Name: Pressure Cooker Corn Broth
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 4-6 corn cobs (kernels removed); 2-3 ribs celery; 1-2 medium onions (quartered, skin on); 3-4 medium carrots (halved, peel on); 1 head garlic (cut in half to expose cloves, skin on); 4 whole black peppercorns; 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme; 5-6 sprigs fresh parsley; 4-5 dried shiitake mushrooms; 1 parm rind (optional); 8 cups of water

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Corn broth in a large glass mason jar surrounded by fresh corn, carrots, celery,thyme and garlic

Tips and Tricks

What can you make with corn broth? Corn broth is great in pressure cooker corn chowder, creamy tomato bisque, in risotto, used to cook rice or to finish a sauce. I use it anywhere I want more flavor than water. It’s a great vegetarian way to increase the flavor of a dish.

A white bowl filled with chowder, with bacon as a garnish and a spoon.

What do you do with the vegetable solids after the broth is made? After you have made and strained the solids out, you can toss out the vegetables and aromatics. They have given up all their flavor and can be composted or tossed away. I would not re-use them or eat them.

How many cups of stock does this make? In the pressure cooker, you do not lose a lot of water to evaporation so if you start with eight cups of water I usually end up with somewhere around six cups of corn stock/broth. It may vary depending on some variables, but you’ll get enough for some soup!

How do you store broth? Strain the liquid into a large shallow mixing bowl with a lot of surface area or multiple smaller containers and let it cool a bit. You can also add some ice cubes to cool it faster. Once it’s cooler you can store it in the fridge for up to seven days or in the freezer for up to six months. Another great way to store corn stock is by freezing it in ice cube trays and keeping those in the freezer for the times you only need a little bit of stock. I like to freeze it in silicone ice cube trays and then once frozen transfer to a reusable silicone bag. They are then easier to grab in smaller quantities for sauces.

Ingredients

What can I do with leftover corn cobs? Summer corn on the cob is the best tasting corn but it’s a short season (at least in New England)! To maximize the flavor and minimize food waste, I make corn broth that can be used or frozen. A lot of times I’ll cut off the kernels and use them in a recipe. Then instead of throwing out the cobs, I freeze them for broth in the fall or winter.

Do you need fresh aromatics? The great thing about stock or broth is that you can use aromatics from the freezer or that are on their last legs in the fridge. If your carrots are looking a little sad, save them in the freeze for your next stock. Have you ever bought too much fresh parsley or thyme? Save them in the freezer in quantities good for stock, grab them and toss them in for your next broth. Don’t use anything with mold on it, but you can use carrots, onions, celery, fresh herbs and garlic that is on its last legs.

Can you save corn cobs in the freezer? Yes, I love to do this in reusable silicone bags. I freeze them four to six at a time so I can easily make corn stock in the fall or winter when I need some summer flavor.

Can you use fresh mushrooms for this stock? I’d recommend dried mushrooms for this because they have a lot more flavor. You can definitely add some fresh mushrooms if you need to use them up. I like to keep dried mushrooms in the pantry because they can add a lot of flavor and last for a long time in the pantry.

Method

How do you make pressure cooker corn broth? Add all ingredients except water into the pressure cooker, breaking celery and carrots as necessary to fit. Pour water over all ingredients but make sure it does not rise above the maximum capacity of your pressure cooker. Close and seal, cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. Do a natural release after about 15 minutes. Strain out solids and discard, saving the liquid. Allow it to cool before putting it in the fridge or freezer.

2x2 photo collage. 1) All aromatics in a pressure cooker, 2) water poured over aromatics 3) Cooked aromatics in pressure cooker 4) Solids being strained out of broth with a mesh strainer.

Can you make this on the stove top or with a slow cooker? Yes! You don’t need to use a pressure cooker for this recipe. I specifically do because I typically make the broth in the summer when it’s too hot to keep the stove on for two hours.

Stove Top Instructions
To make this on the stove top, use at least a six quart dutch oven or stock pot, add in all the aromatics. Add at least eight cups of water but you may need more to cover all the vegetables. Bring the broth to a boil and then reduce down to a simmer. Allow to simmer for one to two hours. Strain out the solids and you’re all set.

Slow Cooker Instructions
To make this in a slow cooker, you can add all the aromatics to the slow cooker. Next cover them with at least eight cups of water but you may need to add more. Cook on high for four hours or on low for eight hours. Strain out the solids and use it in your favorite soup.

When do you add salt? I don’t add salt to the corn stock/broth until I am using it. If you know that you’re using it for soup you can season it accordingly. Just remember if you seasoned it or not to avoid over salting the final product.

Do you need to defrost aromatics? Nope! One of my favorite ways to save summer corn flavor is to freeze cobs with aromatics. No need to defrost them before adding to the pressure cooker and adding water.

Do you peel the garlic, onions or carrots? I don’t! It’ll all get strained and contains extra flavor and nutrients. You can also leave the greens from the carrots and celery intact as well.

Are these measurements exact? Absolutely not. The measurements below are rough estimates to give you a flavorful stock. I would recommend using at least what is listed below. But if you have five corn cobs but only two ribs of celery it will be perfectly fine. Eight cups of water is what will cover the ingredients as listed in a six quart pressure cooker. This amount of water is also under the maximum capacity limits. Another option is to save carrot, onions, celery and garlic food scraps in the freezer and add that to your stock too. This will reduce your food waste and make your broth extra flavorful.