Ran out of chicken stock mid-recipe? Vegetable stock will do the job at 1:1 — but only if you also adjust for what the swap takes away or adds. Water, milk and stocks swap one-to-one by volume — a cup of one replaces a cup of another — so the measuring is the easy part. What changes is the flavour and richness of the finished dish: stock brings salt and savoury depth, milk brings fat and a gentle sweetness, and water brings nothing at all, which is sometimes exactly what a dish needs. This page gives the ratio, shows it in a table, and walks through three real dishes so you can see where the swap improves things and where it quietly flattens them.
The ratio, in a table
The table below converts chicken stock to vegetable stock for the amounts you are most likely to meet. The rule is always the same: 1:1.
| Chicken stock called for | Vegetable stock to use |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup |
| 1/3 cup | 1/3 cup |
| 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup |
| 2/3 cup | 2/3 cup |
| 3/4 cup | 3/4 cup |
| 1 cup | 1 cup |
| 1 1/2 cups | 1 1/2 cups |
| 2 cups | 2 cups |
By weight, one cup of vegetable stock is about 240 g (poured, USDA). Our density table does not list a grams-per-cup figure for chicken stock, so no weight is given for it here — measure it by volume. All weights on this page are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when the result matters.
Worked examples
Example 1: Vegetable soup
A recipe for a vegetable soup calls for 1 cup of chicken stock. Using the ratio, that becomes 1 cup of vegetable stock. Add the stock with the vegetables, and season the soup well — it will need more salt and more herbs than the chicken version, because the vegetable stock is lighter. The soup will be clean and bright, with the vegetables coming through.
Example 2: Mushroom risotto
A recipe for a mushroom risotto calls for 2 cups of chicken stock. Using the ratio, that becomes 2 cups of vegetable stock. Add the stock a ladle at a time, as usual, and let the rice absorb it. The risotto will be lighter and more delicate than the chicken version, with the mushroom flavour coming through more clearly.
Example 3: Rice pilaf
A recipe for a pilaf calls for 1 cup of chicken stock. Using the ratio, that becomes 1 cup of vegetable stock. Cook the rice as usual, and add a bay leaf and a pinch of salt to the stock. The pilaf will be lighter and cleaner, which suits a vegetable main dish well.
What changes in the result
Vegetable stock in place of chicken stock makes the dish lighter and cleaner, with a vegetable flavour rather than a meaty one. Chicken stock is rich and savoury, with a little body from the gelatin in the bones; vegetable stock is lighter, with the clean flavour of the vegetables it was made from. The ratio is one-to-one, so the measuring is simple, and the swap works well in a vegetable soup, a risotto or a pilaf, where the lighter flavour lets the vegetables speak. The main thing to watch is the body: the dish will be a little thinner and less rich, so it may need a longer simmer or a little more seasoning to make up for what the chicken stock brought.
When not to substitute
Do not make this swap where the chicken stock's richness is doing the heavy lifting. A chicken soup, a meat stew, or a risotto where the stock is the main flavour will be thin and flat with vegetable stock, because there is nothing else to carry the dish. Do not use it in a dish where the stock must also provide body — vegetable stock has no gelatin, so the dish will be thinner. And do not forget to season: a dish made with vegetable stock needs more salt and more herbs than the same dish made with chicken stock.
Practical guidance
Taste the liquid you are swapping in before it goes into the pot: a salty stock can make a dish over-salted once it reduces, and an unsweetened milk can curdle if it is boiled hard with acidic ingredients. Add stock or milk gradually and hold back the seasoning until the dish is nearly done, because the substitute changes the salt balance. When milk replaces water in a dough or batter, watch the browning — milk sugars colour faster in the oven, so check a few minutes early and cover the top loosely with foil if it is darkening too fast. Keep stocks refrigerated and use them within a few days, or freeze them in measured portions for cooking. All amounts on this page are approximate; a kitchen scale or a marked jug is the most reliable way to measure liquids for a large batch.
Frequently asked questions
How much vegetable stock do I use instead of 1 cup of chicken stock?
Use 1 cup — the ratio is 1:1. One cup of vegetable stock is about 240 g (poured, USDA); our density table does not list a grams-per-cup figure for chicken stock, so measure this swap by volume.
Will the dish be lighter?
Yes — vegetable stock is lighter and cleaner than chicken stock, with the flavour of the vegetables it was made from rather than a meaty depth. The dish will be a little thinner, so it may need a longer simmer or more seasoning.
Is vegetable stock vegetarian?
Yes — vegetable stock is made from vegetables, so it is suitable for a vegetarian or vegan table. That makes this swap a good choice when the dish must be meat-free.
Can I use vegetable stock in a chicken soup?
Not as a straight swap. A chicken soup depends on chicken stock for its flavour and its body, and vegetable stock will make it thin and flat. Use the swap in a vegetable soup or a risotto, and keep chicken stock for a chicken soup.
Do I need to add salt?
Yes — a dish made with vegetable stock needs more salt than the same dish made with chicken stock, because the chicken stock was already salted and richer. Add the salt a little at a time, and taste before serving.
Scaling the swap up or down
A liquid swap scales one-to-one by volume, so double the recipe and you double both numbers — but the seasoning does not scale in the same way. A doubled pot of soup needs slightly less than double the salt, because the liquid reduces and concentrates as it simmers, and a doubled dough needs the same proportion of liquid but a little more kneading time to come together. The safe way to scale up is to add the scaled amount of liquid, then season in stages, tasting as you go. For a very large batch, keep a little of the liquid back and add it at the end: a dough that is too wet is hard to fix, while a dough that is a touch dry can be loosened with a splash. If you are scaling down to a single serving, measure the liquid in a marked jug rather than by eye — a small error matters more in a small batch.
If the swap goes wrong — and how to store the substitute
If a dish made with water tastes thin and unsatisfying, the stock was doing more work than you thought — add a bay leaf, a pinch of salt and a splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce to build the flavour back up, and let the dish simmer longer. If a milk-based dough is too soft to shape, chill it for half an hour before handling it, and dust the work surface lightly with flour. If a stock-based sauce is too salty, add a splash of water and a little unsalted butter to round it off, and hold back the salt next time. Freeze leftover stock in ice-cube trays for small amounts, and in labelled tubs for larger ones.