Easy Homemade Mixes From Pantry Staples
Inside: These simple homemade mixes can be made from pantry staples in minutes with ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Why would you choose to make homemade mixes like taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix? Or make hot chocolate from scratch?
For one, you have control over the ingredients. Since food manufacturers are continuing to put “food-like substances” in our food, it is usually much healthier to make your own simple mixes.
Secondly, you can save money. By mixing a few simple ingredients together you can easily make many staples that you buy in packets at the store.
Most dictionaries define a pantry staple as a basic food that most people keep in their homes. While my pantry staples may differ from yours, they are usually common ingredients that you can use to make many other things.
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French Onion Dip Mix
French Onion Dip has always been one of my favorite dips. In college, my girlfriends and I used to buy bags and bags of wavy potato chips and French onion dip in the refrigerated case at the grocery store.
We would open the chips and the dip and sit around eating and watching our favorite TV shows. Since I don’t like the unnecessary ingredients in most store-bought dips, I prefer to make my own.
You can make this French onion dip mix as a single mix or stir together a large batch to keep on hand whenever a dip craving hits. Stir some into some sour cream, refrigerate for an hour, and you are ready to enjoy a delicious snack.
This dip is excellent with potato chips of course, but I also like to serve it with sliced peppers and cucumbers for a healthier option.
Ranch Dressing Mix
This ranch dressing mix is similar to the popular brand mix, without all the junky fillers and MSG. is very flexible so feel free to change up the spice blend to your liking. Some people don’t like dill weed in their ranch. If that’s you, leave it out then. Prefer more garlic flavor? Add extra garlic powder.
Approximately 1 tablespoon is equal to one packet, but you are welcome to use as much or as little as you like.
Taco Seasoning
Don’t waste your money on expensive taco seasoning packets that are loaded with fillers. This simple taco seasoning mix relies on spices you most likely already have at home. This mix would also make a great gift basket idea along with tortillas, salsa, and other ingredients for taco night.
Baking Mix
This homemade baking mix makes mealtime much easier. With an all-purpose baking mix on hand, you can make a variety of dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
This simple mix can replace the store-bought version of the popular brand in pancakes, waffles, biscuits, and any other recipe that uses baking mix. It is also used to make these simple recipes possible on a busy morning.
Muffin Mix
This homemade muffin mix is easy to mix up and keep on hand for a hot breakfast or a quick snack. The mix can be made with all white flour or with part whole wheat flour.
I make several mixes at a time and store them in plastic containers. It is easy to customize this mix to make whatever kind of muffins you want. So when it is time to bake the muffins, I add in whatever flavor I feel like having – chocolate chips, raspberries, blueberries, chopped apples and cinnamon – whatever your heart desires.
Honey Mustard Dressing
While this honey mustard dressing can’t be stored in the pantry it is so easy to mix up, I hated not to include it on this list.
This honey mustard dressing recipe uses only 4 ingredients, most of which you probably have on hand. You can mix it up quickly when you need a salad dressing in a hurry. After making it a couple of times, you probably won’t even have to break out the measuring spoons!
Pancake Syrup
Have you ever stopped to read the ingredients in store-bought pancake syrup? Most contain quite a few ingredients that are not normally found in our kitchens.
I started making my own homemade pancake syrup when I realized all the junk that store-bought syrup contains. While the simple solution to this dilemma is real maple syrup, the truth is, my kids just don’t care for it. Real maple syrup can also be quite expensive, especially if your kids (or spouse) pour it on like mine do!
This homemade pancake syrup recipe is quick to mix up and you may even already have all the ingredients you need right in your pantry!
Pickling Spice
This pickling spice mix is great to have on hand if you want to make a batch of refrigerator pickles or if you can lots of pickles during the summer.
Many commercial pickling spice mixes contain cinnamon which I personally find unappetizing in a pickle. This recipe can be customized to your tastes and will save money if you make a large batch.
Seasoned Salt
Homemade Seasoned Salt is something you don’t necessarily think you need to keep on hand until you try it. This seasoned salt recipe from A Mind Full Mom is amazing on just about any savory dish you make.
It will take roasted vegetables to a whole new level and hardboiled or scrambled eggs for breakfast will never be the same after you’ve tried them with a sprinkle of this amazing salt.
Hot Chocolate Mix
This hot chocolate mix from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe is so much better than the packets from the store. It’s so rich and creamy and the perfect beverage for a cold winter day.
I’ve tried lots of homemade hot cocoa mixes and this is by far the best ever. It does you a special ingredient you don’t often find in hot chocolate, but it adds another layer of flavor that makes it extra creamy. Give this recipe a try. You won’t be sorry!
Homemade Cake Mix
I’ve used this delicious homemade cake mix from Melissa K. Norris for a couple of years now. It is so easy to mix up and doesn’t contain the artificial taste that store-bought cake mixes seem to have.
While the recipe calls for cake flour, I’ve successfully used all-purpose flour too. We love to use the cake mix to make a dump cake with pie filling, fruit, and butter.
Pancake Mix
Having a homemade pancake mix on hand allows you to whip up fluffy pancakes, even on a busy morning. You mix the dry ingredients and store them in your pantry. Then when you are ready to make pancakes, you just add the wet ingredients and cook the pancakes.
While I know many people say pancakes freeze well, I’ve never had luck freezing them. When I warm them up, they are either soggy if I warm them in the microwave or tough if I warm them in the toaster. So this easy homemade pancake mix from Simple Joy is the perfect way for me to get pancakes on the table in a hurry.
Other Homemade Mixes?
Are there other homemade mixes you would like to see? Leave a comment and I’ll test a few recipes and see what I can come up with.
Meet Julie
I’m a farm girl born and bred in North Carolina. I’ve been growing a vegetable garden for over 20 years (and helping my Mom grow hers even longer). I’ve been raising chickens in my bathtub and backyard for 12+ years. I believe that homegrown food can be made simple. Let’s get started.
