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
Vicky says
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,
Aimee says
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 :-)
Melissa says
Hi! Would it work to do this in my crockpot? Thanks for the recipe, I'm looking forward to trying it!
Aimee says
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 :-)
Jan B. says
Thank you for your recipe. I love all meat and make bone broth often, it's good to have a veggie option. :).
Aimee says
Thanks Jan! Glad to provide an alternative :-) Let me know if you try it!
Autumn says
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!
Aimee says
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 :-)
Umami chef says
"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!
Sally says
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_ImAsh says
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.
Aimee says
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 :-)
Melodie says
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.
Aimee says
That's such a good idea, Melodie! I wish I had a dehydrator.
Melodie says
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!