Homemade Vegetable Bouillon Powder takes just 5 minutes to make with common pantry ingredients. This DIY soup mix recipe is quick and easy to use when you don’t have enough time to make homemade vegetable stock. Just add water and go from vegan bouillon powder to flavorful vegetable broth in 1 minute! Instantly ready to use in all your favorite recipes.
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I know I have shared my recipe for vegan vegetable stock with you before. I love how easy it is to make and store in the freezer. But, even I find myself, without any stock (punny, I know) available sometimes. This Homemade Vegetable Bouillon Powder is just what’s needed when you’re ready to make soup and have no broth on hand.
Oh, you’re going to love having a jar of this vegan stock powder in your pantry. It’s the perfect vegan chicken broth substitute for seasoning soup, with all the convenience you get from a bouillon powder and none of the chemicals in store bought brands. Trust me, you’ll never buy store bought again!
Homemade Bouillon Powder vs. Store Bought
Read the label. Always read the product label when you’re buying packaged foods. Most brands use ingredients like hydrogenated palm oil, autolyzed yeast extract, monosodium glutamate (MSG), disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, artificial preservatives, and added sugar to make their vegetable base. Also be aware that when a package lists ingredients like natural flavors, it refers to a broad group of chemical flavor compounds and there is often a reason they haven’t been more specific.
Oh, I know the allure of buying those packaged little bouillon cubes…you want a quick solution to flavoring your soup when you have no choice but to use water instead of homemade chicken broth….but, guess what? There’s a better solution.
This vegetable bouillon cube recipe uses simple ingredients that you recognize, and lets you control the amount of salt to add. So, if you’re on a low sodium diet, making your own version of Knorr cube seasonings is a great way to stay on track. You can find the nutritional information for the cubes online or on the package at your local grocery store vs. the nutritional information on the recipe card below.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Nutritional yeast: This is actually deactivated yeast, and contributes a bit of cheesy flavor along with the yellow color common in regular chicken stock. Substitute with a combination of dried mushrooms, and ground sunflower seeds. You can also add 1 teaspoon miso paste to the hot water before blending with this vegan bouillon powder for additional flavor.
- Garlic powder: make sure it’s not garlic salt.
- Onion powder: Substitute onion flakes or granulated onion, but NOT onion salt.
- Italian seasoning: If you don’t have a blend, use any combination of dried parsley, oregano, thyme or basil.
- Celery seed: Use ground celery seed if you have it, otherwise use whole celery seeds for a really earthy flavor. In a pinch, use dill seeds.
- Turmeric: If you’ll be using this in place of chicken broth, the turmeric will add the perfect yellow color.
- Dried Bay Leaf: Adds a subtle, earthy and savory flavor.
- Sea salt: If you’re on a low sodium diet, omit and you’ll have salt-free vegan bouillon powder.
- Ground black pepper: Helps make the curcumin in the turmeric more bioavailable.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Takes just 5 minutes to make.
- This pantry staple has a long shelf life.
- Budget friendly.
- Just add water. Go from vegetable bouillon powder to warm and soothing vegetable broth in just 1 minute!
- Low-salt bouillon perfect for those on a low-sodium diet
- A great substitute for chicken bouillon cubes, free from chemicals and much lower in sodium.
- Delicious, savory flavor enhancer.
- Naturally vegan, gluten-free and contains no preservatives, thickeners or MSG!
- Enhances the flavor of all your favorite veggie dishes, soups and stews.
How to make it
Step 1: Place nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, celery seeds, turmeric, salt and pepper in the bowl of a small food processor or spice grinder. Break the bay leaves into small pieces and add them.
Step 2: Grind until everything is uniform in size, resembling a fine powder.
Step 3: Transfer spice mixture to a clean, dry jar. Store in a cool, dark location.
How to make vegetable broth from bouillon powder
Add one Tablespoon vegetable bouillon powder to one cup hot water. Mix well.
How to serve and store
- Serve: Substitute 8 oz. water plus 1 Tablespoon bouillon powder for every 1 cup broth in any recipe. Use in soups, stews, chowders, marinades, dips, dressings, sauces and casseroles. Or, sprinkle onto any food to add a salty, umami flavor.
- Use: For oil-free veggie saute, use water with a sprinkle of this powder instead of olive oil.
- Store: Glass spice jars or small mason jars are my preference for storing stock powder. But any clean airtight container will do. In a cool, dark pantry, vegan bouillon powder will stay good for a year.
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📖 Recipe
Vegetable Bouillon Powder
Ingredients
- ½ cup Nutritional yeast
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon Onion powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground celery seed
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small food processor or spice grinder.
- Blend until consistency is powdery. It's OK if the bay leaf doesn't grind down to a fine powder, as long as the pieces of bay leaf are super small and the rest of the spice mix is finely ground.
- Transfer to a clean, dry jar with a lid and store in a cool dark place.
- To turn vegetable bouillon powder into veggie broth, combine 1 Tablespoon soup mix with 1 cup boiling water.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
The Sudden Cook
Thank you SO Much for this recipe. I’ve never thought of making homemade vegetable stock powder. This is definitely a recipe to try. Thanks again!
Debra Klein
You’re welcome…you’ll be making it and then making it again before you know it!
Jerika
Wow! Can’t wait to make my own Homemade Vegetable Bouillon Powder!:) Thanks for the tips. This will become handy on my pantry.:)
Debra Klein
I’m surprised how often I reach for it!
Debra
Great Idea!
Not that it won’t be used up swiftly especially in soup season, but what is your best guess as to the shelf life?
Thanks!
Debra Klein
It will last in a cool, dark pantry for one year.
Nora
I didn’t realize how easy it is to make a vegetable bouillon powder! Really great tutorial! Thank you!
Debra Klein
Thanks Nora. You’re welcome.
Megan
I love how easy this recipe is. The powder is so tasty too.
Debra Klein
Right? I keep a jar in my pantry at all times, and when it runs out, I love how quickly I can make a new batch!
Judy Shea
This is my go to at least 2 to 3 times a week
Debra Klein
So happy to hear that Judy..thanks for sharing!
Gabriela
Hi, is there a sub for celery seed? Thank you.
Debra Klein
That’s a hard one because they have such a distinct flavor profile….if you have dill seeds, use them, otherwise I would just leave that ingredient out.
Ronald Reeser
OMGOODNESS!!!!!! I am so glad I stumbled on this recipe, as I have never heard of powdered bouillon – this is amazing!!!!!! Thank you so very much, I have already sent this to friends!
Debra Klein
You’re welcome. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Michelle Goodman
My son can’t have yeast. You mentioned subbing dried mushrooms and sunflower seeds. Do you have specific amounts? Someone just shared your site on a Passover fb post and I’m so exited to look through recipes. (Son does specific carbohydrate diet for UC so it’s no refined sugar, gluten, corn, soy, lactose or additives/preservatives/emulsifiers.) I’ve been looking for a homemade bouillon to use when I run out of broth. Ty!
Debra Klein
The recipe calls for Nutritional Yeast…and there isn’t actually any yeast in that product…so maybe your son can eat it? As for the substitution, I would follow the recipe….so substitute 1/2 cup combined (doesn’t have to be a 50/50 split…use what you have, more of the mushrooms produces a richer broth) of dried mushrooms and sunflower seeds to replace the 1/2 cup nutritional yeast.
Judy
This is absolutely fabulous! An answer to my prayers LOL. I’m on a restricted diet. I don’t eat any prepared foods. I haven’t been unable to find any vegetable bouillon that conforms to my diet. I decided to try a batch of this and what a pleasant surprise! It’s delicious! I tweaked it a bit with dried parsley and dried nettle. So now I can have vegetable broth anytime I need it, and I don’t have to waste anything. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe ❤️. I would give it 10 Stars if I could.
Debra Klein
Thank you for your note Judy…I’m so glad you found this recipe and it works well for you….exactly why I create recipes like this!
Noelle
I canNOT thank you enough! I had been on a looooong search for a clean bouillon. It doesn’t seem to exist! This was so easy. Made it in my old Ninja Bullet. I haven’t made broth with it yet (but I will very soon). I did use it for cauliflower rice to make it a pilaf. In times past, I’d use liquid broth and it comes out too wet. This worked PERFECTLY! Thank you for sharing 💛
Debra Klein
Ooh….I love your idea of using this for cauli-rice pilaf! Brilliant!