Substitutions
Water simmered with onion, carrot, celery and other vegetables, sometimes with dried mushroom or tomato for depth. It cooks in well under an hour, since there is no collagen to extract.
What it does in a recipe: A savoury liquid base with no animal content and no gelatin. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Vegetable stock, Veggie stock
Quick answer
Mushroom broth
1 cup vegetable broth = 1 cup mushroom brothAll substitutes, best first
1 cup vegetable broth = 1 cup mushroom brothAlso plant-based, and considerably more savoury — dried mushrooms carry more free glutamate than any of the standard stock vegetables, so it gives more depth for the same volume.
Trade-offMuch darker and distinctly mushroomy, which is an asset in a risotto and a liability in a pale spring soup.
1 cup vegetable broth = 1 cup hot water + 1 vegetable stock cube or 1 tsp powderDehydrated vegetable stock with salt and glutamates added, which restores the seasoning and savour of a made stock in about a minute.
Trade-offSaltier and more one-dimensional, often with a strong celery or yeast note.
Allergen checkVegetable cubes very often contain celery, and frequently wheat or soy. A cube labelled vegan is by definition free of milk, but vegan does not mean allergen-free — check the wrapper, especially for celery, which is a declared allergen in the UK and EU.
1 cup vegetable broth = 1 cup water + 1 tsp soy sauce or 1 tsp white misoBoth are fermented soy products dense in glutamates, so a small amount pushes plain water into savoury territory faster than any vegetable would.
MethodWhisk miso into a little warm liquid before adding it to the pot, and never boil it hard, which flattens its flavour.
Trade-offThinner and more one-note than a real stock, and it will tint a pale soup brown.
Allergen checkMiso and soy sauce are both soy, and most miso is made with barley or rice koji while most soy sauce contains wheat. For gluten-free, look for tamari and a rice-koji miso, and confirm on the label.
1 cup vegetable broth = 1 cup water saved from cooking potatoes, beans or pastaStarchy cooking water already holds dissolved starch and some seasoning, so it has more body and savour than fresh water, particularly in a soup you want to thicken slightly.
MethodTaste it first — pasta water in particular can be salty enough to change how you season the whole dish.
Trade-offMuch less flavour than a real stock, and pasta water carries gluten from the pasta itself.
Allergen checkWater from cooking wheat pasta contains dissolved gluten and is not safe for a coeliac. Water from potatoes or from gluten-free pasta is fine, but keep the pans separate if cross-contact matters.
Vegetable stock lacks gelatin entirely, so a sauce built on it will never cling the way one built on chicken stock does. If you need body, reduce it further or finish with butter, cream or a small amount of starch.
At a glance
| Category | Broths & stocks |
|---|---|
| Job in a recipe | A savoury liquid base with no animal content and no gelatin |
| Suits | Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free |
| Swaps available for | Dairy-freeEgg-freeGluten-freeNut-freeSoy-freeVeganVegetarian |
| Number of substitutes | 4 |
Related
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.