Ever tried bone broth? This vegan bone broth recipe is made in the instant pot and has tons of health benefits! It's also gluten-free and good for your gut.
I've been on a major gut healing kick lately and this is my newest obsession. I've been hearing about the benefits of bone broth for years, but as someone who is plant-based, I've never tried it.
While we might not be able to get the exact same nutrients with plants, I knew there had to be a way to create a healing “bone” broth that didn't have any actual bones!
So that's what we have here today: a vegan bone broth that is nourishing, delicious and also easy to make. We're chucking everything into the Instant Pot and cooking it up until it's super flavorful.
Where we Discovered Vegan Bone Broth
I actually happened upon a broth like this at a local place here in New York City. I'd heard the company (Brodo) had a few bone broth shops downtown, but when we were walking back home from errands the other weekend, we noticed that had a shop near our house.
I wanted to check it out for Matt's sake but was thrilled to see they had a vegan option on the menu. The vegan broth was made with mushrooms and seaweed and it tasted delicious. Only problem? It was about $7 for a cup. So definitely not something we could enjoy regularly (or even semi-regularly).
After doing a bit of searching online, I found what ingredients they used and decided to make my own at home. For way less money and also way less sodium (there's was quite salty).
Ingredients for Our Vegan Bone Broth
There are a few things that make this bone broth unique. First, we're using dried shiitake mushrooms which are probably one of the most flavorful things ever. Hopefully, you like mushrooms! It definitely has a mushroom flavor.
And second, we're using a seaweed called wakame.
Wakame is an edible seaweed from Japan that you've probably eaten before without knowing it. Ever ordered a seaweed salad at your local sushi place? That's wakame! (more on wakame in a sec…)
For the rest of the ingredients, we're making a pretty standard veggie stock. Carrots, celery, onions, garlic tomato, and some chickpeas.
Oh, and one final thing. Remember I said the one from Brodo was super salty? I nixed the salt completely and added a tablespoon of miso paste. Miso is definitely salty, but for the amount of liquid we're using, it's not that much 🙂
Benefits of Wakame Seaweed
In our post on the best foods for gut health, we talked about the benefits that sea vegetables have on your gut, but they're also incredibly nutritious!
Wakame has been touted as one of the most nutrient-dense seaweeds out there. It's packed with minerals like manganese, magnesium, and calcium, but also lots of vitamins like A, C, E, K, and some B vitamins. Sea vegetables are also high in antioxidants so they can be supporting for your liver as well as potentially lowering the risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer.
And again, since it's good for our gut, it's a great addition to our vegan bone broth!
How to Cook Broth in the Instant Pot
Typical vegetable broth takes anywhere from 5 – 6 hours or even all day on the stove top. I didn't have time for that and I know many of you don't either, so I wanted to come up with a way to make it cook faster, but not sacrifice on flavor.
Solution: the Instant Pot!
I recently purchased an Instant Pot over Black Friday (here's the one I have) and figured this was the perfect recipe for it. The Instant Pot is a pressure cooker that allows you to cook things really quickly without losing out on a lot of the flavor. It's kind of like a slow cooker but in reverse.
So for our vegan bone broth (or really any broth), you just chuck everything into the Instant Pot, turn it on and let it cook. I wanted lots of flavor, so I cooked mine for about 2 hours. I think you could get away with less, but if you have the time, go for the full two as that will give you a more flavorful broth.
The Perfect Vegan Bone Broth Recipe
I was a little skeptical at first, but once I strained everything out, let it cool slightly and took a sip? WOW. Just wow.
Not only is it tasty, but it's incredibly nourishing. I can see why bone broth has become so popular. Sipping on this broth instantly makes you feel better. It's gentle on the system and is definitely something I'll be keeping on hand at all times.
Since this recipe makes a lot of liquid, if you don't feel like you get through it all in a week, you can either freeze some or use it as stock in some of your favorite soups. I'll link some soups down below that I think you could use this with.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have been! Fellow plant-based eaters, I feel like we've hit the jackpot here!
Soups Recipes to Use Your Vegan Bone Broth:
- Creamy Coconut & Mushroom Soup
- Slow Cooker White Quinoa Chili
- Vegan White Bean & Mushroom Soup
- Slow Cooker Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
Vegan Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 3 large carrots , chopped
- 3 celery ribs , chopped
- 1 large onion , quartered
- 2 - 3 garlic cloves , skin on
- 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, juice removed
- 1/3 cup dried chickpeas
- 75 - 100 g dried shiitake mushrooms
- 30 g wakame seaweed
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 10 cups water
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients into the Instant Pot. Give it a quick stir and then put on the lid. Make sure the vent is sealed.
- Set the pressure to high and set the timer for 120 minutes (2 hours). The Instant Pot will take about 15 minutes to get to pressure and then will turn on.
- Once the cooking cycle is done, allow the pressure to naturally release for about 15 minutes, then turn the vent to release the rest of the pressure. Remove the lid.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and line with cheesecloth. Pour the Contents of the Instant Pot through the cloth and strainer, being sure to only capture the liquid. Discard the veggies or blend them up with some water for a soup (although it's incredibly tasty!).
- Pour the vegan bone broth into jars and allow to cool to room temperature. Seal and freeze or keep in the fridge for 4 - 5 days.
- To serve, either drink the broth cold or gently reheat on the stove. Taste and add a touch of salt and pepper if desired.
Video
Nutrition
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Omg the amount of “bone” comments in this has got me rolling. I’m thankful for the inclusion of the word “bone”. As someome who fasts and cannot drink traditional bone broths, I literally googled “vegan bone broth” because otherwise I’m just going to get a load of veg soups. The bone bit is important.
EXACTLY! 😉
Interesting recipe, thanks for sharing. But doesn’t the cooking kill the bacteria in the Miso?
Feel free to stir it in afterwards if you’d like!
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I just made this, followed the recipe except I put the miso in after it cooled to below a simmer. it is completely deliciously awesome. Thanks!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Hello! I’m thrilled to see a bone broth recipe that I can enjoy as a pescatarian. I don’t have an instapot thought, how long would I leave it on the stovetop? Thanks!
I think it would need at least 6 – 8 hours to develop good flavor!!
I can see why bone broth has become so popular – ITS NOT BONE BROTH THERE IS NO BONE
Not sure what you’re referring to here, but I’ve clearly stated in the post this isn’t bone broth 🙂
I see the confusion. You call it bone broth in the title of this blog, and refer to it as bone broth multiple times throughout the post. There is no bone, therefore it is very misleading to put the word bone broth in the title. However, it does sound like a perfectly delightful delicious vegetable broth. No bones about it!
I understand where you’re coming from, but it say VEGAN in the title. Vegan means no bones, so it’s a vegan version of bone broth 🙂
Hi there, just wanted to flag up that you state the nutrition benefits of fermented foods in this recipe, however the heat from cooking actually kills all the beneficial bacteria in fermented foods so this recipe will not contain any good bacteria. You should probably edit this part in this and other recipes because it is unfortunately misleading to those wanting to adopt a probiotic diet. Great recipes otherwise, thanks!
Thanks for sharing! This is still a very nourishing broth and is definitely still gut-friendly 🙂
This sounds delicious, and I’ve been sick for a week craving something like this—just needed the rap on the arm. One question though—-miso loses its benefits when heated to high temps, so wouldn’t it be better to add that in per bowl when it’s cooled down a bit?
That would totally work! Feel better 🙂
Where can I purchase Wakame seaweed?
Online or in a natural health food store 🙂
What color Miso paste did you use for this?
I like both and don’t think you can go wrong with either 🙂
Could I omit the miso and use canned garbanzos?
Sure!
I made this yesterday and it is so damn delicious! I made a couple substitutions based on what I had in my cupboard and fridge. I didn’t have celery (shocking!) so used a bulb of fennel instead. I added a can of diced tomato with the juice included (am curious to know why the recipe called for juice removed?), I skipped the chickpeas, and added some chopped bok choy. To serve I sprinkle in a little cayenne, turmeric, and herbamare. It really tastes amazing! Next time I make a pot (and there will be many next times!) I will add a bit of ginger root. Thanks for sharing such a delicious and nutritious recipe!!
OH YUM! Love love love that!
How would you make this on a stove top?
You’d just follow all the same instructions, but cook it on the stove for at least 4 – 5 hours!
For how long can you keep it in the fridge?
For 4-5 days!
Another example of appropriation. You clearly DO NOT know how to use Wakame or shitake and this recipe sucks. It is way TOO heavy on the unami. TERRIBLE. LAZY. POORLY THOUGHT OUT RECIPE.
Sorry, you feel that way! If you want to share how you feel I could do better next time, I think that would be more helpful than this kind of comment. I’m always open to feedback!
The recipe sounds good! It’s not bone broth though, perhaps Vegan healing broth or Nourishing broth would be a more appropriate name. Bone broth is made from bones and there are no bones in your recipe. It is a vegetable broth.
Good catch! I will edit that. Thanks so much for the review!
I am a new Vegan and was inspired by your post and to try this vegan bone broth. I am currently making it on the stove and am overwhelmed by the smell of the Wakame. Do you think this is because I am making it stove top vs instapot? Or is this a natural smell I should expect? I used dried Wakame but did’t soak it first. Maybe I used to much? Perhaps it weighs more after being soaked? Any insight would be appreciated. I have never cooked with Wakame before.
I think it’s probably because you’re cooking it on the stove 🙂 Did it simmer down a bit as it cooked? Seaweed is definitely a unique flavor if you’re not used to cooking it!
Unique and innovative recipe but I was not prepared for the smell the seaweed was going to give off when I opened my pressure cooker. 😅
I am curious as to the benefits of cooking for so long. Is the nutritional content not lost eg. Vitamins etc being destroyed in the long cooking?
Actually it is the opposite. The long cooking time ensures the flavors meld together and gives all the vitamins and minerals time to release into the water.