20 Store-Bought Foods That You Can Easily Make From Scratch

POPSUGAR Photography Nicole Perry | Anna Monette Roberts

Perhaps one of your culinary resolutions for this year is to make more things from scratch. If that is the case, we applaud you: making store-bought items from scratch is a great way to improve basic cooking techniques and understand what goes into the foods we know and love. Not only do you get to control what goes into your food this way, but the flavors are often fresher and bolder than their store-bought counterparts. Here are 20 homemade recipes that we think you should try.

Sriracha-Stout Barbecue Sauce
POPSUGAR Studios

Sriracha-Stout Barbecue Sauce

All you need is 15 minutes to make a tangy, thick, and piquant sriracha-stout barbecue sauce. The final product adds depth of flavor to everything from pork ribs to brisket to barbecued oysters.

Marinated Artichokes
America's Test Kitchen

Marinated Artichokes

Artichoke dip and homemade focaccia taste that much fresher when you use your own marinated 'chokes.

Breadcrumbs
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Breadcrumbs

Store-bought breadcrumbs can have a slightly stale consistency, but you'll never encounter that problem when you make your own. Use them in pasta dishes, breaded on chicken or fish, or as a topping for veggie casseroles.

Chicken Stock
POPSUGAR Photography | Nicole Perry

Chicken Stock

Don't ever throw roast chicken bones or rotisserie carcasses away. Instead, utilize the ingredient fully by simmering a batch of your own homemade chicken stock, which can be used in soups, stews, and gravies.

Harissa
Flickr user stone-soup

Harissa

If you aren't familiar with the Tunisian garlic and chile paste known as harissa, you should be. Softened chiles, garlic, lemon, and lesser-known spices add heat and brightness to steak sandwiches and vegetable tagines.

Homemade Pasta
POPSUGAR Photography | Andrew Armenante

Homemade Pasta

Pasta-lovers, consider making homemade pasta. With its delicate flavor and unparalleled elasticity, it's the ultimate pasta.

Vinaigrette
POPSUGAR Photography | Nicole Perry

Vinaigrette

If you don't already make your own salad dressing, it's the easiest item to cut from the store-bought list. A simple Dijon vinaigrette comes together in less than five minutes and doesn't contain any high-fructose corn syrup or mysterious preservatives.

Croutons
POPSUGAR Photography | Nicole Perry

Croutons

Oven-baked croutons aren't just easy to make and versatile in their use. They also happen to be a crispy snack and a brilliant use for leftover bread.

Lemon Curd
POPSUGAR Photography | Nicole Perry

Lemon Curd

When something is sweet, creamy, tart, and colorful all at the same time, you just have to love it. No need to buy lemon curd ever again after you try out this recipe.

Mexican Crema
POPSUGAR Photography | Katie Sweeney

Mexican Crema

It's somewhere between sour cream and crème fraiche, and it is a great addition to a multitude of dishes. Get ready to get addicted to Mexican crema.

Homemade Ketchup and Mustard
POPSUGAR Photography | Lauren Hendrickson

Homemade Ketchup and Mustard

It's easy to rely on the store-bought versions of these staple condiments, but making your own ketchup and mustard ensures a lot more flavor!

Vegetable Stock
POPSUGAR Photography | Nicole Perry

Vegetable Stock

If you need to make a recipe that calls for chicken stock vegetarian-friendly, a batch of homemade vegetable stock is a great thing to have on hand.

Marshmallows
POPSUGAR Photography | Katie Sweeney

Marshmallows

Although these need a night to properly set, homemade marshmallows are worth the wait. They're fluffy, sweet, and so much better than the store-bought version.

Tomato Sauce
POPSUGAR Photography | Nicole Perry

Tomato Sauce

A hearty tomato sauce is a great recipe to have in your repertoire. You can enjoy this savory sauce on a number of dishes, from pasta to pizza to eggs.

Pumpkin Pie Spice
POPSUGAR Photography | Katie Sweeney

Pumpkin Pie Spice

A lot of Fall recipes call for pumpkin pie spice. If you don't have that in your spice cabinet, don't worry! We've got the combination of spices for you to make your own.

Granola
POPSUGAR Photography | Lizzie Fuhr

Granola

Making your own granola allows you to select the ingredients. If you're not fond of something that typically appears in store-bought versions, omit it and add something else!

Ginger Tea
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Ginger Tea

You don't have to buy tea bags to enjoy ginger tea. Make your own at home in five minutes.

Milano Cookies
POPSUGAR Studios

Milano Cookies

Milano cookies are a wonderful treat to add to your grocery cart. But why not try your hand at making them from scratch? We think these along with other homemade hacks on store-bought snacks are even better than the packaged kind.

Chicken Cutlets
POPSUGAR Photography | Susannah Chen

Chicken Cutlets

You'll kick yourself for paying such a pretty penny to buy chicken cutlets when you discover how easy they are to butcher yourself.