Homemade Chicken Bouillon Powder
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 vegan chicken bouillon recipe 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.
For a heartier chicken soup than the one I threw together you must try this Whole30 Chicken Soup shown below.
Ingredients
Nutritional Yeast – This is absolutely the most important ingredient. Once you try it you will agree that it really tastes like chicken while being completely vegan.
Garlic Powder – Garlic powder or dried minced garlic work well in dry rubs and powdered pantry recipes.
Onion Powder – Onion powder or dried minced onion gives a nice onion flavor.
Dried Basil – Basil is my favorite herb and gives this a mildly sweet flavor.
Dried Oregano – Oregano is another good herb choice for chicken broth because it works well in many recipes.
Dried Rosemary – My family also enjoys rosemary so that is another of my herb choices. But you can change this up and use whichever dried herbs you enjoy. Other options are using a poultry blend, herbes de Provence, parsley, thyme, sage, or even tarragon.
Salt – Any type of salt with work. Kosher salt, pink salt, Himalayan salt, etc.
Black Pepper – Black pepper enhances the other flavors in the same way that salt does.
How to make Chicken Bouillon Powder from Scratch
Step One: To make bouillon powder you just need some herbs and seasonings, salt, and nutritional yeast. You add all of these to a food processor and blender and blend until you have a fine powder.
Step Two: Use in recipes that call for bouillon or hydrate with hot water and use in place of chicken broth.
Variations
Spice – For a spicy flavor add some cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.
Salt-free – You can use this to make a sodium-free bouillon. Just omit the salt.
Common Questions
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. This can replace bouillon cubes in all your recipes.
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. It is widely used in vegan cooking because of it’s cheesy, chicken like flavor.
What 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 Can I Use Chicken Broth Powder?
You can use it to add a flavor similar to cream of chicken soup to casseroles. When I make casseroles such as my Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole and Keto Green Bean Casserole I use a combination of cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, and/or Greek yogurt for a creamy texture. Adding this powdered bouillon to that combo will mimic a canned cream-of-type soup without the need of a bouillon cube.
Obviously, you can also add this to water and make broth. Then you can use it in your favorite soups such as:
Can I make vegetable bouillon powder with this recipe?
Sure. For a vegetable flavor just sub in dehydrated vegetables for the nutritional yeast.
Can I make beef bouillon powder with this recipe?
I’ve tested this with dried mushrooms to try to replicate a beef flavor but was not successful. If you find a way to make this taste like beef please let me know!
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Video
Chicken Bouillon Powder
Ingredients
- 2 cups nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup salt ***
- 1/4 cup garlic powder
- 1/4 cup onion powder
- 1/4 cup dried basil
- 1/4 cup dried oregano
- 1/4 cup dried rosemary
- 1-2 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
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published November 26, 2018. Revised and Republished May 19, 2023.
I’m just curious if 1 Tablespoon is suppose to be used or 1 teaspoon? Can you please clarify this for me Taryn?
When you make it into broth? One tablespoon per cup. You can really add it to taste.
Love this recipe! No artificial ingredients and no preservatives. Plus it’s gluten free and fairly inexpensive.
Seriously, does this broth taste like chicken? Based on the ingredients, I imagine it tastes like cheese. Please, could you clarify this for me? Thanks in advance and best regards.
Yes, it does. It has a lot of comments agreeing if you scroll through the comment pages.
I must be honest. I was quite skeptical concerning the chicken flavor when I made this late last year, so I made a portion of the recipe to try it. Now? What I made has been used in making various dishes, so I’m needing more to add to another dish. I like it SO MUCH, I’m about to embark on making it again, this time without reservation. THANK YOU!!!
Do you have an idea for substituting something else for the nutritional yeast? I realize it is the main part, but I prefer not to use it because of inflammatory bowel.
Hi Sonia, I’m sorry but that is the main ingredient. Years ago I used to buy bouillon cubes from Wegman’s that were just salt and herbs so you can play around with those ingredients but I don’t have exact measurements.
you can make it without the yeast. Just salt and herbs and spices. Chicken and Beef broth powder from the store do not co tain chicken or beef! I had no idea until I started reading labels and making my own staples at home!
This is delicious and so easy to make
How do you store this chicken boullion and for how long? Can it be frozen.?
Months in the pantry in an airtight container. No need to freeze it. It is basically just dried spices.
Great combination that will save you some money.
OMG! This is amazing! Exceeded my family’s expectations. No one could understand how it tasted like chicken broth without the chicken.
Love this recipe.! For those that say some of the herbs are too strong, you have to make it a FINE powder. This fine blending disperses the flavors evenly. I use this in many recipes. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Lara! I’m glad you like it.
Excellent recipe. After adding the ingredients and blitzing it became around 2 cups of powder. My only changes were that I used 1/4 cup of flaked salt instead of 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper. For my lunch I tipped some onto a plate and coated a couple of chicken thighs before frying with a tablespoon of olive oil. It was really nice. Not too salty and a nice merging of flavours with a natural thickening of the pan juices. This bouillon powder recipe is a keeper for me.
I just realized I used active dry yeast instead of nutritional yeast. Is it still okay? I could throw it all on a skillet but will that mess with the rest of the ingredients?
I really doubt that will work. It is a completely different ingredient. Sorry! If you know someone who bakes bread you could give it to them to use for baking.
I’ve made this multiple times now and it’s chef’s kiss, great recipe. Though 64 servings is not even close. Maybe it’s a typo? 14-16, sure.
Glad you like it! The serving is set at 1 tablespoon because this makes about 3.5-4 cups of powder. 4 cups = 64 tablespoons. You can adjust your serving size as desired.