You might have seen a lot and heard a lot about Bone Broth and its “gut healing” properties in the news and media, as it seems to be a health trend at the moment.
So I decided to look into what exactly it is about bone broth is apparently so fascinating… and was very underwhelmed. I’m not a health expert, nor do I desire to be but if you’ve been brainwashed into thinking bone broth is somehow crucial for good health, I’d like to provide my thoughts as well as an alternative recipe…
Bone Broth is Nothing Special
Turns out, the most beneficial nutrients and electrolytes in bone broth can be found in vegan-friendly sources and the one thing that sets itself apart, the thing that is impossible for vegans to find a veggie replacement for is the collagen.
Collagen? I’ll make my own, thanks
Our bodies can’t even digest collagen whole. We simply absorb the nutrients from our food which provides our bodies with the building blocks it needs to naturally create collagen, if and when it needs it.
Eating collagen does not equal having more collagen. As put in this article from TIME magazine, “Just as the dietary fat you swallow doesn’t directly translate to body fat, swallowing collagen doesn’t become collagen in or between your bones.”
In this article by NPR, they quote Kantha Shelke, a food scientist who says “Eating a diet rich in leafy green vegetables is ideal. Plants offer richer sources in collagen building blocks and, in addition, provide nutrients not found in sufficient quantities in meats or broth.”
Healing the stomach lining
And as for it being healing for the stomach lining, particularly from the gelatin, there are some great plant-based sources for that too. Particularly fermented foods.
There are many other foods that have been shown to contribute towards healing the stomach lining and digestive tract, such as seaweed, aloe vera, healthy fats and turmeric. I’ll do a post with more information on this in the future but the point is, gelatin is not the only option.
Vitamins and minerals
Obviously, all the calcium, potassium and other minerals found in bone broth are more than easy to find in plant-based foods plus they contain much, much more goodness.
So the animal product-reliant parts are kind of useless… Or at the very least, unnecessary and over-hyped. It’s all in aid of making what our bodies already naturally produce and plant-sourced vitamins and minerals are the best option to actually help it do that.
A Plant-Based Option Works The Same (If Not Better)
So now we’ve established that the bones in this healing broth are not only unnecessary but also not as nutritious as plant-based sources, it seems pretty clear that using a bunch of wholesome plant-based ingredients is going to be WAY more healing. And way more appealing, too.
Although, I should say that I haven’t come across any evidence of the healing benefits of slow-cooking or broth, in general. It doesn’t do much to enhance the nutrients but there is definitely something that feels healing when drinking broth. It’s warming, it’s comforting, it’s full of goodness and it tastes good.
The bottom line though is that we shouldn’t be relying on a broth to “heal” our guts! Because that’s silly.
Vegan Bone Broth Alternative
My version contains lot’s of nutritional goodness that is great for overall health but particularly focuses on plenty of gut-healing properties. Feel free to switch up, leave out or add in any ingredients you like, to suit your diet and taste.
The main stars are:
- Wakame seaweed: Great source of omega 3 – one of the best for vegans, great for intestinal health, full of vitamins and minerals (particularly good source of iron, calcium, magnesium and iodine). Not suitable for SCD diets, leave out as necessary.
- Shiitake mushrooms: Gives the most amazing, comforting flavour. Full of vitamins and minerals (great source of vitamin D – especially if sun dried, zinc and B vitamins). Contains all essential amino acids. Prebiotic.
- Coconut oil or olive oil: Healthy fats with a good omega ratio that help absorb nutrients.
- Turmeric: Powerful anti-inflammatory plus adds delicious flavour and a beautiful colour.
- Spinach or kale: Full of vitamins and minerals (particularly high in Vitamins K, A and C, magnesium and calcium). Also a good source of protein and omega 3. Prebiotic.
- Coconut aminos: Mainly used for flavour but also gives the benefit of it’s amino acids. May not be suitable for some diets as it’s considered a sugar, so leave out if necessary.
I was worried the seaweed might be overwhelming, as I don’t like sea flavours, but it wasn’t really noticeable and the little bit that was noticeable was actually delicious. It paired wonderfully with the mushrooms, ginger, chilli and coconut aminos for an Asian-style flavour. SO good and wonderfully comforting.

Gut-Healing Vegetable Broth
A nutritious, gut-healing broth as a vegan alternative to bone broth. If you don't like or can't find any ingredients, don't worry. Add what flavours you like and try to get as much variety and nutritional goodness as you can!
Ingredients
- 12 cups / 2 3/4 litres filtered water
- 1 tbsp coconut oil , or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion, quartered (with skins)
- 1 garlic bulb, smashed
- 1 chilli pepper, roughly chopped (with seeds)
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped (with skin)
- 1 cup greens, such as kale or spinach
- 3-4 cup mixed chopped vegetables and peelings, I used carrot peelings, red cabbage, fresh mushrooms, leeks and celery
- 1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
- 30 g dried wakame seaweed
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 1 - 2 tbsp ground turmeric (use less for a milder taste)
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos, (see notes)
- A bunch of fresh corriander, or other herb of your choice
- (optional) 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes, for extra flavour and vitamins
Instructions
- Simply add everything to a large pot. Bring to a boil then simmer, with the lid on, for about an hour.
- Once everything has been cooked down, strain the liquid into a large bowl.
- Serve immediately with some fresh herbs, for decoration or cool for later. It also freezes well.
Notes
*Coconut aminos can be very salty, depending on what brand you use so taste before adding any additional salt.
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How many calories are in a serving? My wife and I made it today and really enjoyed it!
I LOVED this broth! I do have a question. How long does this stay good in the fridge? I made it five days, on Jan 6th, ago and I forgot to freeze it so I want to know if it’s too late to drink or freeze.
The ethics of bone broth does matter, even in a P.E.T.A world; mainly, because over 3 billion human beings cannot just give up eating meat overnight…FOR ANY REASON. As for some, their day-to-day survival depends on it!
All the ‘sane’ arguments in favor of not-eating animal by-products for religious or ethical reasons, I am in full agreement with, even though I am a meat eater myself. Ethics and our Environment seem logical enough to me. ‘Protect and preserve life about all else’ has been my personal motto for most of my adult life. Despite being an ethical ‘meat eater’. It certainly ain’t going to happen this P.E.T.A century!
It is sheer fallacy and farce to expect 3 billion people to give up eating meat, as tasty, and delicious as it is; especially, almost overnight. It will take decades, if not centuries, for this kind of change to actually take place around the globe.
In the meantime, the sad and grim reality is that billions of chickens and pigs are slaughtered each year around the world, to feed the insatiable cravings of far too many meat-loving human beings like myself. Bone Broth anyone?
You really need to do more research! I am a Vegan and have peace of mind that I am not only healthier but saving the world one meal at a time. You think Climate Change is a hoax? Anyone who loves animals wouldnt dare eat meat. Would you eat your cat or dog??
oh god here we go with the holier than thou mentality
I am an independent health research scholar, with over FIFTY-FIVE years of expertise on the value of meat protein over vegetable protein to reduce inflammation in our body and brain. Oh, I guess my three Ph.D.’s in Biochemistry, Molecular biology, and Nutrition mean nothing to you. By the way, please let me know where I can send my data, re over 8,400 studies on meat and nutrition. I love my cat, I would never consider eating her, or my leg; yet, if that’s all the food there is…Bon Appetite to either one. LOL Please keep in mind, we have differing points of view, thus my ideas, as an alternative reality seem dangerous, subversive, and radical; yet, we’ve been eating bone broth for over twenty thousand years! How radical is that?
Randy, I have a (respectful) question. I gave up all animal products in an attempt to figure out why my body stopped working as normal (bloating, arthritis, headaches, sluggish metabolism, heart palpitations and panic attacks and worsening asthma). Really, I cut out all allergens and have slowly added things back. I know unequivocally that dairy isn’t my friend. I’ve tried chicken and turkey but the heart related symptoms came back. I haven’t had the nerve to try beef or wild game again (we are a family of hunters so deer is a normal protein). Is there something I am doing wrong or am I just one of those people that can’t go back? I would love your insight if you’ve seen this kind of thing before. I’ve wondered if it’s more about meat production and if ethically harvested meat would be different. Thank I’m advance!
Hi Christi, I will do my best to refer you to the right information or source. I am an ethical meat eater; which means, I eat humanely and organically-raised meat products. The list of added ingredients in non-organic meats is long and filled with polysyllabic chemicals most people can’t even pronounce. Additionally, the added antibiotics and hormones the meat source receives can also add to your toxic load.
Dr. Sherry Rogers is one of the best environmental Dr’s out there. Her books can give you some info on what you may be facing. There are over 10,000 legal and approved additives the US Government allows in our foods!
That’s a lot of possible allergens to check off your list!
They use nitrates and other preservatives in most commercial non-organic meats. The heading, ‘Spices’ can also include many other unknown ingredients like insect parts, and human as well as animal feces, in parts per billion, of course.
In my educated opinion, to re-acclimate your body to meat, you should try a cup or two of organic bone broth; preferably from a reliable source, or you can make it yourself. After a cup, wait and see what happens for a few hours; if no reaction, have another cup, and then, monitor your response.
Take two cups a day for a week, in the morning and one at night, while you monitor your body’s response. If all is well and no negative reactions, after a week or more, try some organic chicken, or turkey, with ZERO additives, try a small amount at a time and see what happens.
The bone broth will actually heal your insides and ease your transition back to meat. Again, I am an ethical and organic meat eater. My meat has been humanely raised and allowed to live a good life, and NOT, just grown for slaughter!
I only eat meat a few times a week, max. We have a planet to consider, and I must also do my part.
I hope this helps…
Christi,
The brain is constantly creating neurological pathways with everything that we do. A lesser known study conducted by Pavlov (of Pavlov’s bell) showed that despite healthy animals healing upon exposure to a large toxin (tetany), a less toxic stimuli presented in the future can prompt lethal side effects. Today’s theory is this: the same neurological pathways, for reasons yet unknown, can be traveled in the brain at any time, triggering things like flashbacks, multiple chemical sensitivity, allergies, and nervous system disorders.
I comment because I too react to any meat that was store-bought (sometimes even organic, immediately exposing the label as a lie) with allergies, arthritis, fatigue, and twitching. In my case, I suspect a toxic dose of antibiotics made me hyper-sensitive to their presence in meats. I highly recommend finding local farmers whom you trust (farmer’s markets and local food co-ops are great places to start!), where clean, wild food is the norm, and chemical interventions (like antibiotics) are not used. As far as wild game goes, inspect the surrounding area to determine how healthy the animal itself is. Are the deer eating from GMO corn fields that are sprayed copiously with pesticides…?
So YES. Ethically makes a difference, not just to fuel a better and more just world, but one our bodies can feel. Hope this helps.
I’m curious, what properties does the coconut aminos have a far as added nutrition for this recipe? Can I sub it out for Himalayan salt? Since you said it is quite salty? Thanks this recipe sounds great! I just met this couple tonight who helped me with an emergency situation who are vegan and I want to thank them by making my Thai style carrot coconut soup. I usually use bone broth but am very vegan friendly and can’t wait to make that soup vegan this time. ❤️
Interesting thoughts, but where are the leeks?
Leeks are mentioned in the ingredients list.
i’m sure leeks r a type of onion.they’re gd.
Looking for the nutritional facts for this broth…maybe I was blind… lol do you have them handy?
ever find the nutritional facts for this ?
I believe they are mentioned in the text.
I’m scheduled for a surgicsl procedure in three days, after which I must adhere to a clear liquid diet for a week. Vegetarian, my surgeon’s office offers no help for me. I’m very happy to have found this recipe – the description includes “…a source of protein…” – yet NO nutritional values can be found on this page. Have I missed it? If I have, I apologize. But I’ve never seen a recipe before without nutritionsl values, and I’m very disappointed they’re not included here. I found your page under a Google search for “clear liquid protein sources”. Not much help.
Thank you for this lovely recipe and i am sure I will give it a try. Being raised as a vegetarian I am always looking for healthy alternatives and recipes.
I’ve never suffered so much whiplash while reading tried to a post. Bone broth is good for you. Nobody needs to be judged for trying to stay alive. I love animals. I have a dog and a bird. I catch opossums in the basement, but I don’t kill them. But as a recovering anorexic, the LAST thing I need while sipping bone broth is an image of how these poor animals suffered. I get it! We all get it! The animals suffered. Animals have been killed as a good source since the beginning of time. They are also used in medical research. No, I don’t like that they suffer, but if they don’t suffer, your kids would never live through lukemia, if they developed it. You wouldn’t have the high survival rate you have today. By the way, you do know plants are living things, too. Just because they don’t scream doesn’t mean they don’t feel pain when you chop them up. Classical music has proven to stimulate plant growth better than heavy metal and rock, under the same environment. So maybe they suffer, too.
But my point being, you don’t know who could be reading your posts. There are quite a few people with eating disorders, like myself, who fight every day to eat healthy meals. The last thing we need is feelings of guilt and one more reason to put the dishes and silverware back in the drawer and walk away. Please think of others when you decide to post. Words have power.
Has anyone considered combining this recipe with bone broth? I’ve considered it, but I’d omit the seaweed.
“while reading tried to a post” should’ve said “while reading replies to a post”
“Animals have been killed as a good source” should’ve said “animals have been killed as a food source”
I apologise for all the typos. I do wish we could edit our posts.
compassion to you and all reading this. compassion to all beings on earth. all beings. including all animals, all creatures. as well as all humans who eat animal products, consciously or unconsciously. those of us who can ethically, healthily, and on all physical, psycho-emotional planes, make the choice to live a vegan lifestyle must remember this compassion unconditionally.
No judgement here, just providing a plant-based alternative for those interested with some reassurance that you can get the health benefits without the bones. I did go back through my post and don’t think my language is guilt-inducing nor does it go into detail about animal abuse. I don’t like that kind of thing, either.
I don’t think there was any intentional guilt here. I am anorexic and make my own food choices. The idea that meat and vegetable proteins are interchangeable is incorrect though. Bone broth and vegetable broth are absolutely not the same thing. The nutrients of bone broth utilize minerals in very different ways, it is synergistic They are quite different. The vegetarian diet is not for everyone, it’s actually not for many. Being a vegetarian for 20 years landed me in a health crisis, I’ll never remove meat from my life again. It’s interesting as a society that we don’t have the capacity to be moderate with our protein intake and change the system rather than demand our bodies function in a way they’re not meant to. We need to change the system and how animals are raised, bread and slaughtered in this country. Organic farming should be supported over big box stores. I’m an animal rights activist with three forms of anemia thanks to my vegetarian diet. I made those choices, blame no one, but now have to work to recover from that lifestyle. This unfortunately happens often and by the time the body starts eating itself due to meat protein deficiency there’s a lot of work to do to recover. It’s scary watching so many people turn to these diets but they’ll learn just as I did. Meat and vegetable protein are not the same thing, we need to stop telling people that. People that have not studied nutrition take those ideas as facts and it can be very damaging to health. Just my thought.
There are mountains of studies saying the opposite of what you’re claiming. Meanwhile there is not even a single case study that provides any evidence that lack of meat caused someone’s health issues. Just lots of people who claim that that was the case. It is very possible to have a healthY meat free diet. It’s also completely possible to have a diet lacking in adequate nutrients and be a vegetarian. But don’t blame poor health on vegetarianism in general – there are plenty of us that have been veg for decades whose health is thriving. I’ve even met several lifelong vegetarians older than I am and I’m in my mid 30s. So please – stick to facts and not anecdotes, please.
I beg to differ. There is a powerful multi-year study from Australia showing a full fat dairy, eggs, unprocessed meat and dark chocolate, is a diet leading to less mortality and healthier lives. The attached link will give you a digestible explanation of the study. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/science/full-fat-dairy-red-meat-and-dark-chocolate-are-good-for-you/news-story/4d7418770f1b417d2d485b8aafb0e1ea?s=09
Youre absolutely right. People develop problems because they don’t cook properly, eat properly, or supplement properly (there is NO reason to develop iron and b12 deficiency anemia if you are supplementing properly), and then cherry-pick one (1) study that supports their ideas, amongst all the studies that don’t. It’s silly. If it’s not for them then it’s not and they don’t have to be ridiculous just to justify it. Like… y’all do you. Being vegetarian or vegan requires nutritional knowledge and education. As someone who used to have anorexia it is EXHAUSTING to see all these people who used vegetarianism as a handy eating disorder trick who are now claiming that it’s inherently unhealthy. No, their eating disorder was unhealthy and they lacked the scientific knowledge to do it properly. It’s so tiring.
Tell that to George Bernard Shaw.
Well for people like me this great, I have a rare kidney disease that doesn’t allow me to have animal proteins,the protein causes build up in them as well as poking holes in my kidneys, so to find this is awesome.
It wasn’t. I love this recipe and article. Thank you for posting.
I love this recipe and all that comes with it. Eating a plant-base diet far exceed any other diet.
Having a nutritional sheet is important but, if look up the health benefit of each ingredients then you will know that this is a highly nutritious vegetable broth.
Thanks for freely sharing your recipe with us, much appreciation.
That kind of seaweed contains carrageenan. I learned about carrageenan and its potentially harmful affects to the gut after looking for ways to heal my gut since recently suffering a horrible bout of colitis that has changed my digesting drastically. People should be aware. “ Since the late 1960s, there’s been controversy surrounding the health effects of carrageenan. Some evidence suggests that carrageenan triggers inflammation, gastrointestinal ulcerations, and that it damages your digestive system
I found her post informative and in no way judgemental. Having an eating disorder is terribly debilitating and I have help my daughter through one. It’s not about whether you eat meat or not though, it’s about making sure what you eat is nutritious and that’s not meat. I wish you well on your journey to health.
Not ew to the recipe ew to these nasty comments.
I second that Jc. Not even sure where all this came from. Its a meatless alternative. Enjoy it or not and move on.
“Right to Know” — ANIMAL PROTEIN CAUSES CANCER & MORE! “The China Study” http://www.eatingyoualive.com
I think you should go back and read the recipe again. There is no guilt tripping and NO discussion of animal suffering, it is all about replicating nutrients for people who wish to do so.
I used to have anorexia and I understand the guilt that you’re talking about, but you have a responsibility to recognize that that guilt is internal and it is yours to work through. It is unfair to put it on the writer, who did none of what you’re suggesting. Your disorder is not their fault and they did not proselytize about veganism. They merely discussed alternative sources of collagen, protein, and other nutrients, for people who prefer to source them elsewhere.
I’m sorry for what you’re going through and I empathize, but it is deeply unfair to dump that on the OP, who did not guilt trip anyone.
oh ya.when we cut or tear a plant we’re sposed 2 tell them b4 so that we’ll b doing this.it’s betr 2 warn them.they really get a shock if we don’t.
Thank you for this interesting article. Until now, I envied the carnivorous for the chicken broth with collagen. Everywhere, they talked about “health nectar”, “magic elixir”… Will try your recipe. I’m used to making broth with the leftover juicer pulp.
I love this broth it is SO delicious. It is also my go-to broth after ending and extended water fast which I do 3-4 times a year. I do have one question though, please… if you could offer some insight. I follow this recipe almost to the letter, however my broth has never looked golden like the picture. It is always a dark green color. My suspicion it is might be the dried seaweed but I am not sure. Has this ever happened to you? The broth is delicious, but when I make it, the color is less than appetizing.
My fist batch was like that. I used the wrong seaweed and I used a lot of purple veggies. Once I got the right seaweed and balanced the veggie colors it looked great. Maybe see if you are doing anything like that? Xxxooo
I have been making vegan broth for years and have never used seaweed. I always use kelp. Always get a beautiful color.
Interesting. Certain herbs (not going to name them here due to rude comments further up) have properties that heal and soothe the gut (not the stomach, but further along the digestive tract, small intestine usually, is where the damage often is in need of repair) and seal the leaky gut barrier. Tried GAPS; couldn’t. Just urrgggh. Certain information from the Medical Medium (as he’s called) in his book Life-Changing Foods, can help with the healing as well. Really worth reading, and mostly vegan. Amazing recipes.
Very nice recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
I just find it comical how all the righteous non-vegans are commenting that the benefits of consuming PLANTS are unsubstantiated. I’ve been vegan for 5 years and wouldn’t have any other way.
Omg love this! Put very little seaweed in since it was the first time making and jarred up about 6 mason jars to bring to work! For dinner tonight, I sautéd mushrooms and spinach with a little soy sauce and garlic and added to as a soup. So freakin good! Thank you!
Tried this broth last night. Quick and easy to make. The recipe needs more detail (like soaking and rinsing the seaweed, whether to cut off roots of onion, celery, garlic skins, etc. and to press the veggies through a mesh strainer to get all of the broth and nutrients out). I used 4 more cups of water than suggested because 12 cups really wasn’t enough to even nearly cover the contents. Next time, I will significantly reduce the amount of seaweed as it dominated the flavor. Overall, this gave me great ideas on how to boost the flavor of my vegetable broth (seaweed, dried shiitake mushrooms, chili pepper, garlic) and I really appreciate that! I also enjoyed feeling like I was getting a lot of nutrients as I consumed it.
I have Hashimoto’s, so I’m leaving out the seaweed (it’s a big no-no for folks with autoimmune diseases), but everything else looks beautiful! Can’t wait to sip it on this chilly rainy winter day!
Oh I didn’t know that! I thought it would be beneficial for autoimmune diseases, due to the omega 3 that helps with inflammation.
Why is seed weed a big no no for autoimmune disorders?
I have a few.
Seaweed is AIP compliant
Can you please post some evidence/literature to these claims you make? To make such a bold statement as this needs some evidence to back it up…if you have any!
Yikes!! It’s veggie broth for Gosh sakes not a cure for ALS!
Super healing , love it so much…. I make it weekly and double the recipe.
as a clinical dietitian, I can tell you alot of what she has said is crap. Even so, it´s probably a pleasant thing to drink and I would imagine very comforting in winter. I intend to make it. What all these non nutrition experts fail to acknowledge is that there are alot of elements in food that we haven´t even discovered yet, so I would be taking any ¨discussions¨ by non-qualified persons as fiction.
Which parts are you disagreeing with?
I have worked with a lot of clinically qualified dieticians who recommended a lot of “crap” processed food- way out of date with current research. These same dieticians recommend “crap” highly processed food to hospitalized patients – sad. Whole, unprocessed organic nutrient dense vegetables- food as Medicine- much better then listening to “qualified” fiction writers.
I love this recipe, and find it useful and adaptable to individual needs. Some people will do better on bone broths, others vegetable broths. Thank you for recipe.
I am in school for holistic nutrition. All the ingredients have an abundance of vitals minerals. You can look up each one and see the benefits for yourself .
To flat out say bone broth is bad and this is better is questionable, and I would like to see the evidence that supports this. I’m sure it has a lot of great benefits that come from cooking the veggies down (because yes vegetables are GREAT for you), but I don’t know if claiming that it is better for you than bone broth is accurate. I don’t know how the two can be compared because they are foods from animals and plants which aren’t the same in a lot of ways! What about the amino acids from the bones like L-glutamine, or from the blood of the marrow, or breakdown of the connective tissue from the bones? Would love to see the research as to how this is better!
Not eating dead flesh & bones from a once suffering animal, with all the fear, hurt and abuse that soul had to endure…..Bone broth definitely will not be as good and healing as regenerating plants – so it goes without even saying…… :)
Definitely refuse to go out and buy bones from a poor, severely abused animal. Just cut out added sugar or no sugar at all.
Harvard Health Dept. actually posted an article backed with scientific evidence and clinical studies as to why bone broth – while not necessarily ‘bad’ – does little to nothing to help with digestion, joints, etc.
It also mentions that the benefits people get from bone broth is most likely coming from the vegetables included.
Just google Harvard on bone broth.
Anyways, delicious broth + all ingredients are so beneficial/nourishing.
It really is the basics of science of digestion. Whatever you eat your body breaks down by way of absorption which takes place through the villi (tiny hair-like structures, in the mucosa of the small inteatine. Within each villus is an artereole and a venule bridge (where arteries turns back to venous flow) with cappilaries. Simple sugars, small proteins or peptides, amino acids, a few simple fatty acids and most of the water in the digestive tract are absorbed into the blood through these capillaries. From Memmler’s Structure and Function of the Human Body 10th edition, pg.346
It isn’t collagen that is absorbed but what it is made up of. You get those nutrients from plants. How else do cows, rhinos, or elephants make collagen. And those are the largest and strongest herbivores on the planet.
I made this broth and ate it as soup instead. Left out coconut oil, turmeric, and aminos. Woke up the next day with my eyes totally swollen which for me is a sign of too much sodium. Considering I’ve had no sodium the past few days, I knew it had to be the soup. But what?? After reading how much sodium Wakame has in it, I will leave it out next time.
Wakame has to be soaked for atleast 30 mins and washed well in order to get rid of all the salt. This is what I learnt when I initially started using wakame.
Additional details to my earlier comment:
Soak the wakame for about 30 minutes. Rinse 2 or 3 times thoroughly. Drain after each rinse, and squeeze or knead (as if you are working with bread dough) to remove excess salt used in the drying process and rinse off any hidden sand. Drain well and use.
Thank you for these instructions.
I think the reason “Bone Broth” seems to be the rage at present is the world has distroyed it guts trying to digest all the decaying animal carcases,,,,, well they have to do something with all the bones
Thumbs up! Great point :)
Totally true, collagen and bone broth are by product of Meat rendering plant.
Hello,
A very interesting post.
I have complex medical problems (people aren’t sure what, but possibly connective tissue disorder) and I tend to be oversensitive to new foods. Bone broth was no exception, hence my wondering about substitutes. However, it is known that people often react badly to bone broth if not used to it. I wondered if there was anything in this vegetable broth that someone not used to the ingredient is likely to react to?
By the way, I found the discussion very interesting. I think it is necessary to separate ethics and science. There isn’t any issue with saying that bone broth seems to be better for health if that is what the evidence seems to point to, but that it is still better not to consume it on ethical grounds, either absolutely, or unless utterly necessary for health, or unless certain criteria (of things like animal welfare) are fulfilled. All systematic ethics throws up difficult answers from time to time. And the people who are looking for alternatives are doing everyone good – the more options the better – hence my being here despite being a committed omnivore. It is also necessary to remember that science involves gathering up different results to try to understand what’s going on overall – so it is possible any one person has had a particular experience which is not typical. My impression is that knowledge of nutrition is still seriously limited, particularly in regard to the way in which people’s bodies differ.
Something I don’t think anyone has mentioned, and might not be very practical, or might not work for various reasons, is antlers as a possible source of non-harm bone nutrients. Antlers are grown and naturally shed every year, with the result that they have the potential to be used after discard without any sort of interference with the animal. Of course, the potential and the practicality are different things, and I’ve no idea if they would work nutritionally. But I would be very interested if ethical vegans had any comments on that.
Have you tried the whole30 diet? It has completely revered much of the pain I have had in my gut and eating patterns. Eating mainly vegan helps reverse many problems, then animal products can be reintroduced. I never found the need.
I have made this a few times, and it is awesome!!! I love how versatile it is. The flavor changes based on what you add, but it has always been so good! Thank you for sharing. This has a permanent place in my kitchen!
So glad to hear that Tomi!
Can you not stick it all in a processor when cooked and eat that way? Seems a waste to strain and maybe lose some goodness?
Question on the vegan gut healing bone broth
Can one use mornings powder in place of Wakame seaweed and if so, how much?
Made this soup – great recipe and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t strain it because I wanted to eat the veggies!!
this is honestly the best broth recipe ever, I hate canned veg broth, this recipe has soo much flavor and very satisfying. I love it by it self and also as a base for other soups. THANK YOU
I need to heal my stomach from sensitivity of garlic and onion and I was recommended bone broth – I’ve been vegetarian for 3 years, so I’d prefer to stay meat free. Would this broth be just as effective without garlic and onion?
Hey! This looks so amazing. I also love your information on this crazy bone broth craze. Seems ridiculous to me. Thanks for the good read! I was curious if I could just make this into a soup by chopping the veggies a little smaller and not straining them out? Let me know if you think that could work! Thanks
Colin
Hi there, I can’t have onion or garlic either, I use garlic infused olive oil as it’s low fodmap, and the green part of a shallot. Works well without the tummy pain! I’m going to try the broth too.
Today was the second time making this. I love it! It is so tasty and comforting. I will forever keep this recipe in my rotation. Thank you!!
while this recipe sounds tasty ad nutritious…it is not a substitute for bone broth.
btw, bone broth doesn’t contain collagen…it contains the amino acid building blocks of collagen…which the body can and will use to create collagen. this is not the only misleading statement….the article makes other unsupported claims as well.
so enjoy this tasty and good for you broth, but do not expect it to have the same benefits as bone broth.
Bone broth does contain collagen – why do you say it doesn’t? The point I’m making is that plants can offer the amino acids to build collagen in the body. So why drink bone broth? I mean, you can if you want, of course, but what does it offer that plants can’t?
Much more of an amino profile and precursors that the body uses to create collagen. Also a good amount of extremely digestible protein, the brand I use is 10g per cup. They are both but this is somewhat misleading information wise.
Hi! Looking forward to making this today. Wondering how this recipe might translate in a pressure cooker. Do you know about how long it might take to cook in the Instant Pot? Thank you.
Hi Sky, please see Cindee’s comment here. I haven’t tried it in an instant pot myself but a few people in the comments have with success!
I’m cooking mine now, and it smells delicious, but is a lovely (not) clear grey color. How is hers creamy and orange? I’ve got turmeric in it. I do not have the yeast. I’ve added several other veggies as well. I’m wondering where her creamy look came from. This looks like mud water. Very much not pretty.
Nutritional yeast adds both body and a yellow-golden tone when I use it in soups and other recipes. It will slightly thicken and give an umame taste reminiscent of cheese. I definitely add it to all of my veggie stocks if I want more warmth and texture like a chik’n soup.
bone broth contains complete amino acid profile – the building blocks of collagen + other elements we haven´t discovered yet! They are also much more readily absorbed by the body. Your claims are garbage.
Why would you kill an animal to make bone water when you can eat somthing healthier and way more delicious? Animal products are unessisary. They cause diseases, perpetuate animal cruelty and contribute to climate change. Its 2020, its time to wake up.
Your claim is also unsubstantiated and has no real benefit as far as using bone.
The vegetable aminos do the same thing , they provide you with the aminos so that you can build your own collagen and no animals hurt
Thank you, can you list the amino acids that are contained in this recipe? Also, does it contain alkylglycerols, glycosoaminoglycans, omega-3s and chondrotinsulfate? I’m trying to determine whether the claim of equivalence is correct. I would prefer to eat the vegetable version of this if it is indeed equivalent, but otherwise it is a lot of work to go to.
This is a tasty recipe and soothing. I am also curious if this recipe is to be vegan source of the amino acids that one would absorb from digesting the collagen in bone broth OR are you stating. Very few vegans write about balancing foods to ensure we get the proper building blocks for protein and so many people now avoid many traditional food combinations – such as hominy corn, beans, and squash.
Also, as a person with medically diagnosed gastrointestinal disorders, to include the lining of my stomach, I have to modify the recipe and others might as well. First, chilies must be omitted or subbed for medical inflammation of the stomach, it burns us and for many, so does black pepper corn (heat or irrritation of seeds) – cinnamon stick, anise, cumin, ginger are different seasonings that may be tolerated by some people and you can protect the stomach lining by using whole spices putting whole spices in cheesecloth bag or strained with veggies. My umbrella disorder causes me to be sensitive to oxalates so I limit them and will choose kale or collards over spinach, and sub parsnips for celery. And for some with GI issues, we need to limit or avoid fructose and/or certain types of plant sugars, to include those in garlic and onion roots. As one commented, using green tops of scallions and low-FODMAP garlic-infused oils are yummy substitutes – as well as garlic scapes, green leek tops, or infusing your garlic or onion olive oil on low heat then straining into a bottle. Hope that helps people who might
Very Good Homemade Broth!!!!!! I have a BIG family and this recipe was able to feed us all and we still had leftovers!!! I added just a few more spices for a little kick but this recipe is by far my favorite!!! Will definitely make many many more times!!!!!
Making this tonight since I have the stomach bug and need to kick it. I cannot wait to try this it looks delicious!
Even as an animal rights activist, I know the planet will not become vegetarian or even vegan overnight. It will take time, education, and spiritual enlightenment. In the meantime, for the other 3-4 billion meat eaters on the planet they need something that works, to help them heal with regard to inflammation.
Bone broth is by far the fastest, cheapest, and most effective healing food substance known; one, that’s been consumed for tens of thousands of years. I challenge any medical doctor or health practitioner to state otherwise!
Bone broth, in one form or another, has existed according to archeological digs of clay pots and their carbon dating, for at least 20,000 years of our recent Paleolithic history. Bone broth can be considered the perfect nutritional food substance, as it is power packed with a synergistic blend of proteinaceous alchemy; an elemental combination of amino acids, various minerals, and other essential nutrients. Factually, as well as biologically, it is in our DNA! Including, providing fundamental nutritional support for about 38 trillion cells within our body. It is truly nature’s ultimate healing solution!
There’s no other food substance on our planet that can produce the same kind of amazing and potent; while being completely scientifically backed, anti-inflammatory benefits, as can bone brothing; for both your body and brain. The current scientific think on the matter is that ‘inflammation’ is now considered the cause of most diseases. Therefore, anything that packs a powerful punch against ‘inflammation’ may just help you heal; while possibly even prolonging your life in the process.
Additionally, you should also know that ‘protein synthesis’, ‘DNA & RNA’ creation and repair, are at the core of our most basic and essential biological functions. Bone brothing supplies the basic raw ingredients that our bodies need in order to build and mend, grow and repair, soothe and heal; not to mention, replicate. Amazingly, within our bodies, this is an ongoing moment to moment process, one that requires the best ingredients for optimum results.
What you put in, matters! A high-end racing car isn’t going to win a race on regular fuel alone, it needs high-octane fuel; just like your body and brain require that in order to function optimally, they too must have the best ingredients; and, in the most bio-available and natural form. This is simply another reason why bone brothing is truly nature’s ultimate healing solution!
I should know, as I’ve been researching both bone broths and vegetable broths for over forty years.
I believe that silica from plants is superior to any animal based collagen. Yes, bone broth has minerals but we can also get minerals from vegetables. Bone broth can also be very dehydrating, especially with vinegar added. I’ve done more healing since I’ve stopped consuming bone broth and have switched over to a more plant based diet.
Even if Bone broth is healing the thought of it coming from a dead animal I can’t stomach and that alone would give me digestive issues :)
The veg one sounds great and I will give it a go. thanks for sharing :)
Thank you !
Thank you for this wonderful post! Lately I have been cooking the vegetable scraps I gather after meals instead of composting them. I add to them and make a lovely vege broth in the pressure cooker for 10 min. Takes no time at all to eliminate waste and bring on the health from sipping these healing fluids or using them in the days cooking. Love and gratitude to you for spreading the good word and helping to make our world a kind one to animals.
I loved this! Veggies I used: dried portobello mushroom, parsnip, daikon radish, carrot. Added romaine instead of spinach/kale, a package of fresh sage, and also threw in a tiny piece of anise. A tbsp. or so of sesame oil, a spoonful of tamarind extract and half a cube of chicken stock, just because I wanted it to taste like a non-veg stock juuuust a bit. Definitely will make it again sometime!
Have you tried Swiss chard in this recipe? I plan to do so.
I made this today at work and I have to say I’m sorry, but I didn’t enjoy this at all. The tumeric was massively overpowering and it was too garlicy for my taste. It left a horrible, lingering aftertaste. I ended up blitzing it, as I read another person had done this…but it didn’t make it any better. In the end I had to add Vege stock to make it somewhat consumable.
Do you suggest freezing unused broth or will it keep for a while in the fridge?
Thanks for this comment! I second this question! How long does this broth keep in the fridge, and freezer? Thanks! Melanie
Thanks for this recipe I love it! I am tracking my food as it helps me stay plant based and on track. Do you know the calories etc for this roughly?
I’m afraid I don’t. I never made a nutritional card for this because it’s such vague quantities and ingredients (eg. vegetable scraps). But I think if you just put in vegetable stock plus the oil, it should come out close enough.
Wakame is not meant to be used this way. Firstly, it’s very heavily salted to preserve it and it needs to be soaked in water before being used. Secondly, it is not a seaweed meant to be cooked. Even when adding it to a soup such as miso, it’s added once the soup is off the heat to preserve the nutrients. It’s also traditionally eaten as a cold salad style side dish. Kombu is what you need for broth as it’s traditionally used to make dashi (broth) and the long simmering time is necessary to draw out the nutrients.
That is actually not true at all, I am Japanese and my family has been making miso soup for ever. Wakame is boiled with the other ingredients, only the tofu goes in later because it is very brittle.
I am from Japan and the soup is added to wakame at the end as Elly says. Kombu is whqt you use to make dashi.
This looks amazing! Is there any use for the strained veggies? Or could they be left in to make the broth a soup?
Yes! The reason for not including them whole is to keep it extra gentle on the stomach and low fibre for those with serious digestive issues. But you can absolutely include them if you wish and make it will make a delicious soup too :)
Would you recommend using brags aminos as a substitute for the coconut aminos? It’s more easily available and wondering if it would provide the same health and flavor benefits. Thanks!
I used Braggs. It came out delicious.
Thank you for this recipe. It is delicious. And so gentle on my digestive system. Love it ❤️
WHOA! Holy Turmeric. I liked everything else in this recipe, but just spent a bunch of time with a sieve, a syringe and pouring the broth back and forth btw two glass containers, all to remove some of that turmeric. I couldn’t taste anything else!
Other than that; I like this recipe a lot. I will likely start with 1 TBS Turmeric next time.
Kendra I share your concern. In India, turmeric is used often but sparingly. One very big pot of ‘curry’ will probably have half a teaspoon or so of turmeric. Excessive turmeric can cause toxicity in the body. I am shocked when people in US use such large quantities, especially when I see recipes for turmeric tea (why do you think we don’t have turmeric tea in India) and turmeric pills. Although I am not an Ayurvedic expert, I carry with me the knowledge passed down by my grandmother and mother and I would advise on starting with 1 tsp (rather than one tbsp) for this recipe.
Hi there!
This looks delicious! Any thoughts on alternatives to mushroom? I’m allergic (which sucks because I loooove mushroom) so if anyone has any alterate options, I would love to know!
TIA!
T
I was going to ask the exact same thing because I’m also allergic to mushrooms – which can make things complicated being vegan since ‘shrooms are used so often as a meat sub or a main ingredient in so many vegan dishes.
Don’t add mushrooms….
Tofu is a similar tecture, good in soup too!
Thank you so much! My spiritual sense tells me we are supposed to be a vegetarian species, so the hype around bone broth has never made sense, and I’ve always felt there must be a valid veggie/vegan alternative. However up till now I’ve never had the hard facts to back myself up on that one – your article has give me those, so very grateful! & Will try your vegan version when I get the chance!
I’ve got this bubbling on the stove right now :)
Hi! This looks amazing! My tummy has a really bad reaction to shitake mushrooms, do you have any suggestions to an alternative to them? :)
Hi Rachel, if you can have other mushrooms – simply substitute for another kind. Or just omit the mushrooms. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you so much. I am reading lots of diets for healing gut that is from animal sources and I just won’t eat animals. I came across your website and feel much better. Thank you. I was sure there was an alternative to gut healing that is vegetarian/vegan and I found it. Very happy.
Hi there, can you think of any alternatives to wakame? It doesn’t seem to be available anywhere around me. Thanks!
Hi Hannah, I believe you would benefit from the use of any avalable sea vegetable, such as Kombu or Dulse or any other one you can find. From what I understand they are all superfoods!
just made this today and it is AWESOME–will be my new staple–thanks so much for the recipe
For all you people that keep toting that the defenders of meat eaters are replying nasty to you – why don’t you take a look at your own comments; how you say meat eaters are cruel to animals.
For sure in a processing type of world, it has been happening for years – but now we have choices of free range or grass fed etc., which tastes better also – but more expensive, to which some have not a choice with what they have for themselves. Joblessness is designed so that it produces endless tax entilements to extortionists.
All of this processing and constant denial of our own forriaging for our own resources due to capitalism, is not really most of our fault. When you either do as you are told or be threatened with violence, or jail, there is not a lot, many of us are able to do about it.
The fact is, humans are omnivorous. That is why we have incisor teeth for tearing and bone crushing molars. It is natural.
I bet some of you have cats or dogs; and what is it that you feed them? Wouldn’t happen to be slaughtered animals by humans would it? Or do you allow them to instinctively chase down other animals and cruely kill them? Try feed them a carrot and see what happens! What about all the dead animals hit by cars? And if you never have hit one, take a look at all the bugs on your front grille or windscreen of your car. If you don’t drive, i bet you still love to have all the luxuries so somebody has to get it delivered to you. You are also an indirect problem to animal cruelty no matter what you say. How about the minute animals you walk all over everyday. You may think humans are cruel to animals but humans are more cruel to other humans than any other animal on earth.
I came on here to find out about vegetable broth because i am interested in finding new ways to cook and become healthy.
All vegans are so disallusioned by what is reality, that they can never see the cruelty of the natural animal world that slaughters other animals, including humans, if given the chance – so they too can survive. Think of a lion taking down a wilderbeast and the struggle that follows (That isn’t some instant kill). And think about the starvation of the predator (now that is cruel). Or the damage to them all just to be fed. Try to stop these animals from living this way and you so-called vegans would have the earth extinct in a year. What about the poisonous animals that inflict devastaing venoms into humans and the cruel death that is. How many of you think the only good snake is a dead snake or how about a mouse? What about the diseases they bring that have killed humans in the thousands or millions. Or the cancers and parasites that are years of torture. Speaking of which, would you like to be saved by an anti-venom if bitten by a snake? Well humans use mice to accomplish that. That is a cruel death as it would be for you without the anti-venene.
It is never going to be any different. Earth is basically “hell” and you have a life sentence; we all do. The ones who take control are the ones who live the easiest. Money is the ultimate cause of all of this.
Animals are chemically destroyed but so are vegetables and fruits. All our health suffers due to the cruelty of chemicals, so that you can enjoy your fruit without a worm coming out of it. Or seeing a blotch on the side of it. Do you think about all the chemicals on your fruit that have killed animals? You douse yourself in chemicals everday. Soaps, perfumes, toilet paper, dish washing liquid, needles, not to mention the clothes washing detergent all going into the sea to kill all the wild life there just so you smell nice and feel clean.
I bet you all spray chemicals to kill ants and mosquitos. I bet you all have wooden furniture that once had animals inhabit the tree it came from. I bet you are some of the people driving around polluting the earth and the so-called animals you love and don’t want to hurt. Speaking of wood, you use it too and trees remove toxins from the earth but of course there is less now to be able to cope.
I too hate animal cruelty but i am certain, i would not survive without red meat and be able to do the job that i am enforced to do, to be able to survive on this scum riddin earth. Vegetables alone would just not cut it, however they too are also needed.
This is supposed to be a vegetable broth – but it is really a strained soup. And yes it sounds deliscious and probably does wonders – however chicken soup, especially traditional Croation style, where the animals were in the back yard of the home owner and killed onsite, is also a good soup for ailments & sickness.
The problem with Vegans is that they try to enforce their way onto others just like feminists or polititians or religions. The reality is none of it matters in the end so why bother and just live for yourself and your close ones. Sure throw up a few ideas for others – but forcing others to be like you is why this world is so messed up. Just be happy that some meat eaters took an interest in this recipe – what else can you do? There is no point getting angry at others or you will end up needing more then a broth for the stress illnesses.
I don’t believe in Peer reviewed because it always comes down to somebody else’s word, whether it is supposed to be peer reviewed or not. And if a new idea comes along, all of a sudden people are skeptical because they expect it to be written in the stars. Well i make my own judgemnent for me and so should you – for you. If nothing is ever tried, than how would we have ever moved forward in society? Frankly, i get sick of the smart alec’s using the peer reviewed nonsense so they seem superior. Take a look at the so called government scumbags who believe their way is the only way and the force they use to get their own way (criminals). What good has it done? None that is what.
Anyway the broth sound like what i am after for soemthing different
Thanks
Wow, what a fuckimg stupid uninformed rant and the sane old “Tiger” and “dead mosquito” bullshit we’ve all heard a thiusand times.
You really have too much time on your hands to write an essay like that at the bottom of a random comment section on a a random soup blog.
I love your reply! Thanks for making my day a little brighter.
Lol! I don’t normally leave comments, but I started reading what “does anybody care,” posted. I stopped reading when I scrolled and saw how long it was, thinking… Wow this guy has a lot of time on his hands… Only to read “Vegan’s” following comment. This s great. Thanks for the laugh
cocaine is a hell of afrug
Classic
WOW! Couldn’t get past first couple of bad grammar sentences. Who the hell has time to read your brain diarrhea!!! Sheesh! If you’re not vegan/vegetarian go troll somewhere else!
Are you ok?
Molars are for grinding plants. Canines are for tearing meat. Just saying. The human body has evolved to eat an omnivorous diet. However, you can choose to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet if you wish (except for the small portion of people who are unable to get the required protein from plant sources and must eat meat to survive, yes they exist). Also, humans have been cooking food for millions of years so has evolved to benefit from cooked food so the raw diet, which increases gut bacteria diversity, is not what humans have evolved to eat either. What humans have not quite evolved to deal with is living in urban conditions with lots of humans all in one place.
That said, certain diets do benefit people with certain illnesses. Research shows that people with ulcerative colitis can benefit from a vegan diet, people with crohn’s disease can benefit from a vegetarian diet, people with IBS can benefit from a low fructose and fermentables diet, people with autism and other cognitive issues can benefit from a low processed food diet. Sometimes, people have to adhere to certain diets to stay well. And, sometimes those diets involve eating meat.
All of that said, I am aware bone broth has little nutritional value unless you put plants in it so am glad to find a substitute which definitely does contain a bunch of this which are nutritious.
Thanks!
I haven’t seen a single vegan rant here… just an omnivorous one. Health is different for everyone, as is morality. You are welcome to eat however you wish, but personally I would never intentionally kill an animal so I have no right to eat them. There is a lot of cruelty in the world, I don’t see the harm in trying to reduce my impact. Maybe just make broth instead of preaching ♡
Wow! I think she was just offering an alternative.
I dont care if a bone broth is the magic healing food of the universe and beyond. I have seen human beings who are strict vegans, live 90+ years and in good health. That itself tells me that I dont need to rely on the ‘bone broth nonsense’ to live a long life. I will stay away from animal cruelty and skip the so-called health benefits of bone broth.
Hi, Aimee,
Thank you for this recipe. I have to adapt it for various reasons, including ginger allergy. Love mushrooms and see vegetables for their anti-inflammatory and anti-brain fog benefits!
I only came across this website because I had made a broth from my own organic garden, mostly celery greens (that were flowering and flavorful but hadn’t formed seeds), with some leeks and fennel. And salt. Yet it gelled! Is there collegen also in celery greens and flowers? Or, do you know what else would be in my greens that would make it gel?
nice lil copy and paste here, same as your whole article. (More research is needed, though none of this is to say that bone broth is unhealthy.) http://time.com/4159156/bone-broth-health-benefits/ there’s not enough scientific evidence either way and that times article does not show any links to the studies they are referring to. Which is the proof you need to know what you’r reading is true.
So I reacted severely to bone broth!!! Not sure how I feel about it due to so much conflicting information but I know personally I feel better on a plant based diet. However, just a thought cows eat grass/grain not other animal products … where does there nutrients come from…plant maybe???
Hi! So from everything I have read, raw diets are better than cooking your food for an hour. I have made this broth several times, and have used it as stock mostly. How is it that boiling veggies is nutrionally viable? Aren’t amino acids denatured above body temperature? How can you extract minerals by boiling?
Hi! Proteins and made from amino acids. Amino acids cannot be denatured by by heating but proteins can (e.g. raw vs. cooked egg white). This is largely irrelevant anyway because the proteins will be broken down by your stomach enzymes into amino acids so denaturing doesn’t really matter.
Some vitamins are broken down by heat. Vitamin C is a good example of this; potatoes contain a large amount of vitamin C but it is broken down by heating and lost in any water used for boiling.
Minerals can be extracted by heating as the heat breaks down cell membranes very effectively. This allows mineral compounds within the cell to be released into the broth.
Freshness is perhaps more important than extraction method as cell death will begin occur when the plant is picked. This will change the nutrient profile of the plant material. Therefore, fresher veggies will have a higher vitamin and mineral content.
Hope all this helps. Enjoy your broth!
I absolutely love this recipe and my meat loving daughter prefers this now over bone broth…yeay! Shitake mushies give it a nice depth. Thanks for sharing
Do I need to rinse/soak the seaweed first?
No!
I used this broth around 6 months ago. I was at the doctors with stomach pains, we did a few tests, the doctor could tell from looking at my wee that I had a UTI and wasn’t sure what else.
I drank this broth for 2 days (no food) used my essential oils and went back to the doctors 2 days later. He was shocked when he did the pee test again and said he’d never seen a transformation like it, he didn’t believe me that this was all I did.
Anyways I need to kick start my healthy eating after Easter and this is def my go to now.
Cheers love this broth
Wow, a great result! Thanks for letting me know it’s been helping you – I’m so glad to hear it :-)
Turned out phenomenal. Wonderful recipe. Made a few tweaks, which everyone should do based on the tastes that they enjoy, but the recipe captured the wonderful tastes of herbs and fresh produce that I was hoping for. Highly recommended and thank you for posting this wonderful recipe!!!
Wow it looks like there are a lot of nutritionists here reading the comment section? So many people have so much to say. I want to say I’M SORRY! Your recipe is wonderful, and what a great alternative to animal based broths.. If you’re not interested in a veggie-broth people, why are you here? To complain? Put someone down for sharing a wonderful recipe? Seriously, get out of here. I’m sure many of you shouldn’t even talk about nutrition and health. I’m curious why so many people feel the need to put others down.. Anyway. My rant is over. Your recipe is lovely and I will keep making this, and sharing it with friends and family. Thank you for your time and effort to put this online.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m not vegan, but I have cut way down on my meat consumption. I thought this broth was lovely. I notice you have two pictures. One picture represents broth only, the other a bowl of broth including the cooked veggies. My “gut” tole me to go ahead and eat the veggies and I ate one of the carrots. Then I strained everything and put the boiled stuff in the compost. I probably should have eaten the veggies too. Thoughts?
P.S. I thought the turmeric level wads perfect.
Thank you for this recipe. I have been making an effort to waste less food and this recipe was great. Everything went in the pot: cauliflower greens, carrot peels, parsnip ends, kale stems, etc. It was delicious
Could I use Dulse flakes instead of wakame seaweed? thank you :)
What is SCD diet?
Thank you
SCD is Specific Carbohydrate Diet, hope this helps.
Please cite your research to back your claims.
Research ? Dear Lord – it’s a recipe/cooking site. I would suggest if you need research to know that boiling animal bones is not the jam – you might undertake that on your own. Pretty sure comments here should be “yummy” or “not my gig”.
If she’s going to explain why this broth is better for you than a bone broth and not back it up with some references then she must be a vegetable herself for thinking people listen to her nonsense.
Ps ‘Don’t have a cow lady’
Ok ok ok we get it. Bye then
I agree. You can claim that this recipe is vegan and good tasting. You can’t claim that this recipe is gut healing (and better than bone broth for doing so) unless you say why. Collagen breaks into amino acids (just as fat breaks into it monomers) and that is what is used to heal the gut: ” Broth made from the bones of chicken, turkey, duck, beef, lamb pork and/or fish are anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and contain nutrients which help rebuild the integrity of the digestive tract. Most importantly, broth is rich in the amino acids proline and glycine, which help regulate digestion, reduce inflammation, and promote healing in every part of the body” (Dr. Sarah Ballantyne). Proline is particularly important to gut health bc of its use in wound healing and immune responses. Glycine is great for regulating digestion at the level of bile salts. Further, ingredients such as nightshades are irritating to many people and should NOT be in a gut healing broth. What about this recipe has been shown to be good for the gut? As she states above “My version contains lot’s of nutritional goodness that is great for overall health but particularly focuses on plenty of gut-healing properties”. The comment above which asks for citations would like to know what the gut healing properties are. It should be stated why these ingredients are good for the gut and from what science you know it from. If an author does not know the science, they should not claim anything definitive – just stick to posting the recipes based on their good taste and good vegan karma. If she does know why, than offer explanation for the claim. For example, this vegan recipe author explains why sea veggies are used as a replacement for bones: https://plenteousveg.com/make-vegan-bone-broth-rivals-paleo-version/ – Glycine and proline!
I agree too!
Bone marrow actually contains 96% fat – and it’s where animals concentrate toxins. So whilst in theory bone marrow is healthy, given how polluted the world is today and the industrial scale of animal husbandry (which uses antibiotics, GMO feeds and loads of other crap), bone marrow actually contains a concentration of toxins and heavy metals. Even wild reindeer in the Arctic were found to have high levels of toxins in their bone marrow – imagine industrially farmed cows and chickens!
Imagine animals raised eating grass (like they are supposed to) and cared for in a humane way. This is a pillar of the Paleo principles. If the world is polluted so are all the vegetables and certainly the wakame.
I do not believe bone of herbivores,,boiled down , with chemicals is nutritious and/or “gut healing” !
It’s ridiculous.
A vegetarian plant based diet is much better for people , the environment and the planet .
Wake up people
Before you start preaching how bad bone broth is for you because of all the so called toxins and heavy metals in bone marrow. Don’t forget about vegetables that you buy in the market that is ladened with pesticides. Washing before use does not remove all the residue. So when you make that so-called healthy vegan broth just think of all the chemicals you are ingesting. Also organic is best when buying veggies but not everyone can afford the over inflated prices. So when you talk about how bad bone broth is for you remember so is vegan broth.
Organic veggies are cheaper than factory farmed meat and definitely cheaper than grass fed meat. At least where I live.
Yes, Lindsay Deanna Kill. We can save a lot of money, and also decrease our effects on climate change by eating a vegan diet. When we grow our own vegetables organically, we also decrease the toxic load to our bodies.
It takes a lot of work, and time, to create a new relationship with the earth, and with our bodies, and to keep ourselves healthy.
I have to agree with Liney – if you’re going to claim that a recipe provides a certain profile, then you really have to be able to back it up with the data. Anyone can claim anything on the internet…. doesn’t make it so. When dealing with peoples health, if you are pushing a recipe that claims to be healthful, in this case as good or better than bone broth, then the responsible thing would be to provide evidence to back up your claims. In regards to bones being toxic, anyone who is remotely interested in their health and has bothered to educate themselves a bit, would never use commercial bones. They would only source their ingredients from 100% grass fed humanely raised animals who are not treated with hormones, antibiotics, or other chemicals. I would suspect it would be the same way for vegans and vegetarians, who would either grow their own organic produce or purchase it to avoid the contaminants in our food source. I do think that vegetable broth in most forms from organic produce is always a good thing, and I appreciate this recipe because it advocates using what most folks consider waste; however, it really would have been nice to know why this particular recipe makes the claims it does. Just my 2 cents worth.
proline and glycine re contained in seaweed
Not sure if this came up before but I’m allergic to shiitake mushrooms and maybe other Asian mushrooms as well. I can eat button, crimini, portobello or porcini mushrooms. Can I substitute any of those? Thank you for this recipe!
of course you csn.
Turmeric was on the heavy side, but glad I tried this recipe. Left out the dried wakame seaweed and coconut aminos. Made in an Instant Pot on high pressure cook for 15 min, natural release for 15 min.
Thank you! I want to make this in the IP but wasn’t sure how long to cook it.
Hi Aimee! Thank you so much for this! I am having surgery this weekend, and on a clear diet before, and this is perfect for me (as I am truly giving my gut a workout in prep and afterwards)!
I was so sad to see all of these great veggies go to waste after the broth was prepared, so my friend and I pureed it up in the blender, added a bit of salt, and voila, a yummy soup!! So, do not fear, others…though it may look like baby food…it makes a yummy (and spicy) veggie bisque!!
Thanks for this comment! I was just wondering myself if I could blend up the veggies and use it somehow.
Hi Aimee,
Thank you so much for this recipe! I am curious if you normally use the veggies and stuff that you strain out of the broth. Or could they be left in for more of a soup?
Thanks again!
Danielle :)
Hi Danielle. Absolutely! You can blend it to make a soup. The reason it’s a clear broth is because it’s meant to be as easy to digest as possible but as long as you don’t have any stomach issues, it will make a lovely soup.
Definitely need this immune boosting recipe right now. Thanks :)
How can I make this in the instant pot??
Hi Zara, sorry I’ve never used one of those before so I don’t know the instructions :/ Hopefully someone else here can help?
I just put this in my instapot and set it on slow cook mode.
Hi, Zara
I make homemade veggie broth on a regular basis and only use my Instant Pot to cook it in. I tend to fill my pot with as much veggies, herbs/spices, etc; as I can before filling it up with water to the max level. Then just hit “Manual” for 25 minutes. I don’t do the quick release and depending on what I’m using it for or how I want it to come out, I’ll turn it on again after it cools down a bit to make it even more concentrated. Hope that helps : )
Can’t wait to try this recipe, too!
Please dont call coconut oil and olive oil, or any oil.. “healthy fats.” In what way are they at all healthy? Oils for fats are like refined sugar of carbs. Carbs are good tho, just best to stick to unrefined. Fats on the other hand aren’t good in high amounts in which oil is the most pure high fat you can get. Enough fats accompany any whole foods diet. No need to add extra.
It may be best to stick to unrefined but lacking other options there are certainly some decent alternatives. Coconut oil being one of them. And the best part is you don’t need a lot to cook with. Plus there are good fats, as you implied. Or do you do your best to stay away from avocado because it’s too fatty? You can consume more fat and still be healthy. Chill.
Fat is a necessary addition to any recipe that uses greens, carrots, etc. Plenty of delicious fat-soluble vitamins & minerals you’d be missing out on without a small dollop of oil! Or, if you really try to avoid oils, at the very least eat with cashew cream or an avocado – otherwise you’re simply flushing the nutrients.
Alright, I’m going to be a bit of a voice of dissent here. I’m a vegan and herbal student, and I will still admit that there are many healing, deeply nourishing things about bone broth. Not only are you getting all of what’s in the marrow (hence the long slow cooking or pressure cooking), you get the gelatin, and all of those connective tissues and all of that.
Also, consuming animal fat has omega 3’s that are pre-converted for you into EPA and DHA. Yes, as plant-based folks, we can get omega 4’s, but there are a few problems with this. First, the ratio of omega 3’s to omega 6’s is supposed to be somewhere between a 1:1 and a 1:4 ratio. In the US, we’re actually closer to a 1:20. This causes a lot of inflammation. We need to massively up our EPA and DHA, which is what our bodies convert omega 3’s into.
The problem is that if you don’t have adequate amounts of vit c, zinc, magnesium, and B6, then your body will NOT convert it. It will send that good fat down a different pathway that actually causes more inflammation. Vitamin c is water-soluble, so you pee it out. You need to have a bit throughout the day. Around 80% of the US is magnesium deficient, and hormonal birth control depleted much of your B6. So these are things that you definitely need to watch for as a vegan. Now, even if all of that is perfect, and you’re cutting way down on your omega 6’s, and upping your omega 3’s, your body still only converts about 5% of those omega 3’s into EPA and DHA. Like I said, when people get those things from animal sources, they have already been pre-converted by the animals, so it’s already available in the form we need, and all our body has to do is use it. LUCKILY, THERE ARE NOW VEGAN EPA AND DHA SUPPLEMENTS! They’re made from algae and lichen, I believe. I really don’t think you can be a truly healthy vegan long term without supplementing these.
Anywho, sorry about the pro-meat parts. I don’t support it, but I can admit that there are benefits, while finding my own plant-based way to get many of those benefits, like you do. :) I just thought I’d throw a bit of information out there to help people to better their nutrition a bit.
As for the broth recipe, it looks great. I would add more medicinal mushrooms to it. And mushrooms need a very long time simmering, to break down the chitin and release their constituents, which is another reason for the long cooking time. Any root is generally that way, particularly dried ones.
So I would add to this more medicinal mushrooms (there’s a 14 mushroom blend you can find online that she wonderful), nettles, because they’re a nutritional powerhouse, astragalus bark, because it’s an a wonderfully nourishing adaptogen, burdock (gobo root), because it supports the eliminative channels, particularly the liver, ground milk thistle seed, because it’s hepatoprotective (protective, nourishing, restoring to the liver), and once it cools, I’d let it sit overnight with some marshmallow root, to add the soothing, nourishing mucilage that coats your mucous membranes. That would enhance this broth exponentially, and truly make it rival bone broth. ❤️
Another hint: acids extract minerals. So you can take some of the very mineral rich plants like nettle, oatstraw, and horsetail, chop them up, and put them in venegar for a month, then strain, and take spoonfuls of the vinegar for the extra nutrition, or you can make make a very strong infusion (tea), and add vinegar, lemon, or citric acid to it, and let it sit overnight (time, heat, and acid pulls the minerals into solution), strain in the morning, and drink as a mineral rich tea, or add it to your broth that way.
From one vegan to another, I hope this helps! ❤️
Ugh, I made a bunch of typos, and I don’t see an edit button. Sorry!
It doesn’t matter, black violet, it was an excellent informative reply.
Thanks for the information!
In conjunction with this article your comment brought me so much clarity to the conflict I’ve been having about bone broth and being told there’s no other way to obtain that level of healing without the use of animal carcas.
Just a few questions in regards to really vamping up the nutrition (please forgive me if some questions seem ignorant).. is there a particular nettle which is best? And I’m assuming it’s dried?
The 14 mushroom blend.. is that as a powder? As that’s all I could seem to find online..(I live in Australia not sure if that makes much of a difference)
Does cooking foods for a long period of time that aren’t in their whole form but in a dried powder lessen their potency or damage their healing properties?
Also what kind of quantities of these extra goodies should I be adding to this recipe?
Looking forward to your response
:)
Any kind of stinging nettle will work. It’s much more delicious fresh, and you can just toss it straight into the soup, like you would use spinach. No need to extract it in acid if you’re eating it whole. It’s kind of tough dried and rehydrated, so you might want to strain it back out. Or use it powdered.
Some stores (Whole Foods and Asian markets) sell fresh burdock root (called Gobo root). It’s mildly sweet and delicious in soup. I just had some in soup yesterday! Pick the skinny roots, they’re less fibrous. If not, you can buy it dried (it makes a nice tea/decoction) from places like Mountain Rose Herbs (you can get all of these things there), but it’s pretty hard when rehydrated, and will need to be strained out.
The marshmallow root will need to be strained out as well. Or, COR everything you may want to strain, wrap them in muslin or cheesecloth before tossing them in the soup. The healing mucilage from the marshmallow root will be slimy/snotty, and you’ll have to give the fabric a good amount of squeezing, and get all of that goo in there. It won’t taste gooey when it’s in there, though. Again, you can make a tea with marshmallow root (it’s best as a cold infusion overnight, which is why I recommend you putting it into your soup after it’s cool). You can mix the tea with whatever else you want. It will help soothe and heal your gut (best taken between meals, though), and help if you have a sore throat.
There is a powdered 14 mushroom blend online that I like, because it’s already been steamed, so it’s more broken down than ordering other mushroom powders, so you can use it in more things, and it has a very mild, kind of rich flavor. I toss it in hot cocoa and baked goods, too. But I’m pretty sure there are medicinal mushrooms that grow in every country. You should be able to source some near you!
The astragalus bark is another one that you’ll get in dried strips, and you’ll want to wrap them up/strain them out. I use powdered astragalus in some things, liked baked goods occasionally.
I don’t know how much to add, I just toss it in until it feels/tastes right, haha. The burdock and astragalus are very mild, earthy tasting things, so I wouldn’t worry about adding too much at all. The nettle is very green tasting. If it’s fresh (more of a springtime thing), I like it better than spinach, though it has a different texture. You’ll probably want to use a light hand with it in your soup until you know if you like it. Or make a strong tea of it and taste it, and decide how much you like it or will appreciate it in the soup.
I don’t have a blog. Maybe someday.
This sounds heavenly!!! Do you blog?
I’ll definitely be looking for some Vegan EPAs and DHAs now. Rhankyou for the additiinal information.
Great info and written in such a well and clear headed way as to be truly informative. I wasn’t able to read the whole post and just skipped to the recipe because of the level of snark in the writing. And it was clear the author was missing important information on nutrients and what bone broth offers, which also makes her hard to take seriously. I loved how you gave that information, with good explanations, but also explained the vegan alternatives. Thank you! :-)
Agreed! I remember my days as a preaching uninformed vegan and I’m so glad they’re behind me. Bone broth is amazing but this is a nice recipe too. Also…why is this page bombarded with Tyson chicken strip ads? Lol!
This is such a wonderful response! Adding the herbals in now! Thanks
Thanks for that information! It was very helpful! I was wondering where you find your 14 mushroom blend online?
Not sure how you can justify saying there is good nutrition in dead animal carcass boiled down w chemicals from lord knows WhT facilities?!
Humane kind will be just fine without this process or “nutrition “
Besides 60 billion animals need not be killed every year, so that their “nutritional” value can be enjoyed by us.
Thank you for this information! It was exactly what I was looking for as an extension to this recipe!!!
Such good info in this!! Def copy and pasting this to save for later. Thank you :)
Balckviolet thank you for your informative post. Do you have any updated thoughts or additional information beyond your Nov. 9, 2017 note? Aimee thank you for posting this article & recipe. Do you have any updated thoughts as well?
I’ve been extremely sick for decades with chronic fatigue, brain fog, inflammation leaky gut, autoimmune thyroiditis, etc. For nearly two years I have been on the mend thanks to radically changing my diet. Bone broth has been a major component of that successful change. It will be nice to have a vegan version of bone broth.
Aimee, I am a big fan of your COCONUT & PURPLE SWEET POTATO ICE CREAM (VEGAN).
I forgot the turmeric. I’m eating it as is and saved all the cooked veggies. It has a good flavor and the seaweed added an interesting taste. Next time I’ll add the turmeric and peppercorns. It will be interesting to add some colorful veggies, too. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Thanks Chris, glad you enjoyed it! You could always add the turmeric when you heat up another portion :)
All I can say is Yum!! And thank you so much for a meat alternative. I was feeling pretty defetated with all this you have to consume animal protein to heal your gut talk. Nice one!
So happy to hear that, Polly! And yes – don’t let all that stuff deter you. Do what feels right for you :)
This is very exciting and encouraging – I’ve just tuned in to a repeat of The Truth About Cancer and they are touting a lot of meat based products including bone broth – I am becoming vegan out of ethical concern for the torture of animals humans butcher for food and actually feeling nauseous over the thought of eating meat from which bone broth is made of course.
Getting the stock pot out now to try your recipe. I make stock regularly, even from the roots from plants like Swiss chard, which is delicious – looking fwd to more from this site – looking for a newsletter if you have one.
Thank you! I am working on a newsletter at the moment (it’s very expensive to run so just waiting until I have one set up before sending them out again – should be within the next month!) Hope you enjoy the broth :)
I think this mght be the most delicious, satisfying thing my boyfriend and I have ever made. We almost couldn’t believe how great it tastes. We added extra nutritional yeast and red pepper flakes and it came out tasting a bit like a healthy vegan ramen broth. I could sip this every day. We will be making this recipe all winter and sharing it with all of our friends. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thank YOU for that wonderful comment, Rebecca! So pleased you enjoyed it :) I’m making up a batch this week. The weather is calling for it.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have a fairly severe eczema outbreak and nothing is helping (eczema is just the latest in a string of auto-immune lovlies that I believe are all results of leaky gut brought on by massive antibiotic use for Lyme disease). Being a vegan, I was so disappointed that the GAPS thing is animal-based, which made no sense to me either. Thank you again!
Hi. and since you’ve been using this recipe how is your leaky gut healing? I have leaky gut too. My main concern is plant-based alternatives to bone broth that actually heal leaky gut. I want to know the evidence! I hope you can share :)
Rachel, Have you learned anything, evidence, etc. since you posted your comment last year?
This broth is absolutely amazing. I loved it. Thank you so much!
Thank you for this. It is delicious and surprisingly rich, almost tastes like it should be bad for you! It really has helped out my stomach. I look forward to following you in the future!
Love this article and thank you for chiming in on this topic. Too many people miss the fact that our bodies still have to build the proteins, collagen, etc. and that them doing so from raw plant materials over recycled nutrients from animal products is a great way to build quality bones, tissues and all. Thank you!
Good idea on the broth. Too bad all the ads on the page are for animal bone broth. For me that ruins the message you are trying to give. I’m on my phone so maybe it’s different on computer.
Oh dear! Yes, i don’t choose specific ads – it’s from an ad network, which I don’t have an awful lot of control over :( Sorry you had to see that though!
The ads from the ad network run off things you’ve been researching on your own computer so, it’s not the author’s choice but is auto-generated based on your browsers history, cookies, etc. Most of the ads I see throughout this article are for the National Academy of Sports Nutrition because that’s what I was looking at earlier today.
Thank you LaTricia :)
I loved this broth. To each cup I added fresh chopped parsley and coriander, ground black pepper, an extra sprinkle of nutritional yeast, pinch of salt, drizzle of olive oil and, because I love my soups on the sour side, about a teaspoon or so of apple cider vinegar. It was absolutely delicious and nourishing.
A lot of recipes call for veg stock. I hate all the healthy stock cubes on the market (love oxo but has MSG in it); tried my own vegan bon broth as a stock but hate it. Tried a few variations but didnt like any of them. Not sure what I did wrong. If I could find or make a decent veg stock life would be brilliant!!
A company called Essential Cuisine do a fantastic Veg Stock! I would recommend all of their stocks, a little higher priced than the average but they are worth the extra spend! They do make a lot more than the normal stocks – one pot makes 8 litres!
Thanks for the reply. However Im avoiding glucose and also yeast extract; yeast extract acts similar to msg on the brain (although free glutamate is a lesser evil) and I have ocd. Thanks though.
Do coconut amino’s taste of coconut? I just bought some steamed coconut oil as it doesnt smell or taste of it… yay! But as for the coconut amino’s I cant seem to find out without buying and wasting money. Could anyone tell me please? Thanks
No not in my experience.. but it is sugar so it will affect blood glucose
It did for me..
I’m not a fan of coconut flavor, and I strongly dislike the taste of coconut aminos. So I just used Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (a soy product) in this broth.
Taste like soy sauce. I dip sushi in coconut aminos to avoid soy. Delicious. I cannot discern any coconut flavor.
Can’t we consider this to be a vegetable broth used in other soups? I too would love to make a flavorful vegetable broth instead of buying boxed “low sodium” broth.
Pretty late to the party here but make your own veggie stock! Celery, carrots and onion make up the bulk of brotha flavorings.
I make mine with all my leftover vegetable trimmings: onion skins, celery ends, bell pepper membranes and seeds, carrots ends… Pretty much everything except bitter things like eggplant skins or broccoli/cauliflower, etc. Whenever I cook, I throw the vegetable trimmings in a gallon Ziploc in the freezer, and once the bag is full I put it in the slow cooker, add garlic and depending on the mix of trimmings maybe and an extra onion or some carrots. I never add salt, as I’ll add that to the recipe I use the broth for. Cook it for 4-6 hours, strain and cool. Not stirring the broth while it cooks makes it nice and clear. You could always brown the onions for deeper color and flavor but I don’t think it’s really necessary. Hope that helps!!
Thank you much for this information, I will definitely try this broth. I have been trying to follow a recommended plan which includes bone broth – I am a ‘almost vegetarian’ as I normally only eat a small portion of chicken or turkey once or twice a week. The idea of bone broth grossed me out but recent pain and inflammation have pushed me to try anything that might help. Day 4 after forcing these bone broth smoothies down I woke up in pain, ended up vomiting and having continuing distress throughout the day. I believe everyone is different and maybe some of us are just better off NOT consuming animals. I look forward to this option.
While I am not a strict vegetarian, I was happy to see several sources for vegetarian healing broths (I like the sound of this one the best). I am on a quest to heal my gut and have done a lot of research. I have chosen to do a combination of various diets to custom fit them to my eating restrictions. For those who do choose to use animal based broths, DO NOT START with bone broth it can result in headaches, pain, and vomiting just as VJ experienced. Making meat/chicken “stock” in which the cooking time is only about 2-3 hours does not have these effects. (To keep this short, I will not get into details here – it has to do with excess glutamates – research “when bone broth is bad for you.”) My hope is that we can all find healing for our autoimmune and other diseases by eliminating toxins in our foods, our environments, and in our emotional lives; and that we can be supportive (or tolerant) of each other in our individual food choices.
Try Safe Soda for inflammation. I have been on it for the last month and didn’t realise until it ran out how much it helped the arthritis in my hands. I too would be the same on an animal broth, gave up red meat because I couldn’t stomach it. Love this broth and have used it in a few recipes. About to make my second batch.
What is safe soda?
What is “safe soda”?
Can I use a slow cooker?
Geez I had to scroll through a lot of comments to get
To the area to post my own!!! Can you please move the comment box up above all comments. Is fresh coriander actually cilantro? I am
Nursing so I can’t use Parsley. Thank you. Excited to try this
Do you think it’s absolutely necessary to cook this for an hour, or do you think I could possibly try a batch in my Instant Pot for, say, 15 minutes?
It’s a great meal and I’ve loved recipes like this for my overall health maintenance over the years. However when I started showing symptoms and couldn’t pinpoint the cause, I discovered I had a rather bad condition, caused by parasites which I picked up, and had developed leaky gut – often this is the time you start reacting to high-mould Foods, as I did. So no mushrooms or fermented Foods, not even vinegar. For me bone broth has helped me to feed my body when it started rejecting even the most healthy plant ingredients. But this recipe is one I’ll enjoy after I’ve re-introduced the foods you have used, as for now, healing leaky gut has made me too sensitive. I think that could be a reason bone broth is used – it’s a temporary fix while your body decides it’s not allergic to everything that has pollen or slightest traces of moulds.
I must agree myself Bone broth is meant to be temporary when you can’t normally digest veggies. It’s to heal and get back to square one. Then veggies all the way! That’s been my experience anyway.
This looks like a yummy and nutritious soup! I just wish the article was not so misleading and contradictory. Many people here are asking for sources and research to which the author doesn’t bother to reply. This recipe, while no doubt tasty and nutritious, leaves out key ingredients for a gut healing broth ( no, not animal sourced). I feel sorry for the people that read this and assume the author is an expert and that this will be essential to their healing. Anyone can write a blog. Good intentions do not equal wisdom or veracity. Please use informed skepticism when researching your healing, especially with sites that don’t back up what they say with sources, research, etc…. Wishing everyone healing and wholeness!
This isn’t a research site as far as I can tell however if you want a reputable source for ingredients like ginger and turmeric for healing gut issues look no furthermore than greenmedinfo.com who provides cited scientific supported research for thousands of conditions and the ingredients in this soup show that the reader knows what she’s I say talking about. And by the way, no, not anyone can write a blog.
Oh thank you!! I just gagged on my 1st cup of bone broth and I came across your article when I typed in I hate bone broth AIP This is such a struggle as someone that’s a vegetarian and just buying this stuff I broke down in tears in the parking lot There has to be a better way! I have pan uveitis and retinal vasculitis so it’s either immunosuppressants or try to figure out what I can do on my own. I bought some time from the doctor after my last steroid eye injection and I am going on AIP but I’m just struggling
Thank you for this article. I shared your recipe on my instagram page for my IBS followers. I recently watched the documentary, “What The Health,” sand am still in complete shock. I healed myself and one of the main reasons was because of the bone broth I consumed daily. So, it’s very confusing as to why that worked but I now only advice my followers to drink veggie broth and if they wish to try bone broth, they may. But again, thank you and my followers would like to thank you as well! Crystal its_healing
ibs_healing**
This looks wonderful and I’ll probably give it a try, however I’m confused by you daying that coconut oil has good Omegas? Coconut oil is good for the health but it has no real Omega content at all.
Thanks Roderick. I was referring to the ratio – most vegetable oils have too much omega 6 and not enough omega 3 but coconut oil has a good balance, making it a more healthy fat.
Surely there is a use for the veggies that are strained?
Sure, you can blend them up in a soup or use them in other recipes.
Have you watched the documentary What the Health? Lots of US doctors sagree with you, saying a vegan diet is the only healthy way.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MetYF9hbvI
Guys, please do not take this advice if you got to this page. This is horrible information by a militant vegan. I’ve been drinking bone broth from bones for years and I can promise you if you use quality bones, it’s life changing. We DO NEED COLLAGEN. I’m … of an advanced age now and my skin is amazing. My joints feel great. Do not listen to this person telling you carrots and mushrooms alone have the same benefit as real bone broth.
lol “militant”
I almost spat my tea all over my keyboard. MILITANT. God…
Hmm…sounds like perhaps this comment is from a “militant non-vegan”…if you haven’t TRIED this, how do you know it won’t work just as well as the dead animal bone concoction you choose to eat? I adopted a plant-based diet about two and a half years ago and have never been healthier. I also decided to severely limit gluten. My joints are also pain-free, my skin glows like it did when I was a teen and my mental fog is gone. I have wonderful energy and my mood is much more stable. Now, I will admit that in the process of giving up animal-based foods, I also switched to a mostly whole-foods diet. I am very happy for you that the way you choose to eat is working for you. I would never wish anyone to feel ill or be in pain. Including animals…but that’s a personal choice. Trust me when I say, that your way is not the only way any more than mine is. But I feel good about my smaller carbon footprint and the impact my family and I have on our environment. It’s so unfair of you to judge others because the are making different choices than you.
You are being foolishly earnest. Bone broth nor any other single dish is the fountain of youth and is certainly not essential for good health. Your urgency makes you sound as if you are trying to save people from perdition. Stop making yourself ridiculous.
myshka , but of course you should drink bone broth… if you’d like the toxins contained in animal flesh… http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11316316/Red-meat-triggers-toxic-immune-reaction-which-causes-cancer-scientists-find.html
In addition to the impact on the environment, and the animal suffering.
Because you are miss informed and have not taken the time to do your research you come here preaching what other people should or should not do, assuming they are too stupid and have to be told what to do. please take your militant bone broth and leave us alone
I am studying holistic nutrition and during my studies, there is nothing than I can read about vegetable collagen. I love vegetable broth for its high levels of minerals and vitamins but not collagen. Where did you get your information?
I never mentioned vegetable collagen. I just said that our bodies make collagen, we don’t have to consume it for our bodies to make it.
Nutritional yeast is not optional. If you eat vegan, you need to get vitamin b12, which is no longer found in plants. This is a hugely important vitamin that prevent many neurological diseases. Best to add it in afterwards so as not destroy the vitamin.
I’m definitely a novice at bone broth, but started my first one with chicken bones.
I see some negative comments about bone broth, but then things about broth that are good. So, just a little confused.
Are you saying only vegetarian broth is good?
No. Vegetable ‘brotb’ (really a soup) is not the only broth that is good for you. This is being written by a vegan…. if that is not you then continue with your chicken broth. Absolutely it is chock full of goodness too. I make a big pot every couple of weeks and use it in soups, casseroles, curries and even drink it on its own sometimes. Happy days
“If you could lead happy and healthy lives without harmind others….why wouldn’t we?” Edgars Mission
Thanks for the cruelty free vegetable broth recipe.
Hi Aimee, this recipe looks great, you seem to know a lot about nutrition, is this from your own research and if so, where do you find reliable resources? Thanks, Danielle
Hey, I really want to give this a go so I am just wondering how long it will keep in the fridge?
hi aimee,
i just wanted to let you know that i’ve been using this recipe and drinking some broth every day for the past month or so and have turned all my colleagues onto it too. we throw money in a pool and i make it every other week! haha
Thank you for this very informative article. I’ve been drinking Au Bon Broth and it definitely has made changes with my health and body/ Will continue drinking it as part of my daily routine.
This looks sooo good. I’m super keen to try making it tonight. I just wanted to know if you have any idea how many calories this recipe has per cup?
Hands down best and most nutritious tasting broth I’ve had, meat or vegan and since giving up animal products been searching for something like this. Can’t thank you enough. Great Umami too! Just a note added way more garlic and less onion and another type of dried mushroom and seaweed.
This is awesome – I am definitely going to try it. Thanks so much for sharing!
Kate c/o soulandspice.net
LOVE this recipe , thanks heaps!
As vegans we love being these kind of articles…
Funny, but ever so sad: when we were in Vietnam, if you have a stomach ailment or you feel under the weather, they prescribe DOG SOUP!…. here its Chicken….. what a load of rubbish hey :-)
keep up the good work
PW
Thank you so much for this recipe, I’m going to make this today! You have just become my new favorite food blog!
THIS was amazing. I have been finding new ways to add wakame to my diet as it’s good for Thyroid function. This was perfect. I added lots more veggies than your recipe and a squeeze of lime when served. I will continue to make this recipe. Thank you.
This is bad advice, pure and simple. Consuming large amounts of leafy greens is great if you’re a bovine but human’s stomachs and digestion aren’t set up for that. And “bone broth is nothing special”? Are you joking? It’s full of ESSENTIAL human nutrients! I started drinking it when I was in chronic pain many years ago because I have a degenerated intervertebral between L4 and L5 and within TWO weeks my pain was gone and it’s contributed hugely to my health ever since. I teach others all about it and how to make it because it’s so good for us. Vegans of course can eat what they want and don’t have to have bone broth if they choose but bagging it is just plain wrong. You’re providing incorrect health advice to people in this article which is unethical and negligent.
Human digestive systems more closely resemble that of herbivores in that they have long intestinal tracts and side to side jaw mobility for grinding plants as cows do. Nutrients obtained by consuming animals originate from the plants those animals ate.
Nutrients obtained by eating animals originate from the plants those animals ate, lmao! Certainly a very minute amount would come from the plants the animals ate however…..do more research on the yopic, lol….your comment made me laugh!
Lola, what nutrients can you find from animals that are not in plants other than Vitamin B12? Would LOVE to see a list. From the research I’ve done Tracy is right, all the nutrients you get from animals originate from the animals who ate them. You are what you eat is actually a valid statement.
I really enjoy this broth, it’s tasty and nourishing – thank you for the recipe!
I heard the B12 comes from the plants too. The b12 is lost when vegetables are sprayed by pesticides or thoroughly washed. So this would back up your argument even further imo…
Vegans foods don’t supply real sources of vitamin A, B-12, collagen, or adaquate amounts of omegas. The vegan omegas are a total joke.
Well said I totally agree,Bone broth has been hugely instrumental in helping me with my health issues to bag it is so wrong on many levels.
i agree with you, personally i dont eat much meat but since i start consuming bone broth i have remarkable improvement in my health and healing. i am studying my bachelor in health science, obviously including Anatomy & Physiology- so have a good understanding of the benefits we are gaining from breaking down the bones for 12 or so hours. i also include herbs from my garden + organic farm vegetables… “proof is in the pudding” my soup energises my mind and body extremely… i think people need to research more on the creation of bones before they try to give their opinion… wishing abundance of health for all
Super excited to try this since it’s found out I have dimensions food sensitivity issues!!! Any idea what the macro count would be on this?!? Trying to prep for a competition and don’t want to throw off my macros!!! Thanks so much!
Nice article! I’ve been thinking about this whole bone broth thing and it just makes me queasy so I’m grateful you took the time to offer this alternative!
Hi Aimee this is brilliant, I have shared the link to this and on my website as I have been researching gut health and found the recipe and info really helpful
Absolutely love this article. Couldn’t agree more.
Do you have any recommendations on what to do with the strained veggies after making the broth? It seems a waste to throw them out (and I don’t have access to composting). I’m making this now and really looking forward to it!
You can always blend them up and use in making vegie burgers
Or, blend them and add just a little of that broth for a thicker veggie soup. I did this when I made veggie broth and ended up with two soups instead of one. Be sure to remove the peppercorns though.
If you have a friend who has chickens, offer this. With onions/garlic not good for dogs. In general, vegetables (or even meats) used to make a stock are generally tasteless if one has properly extracted their ‘goodness’.
HI Aimee
Wonderful recipe. I just tried it but added some organic beetroot. It was very delicious and healing after a 3 day juice cleanse (with a bit of a healing crisis!) I also added a little spoon of food grade diatomaceous earth for collagen (and to help expel toxins), which I couldn’t taste. Anyway, thank you so much!!
What A Great idea
I think this is an excellent broth but please coming from a Nutrition expert and one that has helped hundreds overcome leaky gut in the past 12 years – this broth will NOT provide the same healing as a bone broth or collagen/gelatin. This isn’t something that I came to from a biased standpoint (because I mainly identify as a vegetarian and raw vegan at times) nor is it something that I deducted from research online but through years of first hand experience with clients with severely impaired guts (a huge part of my client base is Lyme disease patients, leaky gut is just one of the many devastating symptoms experienced). I also had chronic Lyme disease and while I was able to make a full complete recovery, leaky gut is something that persisted for many many years after. Clearly as a Nutritionist, I have an advantage in knowing exactly what to eat – organic, no processed foods whatsoever, gluten free, mostly grain free, homecooked and loaded with homemade cultured foods/drinks. By all accounts I was living a pretty strict lifestyle but one thing I couldn’t help but notice was that my non vegetarian clients were not experiencing the lingering leaky gut that I was. My clients come to me with various food backgrounds – I treat them all – whether vegan, vegetarian, paleo etc – I teach them how to implement the healthiest ways to make their diet work for them – most of my lyme patients fared well on auto immune paleo – so far from me to make them change. For years, I stubbornly stuck to a vegetarian/raw vegan diet as I’ve been a lifelong vegetarian (with the exception for a few questionable years in my 20’s that included bodybuilding!), I was convinced that I was doing the right thing BUT how was I still dealing with something that my clients were easily recovering from – the only difference was they were including bone broths and eliminating some key foods that I was eating – like beans/lentils etc. As disheartening as it is – I decided that I would begin to incorporate grass fed, pasture raised collagen/gelatin and bone broth and then began to add some fish and pastured eggs to my diet (simply because I was soo limited in what I could consume once I had to eliminate starchy veg and legumes/lentils/pulses)- with these changes, my body was finally healing (keep in mind, I had been gut healing for 10 years with no real results). Will I go back to my vegetarian ways – absolutely but I also can’t disregard that sometimes what we want for our bodies is not always what we need.
Can you add the collagen/gelatin to this broth? I noticed that in other broth recipes he calls for collagen. Do you know how much you would add. I am new to this and I am looking to heal my gut. I would love a little direction on this recipe to make it the most potent and healing broth. Thank you.
Hi Nicole – my apologies as I just saw your comment now. Yes – you can add collagen (I recommend Vital proteins as it’s grass fed and one of the best out there plus no taste!! The collagen peptides is what you would want to use as it dissolves and doesn’t gel). I would use 2-4 scoops depending on how much soup you’re making – for the above recipe definitely go with 4 scoops as it makes quite a bit.
Hello Angelina, I am an IBS advocate for many and have been IBS free for 2 years now. I have so many questions to ask you in regards to veggie broth vs bone broth. Could you e-mail so we can touch base? my e-mail is beibsfree@gmail.com and my instagram account is ibs_healing. I look forward to speaking with you! Crystal Xo
Angelina Helene, thank you for that powerful comment. I will take your words into great consideration. I would be so thrilled if that could move me closer to seeing my food sensitivities improved which would be proof my gut is actually healing.
thanks again for writing!
You’re very welcome Traci! YES – food sensitives are a thing of the past when the gut is healed!!! Everyone with allergies has varying degrees of damage to their gut, so some healing will be quicker than others – but all worth it. Leaky gut is just an awful insidious condition with serious health implications when left untreated. Good luck to you!!! It’s a journey I’ve been on myself so I know that it can be difficult at times but it’s necessary….
Do you think that fish collagen would work the same benefits as bone broth and gelatin? I feel if I can do fish that is slightly less bothersome ethically for me than eating cow-based collagen or gelatin. Trying to heal myself too while being able to maintain my ethics as much as possible! Knowing I may have to give up beans, however, makes me super sad!! Thank you!
Totally agree
Angeline Helene
You know what bothers me about people like you, is that you are coming to a vegan website to spew your animal eating habits and passing them as healthy eating. Unlike you, REAL VEGANS, do not see animals as food. How would you feel if I go to your page and tell you that having DOG bone broth will help you heal you leaky gut. Would you do it? I’m pretty you will not. That is how us vegans see ALL animals. They are NOT food. It bothers me that I find this awesome page with yummy, healthy, gut healing recipes and than I have to be subjected to BS crap about how eating dead animals will help me heal my leaky gut.
The next time you decide to post your dead animal eating advice, please find a website that has carcasses eating people. And please stop calling yourself a vegetarian, you are FAR from that.
With that said, Thank you to this website for the wonderful VEGAN recipes. This broth has helped me so much. I feel better just a week in
Geeze, get off your vegan pedistle people here are just trying to help one another. If you read more comments, someone mentioned a vegan could add food grade diatomaceous earth in the vegan broth to add collegen. Some people don’t listen to the conversation after they find a topic they feel like attacking. Wait till the end of a conversation before judging others.
I think you mean pedestal
Not everyone can be vegan. Health conditions don’t allow it. I personally have hypothyroidism and my medication contains animal thyroid. Also, how do you explain the millions of seniors today who live to be 80+ who have never eaten vegan or have cancer and have never eaten a super food a snack mostly ate white potatoes and meat all their life? Come on.
Its been opposite for me. I have had to become vegetarian (except for seafood) as my gut wasn’t digesting meat. I do still make chicken bone broth but I do much better and feel much better with vegetarian meals and rice. I did paleo for 12 months and nothing happened. I actually got worse. I think everyone’s body is different and it can be trial and error. So ur right, it’s not always what u want for ur body that ur body needs. Essential oils healed my leaky gut.
Hi Naomi. Thanks for sharing. Our circumstances sound very similar. I have been doing AIP for a year & trying to heal my gut. My MS has got worse and I have also had to become vegan as my body could not process meat. I am very glad to find this website as was looking for a veggie broth to replace the chicken broth.
Do you mind sharing what essential oils you used?
Thanks
I can also vouch for bone broth,and a combination of glutamine slippery elm powder and inulin,my life was nearly ruined through leaky gut,Ibs and severe diverticulitis ,only found broth through have t fast every time i had an attack,Ialso gave up wheat and sugar in all forms took me two yrs of different approchs before my gut felt relieved i can even cheat every now and then with out flare ups
The whole point of this article is to offer an alternative and I find it distasteful that you would claim that it will not help leaky gut. There is no evidence to the contrary. Bone broth however has high levels of lead. As all animals are vaccinated (yes organic animals too) their bones will also contain aluminium and mercury while the flesh will contain other vaccines toxic ingredients. So take your paleo point somewhere else.
Once again…humans think that they have to use other animals lives to heal themselves or improve their lives. Most people probably harmed themselves through eating animals…
I am so sorry that some people on this feed don’t see that your recipe option as viable and cruelty-free.
I really appreciate your response and experience here. I am a vegetarian who is now going back to being vegan. I appreciate personal experiences regarding lifestyle changes and the reasons behind why people make them. I’d love to learn more on why the elimination of lentils and grains was beneficial. You’ve given me a starting point to look at new information.
Hi. I saw your question about lentils. My understanding is thatvitvis the lectins in food that cause the autoimmune system tooverreact and cause inflammation in the body and a whole lot of other chronic related issues. From what i have tead lentils in particular have very high levels. Soaking them overnight and cooking thenin a pressure cooker helps but still not ideal. There are a couple of books by dr Grundy that go into a lot of details. There is a growing realisation that chronic disease is a result of inflammation in our digestive system. His books give everyone hope
thank you, very well expressed and i very much agree with you,also from personal experience. from studying bachelor health science, like you, understand the benefits you receive from bones, which is not in vegetables… i dont think this article should be stating all this information, without taking into consideration
The Chinese use bone to support kidney and digestive function and to build blood.
Cindy Micleu, instructor at the Jade Institute complementary healing center, says “bone marrow contains myeloid and lymphoid stem cells. The foundations for red and white blood cells, these cells build immunity, assist with blood clotting and help provide oxygen to cells. Collagen, the protein-rich substance that cooks down to gelatin, can also help repair the body. Collagen deficiency can lead to poor wound healing, easy bruising and bleeding gums. Collagen in bone marrow can help the body rebuild itself”
this is just a quick paragraph i found {(please no one comment too harshly on that, as i just looked for it quickly to explain to some people who might not realise blood is formed inside bones)
Angelina, thank you so much for your informative and reasonable comment.
Hi Aimee,
What do you think about adding Gelatin to get that animal factor into a great nutritious broth?
haha no
i love this even more for the number of apparently registered-dietitian omnis it has pissed off, bless u
would u like me to share my entire medical history and rant about why we need to consume animal products to be healthy now? cool, ok
hahaha
<3
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve been struggling to find a nice vegan broth. Most are bone broths (ick!) I was wondering if you have any vegan gut healing recipes? Would love some more of those!! Amazing site btw.
As a fellow blogger, its nice to see others take a real interest in the health and wellness of others. A good healthy broth can have many healthy feel good nutrients. However, as a dietician, nutritionist, and trainer..I don’t understand the need to compare bone to vegetable, as you know, you are not consuming meat in either way. As a cancer survivor, who also deals with thyroid issues, I consume more veggies than meat. However, for the health of my body, after trying both ways, my body does better with regular consumption of gluten free foods, wild seafood, turkey, poultry..with more fresh low glycemic fruits and balanced starchy veg. Every human body is different. What works for some may not work for others. I have clients who are vegans but, for the sake of feeling good and maintaining healthy blood tests, consume a batch of homemade bone broth every month. Science shows strong evidence in relation to meat and bones. Nevertheless, I was looking for a vegetable broth to try before recommending. Your broth sounds good with the exception of mushrooms, and some of the healers like tumeric or ginger. It may be best to add them after cooking to individual bowls. Over cooking it for long periods can really aggravate the tummy for some. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Aimee,
Thank you so much for your investigation and this recipe. My two children get serious stomach aches and have lots of food sensitivities, so we’ve finally started the GAPS diet. But I’m vegetarian and the smell of that bone broth makes me gag (luckily their father makes it, not me). I think the fear for my children’s health overrode my own gut instincts about food for a while. Reading your post re-grounded me. I so appreciate it.
I wondered if I could ask your opinion on another question I’ve been pondering. Is boiling veggies to make stock better than juicing to make a liquid base for soup and then just warming it (and watering it down if necessary)? I would think juice is better, because of all of the live enzymes in uncooked veggies. Even if you have a sensitive stomach, wouldn’t watery vegetable juice be easier on your stomach than stock? But I haven’t been able to find anyone else talking about this. Obviously efficient vegetable juicers are a newer thing and can be expensive, but still, why aren’t people talking about this? Thanks! :)
Hi there, in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicines, cooked food is considered much easier to digest. Some body types are not recommended to do juicing or eat a lot of salads, raw foods, or even cold foods and drinks. Raw juices are probably best for people who are trying to lose weight and gain energy, not for people who are sensitive. That is my understanding anyway. I hope it helps offer a different perspective that you can look further into of your own accord if it strikes a chord with you.
Great article. I agree with you for the most part. I think what doctors and nutritionists are trying to do is get you to heal the easiest/fastest way possible. You can make your own nutrients, but it takes your body more energy and time than if the building blocks are already in a similar form to the final products (like the nutrients you get from eating animals).
For me, I have adrenal dysregulation, but I also have to work a high-stress 40+ hour/week job. I don’t have time to make really healthy veg meals all the time, and trying to do so would cause more stress and make my adrenals worse, so the solution for me has been to buy a free-range chicken about once/month and use all parts of it and then make the bone broth as well. Not the best, but it’s what I have to do.
Thanks for the recipe!
Exactly, I feel like the moral motivation that vegan have makes them ignore the fact that animal food has also healing properties and is in many cases much more suitable to people with gastro intestinal issues as leaky gut. I personally healed and did much better with animal food then with vegan. Something like turmeric can be great for some ppl and it has anti-inflammatory properties while in some ppl with a sensible gut can be very upsetting(like myself).We should be interested in what gives a better result in the end and that can also be personal. I used gasp diet and it was great for me, while plant based diet was hurting me and made my GI very inflamed. And yes I can not wait to be able to eat all kind of fruits and raw vegetable again but until I heal my gut and nee to do what I have to do.
Your comment does not sound like you were truly ever plant based. I personally have seen much better health benefits being plant based.
There is nothing magic about meat, and with all the horrific collateral damage from meat and dairy and the fact I have rocking health, I will stick with the smart food ( plants) and stick by my pesky morals. The human gut is built to process plants much more so than meat, that is fact. There is nothing in a rotting , tortured corpse that my body needs.
I was vegetarian then vegan for two years. Over the two years my health became progressively worse. I was eating nuts, seeds, legumes, sprouting everything first. I drank green smoothies, ate salad, sweet potatoes, fermented foods, the works. I ate an avocado a day. My health continued to decline. I lost too much weight, broke out in acne, lost hair. It turned out I was suffering from adrenal fatigue and an iron deficiency– even though I was careful to eat a lot of spinach and other leafy greens high in iron. It was only when I started in bone broth, wild fish and organic pasture raised meat did my health start to improve. Vegetarian and vegan diets work for many – but not for all. People have to find what works best for them and should NOT be judged as a result.
That’s right.
I can’t imagine that you food much research if you believed spinach was a good source of iron.
Been vegan for b24 years and Jane never had low iron, except when pregnant, and that was easily remedied.
Purple are so quick to ditch their ethics and eat corpses.
Thank you!! What a great article. I really appreciate all the thought that you have put in to this recipe. I just dared to ask a health-related question on an alternative health FB group a friend added me to, and I practically got jumped for not eating paleo! My diet isn’t great at the moment, but it has nothing to do with the fact that I’m vegetarian and everything to do with being overwhelmed, not wanting to cook, and not having enough money for nutritious foods that don’t need to be pre-prepared. I have been vegetarian all my life and have never had food allergies or nutritional deficiencies other than slightly low iron during only my third pregnancy out of four (which is not at all uncommon for anyone). I guess you could say I’m drained, and this recipe would be a perfect for replenishing nutrients … now if only I could find someone to cook it for me!
Would it be ok to use an emulsifier and make this into a thick broth? It sounds delicious but I hate throwing away all those lovely veggies.
Of course, you could make this into a soup! However, the idea of this broth is to be easy on the gut with as little to digest as possible, hence why I’ve kept it as a clear broth.
Hi Amiee,
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I can’t stand the smell of bone broth much less imagine drinking it. Yuck. I have two autoimmune diseases and major gut issues. While not everything is compliant for everyone, it is a broth that can be adapted and changed to suit taste and limitations. Also on a side note it is strained so no one is consuming the veggies that offend their tummies.
Keep up the great work.
Thanks Stacey!
Hello Amiee. I applaud your devotion to veganism. However wonderful and nutrient dense your broth is there are a few ingredients included in yours that can be very irritating to an inflamed gut. I feel it is your responsibility to point them out to people who are not as informed as yourself. Especially since you so vehemently comparing it to bone broth that has countless doctors/healers backing its healing power and very few to support yours. Seeing that you are not a doctor or even a nutritionalist you should be more respectful towards your followers. You correctly pointed out the issues with Wakame but what about Spinach which is dangerous for anyone with goiters, or kale which can cause a compromised digestive system gas as its very hard to break down, black pepper is also another problem for healing guts as it is a stimulant and the chili’s being a nightshade is a known inflammatory. I am sure your broth will be beneficial to many people but I highly doubt this is the case for the mass majority suffering from Crohns, IBS, Diverticulis et all.
Thanks Shauna. Yes, I never claimed to be a doctor or a nutritionist, this is simply an alternative to what’s already out there and as I mentioned a couple of times, it can be altered to suit people’s needs and tastes. Thanks for providing extra info for those who might be looking for it.
Kale is being removed from the soup as this is a broth. You are only pulling the nutrients and minerals in the inputs, then straining them out.
Thankyou very interesting article. Although for those of us with hyper thyroids or Graves’ disease we can’t eat iodine rich food such as seaweed so is there an alternative to that that you know of?
Hi Louise, I’m afraid I don’t have any specific recommendations but feel free to leave or swap anything you can’t eat or don’t like. Just add some extra nutritious veggies, if you like :-)
Mushrooms of all kinds are beneficial to thyroid, whether hypo- or hyper- ,,, the shiitakes are a really good choice here,,, so if the seaweed is offensive to your situation, just leave it out. I hope this helps…
Hello! I know you said to serve immediately but I made some on Monday and haven’t used it all yet. Do you know how long it lasts in the fridge? Thanks!
I would say keep for 3-4 days in the fridge but it freezes really well too so if you’re not going to use the rest of it today, I would recommend freezing the rest.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe :) Can’t wait to try it! I make my own vegan bouillon at home and find that it is so much better than buying and so much cheaper! I will add this to my homemade “stocks and broths” It must be great to cook a vegan french onion soup!
Let me know if you try it, Lee! I loooove this in soups, it adds so much extra flavour :-)
Hi Lee, would you mind sharing your vegan stock recipe please? Thanks.
Susan
I just stumbled upon your blog (pinterest..), and I have to try this recipe!
THANK YOU for doubting this whole bone-broth-is-the-must-eat-for-healthy-guts, which I read so much about while doing research for a 5-week gut-healing “rehabilitation”. I’m absolutely not convinced about paleo diet but I do believe in a clean, healthy, balanced and vegetarian/vegan way of eating, because there is nothing in meat that we really need.
I’ll be trying this soup very soon, adding a lot of cabbage to it!
Greetings,
sina
Hi Sina, so glad you stumbled onto my blog! Let me know if you try it :-) Cabbage sounds like a delicious addition.
This recipe is incredible! Thank you so much – I can’t wait to see/read your other gut healing recipes!
Thank you Danielle! :-)
Hi Aimee, I really like the sound of this recipe! I have one question and sorry if it’s been asked before. But if you don’t use scraps, could you not strain the liquid at the end and eat it like a nice stew, with all the lovely veg etc?
Thanks,
You certainly can, Vicky! For a lot of people with digestive upset, the fact that it doesn’t have whole veg in it makes it easier for them to digest but if this isn’t an issue for you then I’m sure it would be a delicious way to serve it! Hope you enjoy :-)
Hi! Would it work to do this in my crockpot? Thanks for the recipe, I’m looking forward to trying it!
Hi Melissa! Sure, I’ve never used a crockpot myself but I imagine you could do it overnight. Let me know how you get on :-)
Thank you for your recipe. I love all meat and make bone broth often, it’s good to have a veggie option. :).
Thanks Jan! Glad to provide an alternative :-) Let me know if you try it!
Hi Aimee!
So I am not a vegan, but this sounds delicious and I would love to try it! But I have three questions for you: 1, where can I find the seaweed and coconut animos? Like I said, I’m not vegan so both of these are foreign to me, but most of the other ingredients aren’t thankfully. Ha! 2, have you ever tried to half the recipe? I think if I make this, which I probably will if I can find the ingredients, I’d like to try a small batch first before I go all out. 3, there were a couple ingredients that others commented about adding, and they all just sounded delicious, but I really don’t know what they are. Miso and dashi? I guess I could google those but I figured you would have a more understandable explanation and also know how they would affect the flavor of the broth? Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Autumn – love that name! So seaweed can be found in health food shops, in the world food aisle at some supermarkets, Asian food shops and online. Coconut aminos you can find in health food shops and online (but you can use soy sauce or tamari sauce instead, if you don’t mind using soy) and I’m sure halving the recipe would be absolutely fine! If you ever have leftovers, just freeze them, that’s what I do.
Some readers have added miso and dashi which sounds delicious! Again, these can be found in Asian food shops or health food shops. Let me know if you give it a try :-)
“Dashi” is not vegetarian or vegan, it is the clear broth made from dried fermented fish (tuna) and konbu (kelp) sea vegetable (we do not consider them weeds) that is a fundamental ingredient to many traditional Japanese dishes. There is however an easy and convenient alternative though that is vegan but you need to ensure is is “konbu” dashi or stock made only from the konbu without the dried fish but some forms contain MSG.
Miso paste is vegan but it is made primarily from koji which is fermented asperillus oryzae (fungi) and soybeans along with many other ingredients so probably another ingredient to avoid if you are avoiding legumes, grains, salty or GMO foods. Red miso is more fermented and has more soybeans so it is stronger tasting than other types. Koji is also the essential ingredient for sake and soysauce, among other Japanese foods.
Anywhere in Asia you can find traditional foods that conform to Buddhist cuisine stipulations which are strictly vegan – in Japan it is called shojin ryori – so check out recipies and restaurants that offre this style of cuisine.
Like religion, your politics are very personal, however your DNA and gut may not conform to your head or heart’s desires. Think about your ancestry if you know it and find out what the common ways of eating for them where and you may find more clues to what diets is best suited for you as opposed to the mainstream diet advice. Those of north European ancestry will find some of them were agricultural based and others will find a non-agricutural base, the latter of which will present more challenges for a truely vagan lifestyle but perhaps not impossible with the right mindset. Those of mediterranean or Asian ancestry often adopt to vegetarian eating easier. Those of African or indigenous ancestry living in the West have much more diversity and many new foods to discover that are not well known outside of traditional communities.
Thank you to all here for sharing your knowlege and experience. Everything is helpful!
Thank you for all that WONDERFUL information, Aimee AND Umami Chef. I’ve been seeing so much information all over the place about bone-broth, and it’s benefits. SO wonderful to have such great information about vegetarian and vegan alternatives that are still wonderfully nutritious and tasty!
This sounds ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and I’m SO looking forward to making it. (I’m in New Zealand, and it’s smack in the middle of winter here now, so perfect timing to discover this post and your wonderful blog, Aimee!)
Thank you so much for the care you’ve both taken to provide such useful information. Very grateful to you both.
Hi Aimee!!
I am so so so excited to try this recipe for the upcoming week. I do have one question that someone may have already threw out there. Is there anything the leftover veggies can be saved and used for? I feel like I’ll be wasting whats left over and would love to know if there’s a way I can use for something else.
Hi, I actually use this recipe as a way to make use of leftovers! Any scraps, peelings etc that I have on hand – go into this broth. But you can re-use them a couple of times. So after you’ve made one batch of broth, make another using the same ingredients left in the pan. Hope that helps :-)
You could always mash up the veg then mix it with flax seeds. Let stand over night, then spread them out on a sheet to dry out in the dehydrator or oven to make veggie flax crackers.
That’s such a good idea, Melodie! I wish I had a dehydrator.
It’s is such a great investment! We make crackers, musli, kale chips, coconut yogurt and dried fruit or veg chips. Also, thank you for promoting that gut healing is possible with a healthy vegan diet. It’s such an important message!
I made this broth with most of the listed ingredients except like others, could not get my hands on wakame seaweed. I added a teaspoon or so of organic red miso to each mug and it was fantastic. Cozy and nutritious as well as tasty! Yum. Thanks!!
That sounds SO delicious with the added miso! So glad you enjoyed it, thanks April :-)
Thank you so much for this & for calling out all the meat-heavy “gut healing” diets. I’m a new Chrohnie and also mostly plant-based and so frustrated by the focus.
You may, however, want to check out Dr. Chutkan’s Microbiome Solution. She advocates for what’s essentially a vegan-paleo combo.
Thanks again!
xo
hi so I’m like making this just for myself and I was wondering how long you think this recipe size would last for in the fridge??? since I’d be drinking it over about a weeks time span??? do u think that’s too long or should it keep for like that amount of time in preservation???
Hi Sven, I would say freeze half of it and keep half in the fridge. Half a batch should cover you for the week and the rest you can heat up at a later date (or use for soups, stews etc.) Hope you enjoy!
thank you so much for the reply and I can’t wait to whip it up tomorrow
Hi Aimee this looks great :) Would it be possible to substitute the seaweed with Nori seaweed? It seems to be the only one I can occasionally find in my local supermarkets. Thanks!
Hi Shirley! Sure, I’ve not tried it in a broth, personally but I know it’s still got plenty of health benefits so go for it :-) Let me know how you get on!
For anyone reading these comments, I don’t recommend Nori for adding to a soup or broth. Wakame is thick and sort of leathery, it adds a clear savoury slightly ‘meaty’ flavour and is used in Japanese cooking often to add flavour. Nori on the other hand is papery and I imagine would all break up. It’s got a strong ‘fishy-sea’ taste and I think it would add an unwelcomed flavour to the broth. Although I have had ramen before served with a couple of sheets of Nori in it – but it’s worth noting that these were added to the bowl after everything else so that they only half melted in it.
It’s like you’ve written this article just for me! I’ve just been recovering from a stomach bug and wanted to do a serious cleanse, I also really appreciate how you’ve done your research to back up your article.
I can’t wait to try it! Thank you so much and keep up the amazing work! :)
Thank you so much, Kylie – I did spend a long time researching because I hate how little information there is for vegans AND how much current misinformation / hype is out there too. Please let me know if you try it! Thanks again :-)
This sounds so delicious, I can’t wait to try this recipe even though the weather is still warm.. It sounds yummy!!!!
Thanks Beth! Yes, it was an odd time of year to be making broth but I couldn’t hold out til winter! Although it’s definitely starting to get chilly now here in the UK :-)
I was paleo for a few years and used to make a lot of bone broth. I just recently went vegan after some back and forth so I am very happy to see this recipe! I will definitely make it a lot during the winter.
You rock!
Marian
Oh I’m going to be making this a LOT this winter! Thanks Marian, you rock too :D
Can you not eat it like a soup with all the veggies instead of straining it and having just the broth?
You can do, if you prefer Eli! In fact, I end up using the broth to make soups. For a lot of people though, this way is the easiest on the stomach as it’s minimal digesting and low-fibre.
Thanks
Hi there
Would it be possible to just blend all the veggies in the broth and turn it into more of a soup?
I’ve just made mine and also wondering what to do with all the left over veg!
Thanks!
This is so wonderful! Thank you for the recipe, I will love to try it! :)
Thank you, hope you enjoy!
I’m thrilled that I found this! I’ve seen many bone broth links and was so tempted to try it, but hated the thought of animal bone! I’m not totally vegan but won’t eat many meats…I’d love to go totally meatless, but right now with being type 2 diabetic I’m not too sure I can, I started eating healthier a year ago and have lost 85 pounds, I’m feeling better and looking good too… I have about 30-35 pounds to go, I’ve also come off of 20 medications which was why along with my ill health I started this journey, also seeing an excellent Chiropractor!
So I’m going to hunt down everything I need for this recipe and make it! Thank you so much for helping me take this next step in my life!
Wow Linda amazing results given illness and meds. Well done and may your journey take you all the way to where you want to be.
I am so pleased to have helped, I hope you enjoy Linda! Let me know you get on :-)
Really LOVE this post. I’ve seen so many posts about bone broth and I’m like, oh okay, I guess I’ll miss out on the healing revolution of 2016 since I’m vegetarian! Hahaha. Anyway, I’m really glad to read about all these benefits. Definitely checking out that seaweed.
Thanks Jessica! Yes, a lot of people think they’re missing out but really… they’re not ;-)
Aimee, Second week of 1st grade so my son of course has come down with a cold, he hates all things meat including chicken noodle soup. So I came across this little recipe treasure on pinterest. First…the smell….oh goodness lovely, I put everything in the crockpot all night and got to wake up to my son saying, “mama something’s delicious.” Yes, delicious indeed. In our church we have elders who have health issues such as cancer, so to your recipe I have added miso and dashi and take this to them and they love it. For my son I have added egg noodles to make like a little soup, so a big thank you!
This makes me so happy to hear, thank you!
Hello – I love this idea but I didn’t see anything in your post about what makes this gut healing.
I used gut-healing ingredients such as wakame seaweed which has been found to strengthen gut mucus (improving digestion and absorption – great for leaky gut), amino acid-rich foods (which is what helps our bodies create collagen, if and when we need it for repair), anti-inflammatory turmeric (to soothe inflammation in the gut), healthy fats (to help absorb vitamins) plus some generally vitamin and mineral-rich foods which all help towards repairing the gut.
The main thing is getting the vitamins and minerals we need to repair the gut. I’m not saying this broth alone is going to do the job (nor do I think people should say the same about bone broth) but it’s a gentle, delicious way to get all this goodness without upsetting the stomach.
From what I’ve read, the benefits of bone broth are that it’s full of vitamins and minerals, good for the immune system, helps enhance digestion and helps produce collagen. So this definitely ticks all those boxes!
Hope that helps :-)
Ive got this on the stove right now and am soooooo excited!!! Ive made another version a year ago when I also wanted the healing broth but vegan, this recipe is way more in depth. I had to use dried porcini though couldn’t find shiitake this week
Smells amazing
:D
I hope you enjoy it! Remember, it freezes really well and you can also use it in soups, risottos, stews etc. Let me know how you get on with it :-)
Soooooooo glad to have found this! Thank you so much!!!!!!
I’m glad you’re glad! :-)
Yesss! Who needs bone broth when there’s veggie broth?! It’s the best!
I use it for everything now. It makes the BEST stock!
Here we go again. I find a great reason to make veg broth, then look at the ingredients. my heart sinks because a couple of things on that list i couldn’t get anywhere no matter where i looked. hopes dashed yet again. (basically, not going to even try now).
I mention at least twice that if you can’t find any ingredients (or you don’t like certain ingredients) you can simply leave them out or swap them for something else. This is just a basic guide to some healing ingredients and some encouragement for those who think bone broth is the only solution. Feel free to use your favourite vegetables and whatever is easiest for you to buy. Shiitake mushrooms and seaweed are great but I totally understand that they are not easy to get hold of for some people, which is why I’ve made the note that they’re not strictly necessary. Hope you still get to try it!
Amiee, what can one use in place of the Shiitake mushrooms and seaweed? I’ll be going to our local health food store and just in case I can’t find those ingredients what can I buy instead? thanks and I can’t wait to try this out, also told my 84 yr old mother who also wants to try this too ..
Hi Linda, apologies for the late reply. If you can’t get hold of those – don’t worry. Just focus on adding plenty of veggies you like, with a variety of colours. Most supermarkets will sell dried mushrooms – if you can’t find shiitake, try porcini or a mixture of dried mushrooms. If not, fresh mushrooms. The seaweed is, admittedly, a little trickier to get hold of but don’t worry too much about that :-) Let me know how you get on!
Amazon.com
I got the seaweed on Amazon, the dried shiitakes at a local Asian market and the coconut aminos at a health food store but you can get all them on Amazon.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this post Aimee! Excellent explanation, it will be so useful for Veggie and Vegan SCDers.
Thank you so much, Vicky!
Thank you for bringing up this important topic. I am curious what research you have done. I’d like to see the references. Years ago an acupuncturist told me I was Yin deficient and that raw foods were not good for me at that time because of it. A recipe including cooking bone for 12 hours along with Chinese herbs and root vegetables and dark beans helped me at that time. I would cook a big batch then freeze it in small portions and ate it 3times per week. Before that I ate mainly raw vegan foods for a few years and found health benefits and felt good ethically about that decision. Unfortunately it did not help my gut heal, probably because I over ate. I love vegan foods and have had difficulty choosing what to eat. Thanks again.
Thanks for spreading the word. The world needs to hear about the non-animal sourced options out there… I suffered from chronic tummy troubles for a few months before seeing a doctor about it. After a couple of tests, she told me that some people just have more acid in their stomaches and need to take medicine. She then gave me a long term prescription for some acid reducing pills and told me to eat dairy yogurt. Um, no thank you to the pharma “cure” and the yogurt!… I went home, did my own research and started making (and drinking) water kefir. Guess what. The tummy troubles are all gone… Going to try your broth too. The gut can never be too healthy, plus it sounds delicious! :-)
FYI, I can tell you (by virtue of being a recent college grad, and having looked in a course catalog within this decade) that most MD programs focus on Anatomy and Pathology, with their attendant fields: Virology, Microbiology, Epidemiology, et cetera. Unless a med student has a particular interest in Nutrition, they don’t study it extensively. The program is typically geared towards studying “What to do when things go wrong!” not preventing catastrophes in the 1st place. The fact that your Mom was misdiagnosed is not surprising at all.
And no, I’m not an MD. I have a B.S. in Animal Science instead!
Hi Aimee, huge thumbs up to you for writing this post! I’ve researched into the gut healing protocol too and they are so many claims about the bone broth. I’ve started last year by making veggie broth, then made bone broth few times in attempts to heal my gut thinking that I needed to include it in my diet. But now moving back to veggie broth, because I feel pretty much the same as you about it. I try not to judge, because there’s no diet to fit everyone’s needs and we’re all individual. It’s a journey for sure. Love H
Such a great idea! Although not totally vegan, I’m always looking for ways to introduce more plant-based meals into my diet. As someone who is also trying to make her tummy happy, this is a brilliant recipe!
Thanks Casey! It’s so delicious, I’m using some of it to make a risotto tonight :-)
YESSSSS!!!! Thank you! Omg I have been researching and finding the exact same things lately and feeling totally stuck between ethics and a happy stomach. This is so genius, I can’t wait to try it Aimee :)
This sounds amazing!! Love that last pic of the broth in the cup. Soooo comforting! I can’t wait to make this!
Thanks Jenn! It is SO comforting. I especially love drinking it from a mug, which just gives me an even more cosy feeling :-)
O my goodness! You’ve performed a miracle!! I can finally try this “broth tread” for healing myself :O O I want to give you a big hug <3
A big hug to you too, Rebecca <3 I think you will love this! I'm using some of the broth to make a risotto tonight. The gift of broth keeps on giving :-)