35 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Pantry Must-Haves
Stocking your pantry with homemade staples is easier than you think, and the payoff is huge. Forget mystery ingredients and unnecessary additives—these DIY versions of everyday essentials like ketchup, mustard, and broth are fresher, tastier, and completely customizable. Whether you’re looking to cut costs, reduce waste, or just make better-tasting basics, these simple recipes will have you skipping the store in no time.
How to Make Yeast – Sourdough Starter
Making sourdough starter at home is so much easier than you imagine. A batch of starter only takes 7 to 14 days, perfect when you don’t have yeast.
Get the Recipe: How to Make Yeast – Sourdough Starter.
Homemade Enchilada Sauce + Canning Instructions
If you use store-bought canned enchilada sauce, you need to try making your own! You can control the ingredients in your food, which is both a health and a pleasure benefit, given you control the taste.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Enchilada Sauce + Canning Instructions.
How to Make Tomato Sauce
Ready your canning jars, turn ripe tomatoes into your own canned tomato sauce, and have the perfect base for countless meals. It’s easy and fun and lets you bring homemade flavor to your table whenever you like.
Get the Recipe: How to Make Tomato Sauce.
Honey BBQ Sauce
This Honey BBQ Sauce is delicious and incredibly easy to make. Its sweet and smoky flavor profile perfectly complements various dishes, from grilled meats to roasted vegetables. The best part is that you can either quick-can it for immediate use or water bath can it for longer storage. This versatility ensures that you always have a jar of this flavorful sauce on hand ready to elevate your meals.
Get the Recipe: Honey BBQ Sauce.
Horseradish Sauce without Sour Cream
This creamy Horseradish Sauce without Sour Cream is the perfect accompaniment for any beef. It’s so easy—it only takes 5 minutes to make!
Get the Recipe: Horseradish Sauce without Sour Cream.
Canning Applesauce – 4 easy ways
When the apples get ripe in the fall, one of the easiest things you can do with them is Canning Applesauce. Just two ingredients are all you need! A step-by-step guide to easy applesauce!
Get the Recipe: Canning Applesauce – 4 easy ways.
Strawberry Syrup Recipe (Strawberry Sauce)
This Strawberry Syrup Recipe is incredibly easy and uses only four ingredients. It’s perfect for pancakes, ice cream, cheesecake topping, and more. It’s a sweet treat that will brighten up your mood all year long.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Syrup Recipe (Strawberry Sauce).
How to Make Vanilla Sugar {Vanillin Zucker}
Vanilla sugar is a versatile ingredient popular in Europe and adds a delightful touch to many recipes. This fragrant and flavorful sugar enhances the taste of baked goods, desserts, and beverages. The best part is that it’s incredibly easy to make at home. Simply mix granulated sugar with vanilla beans or extract, and let it infuse for a few weeks. The result is a wonderfully aromatic sugar that can be used in cookies, cakes, coffee, or sprinkled over fresh fruit. Vanilla sugar is a simple way to elevate your culinary creations with a hint of sweet, vanilla goodness.
Get the Recipe: How to Make Vanilla Sugar {Vanillin Zucker}.
Garlic Scape Dressing – Vinaigrette
This garlic scape dressing or vinaigrette is the perfect addition to salads and a great quick marinade for beef, chicken, or pork. Its mild garlic flavor pairs well with many cuisines.
Get the Recipe: Garlic Scape Dressing – Vinaigrette.
Rosemary Salt
Learn how to make delicious rosemary salt, which adds a pop of flavor to a wide variety of dishes and is the perfect finishing touch.
Get the Recipe: Rosemary Salt.
How to Make Homemade Cocktail Sauce
Cocktail Sauce is so easy to make at home! This Homemade Cocktail Sauce takes two minutes and five ingredients that you already have in the fridge!
Get the Recipe: How to Make Homemade Cocktail Sauce.
Fermented Hot Sauce | Lacto-Fermented
Fermentation is the process of beneficial bacteria breaking down a food product that otherwise would spoil. These beneficial bacteria (lactobacillus) are essential to helping maintain wellness. Properly secure the bottles for storage; this garnish can make a lovely edible gift for a spicy food lover.
Get the Recipe: Fermented Hot Sauce | Lacto-Fermented.
Homemade Pickling Spice Recipe
This Homemade Pickling Spice Recipe couldn’t be easier to make and is far fresher than store-bought versions. Combining whole spices like mustard seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaves, and peppercorns with aromatic additions such as cinnamon sticks, cloves, and dill seeds, you’ll create a custom blend that enhances the flavor of all your pickled vegetables.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Pickling Spice Recipe.
Dairy Free Evaporated Milk Substitute
No evaporated milk in the pantry? No worries, it’s easy to make your own Evaporated Milk Substitute! This evaporated milk substitute is dairy-free!
Get the Recipe: Dairy Free Evaporated Milk Substitute.
Pomodori Verdi – Green Tomato Sauce
This green tomato sauce, known as pomodori verdi, is crafted from green, unripe tomatoes. It offers a brilliant solution for using up those end-of-season tomatoes that haven’t quite ripened. It’s not made with tomatillos but with actual green tomatoes, bringing a unique, tangy flavor that’s unlike the usual red tomato sauces. This sauce adds a fresh, zesty twist to pasta dishes, acts as a vibrant base for stews, or can be an intriguing alternative to traditional pizza sauce.
Get the Recipe: Pomodori Verdi – Green Tomato Sauce.
Rhubarb Vinaigrette
Rhubarb vinaigrette is delicious in salads and marinades. It is tangy, fruity, and fresh. It pairs especially well with spinach. It is ridiculously easy to make, and the flavor is so fresh and delicious.
Get the Recipe: Rhubarb Vinaigrette.
Dehydrating Scallions | Green Onions
Dehydrating scallions is a great way to preserve this summer vegetable to use all year. They are incredibly versatile and will save you money. Use them is soups, stews, casseroles, and salads for a mild onion flavor that is so delicious!
Get the Recipe: Dehydrating Scallions | Green Onions.
Dry Rub for Pork Recipe
One of the easiest things to do is to make your own spice mixes. Not only will it save you a ton of money, but it is a great way to use up the spices in your pantry before they get stale. The Dry Rub for Pork Recipe is one of the easiest in my recipe selection.
Get the Recipe: Dry Rub for Pork Recipe.
Chive Vinaigrette |Easy Chive Flower Recipe|
This Chive Vinaigrette is a delicious chive flower recipe that only takes minutes to make. It’s great for dressings and marinades. This easy dressing adds a lovely, mild chive flavor to many dishes.
Get the Recipe: Chive Vinaigrette |Easy Chive Flower Recipe|.
Canning Cranberry Sauce
Canning cranberry sauce is an incredibly easy way to preserve the fresh taste of cranberries all year round. The process involves cooking cranberries with sugar and water and then sealing them in jars using a simple canning technique. This method ensures that you can enjoy the tangy and sweet flavor of homemade cranberry sauce with your meals, whether alongside roast meats or as a condiment for desserts. The step-by-step instructions make it accessible for beginners, guiding you through each part of the canning process to ensure safety and delicious results.
Get the Recipe: Canning Cranberry Sauce.
Habanero Recipe- Hot Pepper Flakes
An absolute family favorite, the Habanero Flakes are always present! They are the perfect way of adding a touch of heat without messing with the flavor of the food, on your meat or sprinkled on top of your tacos. They have a good kick, so experiment with them, and don’t be afraid to secure them in an air-tight jar and gift them to friends and family.
Get the Recipe: Habanero Recipe- Hot Pepper Flakes.
Homemade Thousand Island Dressing Recipe
Have you ever made your own Thousand Island Dressing? Once you try this Recipe, you will never buy the stuff from the grocery store again!
Get the Recipe: Homemade Thousand Island Dressing Recipe.
How to Make Adobo Sauce
Chipotles in Adobo Sauce are essential for many Latin dishes. Making them at home is fun and easy, and the flavor is much better than the canned version.
Get the Recipe: How to Make Adobo Sauce.
Lilac Sugar
Lilac Sugar is a fun project that the kids will love to help with. The season for lilacs is so short, so preserve them to use all year long. Lilac sugar is delicious, used to sweeten coffee or tea, flavor cookies and cakes, and flavor cocktails or mocktails.
Get the Recipe: Lilac Sugar.
The Best Homemade Fajita Seasoning Recipe – Penzeys Copycat Spice Mix
Learn how to make the best homemade fajita seasoning blend from pantry staples to have restaurant-style fajitas at home any time! This easy, Mexican-inspired spice mix is my family’s go-to for making our favorite chicken fajitas, steak fajitas, and more.
Get the Recipe: The Best Homemade Fajita Seasoning Recipe – Penzeys Copycat Spice Mix.
Spicy Southern Comeback Sauce
Comeback sauce is a perfect dipping sauce for a variety of foods, shrimp, crab cakes, veggies, fried pickles or French fries. It also makes a great dressing!
Get the Recipe: Spicy Southern Comeback Sauce.
Dairy Free Condensed Milk
This homemade dairy-free condensed milk is the perfect substitute for all your favorite baked goods. Just three ingredients!
Get the Recipe: Dairy Free Condensed Milk.
Canning Ketchup
Canning ketchup is a fantastic method to capture the vibrant flavors of summer and savor them all year long. This easy recipe is perfect for beginners looking to try homemade preserves. By making your own ketchup, you can enjoy the rich, tomatoey taste with just the right mix of sweetness and spice whenever you like. Spread it on burgers, dip your fries, or add it to stews for a comforting, homemade touch. It’s a simple way to make every meal a little more special with the taste of summer.
Get the Recipe: Canning Ketchup.
Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix
This homemade dry ranch seasoning tastes like your beloved ranch dressing packet, but it’s made with a handful of simple ingredients you already have in your kitchen! This copycat Hidden Valley ranch is made without buttermilk powder, is keto and low-carb, and you can adjust the salt to your taste!
Get the Recipe: Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix.
Homemade Honey Mustard Sauce
Creamy and Thick Honey Mustard Sauce is simple to prepare in just a few minutes and best enjoyed in your favorite chicken dinner recipes. It is so good that you’ll want to use it on everything!
Get the Recipe: Homemade Honey Mustard Sauce.
Easy Homemade Blackening Seasoning Recipe
If you aren’t sure what’s for dinner, pick any meat you can grill or skillet fry and add this amazing homemade Blackening Seasoning mix. This homemade blackened seasoning is full of savory flavor, perfect for all kinds of meat, and is easy to pull together last minute.
Get the Recipe: Easy Homemade Blackening Seasoning Recipe.
Fermented Lemons (Preserved Lemons)
Fermented lemons, otherwise known as preserved lemons, are an age-old secret of top chefs worldwide. They’re salty with a concentrated lemon flavor that is wonderful when added to tagines and stews. They are also incredibly easy.
Get the Recipe: Fermented Lemons (Preserved Lemons).
Blackberry Vinaigrette | Salad Dressing
This blackberry vinaigrette is a quick and easy way to add a burst of flavor to your summer salads. In less than five minutes, you can whip up this dressing that combines blackberries’ rich, sweet taste with a tangy vinaigrette base. It’s perfect for drizzling over fresh greens, adding a fruity twist to traditional salads, or enhancing a grilled vegetable dish. This vinaigrette is not just flavorful but also a beautiful way to dress up your meals, making every salad special.
Get the Recipe: Blackberry Vinaigrette | Salad Dressing.
How to Make Oat Flour at Home
Oats make a delicious and healthy gluten-free flour that you can use in so many recipes. Learn how to make oat flour yourself in just a few simple steps!
Get the Recipe: How to Make Oat Flour at Home.
21 Ultimate Cream Cheese Dips for Every Occasion
Cream cheese dips are the ultimate crowd-pleaser, perfect for any gathering or casual get-together. Whether you’re hosting a party, attending a potluck, or simply enjoying a cozy night in, these dips add a creamy, delicious touch that everyone loves. With endless flavor possibilities, from savory to sweet, there’s a cream cheese dip for every occasion. They’re easy to whip up, and their rich, smooth texture pairs perfectly with just about anything—from fresh veggies to crispy crackers. Get ready to discover the ultimate collection of cream cheese dips that will make you the star of any event.
Get the Recipe: 21 Ultimate Cream Cheese Dips for Every Occasion.
These 33 Dishes Are Like a Time Machine to Grandma’s Dinner Table
Grandma’s cooking has a way of making everything feel right. These recipes capture the magic of her table—simple, comforting, and full of love. From slow-cooked classics to homemade favorites, each dish brings back the flavors and memories we all treasure. Get the Recipes: These 33 Dishes Are Like a Time Machine to Grandma’s Dinner Table.
Transform Dinner with These 21 Game-Changing Slow Cooker Beef Ideas
Slow cooker beef is the ultimate solution for busy days and hungry crowds. With just a few simple ingredients, you can create a rich, tender, and flavorful dish that practically cooks itself. Whether you’re making it for a weeknight dinner or a special gathering, this recipe guarantees melt-in-your-mouth goodness with every bite.
Get the Recipe: Transform Dinner with These 21 Game-Changing Slow Cooker Beef Ideas
17 Cabbage Recipes That Are Way More Exciting Than You’d Expect
Cabbage is often underestimated, but it’s a versatile ingredient that can add bold flavors and hearty textures to any meal. Whether you’re looking for a light side dish, a comforting main course, or something uniquely flavorful, these cabbage recipes are sure to impress. From crispy salads to savory braises, these dishes showcase the many delicious ways to cook with cabbage, turning this humble vegetable into a star on your table.
Get the Recipe: 17 Cabbage Recipes That Are Way More Exciting Than You’d Expect.
