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Sometimes when you think about making things from scratch, you might be picture a homesteader making everything from scratch. But even just making some things from scratch can be worth it, especially if it’s something you eat a lot of. Or it might be one of those things that just tastes better from scratch. I don’t make everything homemade, but over the years I’ve found some of my favorite things to make. Here are what I think are the best things to make from scratch!
The Best Things to Make from Scratch
There are a lot of things that I think are always worth making from scratch, some things that I think are sometimes worth it, and some things that I never make from scratch! Of course, this will depend on your family and the kinds of things you eat often. Your list might be totally different from mine, but maybe this will give you the inspiration to try something new.
What I always make from scratch
There are lots of pancake variations, and I love this recipe because you can change up the flour, milk, and sweetener to whatever you want. You can also add mix-ins (we love chocolate chips!).
As long as you have a waffle maker, waffles are just about as easy to make as pancakes! You can also add more mix ins like with pancakes.
You can buy a mix for these, but it’s really easy to have on hand if you have some cornmeal!
I love making hummus at home because you can add whatever flavors you want!
Spice mixes are so overpriced at the store, especially since so many of the most popular ones are made with spices you already have in your cupboard.
No need to buy gallons of pre-made sweet tea. Make your own and control how much sugar you want to add!
Sometimes you just need to order pizza, but it’s also super easy to make your own pizza dough and add whatever toppings you want!
They take a little more work than the storebought kind, but they’re so much better!
This is another example of something that just takes ten times better homemade. It’s worth a few extra steps!
What I sometimes make from scratch
This is a sometimes for me because we go through seasons where we don’t eat much bread. But if we were a huge bread-eating family, then making our own would be something I’d do.
Granola isn’t something I love, but if you do, then making it from scratch is way cheaper than buying store bought.
You might think you need to do a whole canning process to pickle things, but you don’t! You can pickle things very easily with only a few ingredients.
This is another example of something that is only worth it to me if we’re eating a lot of it. Making it in the Instant Pot is also very easy.
It’s not something you can make in bulk, but homemade guacamole with fresh ingredients is so much more delicious than storebought.
If you eat a lot of dishes that use enchilada sauce, it might be worth it to make your own!
BBQ sauce is sometimes fun to make from scratch because you can tailor the ingredients to things that you want to use, and you can make interesting flavor combinations.
If I’m feeling in the mood for pesto, then I love to make it from scratch. It’s so delicious!
Especially in the winter months, I love making bone broth to build up our immunity!
What I never make from scratch
You’ve probably seen examples of people making many more things from scratch. The truth is, you could make almost everything you ever eat from scratch, but I’ve found some things just aren’t worth it. That’s partly because either the work involved in making it from scratch is so great compared to the cost of buying, or just because we don’t eat much of that thing. Here are some things I choose to buy instead of making:
- Tortillas
- Spaghetti sauce
- Pasta
- Ketchup
- Almond milk
One final note
You need to decide why you want to make things from scratch. If you’re trying to do it to save money, then you might choose to make some things that someone else might not consider worth the time. If you’re doing it to control ingredients or stick to a specific diet, then it may not matter how much extra it costs as long as everyone in your home can eat it! We all make choices about food; the important thing is deciding what matters to you!
Is there anything you always make from scratch? Let us know in the comments!
