Is making food from scratch cheaper? I focus mainly on cooking from scratch as a way to control the ingredients in my food, but did you know it can also save you money? It's no secret that grocery prices have gone a bit crazy lately, and many people are looking for ways to eat healthy on a budget.
Learning how to make food from scratch can have a bit of a learning curve, but some items are surprisingly easy! Here are five of the simplest to get you started on your cooking from scratch journey.
Food to Make from Scratch to Save Money
1. Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is literally sugar and molasses mixed together. That's it! I use about 1 teaspoon of molasses to 1 cup sugar and whisk it together until combined.
The added bonus of making brown sugar is you don't have to figure out how to keep your bag of brown sugar from turning into a solid clump. You can just make brown sugar as needed and never have to worry about what's left. Or if you use it regularly, you can make extra to have ready to go when you need it.
Average cost of brown sugar: 99 cents per cup
Cost of homemade: 44 cents per cup
2. Vanilla Extract
Making your own vanilla extract doesn't necessarily save money up front, but if you use my method, you get a whole year's worth of vanilla for that price. Learn how you can make endless vanilla extract.
Average cost of vanilla extract: $3.94 per ounce (real extract – not artificially flavored propylene glycol)
Cost of homemade: Using my endless vanilla extract method, it's $15-20 for a year's worth of vanilla
3. Stock
Did you know that making stock is almost free. It really only costs your time.
I have a gallon freezer bag in my freezer, and every time I peel carrots or chop onions or celery, I put all the peels and end pieces in the freezer bag. When the bag is full, I dump the contents of the bag into a stock pot, cover with water, add some seasonings and let it simmer for a while. When it's done, you just strain it and season to your taste. To preserve, you can either can it or do what I do and freeze it in muffin tins. Measure how much your tins hold – mine are about half a cup – so you can portion later. When they're frozen, I pop them out of the tins and put them in a freezer bag until I need them. If I'm making a recipe that calls for 2 cups of stock, I pull out 4 frozen stock "cups."
This also works really well if you have the remaining carcass of a whole chicken or some beef bones. Throw them into the pot with all the veggie scraps and make bone broth, which has all sorts of health benefits.
Average cost of stock: around 5 cents an ounce
Cost of homemade: Free except a little bit of time and seasonings
4. Cream Soups
Making a cream soup base mix is really simple, and it allows you to mix up cream of whatever soup whenever you need it – no yucky ingredients, no wasteful packaging, and very little expense.
Average cost of cream soup: $1.26 per can
Cost of homemade: $6.53 for a batch of mix that will replace 6-7 cans, so around 93 cents to $1.08 per "can."
5. Taco Seasoning
Buying packages of pre-made seasonings is extremely expensive for the amount you get. You can buy the spices you need in bulk and mix them to make whatever seasonings you desire.
If you want to make it as simple as possible, replace one package of taco seasoning with a tablespoon of chili powder and a teaspoon of cumin, plus however much cayenne you need to give it your desired heat level. There are more intricate recipes out there, and you can experiment to find one you like best, but to be honest, I usually just use this simple one.
Average cost of taco seasoning: 97 cents per package
Cost of homemade: about 40-45 cents, depending how much cayenne you like
Is Making Food From Scratch Cheaper?
There are so many other foods you can easily make from scratch. Some will save you money, and others may cost a bit more but save you from eating the processed junk in most grocery store foods. Start small, find what works for you, and learn as you go.
I realize not everyone has the time or ability to make food from scratch. I encourage you to do what you can and find good sourcing for the rest. I like this company for good quality groceries.
Help us all discover more options of foods to make from scratch – comment your favorite recipes below!
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