What Is Beef stock and How Can I Use It?

Here's everything worth knowing about beef stock and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 992 recipes to cook tonight.

What is beef stock?

Beef stock, bouillon, or beef broth is a flavoured water preparation made by simmering various ingredients in water, including some or all of the following. Beef, leftover cooked meat, is often used along with beef bones.

Fresh meat makes a superior stock and cuts rich in connective tissue such as shin or shoulder of beef or veal are commonly recommended, either alone or added in lower proportions to the remains of cooked poultry to provide a richer and fresher-tasting stock. Quantities recommended are invariably in the ratio of 1 part fresh meat to 2 parts water.

Bones

Veal and beef bones are most commonly used. The flavour of the stock comes from the cartilage and connective tissue in the bones. Connective tissue has collagen in it, which gets converted into gelatin that thickens the liquid.

Stock made from bones needs to be simmered for longer than stock made from meat. Pressure cooking methods shorten the time necessary to extract the flavour from the bones.

Mirepoix

A combination of onions, carrots, celery, and sometimes other vegetables. Often the less desirable parts of the vegetables (such as carrot skins and celery ends) are used since they will not be eaten.

Herbs & Spices

The herbs and spices used when making beef stock depend on availability and local traditions. In classical cuisine, the use of a bouquet garni (or bundle of herbs) consisting of parsley, bay leaves, a sprig or two of thyme, and possibly other herbs, is common.

This is often placed in a sachet or tied together to make it easier to remove once the stock is cooked.

Today, ready-made stock and stock cubes consisting of dried, compressed stock ingredients are readily available. These are commonly known as bouillon cubes in the US or oxo cubes, after a common brand of stock cube sold in Britain or cooking base.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup (240g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 31Calories from Fat 1

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0.2g 0%

Saturated Fat 0.1g 0%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 475mg 20%

Total Carbohydrate 2.9g 1%

Dietary Fiber 0g 0%

Sugars 1.3

Protein 4.7g

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 2% • Iron 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find beef stock: Beef stock is usually found in the soups section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Beef stock is a member of the Soups, Sauces, and Gravies US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese: 牛股票
British (UK) term: Beef stock
en français: bouillon de boeuf
en español: caldo de carne

How much does beef stock weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup	240 grams

Soups, Sauces, and Gravies

Soup, cream of celery 97 Soup, cream of chicken 234 Soup, cream of mushroom 483 Soup, french onion 32 Beef bouillon cubes 116 Beef bouillon granules 53 Chicken bouillon, powdered 82 Chicken bouillon cubes 127 Vegetable stock cubes 55 Soup mix 6

Recipes using beef stock

There are 992 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Beef Rib Marinade

Take your beef ribs to the next level with this web marinade that imparts incredible flavor deep into meaty beef ribs. Whether you're grilling, smoking, or using an Instant Pot for tender fall-off-the-bone beef ribs, marinate to start things off right.

Secret Ingredient French Onion Soup

A French onion soup that boasts an abundance of caramelized onions and a deep, rich color achieved with a secret ingredient. This addition enhances the depth of color and adds a subtle backdrop to the soup, perfectly complementing the sweetness of the caramelized onions.

Tomato Gazpacho

Chilled Spanish tomato gazpacho blended from ripe tomatoes, garlic, onion, green pepper, and olive oil, sharpened with vinegar and a hit of paprika. No-cook summer soup served with crunchy garnishes.

Beef & Vegetable Soup No. 2 (Instant Pot or not)

A beef vegetable soup made with homemade stock made one day ahead, featuring tender shredded beef, diced vegetables, and fresh herbs. A comforting and flavorful meal loaded with beefy goodness.

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Wild Mushroom & Bourbon Sauce

Tender lemon-rosemary chicken meets an earthy wild mushroom sauce spiked with bourbon, creating layers of savory depth perfect for elegant dinners.

Basic Swedish Meatballs

Classic Swedish meatballs with grated onion, nutmeg and ginger, broiled then simmered in a sherry-laced beef gravy. The smorgasbord original behind the IKEA snack bar version.

Lamb Loin with English Spinach Semi Dried Tomatoes & Bush Tomato Chutney

BBQ'd Lamb Loin stuffed with semi dried tomatoes and asparagus spears and served with bush tomato chutney and sauteed English spinach.

Mom's Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of broccoli soup with butter-sauteed onion and celery, simmered broccoli, and a finishing pour of half-and-half. Smooth pureed soup ready in 40 minutes.

Guilt-Free Low-Fat Crockpot Onion Soup

A healthified low-fat version of onion soup for your slow cooker.

Cabbage Beef Casserole

Cabbage Beef Casserole, a dish that is not only satisfyingly subtly sweet but also a testament to frugality and the art of stretching one's dollar! Easy to make with simple ingredients and feeds a hungry family.

Hearty Bean Soup

Hearty bean soup combines kidney beans, sweet corn and tomatoes in a chili-cumin spiced broth, topped with shredded cheddar. A 35-minute pantry meal that feels like it simmered all day.

Pork Chops & Sugar Snap Peas with Mint Julep Glaze

Delicious pork chops are seared in a hot skillet, sugar snap peas are cooked in a flavorful broth, which makes this one-skillet meal that's quick, easy to prepare and perfect for a week day dinner.

Saffron Risotto

Creamy, delicious Italian rice. Simply flavoured labour of love.

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

Classic beef and broccoli stir fry with soy-ginger marinated round steak in a glossy cornstarch-thickened sauce. Takeout favorite, made cleaner at home.

Pork Chops in Onion Sauce

German-style pork chops braised in beer and beef broth with sliced onions, thickened into a rich gravy. Served with Brussels sprouts and boiled potatoes.

Yummy Meatballs with Milk Gravy

Beef meatballs in a creamy milk gravy with sherry, thyme, and Worcestershire. A lighter take on Swedish-style meatballs using yogurt as binder. Serve over egg noodles or pasta.

Moorish Albondigas

The spices used in this recipe give these little meatballs a Moorish influence. A variation of a popular item at tapas bars, these albondigas can be served in a broth or with a sauce for dipping.

Spicy Sesame Beef Stir-Fry

Spicy sesame beef stir-fry with crisp-tender broccoli and sweet peppers in a gingery soy-garlic sauce. The beef is coated in sesame seeds and seared fast for a quick weeknight wok dinner, gluten-free with tamari.

Burt Reynold's Stew

Burt Reynolds' red wine beef stew from a 1984 celebrity Christmas book, with round steak browned in bacon fat, simmered in wine and tomato sauce, then finished with potatoes, carrots, celery, and mushrooms.

Chunky Black-Bean Chili

Thick ground beef and black bean chili simmered with cumin, oregano, and cayenne. Ready in an hour with a rich, smoky broth that begs for a dollop of sour cream and crusty bread.

Amy's Mexican Chili Crockpot Soup

A tex-mex style beefy chili chock-full of beef, beans and mushrooms.

Bert Greene's Peppered Chili

Bert Greene's peppered chili layers ground beef and beef shoulder strips with three different chiles (mild ground, caribe, fresh serrano). Slow-baked three hours with red wine, fresh tomatoes, and herbs. Kidney beans go in last. A serious cook's chili.

Mama Delilah's Minestrone

A very hearty version of my favorite soup. Add crushed red pepper to turn up the heat. It's delicious!! Perfect comfort food for a cold winter's day!

Fettuccine with Shiitake Sauce & Chicken

Fettuccine tossed in a rich shiitake mushroom cream sauce with bacon, chicken breast, and Parmesan. Dried and fresh mushrooms build layers of deep, earthy umami in every bite.

Smoky Pumpkin Soup

Smoky pumpkin soup built on bacon fat and beef stock, finished with Marsala wine and crisp bacon. A savory, deeply autumnal bowl that skips the cream and leans on real depth.

Delicious Instant Pot Pot Roast

Wow, the pot roast came out so flavourful and the gravy was also very tasty. We thinly sliced the leftover, used in sandwiches and wraps. Bravo!

Cottage Pie!

So to start off with the first post, I decided to make a meal that screams of comfort food. Whilst it does take a bit of a while to get the meal done, once you take that first bite, heaven couldn’t seem closer if you were Adam trying to touch God’s finger in the “Creation of Adam” fresco created by Michaelangelo. The meal I speak of is Cottage Pie. There is much debate as to what exactly a cottage pie is and how it is different to a Shepherd’s pie...I don’t know. The dominant theory is that Sheperds pie uses lamb mince, whilst a cottage pie uses beef mince. I don’t know about you, but the term “Sheperds Pie” does not get my tastebuds going quite as well, so I prefer the term cottage pie. Besides, comparing the price of ground (mince) beef to ground lamb, a student would pick up the beef mince in a heartbeat without even so much as glancing at the lamb in the meat section. This cottage pie that I made is full of flavour, and just makes you want to cuddle up next to a fire and watch TCM movies all day either by yourself, or with a significant other. Here is the recipe:

Port Wine, Fig & Bleu Cheese Sauce

Port wine, fig, and blue cheese sauce: a glossy reduction of caramelized aromatics, ruby port, and orange that melts tangy blue cheese into a velvety pour for pork roast or meatballs.

Crock Pot Chili Con Carne

A succulent crockpot dish that is made with beef and kidney beans.

Bolognese sauce: traditional recipe (Ragù Bolognese)

Traditional recipe that it is hardly nowadays to see it in the italian kitchens because is very fat and so in the last 50yrs they opted for more lighter ingredients but I will give you the original version and post the modified one in another link.

Easy Beefy Tortellini Soup

Due to its rich beefy flavor, and the hearty belly warming cheese tortellini, this beef tortellini soup has been a family favorite at our home for years.

Crockpot Wild Rice Meatball Chili

A slow cooker chili that uses wild rice meatballs (store-bought to save time), black beans along with traditional chili seasonings.

Beef Stroganoff with Cream Sauce

Beef stroganoff in a rich cream sauce: strips of beef seared with mushrooms, onion, and garlic, then simmered into a velvety sauce. The comforting Russian classic served over noodles or rice.

Albondigas Soup

Add a new meaning to meatball soup with this dish full of flavor.

Tom's Cabbage Soup

This hearty soup is not only good for you, but also packed with deliciousness. It will certainly help you shed off a few pounds with lots of goodness.

Hot Gazpacho

Hot gazpacho built on tomato juice, beef bouillon, peppers, onion, and a hit of Tabasco, heated fast in the microwave and topped with chopped fresh vegetables and croutons.

Barr's French Onion Soup

A delicious French onion soup will for sure satisfy your tummy.

Venison & Redcurrant Casserole

This is a wonderful recipe for either a dinner party or Sunday lunch. Whether or not you use redcurrants in the actual sauce or purely as a decoration depends very much on the time of year and variety of redcurrants you can find. End of summer home-grown redcurrants add a wonderful sweet tartness to the sauce, however imported under-ripe fruits can impart a certain bitterness and are probably best left for garnish. If you do not use fresh berries add a little extra redcurrant jelly.

Garlicky Shepherd's Pie

There are lots of flavor in both topping and filling, love shepherd's pie, then you should make this flavorful and delicious recipe!

Garlicky Shepherd's Pie

There are lots of flavor in both topping and filling, love shepherd's pie, then you should make this flavorful and delicious recipe!

Beef Stir-Fry with Vegetables

Much better than the take-out meal, and the best is that I can control what go into my dish. Quite easy to make, and it tasted delicious.

Savory Braised Short Ribs

Very easy prep, the meat literally falls apart it's so tender. The horseradish sauce adds a bit of kick to tender beef short ribs.

German Bacon Potato Soup

German bacon potato soup slow-cooks bacon, potatoes, leeks, cabbage, and carrots in beef broth scented with caraway and nutmeg, then thickens with mashed potato and sour cream. Hearty Bavarian comfort.

Pork Chop Supper

I added dumplings to this and this one pot meal was delicious!

Dutch Vegetable Soup with Meatballs

Hearty Dutch vegetable soup with tender curry-spiced meatballs made from bread-soaked ground beef or veal. Simmered in beef bouillon with carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. A one-pot meal.

Sauteed Mushroom & Layered Mashed Potato Casserole

Sauteed mushroom and Swiss chard with layered mashed potatoes, sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top, after baking the flavor is wonderful. It is also a good dish for holidays.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Crockpot beef stroganoff that does the work for you: tender beef and mushrooms slow-cooked all day, then finished with a tempered sour cream sauce and spooned over egg noodles.

Beef Stew, President Ronald Reagan's Favorite

Discover Ronald Reagan's favorite beef stew recipe: easy, hearty comfort food with tender beef, artichokes, and mushrooms in a rich wine broth. Perfect for beginners—stovetop, oven, or Instant Pot directions included for stress-free dinners like "easy homemade beef stew for families" or "classic presidential beef stew with vegetables."

Basic Shepherds Pie

Shepherd's pie with seasoned ground beef, leftover roast beef, vegetables, and a fluffy mashed potato top finished under the broiler. A hearty pub-style casserole that uses up Sunday roast.