12 Easy Foods to Make at Home Instead of Buying!
Here’s how to stock your fridge and pantry with homemade basics that are both healthier and cheaper to make at home.
Ready for some affordable, from-scratch kitchen magic?!
Whether you’re trying to stretch your grocery budget, eat cleaner, or just love the satisfaction of making things from scratch, this list will completely change how you shop. This year lets make more of these easy recipes and spend less.
Plus, I feel like making things yourself tastes so much better. You can taste as you go and customize the ingredients however you like. Start with one recipe this week. Just one. Then watch how quickly your pantry (and your confidence) grows.
Today I’m sharing 12 simple food staples to make at home!
This will help you stop overpaying at the store and start stocking your kitchen the smarter way. From creamy homemade butter to fluffy pancakes, tangy pickles, fresh salsa, rich coffee creamer, soft tortillas, perfectly seasoned beans, and more.
These ideas prove you don’t need complicated ingredients or fancy equipment.
1. Coffee Creamer – One Base with 3 Flavors
Do you enjoy sweetened flavored coffee creamer in your hot or iced coffee?! Here’s a great way to make it yourself without artificial additives and preservatives. I am sharing a vanilla bean flavor, sugar cookie, and spiced chai coffee creamer recipe. They all have the same base of half and half plus maple syrup and then various extracts and spices to flavor.
Ingredients for Vanilla Bean Coffee Creamer:
- 2 cups half and half
- 4 tablespoons real maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Ingredients for Sugar Cookie Coffee Creamer:
- 2 cups half and half
- 4 tablespoons real maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Ingredients for Chai Coffee Creamer:
- 2 cups half and half
- 4 tablespoons real maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2. Homemade Sourdough Bread
Use our guide on how to make a beautiful, chewy, crusty sourdough loaf your family will love! With these simple tips, you’ll see how easy (and addicting!) it can be.
All you need is water, flour, and salt. Just 3 ingredients from starter to finished a loaf! Once you get the timing and method down, you’ll feel like a sourdough pro!
Ingredients for Sourdough Bread:
- 60 grams (1/4 cup) active sourdough starter
- 350 grams (1 1/3 cups + 2 tbsp) room temperature water
- 500g (4 cups + 2 tbsp) bread flour
- 10 grams (2 teaspoons) fine sea salt
3. Homemade Butter from Whipping Cream
Learn to make homemade butter using heavy whipping cream. It’s easier than you think and tastes incredible. It’s rich, creamy, and oh-so-delicious.
Ingredients for butter:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes
Hip Tip: Check out how to make whipped honey butter as well! It’s also easy and delicious.
4. Homemade Nutella Chocolate Spread
Hazelnuts are roasted in the oven and then placed in a food processor with chocolate and coconut oil to make a delicious homemade version of Nutella!
The result is a creamy, dreamy spread that’s perfect on a crepe for breakfast, as a dip for strawberries, or to make a loaf of homemade Nutella swirl banana bread! YUM.
Ingredients for hazelnut chocolate spread:
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil + 1/2 teaspoon additional coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
5. Slow Cooker Refried Beans
It’s super easy and inexpensive to make smooth and tasty restaurant-style refried beans to enjoy at home as a delicious snack, side dish, or to incorporate into meal ideas. This vegetarian recipe uses easy-to-find healthy ingredients and produces fantastic-tasting beans!
Ingredients for refried beans:
- 1 pound dry pinto beans (about 2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large jalapeño, diced and seeds removed
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 6 cups water or vegetable broth
6. Homemade Flour Tortillas
Take taco night dinners to the next level by making some yummy homemade flour tortillas at home! They’re actually surprisingly easy to make, and require simple and inexpensive ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Plus, the soft homemade version is a million times better than what you’ll find at the store!
Ingredients for Tortillas:
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (you can also use lard, shortening, or sliced butter)
- 1 cup hot water
7. Easy Restaurant-Style Salsa
If you’re looking for an excellent snack or appetizer, whip up this great-tasting homemade restaurant-style salsa that takes just minutes when using your blender or food processor. It’s so easy and delicious – you’ll never want store-bought again!
Ingredients for Homemade Salsa:
- 2 – 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (try the fire-roasted variety)
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro
- 1/2 white onion
- 3 green onions
- 2 jalapeños, seeded (more or less depending on the heat you prefer)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
8. Refrigerator Dill pickles
These quick garlic and dill refrigerator pickles are so crisp and full of flavor- I promise if you make them, you’ll never want to buy a jar at the store again!
Ingredients for Refrigerator Dill Pickles:
- 3-4 medium-sized fresh cucumbers cut into halves or spears
- 1 1/4 cups white vinegar
- 3 and 1/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 4-6 sprigs of fresh dill
- 6 cloves of garlic, lightly smashed
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
9. Homemade Mayonnaise
Did you know creamy Mayo is mostly just eggs and oil? Making it yourself is quick, affordable, and involves simple, real ingredients you can customize to your taste. It whips up in just 5 minutes using an immersion blender!
Ingredients for Homemade Mayonnaise:
- 2 large whole eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard (or ground mustard if preferred)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup avocado oil
10. Old-Fashioned Fluffy Pancakes
Sometimes I reach for a convenient pancake mix, but then there are times when I’m really in the mood for some GOOD old-fashioned fluffy pancakes from scratch that are truly special.
Ingredients for Old-Fashioned Fluffy Pancakes:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
11. Ranch Seasoning & Dressing
Calling all Ranch dressing lovers! It’s time to ditch the packets at the store and opt to make your own version instead in just a few minutes! This recipe is quick, easy, and tastes so delicious.
Ingredients for Ranch Dressing/Seasoning:
- 1/2 cup dried buttermilk powder (usually found in the baking aisle)
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dill weed
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Hip Tip: It’s also very easy to make your own Taco seasoning and Zesty Italian Seasoning packets as well! We have recipes for both those ideas.
12. Semi-Homemade Pop-Tarts
Use store-bought pie crusts as a quick kitchen hack to bake delicious homemade Pop-Tarts in any flavor you’d like for breakfast! While this is not a complete-from-scratch idea, it tastes so much better than the box version.
Ingredients for Pop-Tarts:
- 14.1 oz. store-bought pie crusts
- 6 tablespoons strawberry preserves
- 1 egg white
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon strawberry preserves
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Thanks! The Ranch recipe leads to the zesty italian recipe though.
You’re welcome, Stephanie! Just fixed that link if you wanted to check back. Thanks for spotting that! ☺️