How to make Mushroom Broth
Originally published September 26, 2023
Mushrooms are an amazing fungi, providing a wide range of antioxidants and other nutrients with a variety of benefits. The exact nutritional profile will depend on the type of mushroom.
Mushrooms are also delicious. Some have a deep, earthy savory flavor, some are reminiscent of seafood and others are pure unami. With a variety of stems and pieces, I'm going to show you how to make a wonderfully tasty and satisfying mushroom broth.
Why mushroom broth? Beyond the fact that it is delicious, mushroom broth makes a great base for soups, sauces and gravy while providing a great source of nutrients. It's also vegan/vegetarian! I'm particularly excited to make mushroom broth into gravy for Thanksgiving dinner. My little sister has a somewhat restrictive vegan diet and we struggle every year with making (at least a couple) foods that everyone will eat. Mushroom broth and mushroom gravy work wonderfully.
Why use dried stems and pieces? A dried mushroom product is shelf stable, so you can keep it in your pantry and have it on hand for whenever you are ready to make broth. By using stems and pieces for broth, you are helping me move toward a zero-waste farm. Large stems and broken pieces of mushrooms are not highly marketable as a fresh product, which can lead to waste. This waste is avoided by dehydrating them into a pantry staple. My Vegan Broth Mix contains stems and pieces of all the types of mushrooms I grow: blue oyster, white oyster, lions mane, piopinno, black pearl oyster, italian oyster and/or any new mushrooms I start to grow. This gives you a more complex flavor than using a single variety.
Are you ready to jump in?
Here's what you'll need:
dried mushroom stems and pieces (Vegan Broth Mix)
1-2 cups vegetable trimmings (onion, carrots, celery – I like to save the ends that would normally be composted. You can keep a baggie in the freezer for collecting vegetable trimmings for broth)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon parsely and/or thyme
8 cups of water
salt & pepper to taste
Put all ingredients (except salt and pepper) into a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for at least 45 minutes. Strain out solids. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy plain or use in a recipe.
Instant Pot Option (my preference): Put all ingredients into the instant pot. You can use the “soup” setting for a long cooking time (resulting in a richer broth) or if you're in a hurry, just use “manual” for 15 minutes. Let pressure release naturally. Strain out solids. Salt and pepper to taste.
Try mushroom broth in french onion soup, thickened for gravy over mashed potatoes, in place of beef broth in vegetable soup, as the base for mushroom risotto or in any fancy french dish that you want to make vegan by substituting out the beef broth. :)
