Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Vegetarian
This rich and savory spice is the healthy homemade equivalent of two store bought beef bouillon cubes and is made from common pantry staples. It's allergy friendly, boasting all the flavor of beef bouillon without the extra ingredients many of our bodies are unable to tolerate.
Why I Love This Recipe
So many of my favorite soup and stew recipes call for beef bouillon cubes. Consequently, I was disappointed to learn of all the allergens in store bought versions: fish, tree nuts, gluten, soy and dairy. Additionally, prepackaged beef bouillon often contain a slew of other unhealthy ingredients: high salt content, hydrogenated oils, sugar, soy, MSG, corn starch, phosphates, and artificial colors. After realizing this, I set out to make my own blend that all members of my family could enjoy.
Homemade Beef Bouillon Powder is a healthy, budget friendly alternative to store bought beef bouillon cubes. This spice blend provides a great boost of rich umami flavor to your favorite recipes. It is a savory, flavor packed seasoning that elevates any soup, stew, or beef dishes!
Made from common pantry spices, Homemade Beef Bouillon Powder is cheap and easy to make. Earthy, nutty mustard powder, savory granulated garlic, slightly sweet paprika, pungent, savory onion powder, smoky chili powder, and bitter celery seed come together to create the deep, rich flavor of this spice blend. Plus, this recipe has no added salt so you can use however little or much you prefer.
Cooking Tips
Spice blends last a long time in storage! You can store this Homemade Beef Bouillon Powder in an airtight container away from heat and light. It will stay fresh for up to 6 months. Be sure to add the date to the label.
You can buy spice jars or use plastic storage bags. However, I prefer to repurpose my emptied spice containers. For this seasoning blend, you could use an empty bay leaf, paprika, chili powder or celery seed jar. Then, if the label is easy to remove feel free to do that and add your own. I typically use a cut out a rectangle of paper or a sticky note taped over the old label of the spice jar. Good for your wallet and the environment, win-win!
Try Homemade Beef Bouillon Powder in gravy, soups, stews, casseroles, marinara sauce, meatballs, or hamburgers.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the beef in this spice blend? Dehydrated beef stock is the beef ingredient in store bought cubes. However, it makes up less than 2% of the product and is not easily found in stores. This recipe was modeled after seasonings commonly found in beef bouillon cubes and then tested multiple times to ensure it has a comparable flavor to its store-bought counterpart. However, you can find dehydrated beef stock on Amazon. If you would like to add it to this recipe, I would start with 1 tbsp.
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Beef Bouillon Powder {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
Equipment
- 1 small bowl
- measuring spoons
- 1 fork or whisk
- 1 air tight container or storage bag
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small bowl: mustard powder, granulated garlic, paprika, onion powder, chili powder, celery seed. Whisk together until fully combined. Store in an airtight container away from light and heat.
Jen
is one teaspoon equal to a cube?
2 tsp and a heaping 1/2 tsp is equal to a cube in this recipe.
San
Where’s the beef???
Yes, this is a common question. Dehydrated beef stock is the beef ingredient in store bought cubes. However, it makes up less than 2% of the product and is not easily found in stores. This recipe was modeled after seasonings commonly found in beef bouillon cubes and tested multiple times to ensure it has a comparable flavor to its store-bought counterpart. However, you can find dehydrated beef stock on Amazon. It is linked in the frequently asked questions above. If you would like to add it to this recipe, I would start with 1 tbsp.
Virginia Choate
This sounds perfect! But is a "cube" a teaspoon or a tablespoon?
The full recipe is equivalent to 2 traditional "cubes". So, use half of this recipe (about 2 tsp and a heaping ½ tsp) for 1 cube.
Erin Zellers
No salt?
You are right, this recipe does not have any added salt. You can add as little or as much as you need for whatever recipe you are making.
Donna Hayes
Do you have a recipe for chicken broth like this? I looked up chicken powder on amazon but only for pets..... or can humans eat it also?
Hi Donna, I do not currently have a recipe for chicken bouillon posted on my site. I also noticed that issue when researching dehydrated bone broths to add to other bouillon recipes. I haven't found a dehydrated chicken bone broth that is human specific and am unsure if these products are safe for human consumption. I did find a good quality chicken bone broth powder mix on Amazon called LonoLife Chicken Bone Broth Powder Mix. Unlike the dehydrated beef broth broth powder I was able to find as an optional add in to this homemade beef bouillon powder, the LonoLife product does contain other seasonings and seems to be more of a stand alone substitute for chicken bouillon cubes.
Jessica
How much is equivalent to a “cube” for seasoning? How much water per cube to make a serving of broth?
The full recipe is equivalent to 2 traditional "cubes". So, use half of this recipe (about 2 tsp and a heaping ½ tsp) for 1 cube. Use 1-2 cups of water per "cube" depending on the recipe and if you are using additional seasonings. I use 1½ cups of water to ½ of this spice blend in the Grandma's Hamburger Gravy recipe on this site, but use closer to 2 cups of water per ½ recipe (or 1 "cube") for soups.
Cathy
has too much mustard flavor. I added a small bit of kosher salt and brown sugar to balance out the mustard. Next time I'll go alot lighter on the dry mustard.
Absolutely! Mustard flavor isn't for everyone, make this to suit your palate!
Janice Sands
Can celery salt or powder be used?
Janice
Either can be used. Celery powder tends to have a more intense flavor than the seeds so I would start with a scant 1/8 tsp as replacement. Celery salt is a combination of salt and celery seeds, use as a 1:1 replacement. However, when using celery salt you may need to reduce the amount of salt in whatever recipe you are making.