Pantry Staples
Vegetable Broth Conversion
Vegetable Broth weighs 240g per US cup.
| Amount | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 240.0 g | 8.47 oz |
| 1/2 cup | 120.0 g | 4.23 oz |
| 1/4 cup | 60.0 g | 2.12 oz |
| 1 tbsp | 15.0 g | 0.53 oz |
| 1 tsp | 5.0 g | 0.18 oz |
| 100 g | 100.0 g | 3.53 oz |
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Vegetable broth weighs 240 grams per cup, the same as chicken and beef broth, since all three share the same fundamentally water-based composition regardless of what was simmered to flavor them.
Vegetable broth's flavor profile varies more brand to brand and recipe to recipe than meat-based broths do, since there's no single standard base (a mix of onion, carrot, celery, and other aromatics is common, but proportions and additional vegetables vary widely) — some vegetable broths lean sweet from a heavier carrot content, others savory and more mushroom-forward, a variability worth tasting for before committing a whole recipe to a specific brand.
It's the standard substitute for chicken or beef broth in vegetarian and vegan cooking, and while it lacks the collagen and rendered fat that give a meat-based broth its fuller body, a well-made vegetable broth (particularly one built with roasted vegetables or a splash of soy sauce or miso for umami depth) can come reasonably close in overall savoriness.
Straining it through a fine-mesh sieve after simmering gives a clearer, more refined broth than leaving the softened vegetable pieces in.
An unopened shelf-stable carton of vegetable broth keeps for many months in the pantry, though its lack of any meat-based fat means once it's opened, off-flavors from bacterial growth can develop just as fast as in a meat-based broth.
It's a common poaching liquid for a delicate fish or vegetable dish, where its milder flavor doesn't overpower the main ingredient the way a richer meat-based broth might.
A homemade vegetable broth built from vegetable scraps — onion skins, carrot ends, celery leaves — saved in a freezer bag over time is a popular zero-waste approach, turning what would otherwise be discarded into a genuinely useful broth base.
Adding a small piece of kombu (dried kelp) to a simmering vegetable broth is a technique borrowed from Japanese dashi-making that boosts umami depth considerably, a trick worth knowing for anyone finding vegetable broth thinner in flavor than a meat-based one.
How long does it last?
Storage & shelf life →
Frequently asked questions
Does vegetable broth weigh the same as chicken or beef broth?
Yes — all three are fundamentally water-based liquids with dissolved flavor compounds, so they share the same roughly 240g-per-cup weight regardless of what vegetables, meat, or bones were used to flavor them.
Why does vegetable broth taste different between brands?
There's no single standardized recipe the way there might be an expectation for chicken broth — different brands use different vegetable combinations and ratios, so flavor genuinely varies more between vegetable broth brands than it typically does for chicken or beef broth.
Can vegetable broth replace chicken broth in any recipe?
By volume, yes, and it's the standard vegetarian substitute, though the result will have a lighter body and different flavor depth since it lacks the collagen and rendered fat a meat-based broth contributes.
Is vegetable broth the same as vegetable stock?
The terms are used interchangeably by most commercial producers and home cooks, without the same traditional broth-versus-stock distinction (simmer time, use of bones) that technically applies to meat-based versions, since there are no bones involved either way.
Does homemade vegetable broth need straining before use?
Yes — it's typically strained to remove the softened vegetable solids after simmering, leaving just the flavored liquid, similar to how a meat-based broth is strained away from bones and meat scraps.