here but I have your recipes & instruction to carry on & honor his memory. Muchas gracias, Patrick.
Patrick
Hey thanks so much for your note S! So good to hear that you are finding some good recipes on my site and using them to create some good times. Cheers.
Dan
First time making stock. Weirdly empowering. The only problem with this recipe is that I devoured almost a third of the delicious stock as soon as I made it and came out with a lot less to freeze!
Patrick
Ha thanks Dan, I always do the same -- put some in a bowl with some salt and slurp it up 🙂
KJ
I put this stock recipe in my instant pot because it's just too hot out to have my stove on. I love nutritional yeast. Almost equal to putting a piece of Parmesan rind to the stock. I always have perfect results from all your recipes. Thank you so much!!!
Karen
Patrick
Hey thanks for mentioning the instant pot KJ, I'm glad it turned out well! Cheers.
Sarah
I just found your site after making red sauce enchiladas with fresh-made tortillas—and I’d added some nutritional yeast to my sauce because it was lacking. Ha ha Best. Enchiladas. In. The. World. I’ll never use store bought tortillas again. I didn’t like rolling tortillas because they break. But fresh warm ones are a dream.
I wanted to share with you that one key to getting depth from tomato paste is to cook it a bit in the hot pan, sort of like you roast tomatoes to condense the flavor, and also why you toast your spices in the pan before adding ingredients to Indian dishes. Both are very good tools in the vegetarian flavor-deepening arsenal.
I very much appreciate that you’re working on vegetarian recipes. Most traditional cooking completely leaves out the possibility of veg versions beyond swapping veg broth for chicken. So heavily meat-centric.
Also—I add a bit of cumin & chili powder to my tortillas. It’s not traditional, I guess, but wowie!! I’m mad for cumin!
And for stock—it helps to save ends of onions, bits of celery, carrots, parsley (and those cilantro stems you toss!) in a zip bag or salvaged cottage cheese container in the freezer until you’re ready to make broth. Yellow onion skins give the broth a warm color that I find totally worth it. Save those too!
I’m happy to find you & your site—I just want to cook cook cook more Mexican now! Thanks,
Sarah
Patrick
Ahh these are great notes, thanks for typing them up Sarah!
I've never thought about adding nutritional yeast to enchilada sauce for some extra oomph but now curious about it 🙂 And yes, I am totally guilty of throwing away the bottom part of the cilantro stems 🙂
J. Gentry
I've always purchased broths, for 40 years, never again. Patrick.. you've done it again for me. Thank you.
Patrick
Ahh so glad to hear this! Cheers.
Melissa D Parish
I quartered this recipe because I did not need a gallon but I also made two versions, used 1 cup each in a dish then froze the rest in 2 cup portions. The broth is quite delicious, both of them.
Patrick
Hey thanks much for letting me know Melissa. Cheers.
Melissa D Parish
I have not made this yet, but I took your advice and added the nutritional yeast flakes, the same brand you bought. I found it on Amazon. I will post another review after I make this delicous looking broth. On another note, I have prepared several of your recipes, long before the pandemic. So I feel like I had a headstart on burritos, enchiladas, pure chili powder, etc. Thank you for sharing.
Patrick
Hey thanks much for this note Melissa and thanks for following up on it as it's super helpful for other peeps to read! Cheers.