Originally published August 18, 2016
A full-flavoured vegetable broth recipe with gut-healing properties, or a "vegan bone broth" alternative!
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, in addition to creating a vegan bone broth alternative (recipe below) 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 and this article is simply a pool of resources I have combined.
I'd like to provide my thoughts as well as an alternative recipe...
Jump to:
🤷🏻♀️ Why 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.
There is no evidence that there is an advantage to consuming these amino acids and minerals from bone broth over other foods.
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."
Kantha Shelke, a food scientist and clinical nutritionist, 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 alternatives 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.
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.
Not to mention you'll be avoiding lead and other harmful heavy metals.
So the animal product-reliant parts are not necessary and are 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
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 healing.
And way more appealing, too.
Drinking broth has been a go-to, for centuries, as a healing food for when we're sick.
This study suggests that it's more the effect of hot liquid that is beneficial, and not necessarily the minerals or nutrients in the liquid.
Plus soup and hot liquids just feel good.
They're warming, comforting and can taste good.
🥣 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, act as preobiotics which are 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:
Aside from giving the most amazing flavour, these mushrooms have been shown to inhibit inflammation in the gut.
They're also full of amino acids, vitamin D, zinc and B vitamins. - Coconut oil or olive oil:
Mainly to aid in absorbing nutrients but coconut oil also has other properties that help destroy bad bacteria, yeast and lower stomach acid. - Turmeric:
Powerful anti-inflammatory to help with gut inflammation and gut permeability, plus adds delicious flavour and a beautiful colour. - Spinach or kale:
Full of vitamins and fibre.
Spinach has also been found to contain a sulfosugar that lowers gut inflammation. - Coconut aminos:
To add flavour, amino acids and the benefit of probiotics that comes with fermented foods.
May not be suitable for some diets as it's considered a sugar, so leave out if necessary.
You can find it in health food stores or on amazon.
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.
❓FAQ
Do I have to strain the vegetables?
No. I created a broth so it would be completely gentle on the stomach, since a lot of people trying this are experiencing gut issues.
However, keeping the vegetables in the broth or blending it will make a delicious soup, if you prefer.
Do you have nutritional information for this broth?
It is too difficult to try and calculate the nutritional information for broths as the amount of nutrients are too variable.
Adding all the ingredients won't work because the vegetables are strained and therefore difficult to tell how much of the nutrients remain in the broth.
If you want to know for dieting purposes, I can tell you it's very low calorie and the only fat is the small amount of oil that is optional to include.
To add it to your food diary, I would just input it as "vegetable broth" with a small amount of oil.
It is likely to be under 50 calories.
How long does the broth keep for? Can it be frozen?
Once made, allow to cool slightly and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze it.
I recommend pouring it into an ice cube tray to freeze as it makes it easier to defrost and is handy for small amounts of stock needed for soups, risottos and stews.
📖 Recipe
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 ¾ 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) - avoid if you have a very sensitive stomach
- 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
- ½ 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) ¼ 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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📖 References and resources
Studies
- The risk of lead contamination in bone broth diets
- Essential and toxic metals in animal bone broths
- Effects of drinking hot water, cold water, and chicken soup on nasal mucus velocity and nasal airflow resistance
- Shiitake Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Agaricomycetes), Supplementation Alters Gut Microbiome and Corrects Dyslipidemia (animal study)
- Efficacy and safety of Ayurvedic herbs in diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: A randomised controlled crossover trial
- Sulfoquinovose is a select nutrient of prominent bacteria and a source of hydrogen sulfide in the human gut
Zara says
How can I make this in the instant pot??
Aimee says
Hi Zara, sorry I've never used one of those before so I don't know the instructions :/ Hopefully someone else here can help?
Angela Neikirk says
I just put this in my instapot and set it on slow cook mode.
Cindee says
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!
Ray says
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.
Boop says
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.
Morgan says
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.
blackviolet says
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! ❤️
blackviolet says
Ugh, I made a bunch of typos, and I don't see an edit button. Sorry!
Pat says
It doesn't matter, black violet, it was an excellent informative reply.
Rocio says
Thanks for the information!
Leni says
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
Leni says
:)
Blackviolet says
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.
Sumaiya says
This sounds heavenly!!! Do you blog?
Tracey Ewing says
I'll definitely be looking for some Vegan EPAs and DHAs now. Rhankyou for the additiinal information.
TiredofVeganSnark says
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! :-)
Sue says
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!
Grace Elizabeth says
This is such a wonderful response! Adding the herbals in now! Thanks
Yanez says
Thanks for that information! It was very helpful! I was wondering where you find your 14 mushroom blend online?
Tess says
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.
Bea Phoenix says
Thank you for this information! It was exactly what I was looking for as an extension to this recipe!!!
Morgan says
Such good info in this!! Def copy and pasting this to save for later. Thank you :)
Steve says
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).
Chris says
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.
Aimee says
Thanks Chris, glad you enjoyed it! You could always add the turmeric when you heat up another portion :)
Polly says
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!
Aimee says
So happy to hear that, Polly! And yes - don't let all that stuff deter you. Do what feels right for you :)