Bone broth is a «drink» very rich in nutrients, especially minerals and proteins, and also collagen. It is, in reality, an infusion and a great way to hydrate and at the same time nourish yourself thanks to its properties. For many people it is also a very comforting option… but not for those who follow a vegetarian diet.

Is there an equivalent to bone broth in the vegetarian diet or if we just want to avoid bones? Do we have any way to benefit from the properties of bone broth without using ingredients of animal origin?

In this article we will try to answer these questions and offer a plant-based alternative to bone broth. It is true that a basic vegetable broth can never replace bone broth in certain nutritional contributions, but there are things we can do to obtain most of its benefits.

Bone broth: benefits and properties

The benefits of a good bone broth are many and varied.

• Contributes to hydrating the body thanks to mineral contribution. Drinking water is not the same as drinking broth; It is much more interesting to drink broth due to its richness in minerals.
• Bone broth is rich in easily absorbed proteins and assimilation.
• Help repair the intestinal wall thanks to its collagen content.
• Improves digestive health and the ability to do digestion.
• Is easy to prepare and can be used in countless recipes on a daily basis (soups, creams, stews, etc.).

To take full advantage of these properties of bone broth, it is important to do it with bones and parts of grass animalsmineral water and vinegar.

Vinegar is used to extract minerals of the bones and for them to pass into the water. In addition, you can add bay leaf, ginger, pepper balls, crushed garlic, celery and dehydrated mushrooms, among other ingredients.

On an omnivorous diet You can make bone broth once a week to benefit from this superfood in your kitchen on a daily basis. But how can we get the most benefits of bone broth without adding bones to our broth?

Bone broth: vegetarian alternative

When making a vegetable broth that provides the greatest number of nutrients similar to those of a bone broth, we can include certain ingredients:

• One of the main ingredients of our boneless bone broth is going to be cochayuyo seaweed. This algae contains N-acetyl cysteine, a substance that we also find in the chicken carcass and that promotes the elimination of mucus.
• Minerals like calcium We will achieve this by adding other algae such as kombu seaweed or wakamethe latter very rich in calcium. These algae also stand out for their potassium, iron, iodine and magnesium content.
• To get even more minerals and purifying properties From the broth, we must add dried mushrooms such as shiitake mushrooms, which also provide umami flavor and some amino acids.
• If we also put in the broth vegetables such as celery, turnip, leek or parsnipwe will achieve a good broth rich in flavor and more minerals.

This broth, unlike bone broth, does not contain collagensince collagen is only found in foods of animal origin. For this reason we have to complete the broth with foods rich in protein and vitamin C.

• The legumes They are a great option as a source of protein and we can eat them in another dish or, of course, add them to our broth. Of course, they must be soaked previously to eliminate antinutrients. Another option is to add some tofu piecesalthough it would be advisable for them to be cooked minimally.
• We are interested in incorporating vitamin C to promote the natural production of collagen in the body. We can, for example, add lemon juice when we drink the glass of broth to enrich it with said vitamin.

«Bone broth»: the recipe without bones