Your quest to find a healthy, flavor-adding broth powder ends here. Plus, these powders work well for vegan and vegetarian dishes too.

If you cook dinner at home on a regular basis sooner or later you will run into this problem – what to use for broth? I finally became disgusted with searching for just the right product with no luck, and  now make my own broth powders, but the road thus far has been filled with experiments.

As a young bride, I made my own chicken and vegetable broth from scratch, just like my great-grandmother did! Result – great product but very time consuming. Once the children came along I took the easy route and started purchasing chicken bouillon. Result – little flavor, full of salt, fat, and not much else – convenient though!

Then I became a vegetarian which limited my broth options. Started buying vegetable broth in a carton. Result – expensive, salty, and almost taste-free. The low-sodium vegetable broth was no better. Vegetable bouillon cubes were salty with the addition of trans-fats. Other vegetarian options were even worse.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Since part of my “day job” is to design healthy foods, I figured I could develop my own healthy, FLAVORFUL broth powders.

Here are the recipes I now use. Each recipe makes about 1/4 cup or 12 servings (1 tsp powder per 1 cup boiling water).

You will see that there aren’t any cheap flavor enhancers like corn syrup solids, autolyzed or hydrolyzed anything, no MSG, no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated (trans-fats) anything and only a little salt to brighten the taste.

I increased the umami meatiness (savory flavor not meat taste) by adding all-natural ingredients like tomato, molasses, mustard, cabbage, nutritional yeast and balsamic vinegar. The potato flour keeps the broth powders free-flowing, but you can leave it out if you wish.

A Note About Herbs

Each kind of broth powder calls for a variable herb mixture. I give suggestions for each with a total amount. This way, if you really love the taste of thyme you can add 1 tsp instead of the 1/4 tsp that I would add. However, I recommend that you use at least 3 different herbs to give a well-rounded flavor.

Why Use Broth Powders?

• Convenience; broth powders are shelf stable and can be used with make-ahead soup and casserole mixes.
• Time-saving; nothing beats homemade broth made from scratch. But I don’t have the time or desire to make the large batches I would need. Broth powders allow me to be a bit lazy at times!
• Room-saving; if you limited kitchen or freezer space, the last thing you want is jars and jars of broth filling all your space.

• ---

Vegan Chicken Broth Powder Recipe

• 1 Tbsp each: potato flour and nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp each: onion powder and salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp celery powder
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 – 2 1/2 tsp mixed herbs. Use herbs associated with chicken dishes like parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, etc.

Vegan Beef Broth Powder Recipe

• 1 Tbsp each:  potato flour and molasses powder
• 1 tsp each: balsamic vinegar powder and onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp each: salt, celery powder, mustard seed powder, and white pepper
• 2 tsp mixed herbs. Use herbs associated with beef dishes like parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc.

Vegan Vegetable Broth Powder Recipe

• 1/2 Tbsp each: potato flour,  nutritional yeast, tomato powder, and cabbage powder.
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp each: salt, celery powder, and white pepper
• 2 1/2 – 3 tsp mixed herbs. Use your favorites like basil, oregano, dill, etc.

• ---

Where to Find Your Ingredients

• Potato flour is not the same as potato starch. I purchase potato flour at the local health food store.
• Nutritional Yeast is not the same as Brewer’s Yeast (no matter how many health store employees tell you it is). You may be able to find nutritional yeast in your grocer’s bulk section. It can also be ordered online.
• Mustard Seed Powder is the same thing as ground mustard or powdered mustard. Find it in the spice section.
• Onion powder, white pepper, dried herbs, turmeric and garlic powder can also be found in the spice section.
• Celery, tomato, and cabbage powders are a bit more difficult to find. Make your own vegetable powders or purchase from an online retailer.
• Molasses powder and balsamic vinegar powder can also be purchased online. Don’t be tempted to leave these ingredients out, they provide a much needed boost of umami.
• I recommend either searching for any of the above ingredients at Amazon.com where you will find purveyors of all. I personally purchase many of my ingredients from BulkFoods.com where you will find anything you need at an almost wholesale price.

Caution: Order smaller amounts, especially of the specialty ingredients. This is the voice of experience. I ordered 10 pounds of Nutritional Yeast years ago and still probably have 9 pounds left. It takes up much more space than I would like in my tiny kitchen. Learn from my mistake!

Related Links You May Find Helpful

Make Your Own Vegetable Powders

How to Dry Vegetables in the Oven

How to Make Your Own Homemade Soup