6 Ways Homemade Bouillon Powder Can Level-Up Your Cooking Game

Our homemade vegan bouillon powder recipe is one of THE most popular recipes on our site – not to mention, in our own kitchen! This post is a list of every single recipe we have made using this bouillon powder along with our favorite tips and tricks for everyday use.

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If there is one recipe that has completely revolutionized our cooking game (and, judging by the comments, yours too!), it’s our homemade vegan bouillon powder.

This stuff just makes everything it touches taste BETTER; it’s like edible gold. 

It’s also been the driving force behind veganizing TONS of our favorite childhood chicken-based comfort foods, allowing us to adjust them to our evolving sense of ethics without sacrificing one bit of the flavor. 

Yep, we’re pretty in love with this stuff. 🙂 

Since so many of you ask for different ways you can use this bouillon powder, we thought it could be helpful to create this list of every recipe in which we’ve used it.

It’s extensive, but if you’re as excited about homemade vegan bouillon powder as we are, I’m hoping you’ll find it both inspiring and convenient!

Also: Given that this recipe has created its own sort of fan club (Seriously, I’m thinking about making T-Shirts. Should we?), we thought it would be SUPER fun to add a few of our favorite comments and experiences from the Plant Power People fam-bam to the mix as well.

Cozy Vegan Soups + Stews

The first and most obvious use for homemade vegan bouillon powder is SOUP! 

Mix 1 Tbsp of bouillon powder per 1 cup hot water to make a warm and soothing broth for every and ANY soup recipe. 

Sometimes, we just drink the broth straight out of a mug. But, when we’re feeling a little more adventurous, we reach for one of the following recipes:

1. The BEST Vegan Chicken(less) Noodle Soup

This is the soup that started it all! Robin sums it up pretty perfectly:

“This is absolutely the best chicken noodle soup. I have made it several times and it is amazing!” – @Robinschultz3018

2. Cozy Vegan Chicken(less) Stew

There’s nothing better than this dreamy stew on a cold winter’s day! Love the cozy picture Sam paints in her comment:

“My husband and I both agreed this is one of the best meals we have had in a long time! I followed your recipe to a T and it was absolutely delicious. We really needed comfort food today because it’s snowing in all directions. We got 4 servings out of it. Thank you for the great recipe!” – Sam (Plant-Based Meal Prep)

3. Vegan German Beer Cheese Soup

That’s right, this bouillon isn’t JUST for chicken broth-based soups. We LOVE the depth of flavor it adds to this gorgeous beer cheese soup! We’re also OBSESSED with Debbie’s ideas for packing in the plant power:

“This soup is amazing! I added chopped broccoli for some extra veggie power and found pretzel buns at a local bakery. This came together quickly and will go in our regular rotation! This soup is tailgate-worthy, too! Thanks for creating it!” – Debbie

4. Cheesy Broccoli Blender Soup

Our homemade vegan bouillon powder is the secret (POWER) ingredient in our veganized version of Broccoli Cheddar Soup. This soup is also *magically* oil-free and chock-FULL of fiber. We’re just as spellbound as @sssphynx on IG:

“I’m like very very surprised bc I’ve tried making something similar a while ago and it was gross. Idk how it tastes so cheesy it even smells the same! Thank you 😊” – @sssphynx

Comforting Vegan Casseroles

NOTHING says comfort food like a creamy chicken-y casserole, and, since its inception, this bouillon powder has radically improved our casserole game.

It adds ALL the homey flavor to things like:

1. Vegan Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

Okay, so technically, this is not a casserole, but let’s get real: When you think condensed cream of chicken soup, you think casserole, right?! Well, at least I do. This recipe is the key to veganizing all the cozy casseroles of your childhood (like the 2 recipes that follow!).

“ Excellent recipe! I can’t believe how much it tastes like “the real thing”. Actually, I think it tastes better!” – Kelly

2. Creamy Broccoli Rice Casserole

This casserole is the first thing we made with the condensed cream of chicken soup. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner or meal prep recipe: Just dump + bake! 

“Great recipe! Pure comfort food! Thanks for another winner!” – Kelly

3. Vegan Pot Pie Casserole

T is the genius behind this pot pie casserole, also utilizing our condensed cream of chicken soup. It’s pure heaven! It’s also a family favorite; we love this comment from @vegan_dad_ny on IG who made this casserole with his kids:

“Who is ready for sweater weather?!? Used what I had with this @theplantpowercouple pot pie casserole including the last of my soy curls 😢Looks amazing, smells so good and I had some help making it! .” – @Vegan_dad_ny 

4. Dairy-Free Chicken(less) Tetrazzini

This one doesn’t use the cream of chicken soup, but it is creamy and noodly and chickeny and basically a big hug in a casserole dish. HIGHLY recommend. 

“Lovely #vegan #tetrazzini recipe from #plantpowercouple” – @chewzingplants

5. T’s Traditional Bread Stuffing

This has been our go-to stuffing recipe for as many Thanksgivings as T and I have been together. It is SO simple but the flavor is smack-you-in-the-face delicious, thanks to the spices in the bouillon powder. 

Flavorful Vegan Marinades

This is my personal favorite use for this vegan bouillon powder: Marinating ALL the vegan meats to make them taste like chicken! From soy curls to tofu to seitan, I love how easily this bouillon packs in the flavor.

1. Tequila Taco Chik’n

Everything’s better with tequila AND homemade vegan bouillon. This has quickly become our family’s favorite vegan taco meat. We were so happy to see many of you agree, like this comment from Amber on IG:

“Y’all. I think this tequila-infused chicken is my new favorite taco meat. Wow! 🤩🌱🚫🐔” – @Ambersproul

2. Spicy Vegan Jerky

We use the bouillon powder to give this vegan jerky a turkey jerky vibe and it legit has fooled even the most staunch and stubborn of carnivores!

3. Restaurant-Style Vegan Chicken Parm

If you’ve ever tried one of our cutlet recipes, you know just how meaty you can make tofu by using the freeze + press method!

When you add this bouillon powder to that strategy, some major MAGIC happens – like this absolutely perfect vegan chicken parm. Susan sums up our feelings about this recipe beautifully in her comment:

“This recipe is so wonderful I have no words. You have returned a major comfort food back into my life. I now always have a pressed block of tofu in the freezer so I am always ready to make this without having to wait until tomorrow 😀 I would rate this 10 stars if I could. Thanks so much!” – Susan

4. Lemon Pepper Tofu Cutlets

These lemon pepper cutlets are similar to the aforementioned chicken parm but with a different flavor and NO breading required. We call this “salad chicken” in our house!

“Thank you so much for sharing this!!! Hubby & I decided to go plant based a little over a month ago & the only difficult part was finding a replacement for our chicken dishes. Our experience with tofu wasn’t the greatest initially, so I was hesitant to try this, but boy am I glad I did!! This has now become a staple of our weekly meal preps & I even used your method but with Italian spices rather than lemon pepper & it turned out amazing as well! Thanks again for helping make our transition to plant based that much easier!!!!” – Aya

5. Sweet Sriracha Tofu Cutlets

Our chicken bouillon powder is incredible when utilized in conjunction with Asian-inspired chicken recipes too. This Sweet Chili version is killer with rice and roasted veg. 

Love this anecdote from Rebecca – totally relatable!

“Once upon a time I threw away tofu that accidentally froze because I thought it was ruined. 😱 This recipe makes me really regret it. I’ve made it three times in one week!” – Rebecca

6. Balsamic Tomato Tofu Cutlets

Our fourth and final cutlet recipe (for now, at least) is this balsamic tomato cutlet. They are amazing with pasta or on a sandwich with vegan mozz. 

“THANK YOU for introducing me to tofu recipes I actually love! Your cutlets are delicious!!!” – Liz

7. Seitan Sausages

These seitan sausages are not technically marinated in our vegan bouillon, but we use the powder in the actual seitan recipe to give the sausages a bit of a poultry-inspired flavor. I was always more of a fan of chicken sausages growing up, and this flavor totally reminds me of those!

The BEST Vegan Gravy

There is no gravy on earth that will beat the flavor in a gravy made with this vegan bouillon powder. And it makes the process so EASY too. 

We dig the recipe below for a low-fat version, but a lot of times (like in the sausage photo above), we just blend 2 cups of hot water + 2 Tbsp bouillon + ½ – ¾  cup of cashews or sunflower seeds. It’s so creamy and dreamy, you’ll want to drink it with a straw!

1. Magical Vegan Turkey(less) Gravy

This is another long-time staple in our Thanksgiving menu, and someone always drinks the last remnants straight outta the gravy boat every. single. year. Beyond holidays though, we love this meal prep idea from Angela:

“Made this for work to put over my sweet potato and veg. It is delicious! Will definitely make again! Thanks! I did choose not to add salt and pepper and it was still awesome!” – Angela F

Cooking Rice + Other Grains

A lot of people like to cook their grains in chicken stock, and this homemade bouillon powder is the PERFECT vegan answer to that! 

Just add the water to your pot along with 1 Tbsp bouillon powder per cup and cook your grains as usual. Some of our favorite grains for this method are: brown rice, couscous, barley, and quinoa!

1. Slow-Cooker Vegan Chicken + Rice

If you ask T, this might just be his favorite recipe I’ve ever made. See that beautiful sunshiney color that makes you want to dive into the rice mouth-first? That’s the bouillon powder!

Adding Flavor to Just About EVERYTHING

Since we almost always have a batch of this homemade vegan bouillon powder on-hand, it has quickly become something we haphazardly throw into almost everything we make. 

It’s kind of crazy to think about all the miscellaneous recipes in which it became the magic ingredient and took the flavor over the top!

1. Vegan Quiche En Croute

Bouillon powder in a quiche?! Don’t question it, just try it. The bouillon powder adds both flavor and color to this decadent but easy-to-make brunch dish!

2. Vegan Irish Cheddar + Whiskey Fondue

Who knew how killer this homemade bouillon powder would be when added to homemade vegan cheese sauces like this vegan fondue?! 

3. The Easiest Vegan Queso

I just love how much flavor the bouillon adds to this SUPER simple vegan queso. Just blend everything and dip those chips!

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As you can see, we use this homemade vegan bouillon powder a LOT, and we’re only getting started. If you haven’t made it yet or need to re-up, get your butt over to the recipe and change your damn life already. 

If you’re already a fan of TEAM BOUILLON (seriously…these shirts are creating themselves!), let us know  all your favorite ways to use it in the comments along with any recipes you’d like to see us create!

We’ll continue to update this post as we create and share new recipes. If you make one of these recipes or the powder, don’t forget to tag us in your creations on Instagram! If you’re not already following along, we’re @theplantpowercouple with the “the” over there.

And if you want to be sure you never miss a Plant Power Couple recipe, don’t forget to sign up for our email list!

Before we sign off, we’d like to THANK YOU for making our recipes and sharing your experiences with us. That’s why posts like this one exist! We hope you are inspired by this post, as we are constantly inspired by all of you! 

We’re raising a big hot mug of chicken(less) broth to you! CHEERS, friends!

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