There are just some foods that taste better when they are homemade.
Okay, MOST everything tastes better homemade.
I realize we don’t always have the time to make everything homemade, but there are some foods that you are buying at the store that are actually incredibly EASY to make at home.
And not only are those foods EASY to make, the homemade version will drastically change the way your meal tastes.
This is my list of 10 foods we commonly buy at the grocery store that are bolder, healthier, and down-right delicious homemade.
The Best Things About the Homemade Versions of These 10 Foods
- They take less than 10 minutes to make (most of them ;))
- They are much healthier than the store-bought versions
- They are much cheaper to make than buying them at the store
- They up the deliciousness factor by like 100% 🙂
So let’s cut to the chase.
The 10 Foods that Taste Way Better Homemade
1. Mac and Cheese
It is so funny to me that people buy boxed mac and cheese (I do it too!!).
Yet, even with the boxed version, we still have to boil the noodles and add the cheese (powdered), the butter and the milk while standing over the stove for the 15 minutes or so that it takes to make it.
So why don’t we just make the real deal ourselves? Plus, the powdered cheese often has bad-for-you artificial flavors and additives that we shouldn’t be eating anyway.
Making mac and cheese literally consists of noodles, cheese, milk, flour and butter and maybe some salt and pepper, all of which you probably already have in your pantry and refrigerator.
It’s just too easy. Making homemade mac and cheese takes the flavor to a whole new level.
There is just something about real shredded cheese that adds a bold, creamy, cheesy flavor that mac and cheese truly deserves. Check out this Homemade Mac and Cheese recipe to try it yourself. Your entire family will be asking for more 🙂
2. Quiche Crust
I know everyone freaks out when they hear the word “homemade crust.”
Like they’ve been asked to host the President at their next dinner party.
But seriously, a crust is SO easy to make- it only takes a few ingredients, and the taste is worlds different than a store-bought crust.
And again, store-bought crusts have tons of bad-for-you ingredients like hydrogenated oils, mono and diglycerides, preservatives and a lot of other ingredients that we shouldn’t be eating anyway.
Try this delicious, easy 5-Minute Crust and you will never buy a store-bought crust again. This quiche crust also works as a pie crust or really any kind of dessert or pastry crust that your recipe calls for.
3. Whipped Cream
If you have ever had REAL whipped cream then the canned stuff from the store or cool-whip (yuck!) does not even compare.
I’m not sure that they should even share the same name.
Real whipped cream is fluffy and thick, dense and not runny and has a real cream taste that isn’t overly sweet. I have my whipped cream recipe here that takes about 5 minutes to make and tastes so wonderful that you may just have the whipped cream as your dessert and eat it straight out of the bowl.
4. Cake
Can I say that boxed cake should be banned? Okay, I said it.
A true homemade cake is light-years ahead of the taste of a boxed cake mix. Not only that, but there are some very terrifying ingredients in a boxed cake mix. Have you ever looked at the ingredients on the box?
A lot of the ingredients are difficult to pronounce, and we really have no idea what exactly they are.
I have found the absolute perfect chocolate cake recipe by Style Sweet CA that I now use for ALL of my family’s birthdays.
It gets devoured every.single.time. And I always get tons of compliments on how amazing it is.
Homemade cakes are actually incredibly fast and easy to make, and they taste completely different from a boxed cake. You’ve got to try it.
5. Salad Dressing
I am totally guilty of buying salad dressings from the store.
And honestly, I have no idea why I fall victim to the salad dressing aisle at the grocery store. I guess I push my cart right past the salad dressing aisle on my way to grab bread and my hand just involuntarily grabs a bottle of dressing as I walk by… 😉
But every time I make a salad dressing at home, or have a friend who comes over with homemade salad dressing, I RAVE about it. The taste of homemade salad dressing simply does not compare to the store-bought kind.
Plus, store-bought salad dressings are really expensive (especially when you buy the ones that don’t have preservatives and artificial ingredients).
I have a delicious homemade salad dressing that will help keep your hands on your cart as you walk past the salad dressing section of the grocery store. For this recipe, and all 10 of these recipes on a simple printable sheet, just click here.
6. Granola
Store-bought granola is dry, bland, and way too crunchy.
Plus, it’s incredibly expensive. I had always bought granola from the grocery store until I discovered the taste of homemade granola.
Friends, it does not get much better than having your home full of the smell of freshly baked granola with a nutty, cinnamon-y flavor that is to die for.
Yes, granola is supposed to by crunchy but it should by delicately crunchy bursting with nutty flavors with hints of cinnamon, ginger and coconut. Oh yes. I have the most AMAZING homemade granola recipe for you that you must try.
Don’t break your teeth and the bank on store-bought granola. It’s almost never worth it.
7. Frosting
Can you tell I really prefer my desserts homemade? I RARELY eat a store-bought dessert.
The first reason is because store-bought desserts almost never fit into my “clean eating” lifestyle because the ingredients in store-bought desserts are truly scary, and secondly because the taste of a homemade dessert is so incredible that I simply can’t justify eating a dessert if it is just “okay.”
That brings me to frosting. I definitely recommend making your own frosting.
You might as well not even look at the nutrition label on a jar of frosting that you buy from the store because you will have no idea what you are actually eating.
Aside from that, this cream cheese frosting recipe is SO delicious and can go on everything from graham crackers to chocolate cake and red velvet cupcakes to carrot cake. I am sharing my absolute favorite go-to frosting recipe along with all 10 of these recipes on a simple printable sheet, just click here.
8. Salsa
Fresh salsa is one of the easiest foods to make.
You basically throw tomatoes, white onion, cilantro, a jalapeno and some lime juice in a food processor and watch the magic happen. Salsa can be expensive at the store for the small amount that you get in a jar.
By making your own salsa, not only will you reap greater health benefits from the vegetables, but it tastes incredibly fresh and you will get a whole lot more out of your recipe than what you pay for at the grocery store. For this recipe, and all 10 of these recipes on a simple printable sheet, just click here.
9. Pizza Crust
Again, don’t be alarmed. I know that making your own pizza crust sounds intimidating but it is SO very easy that you may laugh when you see how simple it actually is.
Plus, you can always make a double batch and freeze your crusts for later so you always have a crust on hand to avoid going to the grocery store. A fresh homemade pizza crust is heavenly, and it’s fun to get to add in your own fresh herbs if you like that sort of thing.
It really takes your homemade pizza from “good” to gourmet. Try this 10-Minute Pizza Crust recipe and you will be a true homemade pizza crust convert 😉
10. Graham Cracker Crust
I have found some decent graham cracker crusts at the grocery store that do not contain processed ingredients. So about a year back I decided to make a delicious fresh lemon pie with a store-bought graham cracker crust.
After I made the first one, I realized that we were going to have more people over than I had originally thought and one pie was not going to feed everyone. So I found this Graham Cracker Crust recipe and whipped it up for another lemon pie.
Somehow I ended up having a slice from each pie (oops! 😉 ) and I was APPALLED at the difference between the two pies!
The store-bought crust (even though I hand-made the inside of the pie) did not even compare to the incredible decadent, crumbly graham cracker taste of the homemade crust.
I was actually kind of embarrassed after tasting the pie with the store-bought crust when I realized how terrible it was compared to the pie with my homemade graham cracker crust.
It is moments like these that you realize the homemade versions TRULY take your meals or desserts from good to absolutely incredible. For this recipe, and all 10 of these recipes on a simple printable sheet, just click here.
I hope these homemade versions of these common foods rock your world as much as they do mine. And I hope you are shocked by the ease and simplicity of making these foods homemade.
Impress your friends and family with these recipes to truly take your cooking and baking to the next level. All of these recipes also leave out all of the artificial, processed ingredients that come in the store-bought versions. Your taste buds and your body say “thank you.”
If you would like to get ALL 10 all of these delicious go-to recipes combined on a simple, printable sheet just click here. That way, you can refer to these recipes over and over again as you make these common foods HOMEMADE.
All of my recipes are designed with “eating clean”, nutrition, ease and FLAVOR in mind. If you would like to see more of my recipes, you can view ALL of my recipes here.
Enjoy, friends!
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