10 Store-Bought Foods You Can Easily Make From Scratch
There’s something indescribably satisfying about making your own food from scratch. And while it can occasionally come across as intimidating, there are actually plenty of items you can make on your own without much hassle or fuss. Whether you want to incorporate more made-from-scratch items into your cooking to save money or simply want to learn a few new skills, consider trying to make one – or all – of these 10 items.
1. Sandwich Bread
Sandwich bread is one of the easiest grocery items you can make at home. All you need are a few common baking ingredients and a little bit of patience to enjoy a homemade loaf of warm, flavorful and chewy bread. Sally’s Baking Addiction offers a great recipe for simple sandwich bread to get you started, complete with handy tips, a video tutorial and step-by-step photographs.
Pro tip: Break your leftover bread into bite-sized chunks and throw them in the freezer for a future breakfast strata or pulse them in a food processor to make homemade breadcrumbs.
 See more: 10 Ways to Become a Better Cook
2. Greek YogurtÂ
If you start making Greek yogurt from scratch, you’re almost guaranteed to impress all your friends. But more importantly, you can enjoy a healthy and delicious breakfast or snack without any unnecessary ingredients or additives. You can even change up the flavors with things like vanilla bean, lemon extract or fresh berries.
Making Greek yogurt is easy as could be in a slow cooker or instant pot, but you can also make it on the stove top. No matter which method you use, just make sure you have a thermometer and cheesecloth handy.
3. Spaghetti SauceÂ
Got an oven or stovetop? Then you can make your very own spaghetti sauce. There are all kinds of recipes available for homemade spaghetti sauce, but the gist of it is cooking down or roasting tomatoes with complementary companions like garlic and basil, then crushing or blending to meet your desired consistency. It really is that simple.
4. GranolaÂ
Granola just might be the most customizable pantry staple you can make at home. Rolled oats, pecans, flaxseeds, warm spices like cinnamon and cloves, and a combination of maple syrup and coconut oil can baked in a low-heat oven for a wonderfully filling and hearty yogurt (or oatmeal) topping. It tastes better than the store-bought granola and you can control precisely what goes into your recipe.
Don’t feel constricted to just those ingredients though. If you want a little more guidance, use a recipe like this one as a base and add in everything from dried fruit and chocolate chips to peanut butter and more.
5. Pizza Dough
While you can easily purchase pizza dough from the grocery store, you can just as easily whip up your own homemade pizza dough and up your dinner game. The best part is that you can easily double or triple the recipe and stash the extra dough in the freezer for quick and easy dinners down the road. Looking for something a little healthier? Try our Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe.
See more:Â How to Make Your Own Nut Milk From Scratch
6. Apple Cider Vinegar
Once you learn how to make apple cider vinegar, you’ll never buy it from the store again. There are countless benefits to incorporating ACV into your diet, from antimicrobial and antioxidant effects to other suggested benefits such as reducing cholesterol and lowering blood sugar levels. Regardless of how you choose to use it, you can make apple cider vinegar at home with little effort and some patience. You can even start saving your apple scraps in the freezer to make scrap vinegar.
See more:Â How to Make Chicken Broth From Scratch
7. Bone BrothÂ
Do you ever purchase bone-in cuts of meat? Don’t throw those bones out. Stash them in the freezer in a zip-close bag or mason jar and use your instant pot or slow cooker to make rich, flavorful and immunity-boosting broth for soups, stews and chilis all year round.
Recipe:Â Homemade Bone Broth
8. Salsa
There are dozens of reasons to make your own salsa from scratch, including unbeatable crunch, tang and spice of fresh ingredients. It also doesn’t hurt that you can adjust the spice level of any recipe based on your personal preferences.
Craving pico de gallo for your fish tacos? Need a big bowl of zesty corn and black bean salsa for your next big gathering? Want to play with bold flavors like pineapple and tomatillos to pair with your chicken fajitas? Or maybe you just want to recreate the classic restaurant salsa we all know and love. Give any of these a chance and you may never buy another jar of grocery salsa again.
Looking for more salsa inspiration? Here are a few of our favorite recipes to try: Roasted Red Pepper Salsa, Pineapple Avocado Salsa, Spicy Pomegranate and Pear Salsa
9. Nut ButtersÂ
If you have a high-speed blender or food processor in your kitchen, you’re well on your way to making your own nut butter. As anyone who has purchased a jar of almond, cashew or mixed nut butter knows, the grocery bill can skyrocket in the blink of an eye if you’re consuming these tasty, high-protein spreads regularly. But start making your own at home and you’ll be saving money and enjoying a better tasting butter.
 See more: Homemade Peanut Butter
10. Condiments
While you could definitely replace all your store-bought condiments with made-from-scratch varieties (and we’d cheer you on if you did), it’s easiest to start with ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. Homemade ketchup requires very little hands-on time and will completely change your hamburger, French fry and chicken tender game. Impressively simple and requiring basic pantry ingredients, yellow mustard is an easy second choice. There are several different ways to make homemade mayonnaise, but this fail-proof recipe guarantees in a creamy and rich end result.