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Over 40 Recipes That Taste Better Homemade Than Store-Bought

March 17, 2019 By sandi 6 Comments

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40 Things to Make From Scratch

collage of dinner rolls, homemade cherry pie filling, guacamole, and homemade mayonnaise

I’m just going to say it: I almost always love homemade over store-bought stuff. While I’m all about saving time in the kitchen, a lot of store-bought items are expensive, full of preservatives, and just don’t taste as good as recipes made from scratch.

Cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be hard. Sometimes all it takes is knowing that you have a winning recipe.

That’s why I’ve collected over 40 recipes that taste better homemade than store-bought. I guarantee that if you try a few, you’ll be surprised by how much better they are, and you’ll find more and more recipes that you can make at home.

Ready to get started?

Breakfast

cast iron skillet with crispy hash browns

These breakfast recipes are a great starting point for making food from scratch.

Easy Drop Biscuits from Finding Zest (pictured)
Chocolate Chip Waffles from Family, Food, and Travel
Classic Dinner Pancakes from Pinch of Yum
Delicious Crispy Hash Browns from Cookie and Kate
Everything Bagels from Elephantastic Vegan

Snacks & Drinks

white bowl of homemade guacamole with salsa nestled in a large wooden bowl filled with tortilla chips

You’ll be surprised by how easy these snack recipes are — and that you ever bought a jar of salsa when you could make it in 5 minutes at home.

Easy Homemade Guacamole with Salsa from The Welcoming Table (pictured)
Homemade Hummus from The Welcoming Table
Easy Homemade Salsa from The Welcoming Table
French Onion Dip from Peter’s Food Adventures
Cold Brew Coffee from The Rising Spoon
Homemade Limemade from Finding Zest
Crockpot Applesauce from A Cedar Spoon

Breads

Making bread from scratch may take a little more time, but the end result is worth the effort.

Big Batch Dinner Rolls from Karen’s Kitchen Stories (pictured)
Honey Oat Bread from Beyond the Chicken Coop
Flour Tortillas from Nourish and Fete
Homemade Pita Bread from Recipe Pocket
Homemade Pizza Dough from Joy, Food, Sunshine
Homemade Naan from Zestful Kitchen

Pasta

piles of different shapes of homemade pasta

Homemade pasta and sauces are definitely a step above store-bought in the taste department.

Homemade Pasta from I Just Make Sandwiches (pictured)
Easy 25-Minute Marinara from Jersey Girl Cooks
Basic Italian Meatballs from Mission to Save
Best Alfredo Sauce from We’re Parents
Pesto Sauce from The Things We’ll Make

Soups

Don’t grab a can of soup when you can make delicious ones at home.

Grandma’s Homemade Chicken Soup from Fearless Dining (pictured)
Homemade Chicken Stock from Ramshackle Pantry
Cream of Mushroom Soup from Dinner Then Dessert
Easy Homemade Chili from The Welcoming Table
Vegetable Beef Taco Soup from The Welcoming Table

Condiments & Seasonings

Some of the EASIEST and MOST DELICIOUS homemade recipes are condiments, sauces, salad dressings, and seasonings. Try a couple and see!

Mayonnaise from Foodal (pictured)
Teriyaki Sauce from Served From Scratch
Enchilada Sauce from Dinner Then Dessert
White Barbecue Sauce from Foodal
Raspberry Jam from Canning and Cooking at Home
Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe from Joy, Food, Sunshine
Gluten-free Barbecue Sauce from Greedy Gourmet
8 Standby Salad Dressing Recipes from Recipe Tin Eats
Homemade Taco Seasoning from To Simply Inspire
Homemade Seasoned Salt from Mashup Mom

Desserts

Don’t reach for a can of pie filling or a container of frosting from the baking aisle — make your own with one of these recipes.

Homemade Cherry Pie Filling from Savor with Jennifer (pictured)
Homemade Rainbow Chip Frosting from House of Nash Eats
Homemade Whipped Cream from The Unlikely Baker
Copycat Boxed Brownie Mix from Served From Scratch
3-Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce from Smells Like Home
Easy Strawberry Sauce from It’s Not Complicated Recipes

While store-bought stuff sometimes feels more convenient, cooking food from scratch is cheaper and definitely tastes better. Try one of these recipes, and you’ll be hooked!

Which one of these recipes are you most looking forward to making? Tell me in the comments!

If you like this post, you’ll love 15 of the Best Mexican Party Food Ideas!

Over 40 Recipes That Taste Better Homemade Than Store-Bought

Filed Under: Recipes, Roundups

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tracy says

    March 18, 2019 at 6:37 am

    Awesome! I love making most things from scratch whenever I can so I can control the ingredients. There are certain things like pesto sauce that I refuse to buy anymore just because it’s so much different from (worse than) the homemade sauce.
    There’s something about the taste of fresh, uncooked basil that’s so aromatic and somehow lost when they try to can the commercially made sauces. Luckily, it freezes really well, so I make large batches and am able to always have some on hand.
    Thanks so much for sharing my pesto recipe, and for putting together such a great mix of foods from scratch. So many of them sound (and look) delicious.

    Reply
  2. Peter says

    April 9, 2019 at 12:22 pm

    Great list! So many recipes that taste better than store bought!!! Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Ben Myhre says

    November 7, 2019 at 9:27 am

    A great looking list. They all look great, but that chicken stock recipe looks top shelf! 😉

    Reply
    • sandi says

      November 8, 2019 at 2:26 pm

      🙂

      Reply
  4. Sandi says

    November 7, 2019 at 4:00 pm

    Thank you so much for including my Grandma’s soup. Sharing all around!

    Reply
    • sandi says

      November 8, 2019 at 2:26 pm

      You’re welcome!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Sandi!

I love connecting with friends and family over a good meal, and I want to help you gain confidence to invite people over for dinner. I believe friendships grow when you gather around the table.
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