How to Make Vegetable Stock: Salt-Free in 30 Minutes

Name: How to Make Vegetable Stock: Salt-Free in 30 Minutes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1/2 White onion skin removed - 200g/7oz; 3 Celery sticks washed - 150g/5.5oz; 2 Medium sized Carrots - 200g/7oz; 1/4 Large leek - 150g/5.5oz; 1/3 Red pepper - 125g/4.5oz; 2 Slices of orange; Small handful of parsley; 3 Sprigs of thyme; 1 star anise; 2 Bay Leaves; 6 Whole black peppercorns

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Last updated on October 22nd, 2026

Most people think of stock as one of two things: little salty cubes from the supermarket, or a pot simmering on the stove for hours. This vegetable stock is neither: it’s completely salt-free, needs about five minutes of prep, and is ready in thirty minutes of cooking. If you’d like a chicken version, my roast chicken with bonus stock gives you a rich stock as a by-product of dinner. Here’s exactly how I make mine.

Hands chopping celery on a wooden board beside a pot of chopped carrots

Ingredients for Homemade Vegetable Stock

Into a large saucepan goes half a white onion, carrots, celery, leeks and a red bell pepper, along with a couple of small orange slices, a handful of parsley, a few sprigs of thyme, two bay leaves, a star anise and six whole black peppercorns. None of this needs to be precise: this stock is forgiving, and it’s built around whatever you’ve got in the fridge. It’s exactly what I reach for in my mushroom risotto.

A couple of these choices aren’t random. The onion skin comes off because it browns the stock, and it’s red, yellow, or orange pepper only: green pepper is more bitter and that bitterness carries straight through into the liquid. Cut out the white pith too, for the same reason.

How to Make Vegetable Stock

Fill the pan with three litres of water and bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring the mixture as it heats to help push any impurities up to the surface. Once it’s at a gentle simmer, skim off any impurities with a ladle or spoon: you’ll likely need to repeat this a few times to get a clear stock. A clear, light stock like this is ideal for a delicate spring asparagus soup.

Close up of simmering vegetable stock with leek, celery and star anise in a steel pot

How Long to Simmer Vegetable Stock

Let the stock simmer for about half an hour. The green vegetables losing their bright colour is your cue that it’s ready: turn off the heat and let it cool slightly before transferring it into containers. Use one large container or several smaller ones, whichever suits your fridge space. It’s the perfect base for my bright green spinach and potato soup.

How Long Does Homemade Vegetable Stock Last?

Homemade vegetable stock keeps for around five days in the fridge in total. Leave the vegetables in the stock for the first 24 to 48 hours, then take them out. To store it, use tongs or a slotted spoon to distribute the vegetables evenly among your containers, then fill each one with the stock. Leave the orange slices out of the containers: left in, they can overpower the flavour. Once cool, put the containers in the fridge. A light, salt-free stock like this is exactly what lets the avocado shine in my smoky avocado soup.

Vegetable stock simmering in a steel pot with leek, onion, orange pepper, star anise and herbs

How to Concentrate Vegetable Stock

To make your stock last even longer, strain it into a saucepan, discarding the solids, and measure the remaining liquid. Boil it until it reduces to one-tenth of its starting volume: if you started with 1.2 litres, that’s down to around 120 millilitres, or half a cup, of concentrated liquid. This process intensifies the flavour dramatically and lets you make your own stock cubes. A spoonful of that concentrate is perfect in a quick pan sauce method when you haven’t got stock to hand.

How to Make Vegetable Stock Cubes

Pour the concentrated stock into an ice cube tray and freeze. A quick defrost gives you a hit of flavourful stock right at your fingertips, ready whenever a dish needs it. It’s handy for dishes like my one-pot butternut squash orzo.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why remove the onion skin?

It browns the stock, and this recipe is designed to stay clear and light-coloured.

Can I use green bell pepper?

Skip it: green peppers are more bitter and it carries through into the stock. Stick to red, yellow, or orange.

What do the orange slices actually do?

They add a fresh, vibrant background note: it’s the recipe’s secret weapon. Remove them before storing; left in, they can overpower the stock.

How long does reducing the stock into cubes take?

Roughly 20 minutes of continuous boiling to go from about 1.2 litres down to 120ml (around 1/10 the volume).

Vegetables for stock on a tray: leek, onion, carrots, red pepper, celery, parsley and bay leaf

How to Make Vegetable Stock: Salt-Free in 30 Minutes

Ben Goshawk

A salt-free vegetable stock with five minutes of prep and thirty minutes of simmering. Carrots, celery, leek, red pepper and two slices of orange give it a fresh, light flavour. Reduce it to a tenth of its volume and freeze it as homemade stock cubes.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Course Recipes

Servings Litre

Calories 50 kcal

Equipment

Fine-mesh strainer / Chinois
Ice cube tray
Chef’s knife
Chopping board
Measuring jug
Saucepan
Ladle / Skimming spoon
Tongs

Ingredients

1/2 White onion skin removed – 200g/7oz
3 Celery sticks washed – 150g/5.5oz
2 Medium sized Carrots – 200g/7oz
1/4 Large leek – 150g/5.5oz
1/3 Red pepper – 125g/4.5oz
2 Slices of orange
Small handful of parsley could just be stalks they have lots of flavour
3 Sprigs of thyme
1 star anise
2 Bay Leaves fresh or dried
6 Whole black peppercorns

Instructions

Gather ingredients: half a white onion with the skin removed, washed and cut into 4 pieces, 2 carrots washed and cut into 3 cm pieces, 3 celery sticks washed and cut into 3 cm pieces, the equivalent of 1 regular leek washed and cut into 3 cm pieces, 1/3 of a red bell pepper washed and cut into large pieces, 2 small slices of orange, a small handful of parsley, a few sprigs of thyme, 2 bay leaves (fresh or dried), 1 star anise, and 6 whole black peppercorns.
Place all ingredients in a 4 litre saucepan and add 3 litres of water.
Bring to a boil on high heat, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. After 5 minutes, begin skimming off impurities with a ladle or spoon. Repeat as needed.
Simmer for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool slightly.
Gather containers to store the stock and use tongs or a slotted spoon to distribute the vegetables evenly among the containers. Add the liquid, but not the orange slices.
Refrigerate the stock for 24-48 hours.
After 24-48 hours, remove the vegetables and the stock will last for around 5 days in the refrigerator.
To make the stock last longer, strain it into a saucepan and boil it until you have 1/10 of the original amount. For example, if you started with 1.2 litres, boil it down to 120ml.
Pour the concentrated stock carefully into an ice cube tray and freeze it to make your own stock cubes.