When you are in a pinch or just want a healthy chicken broth substitute this homemade Chicken Bouillon Powder is the ideal staple to keep in the pantry! It is easy to make, keeps for months, and has more flavor than store-bought stock. This easy recipe for vegan chicken bouillon is also low carb, keto-friendly, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, low fat, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
Need a Chicken Broth Substitute? Make Easy Bouillon Powder
The first time I tried nutritional yeast I couldn't believe how much flavor it had and how much it tasted like chicken broth. It was uncanny! If you haven't tried it before you'll be pleasantly surprised with this homemade chicken bouillon substitute.
Over the last few weeks, I've been testing this natural chicken broth substitute in all the recipes I'd normally use bouillon paste or chicken broth. It works amazingly well!
Last night was one of those nights I was in the kitchen at 5 wondering what on earth I was going to cook for dinner. All of the meat in the house was frozen and my husband was stopping home to pick up a few of the kids for dental check-ups so he wouldn't be around to help. Thank God for the invention of the electric pressure cooker! I pulled out the Instant Pot, filled it with frozen chicken thighs, and turned to manual high for 15 minutes.
Then I sat down to nurse the toddler who promptly fell asleep on my lap. I heard the Instant Pot beep in the other room at some point but just stayed with my little one enjoying the time with my feet up while I did a little early Christmas shopping via Amazon.
When the baby woke up I took the chicken out of the Instant Pot, added some of this chicken broth powder to the cooking liquid, threw in some baby spinach, and then add back half the chicken (now shredded). The family had the choice between chicken soup and using the rest of the shredded chicken for tacos.
Considering all the soup had in it was cooked chicken, spinach, and this bouillon powder it was delicious. My husband raved about it.
How to make Chicken Bouillon Powder from Scratch
To make bouillon powder you just need some herbs and seasonings, salt, and a nifty ingredient called nutritional yeast. You add all of these to a food processor and blender and blend until you have a fine powder.
What is Nutritional Yeast?
Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, often a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is sold commercially as a food product. It is sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. Wikipedia
Nutritional yeast is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and protein. My mom is a vegetarian and can have trouble getting enough protein in. This is an easy way she can add a little non-animal protein to her foods.
Herbs for Chicken Soup and Chicken Broth
There are dozens of common herbs that taste nice in a chicken broth. You'll find Rosemary Chicken Soup, Tarragon Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup with Thyme, and dozens of other recipes if you search for them. I used three of my family's favorite herbs in this chicken broth substitute: rosemary, oregano, and basil. These are all found easily in any grocery store and are generally inexpensive. They give a nice herby taste to the broth when you make it.
How to make chicken broth with bouillon powder
Once you've made bouillon powder it just takes a few seconds to turn it into a broth. Simple stir some into hot water. The amount you will want will vary on how you are going to use the broth and your own taste buds. My first few tries at figuring out the ratio of powder to water made a broth that was way too salty. I cut back on the bouillon powder and it was perfect.
Recipes to use this Chicken Broth Powder:
Low Carb Broccoli Cheese Soup with Bacon
Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
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Ingredients
- 2 cups nutritional yeast
- ⅓ cup salt ***
- ¼ cup garlic powder
- ¼ cup onion powder
- ¼ cup dried basil
- ¼ cup dried oregano
- ¼ cup dried rosemary
- 2 tbsp pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until it is a fine powder.
- To make broth: use 1 tbsp bouillon powder per 8 oz hot water
Caroline C says
How would you sub this as a "chicken bullion cube"? Making fried rice and they use a cube..I have this on hand but not sure the equvalence? Should I add water and make it like a paste and add 1 TBSP as a paste??
Taryn says
That's a good idea. I normally just add it as powder. Up to you, I think both ways work.
Charley says
Excellent chicken bouillon.
I would definitely cut the pepper in half the next batch though.
Kathie says
OMG. I never leave comments on recipes, this is my first time. But I felt I had to say how amazing this recipe is! I’m not vegan, but I will definitely be using this as a healthy replacement for my regular chicken bouillon! Thank you!
Claudia says
How long will it keep? Trying to figure out how much to make. Thanks!
Taryn says
As long as your ingredients are fresh and you use an airtight container it keeps for 6 months to a year.
Cheryl O. says
Recipe sounds great...was wondering if there is a shelf life. If so, do you recommend freezing a portion of the recipe?
Taryn says
I've kept it for 6 months to a year in a mason jar in my pantry with no issues. Just make sure you use fresh ingredients.
Darlene Czarnowczan says
This is very good chicken bouillon. I have a severe corn allergy which is in everything. So it’s very hard to eat most things. My mom found this. I just made it and it taste just like chicken soup. Thank you So much. It’s nice to be able to eat without my skin burning from the corn.
Amber says
My son also has a severe corn allergy and I am so excited to try this!
Judy says
Delicious! I made chicken noodle soup today and used this for the broth. I think it might be the first time my husband has had seconds of chicken noodle soup! It’s pretty spicy so I might cut the pepper just a little next time.
Holly says
What is nutritional yeast and where can I buy it?
Taryn says
Here is info on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast
I've seen it in most grocery stores including Walmart but it's cheaper from amazon.
Cheryl Parent says
I've been searching high and low for bouillon that doesn't have sugar. I stumbled across this recipe and I am AMAZED!!! I followed the recipe almost exactly, the only thing I changed was that I cut the black pepper in half as I didn't want it to be spicy. I made myself a cup of this to try as soon as I was done and it tastes amazing!! I'm drinking it as I write this. 2 other family members also tried it and like it. We all agreed that we would cut the pepper completely and cut the garlic down a bit as well. That's the great thing about this recipe is that you can adjust it to your own taste!! This will be a staple in our house going forward!
Cheri says
I made the chicken bouillon powder this morning! Delicious! I will decrease the garlic powder just a hair next time. But, great recipe. Easy to make- I already had the ingredients in my pantry! Score! Lol
Thank you so much for taking on the enormous task of sharing your knowledge with others!
Mandy says
I loved nutritional yeast and always had it in my pantry. Then I read in numerous places that it's not recommended for those of us dealing with Crohn's Disease. This is just a heads up for anyone else in the same situation.
JenniLyn says
My son is gluten free and I was told the a lot of yeast is feed gluten to help it grow/mature, but not all. Watch the brands and check if they label it Gluten free, if so the had to go through safety procedures that make it safe for people like you and my son.
Veronica says
Can this be used for keto chicken pot pie?
Taryn says
Sure! I use it in my pot pie recipe.
Kryslyn says
I've been trying to use up the brewer's yeast I have in the pantry--do you think that would be okay to sub in here?
Taryn says
No, sorry, the flavor is very different.
Debbie hellie says
Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband is on the hoxsey diet , trying to find compatible recipes that work with his diet is very difficult. But this is perfect😊
Kathleen says
Hi Taryn, I am looking forward to trying this recipe. Are you using 2 Tbsp ground pepper or 2 Tbsp whole peppercorns?
Taryn says
Ground pepper. Enjoy!
Linda says
Going to try it. We are now on a low salt/ no salt diet so I like that you added the choice of a lot less salt. I used my paste bouillon in just about everything...this diet no-no (salt) is very difficult to stick to! THanks!
Mary says
I was very skeptical since I really don't like the taste of Nutritional yeast much. but OMG it is soo good!! I will be keeping this one around all the time. I mixed up a very small amount but during the holidays I will blow through this stuff!
I even had my husband (an omnivore) taste it and he said it was good!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!!
Shannon says
I haven't tried making it, so I'm not leaving a rating. Just wondering why you call it homemade chicken bullion, when it's not chicken bullion? It's deceiving. I'm not knocking the fact that it's vegan. In fact, I think that's great! Just please call it "vegan" or "faux" chicken bullion. You'll probably get a lot more hits from people looking for a chicken bullion alternative.
Taryn says
Because it TASTES just like chicken. This is one of my top recipes and I get hits from all those terms and great reviews for this.
If you have a dehydrator I'm sure you could dehydrate cooked chicken somehow and grind that into a powder but most people won't have the desire to do that. I wouldn't know how to add real chicken into a powdered bouillon. Most bouillon cubes have very very little chicken despite being labeled as such. They are mostly soy, msg, and the like.
Dawn says
You can buy dehydrated chicken online from places that cater to hikers or outdoor supply places.