Make your own vegan chicken bouillon and broth at home! This quick and easy broth powder tastes SO good you'll want to sip hot bowls of broth just for the flavor and nutrients! Use this vegan pantry staple to add umami and depth of flavor to soups, gravy, casseroles, and sauces. Made without oil and free from the top 8 allergens. Ready in 5 minutes!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
I've purchased my fair share of vegan chicken bouillon products over the years, especially last year while working on this Vegan Turkey Roast.
Some of those broths and bouillons taste better than others, but all of them are rather pricey and not exactly made with the healthiest ingredients.
For example, Better Than Bouillon's No-Chicken Base contains ingredients like hydrolyzed corn protein, maltodextrin, canola oil, and corn syrup solids. And theirs isn't even the worst. There are a lot of people who consume whole-food diets who would never buy that product.
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So after sharing this Vegan Rice-A-Roni recipe I decided it was time for a DIY vegan chicken seasoning on the blog.
Also, since the Trader Joe's vegan chicken-less seasoning was recently discontinued, we need a quick and tasty homemade option more than ever!
Speaking of Trader Joe's copycat recipes, check out this easy Ginger-Turmeric Dressing and this super crunchy Ginger-Turmeric Granola.
With just 9 pantry staples and 5 minutes you can make irresistibly delicious (no kidding, I actually crave it now) vegan chicken broth. It's oil-free, gluten-free, soy-free, AND nut-free. And thanks to nutritional yeast it contains important vitamins and minerals.
If you're not sure how you'll use this powder besides just making soup, keep reading for ideas!
Ingredients
While there isn't much room for substitutions in this recipe, a few of the ingredients are flexible.
For the best chicken bouillon flavor, I highly recommend trying the recipe exactly as written before tweaking the seasonings.
- Nutritional yeast - this is the most important ingredient in this recipe and cannot be omitted.
NOTE: If you think you don't like nutritional yeast but have only tried fortified brands (e.g., Bragg's), I highly recommend this non-fortified one by Sari Foods. Their nutritional yeast contains naturally occurring B1, B2, B5, and B6, as well as 18 amino acids and 15 minerals. It does not contain B12 or Folate, which are usually added to other brands of nutritional yeast. You can learn more about fortified vs. non-fortified nutritional yeast on the Sari website. - Fine sea salt
- Sugar - I use organic cane sugar. This can be omitted if you strictly avoid sugar.
- Poultry seasoning - I like this one by Frontier. It includes sage, thyme, onion, pepper, marjoram, celery seed, and cayenne.
If you have sage, thyme, and celery seed on hand but not poultry seasoning, feel free to use a tiny pinch of each. The problem is that it's difficult to measure such small amounts. Also the celery seed will need to be turned into a powder first. - Turmeric - this gives the vegan chicken broth a golden hue and very subtle earthiness but can be omitted if necessary.
- Onion and garlic powder - important for overall flavor.
- Ground ginger - this one's optional, but I do like to include a tiny pinch for subtle flavor.
- Black pepper - depending on how you plan to use the powder, you may or may not want to include pepper. For example, if you're making broth for someone who is feeling under the weather or highly sensitive to spicy foods, feel free to omit the pepper.
Instructions
It's oh so easy! Are you ready for this? All you need to do is combine the ingredients in a bowl or lidded jar, then whisk or shake it to combine. Voila! Homemade chicken seasoning.
Tip: If the nutritional yeast you're using contains large flakes you may want to pulse the mixture in a blender for a more powdered texture, but that's totally up to you.
How to Store
I like to keep a jar of chicken broth powder in the refrigerator so I can grab it anytime. Since it's made entirely of dried ingredients it keeps for many months. It's also fine at room temperature or in the freezer, if preferred.
Preparation Tip
If you include oil in your diet, try adding just a few drops of a mild-tasting olive oil when using the powder to prepare broth. Oil contributes a richness that would normally be found in chicken stock and broth (which obviously includes fat from the chickens). 🙁
Ways to Use Vegan Chicken Broth Powder
Now the fun part! Use this vegan chicken seasoning to make vegan chicken noodle soup. Try it with soy curls, cubed tofu, or shredded seitan to make it extra filling.
Speaking of soy curls, use this broth to re-hydrate soy curls for use in all sorts of recipes. Why re-hydrate them in plain water when you can add so much flavor?
Use this chicken-less seasoning in the breading for tofu nuggets and seitan nuggets.
Replace the no-chicken bouillon called for in my Seitan Turkey Roast with this DIY version, and add it to seitan sausage for extra flavor.
I also like to include 1 or 2 tablespoons of this seasoning when cooking rice, quinoa, and other grains.
You can boost flavor with this powdered seasoning when cooking lentils, curries, stews, and chili. Reduce the salt you would normally add to account for the saltiness of this seasoning.
And stir it into creamy pasta sauces, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy.
The next time you see a recipe that calls for vegan chicken broth or bouillon, you're all set! No need to search the store aisles or order specialty products online.
I hope you love the recipe as much as we do! If you try it I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
More Homemade Staples
RELATED: check out this Vegan "Beef" Broth Powder & Umami Seasoning!
📖 Recipe
Vegan "Chicken" Broth Powder and Seasoning
Ingredients
- ½ cup nutritional yeast - Any type is okay, but I highly recommend this non-fortified one by Sari.
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt - Feel free to decrease to suit your dietary needs or if you prefer less salty broth.
- 2 teaspoons organic cane sugar, optional
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
- tiny pinch of ground ginger, optional
- ½ to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper - Amount depends on how much you enjoy black pepper.
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl or lidded jar, and whisk to combine. If the nutritional yeast you're using contains large flakes you may want to pulse the mixture in a blender for a more powdered texture.
- Always whisk or shake before using so that the flavors are well combined. To make broth, use approximately 2 teaspoons powder per 1 cup of hot water (this creates a fairly salty broth). Refer to the post above for more ideas and ways to use this powder.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.
Steve
Wow, this is terrific! I prefer to stay on the low side of saltiness, so your recipe is perfect. I asked my wife (not vegan) to sample it and she liked it so much she asked if it would be okay to simply enjoy a spoonfull as a snack. It must be good 🙂
Thank you for your experimentation, and especially for sharing.
ShirlAnn
I'm excited to try this. I've tried several commercial ones and have not been impressed. I wonder...do you have a recipe for a "beef" one?
Lori
Hi, yes. You can find the "beef" broth powder linked right above the recipe. Hope you enjoy them!
SK
Excellent flavor! Tbh, I didn't expect it to be this tasty but now I prefer this homemade one over the salt-laden commercial varieties. Thank you!
Mary Beth Elderton
I'm very new to all plant-based cooking and this recipe is a game-changer! I made a first batch last week and have used it in almost every meal since. I've used it to cook rice and farro, as a base for Cajun and Taco seasoned marinades for tofu, and to rehydrate soy curls. This week I will be using a bigger jar and making a triple batch. Thank You!
Dee
Amazing! I initially made this for the crispy edamame, but this quickly became a favorite. I love it as a seasoning or as a broth.
Jani
Defrost tofu in microwave, squeeze out water & tear into chunks. Marinate in this stock powder, mixed with a bit of sesame oil and water, and fry in a pan. Voila! Tastes like chicken 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Heather
Hi! I want to do a frozen and defrosted buttermilk fried chicken kinda thing (with tofu) and was thinking of marinating with olive oil and the broth powder, but I’m intrigued by the sesame oil…I’m on the fence…which would you go for with my planned meal? Thanks for your thoughts!!
Lori
Sounds delicious! I guess it depends on whether you're talking about plain sesame oil or toasted sesame oil. Actually, either way I think a half-and-half mix with olive oil would be a nice balance for the marinade. Let us know how it turns out!
Nils
Turned out amazing! I straight up drank a cup of warm no-chicken water. Please don’t judge me.
Lori
Haha I would never judge. I've done the same thing! Thanks for the feedback, Nils!
Nancy
You made me chuckle Nils... no judgement from me.... Enjoy
Jane
I’m judging you, ha! You’re awesome.
Jane
Lori, I ordinarily dislike it when people comment before making the recipe, but here I am doing it. I was looking at a recipe of yours with cabbage. The ingredient list brought me here. I thought this looks interesting. Then I scrolled down, and was like ooh look at those recipes. I want to make peanut curry, & this, & this.
I may comment later, after making my recipes, but I think I may just subscribe. Ty for all the appealing recipes.
Lori
That's so kind, Jane. Thank you! I'm thrilled you see so many recipes that look good to you. Do let me know what you try!
Terra
Do you have a recommendation for substitute for the poultry seasoning?
Lori
Hi Terra, yes if you have ground sage and thyme, those are the two dominant herbs in poultry seasoning. I would add a few dashes of each, then taste and adjust.
Hope you enjoy it!
Rory
Yes! This is legit! So good, thanks so much for sharing. Love the ingredients list (so much better than store bought), the flavour is delish, and the convenience of having this awesome flavour on hand. win win win
melody sieglitz
so how much of your broth seasoning for the rice a roni I'm ready to make this sounds sooo deelish
Lori
Thanks, Melody. The rice-a-roni is so tasty! It calls for 4 cups of chicken-flavor broth, so I would dissolve 8 teaspoons powder (which is equal to 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons) in 4 cups of water. After trying it you may find you want a little less or more of the powder, but that's a good start!
Melody
This sounds amazing however i dont use Nutritional yeast in anything i hate it in any way shape for form I’ve tried every brand so i omit and use potato flakes instead will that still work for this !? Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
Lori
Hi Melody,
I doubt that would work here, but I’m not really sure. You can always try it with a smaller batch!
Have you tried a non-fortified kind of nutritional yeast like the one mentioned in the post. It really is so much better.