Try this Instant Pot Vegetable Stock recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 leaves
- 8 cups cold water
- 2 small onions (keep the outer layers roughly chopped)
- 2 stocks celery (roughly diced)
- 2 carrots (roughly diced)
- 1 dried shiitake mushroom
- 6 cremini mushrooms (roughly sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorn
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (not low sodium soy sauce)
- your favorite fresh or dried herbs
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (192g)
- Sodium 7.584 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Prepare ingredients as instructed.
- Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 15 minutes + 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 vegetable stock through a fine-mesh strainer. Let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate.
Pressure cooking extracts water-soluble compounds from plant matter faster than traditional simmering because sealed chambers maintain temperatures slightly above boiling point. This rapid extraction breaks down cellular walls in root vegetables and fungi without boiling away volatile aromatics into the kitchen air. Retaining onion skins adds a deep amber hue and mild tannins that mimic the color profile of traditional meat broths.
Straining the hot liquid through a fine-mesh sieve removes suspended solids that would otherwise turn bitter during prolonged storage. Once chilled to 4 degrees Celsius in an ice bath, the strained liquid keeps safely in a sealed glass container for up to five days. Freezing the stock in wide-mouth Mason jars allows for easy portioning, leaving two inches of headspace to accommodate liquid expansion during freezing.
Refrigerated stock serves as an immediate base for pan sauces, risottos, and grain pilafs over the subsequent forty-eight hours. Reducing this liquid by half concentrates the savory notes provided by the mushrooms and soy sauce, turning a basic broth into a glossy glaze for roasted root vegetables or quick pan gravies.
Scaling this recipe requires attention to vessel capacity limits. Doubling the ingredients safely fits inside an eight-quart pressure cooker, provided the total volume stays two inches below the maximum fill line to prevent clogging the steam release valve.
