Veganism is an ethical lifestyle which prohibits all food derived from animals. Beef broth, for instance, often appears as an ingredient in soups and stews but vegans should refrain from including it due to being produced using bones from cows.
At home, there are various options available for creating delicious homemade vegan beef-flavored broth. A great example would be Better Than Bouillon no beef base which is certified vegan and free from animal ingredients.
Vegetable Stock
Beef stock is an iconic ingredient used to add depth and umami flavor to dishes, typically created by simmering beef bones with water, herbs, and spices until fully submerged. Unfortunately, however, its ingredients do not conform with vegan lifestyle as this form of protein-rich cuisine should be excluded from their diet altogether; vegans avoid all food and beverage products that contain animal products, including beef stock.
Vegan-friendly broth options exist as alternatives to beef stock for providing flavor and texture similar to that found in animal-based stocks while remaining plant-based.
Homemade vegetable stock can be created by simmering vegetables, herbs and spices together in a saucepan for several hours, which not only reduces kitchen waste but is an economical way to create homemade stock!
Or you could buy ready-made vegetable broth from the store; Swanson Vegetable Broth comes packaged in an easy to recycle carton and offers rich homemade flavor for use in dishes like mashed potatoes, gravy and more.
Mushroom Stock
Mushroom stock has a more robust flavor with greater umami than vegetable broths, making it a delicious soup base option to create dishes like soups, risottos and pasta dishes. Furthermore, mushroom stock can also serve as a poaching liquid for fish or vegetables when poaching, or act as cooking fluid when making wild rice dishes.
Vegetarian Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base is certified vegan and makes a wonderful substitute for beef when creating vegan soups, gravies and stocks. In addition, its blendability allows it to be used in marinades, glazes and veggies to produce some truly delectable dishes!
This mushroom-based broth features shiitake and maitake mushrooms for added umami flavor, making it more robust than most vegetable-based products. Low in sodium with no MSG added and fat- and gluten-free, it contains less than 2% of all the following ingredients: water, mushroom concentrate, salt, vegetable stock (made up of onion, celery root, carrot), onion powder, garlic powder, black peppercorns, yeast extract and natural flavors.
Miso Soup
Bring flavor to soups, gravies and other dishes using these vegan beef-flavored Better Than Bouillon cubes – free of MSG, they dissolve easily in liquid and are ideal for simmering soups and slow cooker recipes.
These instant miso soup mix packets offer a tasty vegan alternative to traditional miso soup and contain all of the necessary ingredients for an easy, quick meal. Choose between four delicious domestic flavors of miso soup: Agenasu (fried eggplant) & Aburaage (deep-fried tofu), Edo Sweet Miso, Kyushu Wheat Miso and Hakusanbuki (Kombu & Sake).
Organic Kombu, Sake, Tahini and Red Miso are carefully combined with onions, carrots and celery in order to produce a hearty broth with complex flavors that only contains 50 Calories per Cup! This vegetable broth boasts deep authenticity while still being low calorie-dense!
Vegetable Broth
Vegans eschew products containing animal ingredients, such as beef stock. Beef broth is produced by simmering bones, trimmings and marrow in water in order to extract flavor and nutrients; typically it also features herbs, spices and vegetables for complexity. Vegans looking for similar flavor profiles can achieve the same rich taste through vegetable broth instead.
Vegan bouillon cubes typically do not include animal products or beef in their ingredient lists and tend to have lower sodium levels than traditional varieties.
Add even more rich, earthy, and savory flavor by including one tablespoon of dark maple syrup or molasses in your broth for an iron-rich boost that helps create more ‘beefy’ notes.
Make your own bouillon using dried shitake mushrooms by soaking and simmering. Additionally, high heat cooking of mushrooms helps caramelize them for an authentic beefy flavor and aroma.