Instant Pot Vegetable Stock

Stocks are a staple we can’t live without in our kitchen.

A good stock is an essential ingredient that enhances any dish or soup!

We were determined for a healthier alternative than store-bought broth (though they can be lifesavers at times!). And it has led us to welcome our first Instant Pot home!

Instant Pot has made it easier, more convenient, and quicker to make homemade stocks comparing to the traditional way.

Many of our recipes call for homemade chicken stock, but we often get asked about substituting with vegetable stock. So, here’s our Pressure Cooker Vegetable Stock for you!! 🙂

A simple basic vegetable stock with balanced flavors and color. Great to store up in the fridge for cooking. Enjoy~

You’ll Enjoy Instant Pot Vegetable Stock Because:

• Super easy and quick to make
• No need to watch-over the pot as it simmers
• Vegetarian & Vegan-friendly stock to substitute chicken stock
• Made with nutritious real, whole food (use up your leftover veggies!)
• Adds an extra depth of flavors and texture to your soups, sauces, or dishes

Time to make some Instant Pot Vegetable Stock!

Instant Pot Vegetable Stock Experiment

What we look for in a great Homemade Veggie Stock?

• Balanced flavor: not too sweet, bitter, or pungent
• Nice color – depending on what you’re planning to use the stock for
• Right amount of ingredients to water ratio (won’t come out too watery or thick)

Pressure Cooker Vegetable Stock Experiment:

We conducted 6+ tests with Homemade Vegetable Stock using different cooking times & cutting methods in our Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker.

Here are the Instant Pot Vegetable Stock Experiment Results:

The longer the better? Not necessary.

For experiment’s sake, we wanted to see what happens if we leave the vegetable stock in Instant Pot for a couple of hours. So we left the house for 3 hours, and came back to check out the veggie stock.

The stock was real bitter and very dark in color. It tasted like veggies that have turned bad. It doesn’t taste fresh anymore.

Instant Pot Vegetable Stock Experiment Conclusion

We prefer the “30 mins+QR Roughly Diced” version the most. It has brought out the sweetness from the carrots & celery, but not overly sweet to offset the flavor balance. It also has a nice brown color.

Also, don’t cook the vegetable stock (or let it sit in Instant Pot) for too long. The taste will go weird and loses the fresh veggies flavors!!

How to Make Instant Pot Vegetable Stock

Ingredients for Instant Pot Vegetable Stock

• 2 (350g) small onions (keep the outer layers), roughly chopped
• 2 (86g) celery stalks, roughly diced
• 2 (214g) carrots, roughly diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 (8g) dried shiitake mushroom
• 6 (86g) cremini mushrooms, roughly sliced
• 4 (11g) garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorn
• 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
• 8 cups (2L) cold water
• Your favorite fresh or dried herbs

Tools for Instant Pot Vegetable Stock

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Fine Mesh strainer

Preparation
Prepare Ingredients

Prepare ingredients as instructed.

Pressure Cook Vegetable Stock

Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot.

Close lid.

Instant Pot Vegetable Stock Cooking Time: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 15 minutes, then 15 minutes Natural Release

After 15 minutes, turn the venting knob to the venting position to release the remaining pressure.

Opening the lid carefully.

Strain the Stock

Strain vegetable stock through a fine-mesh strainer.

Let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate.

Freezer Instructions

If you like to freeze your Veggie Stock, head over to our Instant Pot Chicken Stock recipe for more detailed freezing instructions.

We love freezing our stock with this Silicone Mold (photo shown below).