Canning Broth Question: Can You Use Bouillon in Home Canned Stock?

Can you use bouillon while canning broth or stock? That’s the question in today’s Canning Chat! 

Video Transcript – Edited for Clarity

Hi, my name is Sharon Peterson, and I’m with SimplyCanning.com where you can find home canning tips, tutorials, and classes. Come visit me there, and I will help you get your pantry filled. 

Today’s question for our Canning Chat comes from Gwendolyn, and she asks this.

“Sharon, please, can you answer a question for me? I’ve just canned beef stock. The Ball Canning Book suggested to add some beef cubes for better flavor, and it worked good. I’m ready to make chicken stock. Can I add chicken bouillon cubes to my chicken stock? Ball doesn’t state it, or I couldn’t find it. I checked your recipes, and I couldn’t find it either. I can’t see why not. However, you never know.” 

So I think it’s a great idea to always check when you’re not sure. And yes, in this case, you can use chicken cubes or bouillon in your stock or broth if you’d like to.  

When I’m Canning Broth… 

Now, I never (or rarely) use bouillon or cubes in my broth when I’m canning it, either beef or chicken. I will use bouillon cubes if I’m canning meat, especially my elk and venison. The beef bouillon really does add a nice flavor to it. But for the chicken and the beef broth, when I am making it, I want it just to be the broth.  

If I feel like I want to add cubes or bouillon later, I can do it then. But you can put bouillon in the jar with your stock if you want to. 

Keep This in Mind for Canning Broth or Stock… 

One thing to keep in mind: Be aware of what you are purchasing.  

So this is just the Wyler’s Beef Cubes. (in the video I’m holding up the package) It is just strictly a bouillon that also comes in chicken flavor. I don’t use chicken very often, so I don’t have any. But just make sure if you are buying, that it is just bouillon. Sometimes packages will come in the little envelopes, and it’s more of a soup mix. Those “bouillons” are going to have other stuff in there. What you want to add to your jar is strictly the bouillon. Just be aware of that. 

And then yes, you can add bouillon to your jars. It changes up the flavor of your broth. Bouillon does add a little bit of salt. So be aware of that. If you add your own salt, just make sure you’re aware of the salt levels in there, and you’ll be good to go.  

So I hope that was helpful. You guys have a wonderful afternoon, and we will see you in the next Canning Chat. We’ll talk to you later. 

I checked a few canning sources…

I found it interesting to note that my Ball Blue Book, Bernardin, Fresh Preserving (a Ball website), and the NCFHFP all offer the option to use beef bouillon when canning beef stock but none mention using chicken bouillion when canning chicken stock. I don’t know of any reason why beef flavor bouillon would be any different than chicken bouillon. Seems to me it is likely because of flavor.

• https://www.freshpreserving.com/blog
• https://www.bernardin.ca/recipes/en/beef-stock.htm

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Page last updated: 7/6/2021