Is your kitchen decently stocked with basic food ingredients? Then you're ready to make loads of pantry & fridge staples that will save you money andhelp you create a variety of meals.I'm sharing 100+ homemade recipes for foods you likely already buy from the store, so pick a few of your favorites to DIY, and add them to your meal plan this week.
When I have extra time on my hands or am feeling especially motivated (ladies, this is usually during the follicular & luteal parts of our cycle), I love trying new homemade recipes and simple DIY crafts.
If I'm extra energized I'll create a basic meal plan, then prep and cook multiple dishes all on the same day. My future self (who is typically tired & ready for takeout) always thanks me.
REAL TALK: I'm no Martha Stewart and as much as I love to cook, I also go through periods where I don't want to step foot in the kitchen ( are often culprits). I'm sure you can relate!
That's why I encourage folks to batch cook by fixing shelf-stable or freezable foods when they have the time & energy. are a good place to start if you're a beginner.
During those times when the kitchen is my favorite place, the thing that makes me feel most accomplished is when I make homemade pantry staples that I would otherwise buy ready-made from the grocery store. (I talk about this more in my Ten Tips For Saving Money on Groceries post.)
I find it empowering to be self-sufficient in small ways and more often than not, these DIY recipes are EASY and FUN!
Remember that sense of wonder we all experienced as kids when we learned a new skill or technique? Making things is one way to replicate that feeling as an adult.
One of my absolute favorites is homemade butter. It's so stinking simple to fix and the process is magical. Orcroutons andbroth because you're basically taking food scraps and turning it into a whole new dish. Cold-brew coffee & tea, as well, because they're ridiculously easy to make and way cheaper than the store-bought stuff.
There are still oodles of DIY pantry staples on my foodie "bucket list" (including yeast bread - I'm a total newbie). So, I scoured the interwebz for simple homemade versions we all can try at home and hand-picked the best to share here.
Some are my own, some are ones I've tried from my food blogger friends, and the rest I found on Pinterest by searching for recipes that had lots of positive "tried it" reviews.
If you try any of these or think of something I should add (especially a clever substitution), please leave a comment below!
Baking Staples
- baking powdervia Mommypotamus
- cake flourvia Grandbaby Cakes
- powdered sugar via Downshiftology
- brown sugarvia Bigger Bolder Baking
- pancake syrupvia Barefeet in the Kitchen
- vanilla extractvia The Rising Spoon
- sweetened condensed milkvia Bigger Bolder Baking
- vanilla sugar via The Rising Spoon
Baking Mixes
- white cake mixvia I Am Baker
- chocolate cake mixvia Five Heart Home
- brownie mixvia I Am Baker
- pancake mixvia The Stay at Home Chef
- gingerbread pancake mix via The Rising Spoon
- waffle mixvia Eating on a Dime
- baking mix (Bisquick)via Coffee With Us 3
- cornbread mix (jiffy copycat)via Bren Did
Bread
- white sandwich breadvia Butter with a Side of Bread
- easy bread dough (for bread, rolls, pizza)via The Prairie Homestead
- Dutch oven no knead breadvia Bowl of Delicious
- dinner rollsvia The Stay at Home Chef
- Hawaiian dinner rollsvia Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
- gluten-free dinner rollsvia My Gluten-Free Kitchen
- Italian-style pizza doughvia The Stay at Home Chef
- no-knead focacciavia Bon Appetit
- skillet cornbread with masa harinavia The Rising Spoon
- skillet cornbread with cornmeal & flourvia Barefeet in the Kitchen
- buttermilk drop biscuitsvia The Rising Spoon
- naan breadvia Half Baked Harvest
- keto cloud bread (oopsie bread)via Wholesome Yum
- easy keto dough via I Breathe I'm Hungry
- 2 ingredient (weight watcher) bagelsvia Recipe Girl
Other Carby Goodness
- croutonsvia The Rising Spoon
- bread crumbsvia Five Heart Home
- granolavia The Rising Spoon
- cheese crackers (cheez-its copycat) via Don't Waste The Crumbs
- graham crackers via Playdates to Parties
Tortillas
- flour tortillasvia House of Yumm
- corn tortillasvia The Rising Spoon
- cauliflower tortillas (low-carb) via Wholesome Yum
- cauliflower tortillas (dairy-free) via The Coconut Mama
Gluten-Free Flours
- coconut flourvia The Rising Spoon
- almond flourvia The Rising Spoon
- oat flourvia The View From Great Island
- gluten-free all-purpose flour blend via Beauty in the Crumbs
Nut Milk
- coconut milkvia The Rising Spoon
- almond milkvia The Rising Spoon
- oat milkvia Alpha Foodie
- cashew milkvia Vanilla and Bean
Nut Butter
- peanut buttervia Sweet As Honey
- almond buttervia Downshiftology
- coconut buttervia The Rising Spoon
Coffee Creamer
- 3-ingredientcoffee creamervia The Typical Mom
- almond milk coffee creamervia The Rising Spoon
- coconut milk coffee creamervia The Coconut Mama
- oat milk coffee creamer via Living Loving Paleo
Dairy
- buttermilk substitute (mix 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a cup and let sit for 10 minutes, then use as normal)
- cultured buttermilk & sour creamvia The Prairie Homestead
- whipped creamvia The Rising Spoon
- slow cooker yogurtvia Six Figures Under
- instant pot yogurtvia Premeditated Leftovers
- cottage cheesevia Rebooted Mom
- mozzarella cheesevia Common Sense Home
- ricotta cheesevia Attainable Sustainable
- milk kefirvia The Pioneer Woman
Ferments
- sourdough startervia The Stay at Home Chef
- sauerkrautvia Earth Food and Fire
- kimchivia Foodie with Family
- fermented picklesvia Fermenting For Foodies
- refrigerator picklesvia The Free Range Life
- kombuchavia Homestead and Chill
Drinks
- cold brew teavia The Rising Spoon
- cold brew coffeevia The Rising Spoon
- electrolyte drinkvia Raising Generation Nourished
- hot cocoavia The Rising Spoon
- hot chocolatevia The Rising Spoon
- lemonadevia Grandbaby Cakes
- pink lemonadevia The Rising Spoon
Cooking Fats
- Buttervia Artful Homemaking
- Ghee (Clarified Butter)via Primally Inspired
- Lard (Pork Fat)via The Prairie Homestead
- Schmaltz (Chicken Fat)via What Jew Wanna Eat
- Tallow (Beef Fat) via The Prairie Homestead
- Bacon Grease (cook bacon in a skillet or the oven then pour the grease through a fine strainer into a glass jar. Cool completely, cover & store in the fridge. Use it as cooking oil in savory dishes like soup, beans & rice for extra flavor.)
Spice Mixes
- ranch seasoningThe Pinning Mama
- taco seasoningvia The Rising Spoon
- seasoned salt (Lawry's copycat) via Thrifty Jinxy
- dry rub blend via The Fed Up Foodie
- onion soup mixvia The Gracious Pantry
- lemon-pepper seasoningvia The Rising Spoon
- pumpkin pie spicevia The Rising Spoon
Salad Dressings
- blue cheese dressingvia The Rising Spoon
- buttermilk garlic ranch dressingvia The Rising Spoon
- red wine vinaigrettevia The Rising Spoon
- balsamic vinaigrettevia The Rising Spoon
- Greek vinaigrettevia Downshiftology
- caesar vinaigrettevia Simply Whisked
- creamy caesar dressingvia Butter For All
- French dressingvia Five Heart Home
- Italian dressingvia Nourish and Fete
- thousand island dressing via Kitchen Treaty
Sauces & Condiments
- basil pestovia Crazy For Crust
- kale pestovia The Rising Spoon
- alfredo saucevia Self Proclaimed Foodie
- marinara saucevia Carlsbad Cravings
- pizza saucevia Budget Bytes
- chocolate saucevia The Rising Spoon
- caramel saucevia I Heart Naptime
- enchilada saucevia Recipe Girl
- Kansas city-style barbecue saucevia The Rising Spoon
- Carolina-style barbecue sauce via Simple in the Country
- Carolina-style mustard barbecue sauce via On Ty's Plate
- mayonnaisevia Attainable Sustainable
- sweet & sour saucevia Raising Generation Nourished
- teriyaki saucevia Spend with Pennies
- buffalo saucevia I Am Baker
- chimichurri saucevia The Rising Spoon
- co*cktail sauce via Savory Experiments
Broth, Bouillon & Condensed Soups
- chicken brothvia The Rising Spoon
- beef brothvia The Rising Spoon
- vegetable brothvia Savory Lotus
- chicken bouillon powder substitutevia Joy Filled Eats
- condensed cream of chicken soupvia A Pinch of Healthy
- cream of celery soupvia Good Cheap Eats
- cream of mushroom soupvia Saving Dollars & Sense
Beans
- how to cook dried beansvia The Rising Spoon
- hummusvia Cookie and Kate
- refried beansvia Isabel Eats
Dips
- nacho cheese (with evaporated milk) via Baking Mischief
- queso cheese dipvia The Rising Spoon
- guacamole via Recipe Tin Eats
- spinach artichoke dip (no mayo) via The Rising Spoon
- French onion dip via Recipe Tin Eats
Click Here To Save This To Your Homemade Recipes Board On Pinterest!
Ready For More Inspiration? Read These Next:
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