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6 Expensive Food Items You Can Make at Home for a Fraction of the Cost

October 24, 2024 by Donna Dizon Leave a Comment

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Eating delicious food doesn’t have to break the bank.

Many high-end food items come with a hefty price tag, but with a little creativity and effort, you can whip them up in your own kitchen for a fraction of the cost. Here are six expensive food items that you can make at home for significantly less.

Sushi

Beautiful close-up photo of sushi with salmon. Delicious Japanese food photo in high quality. Stock photo of sushi with blur and space for text.
Image Credit:Artskrin/Shutterstock.

This is going to sound crazy, but it’s true—making your own sushi can be less expensive than ordering out. The caveat is how willing you are to learn the art form and whether you’ll be eating it with raw seafood, as these both require some trial, error, and skill. But for those of you who love a California or avocado roll, making sushi yourself is pretty much always going to be cheaper. Trust us—with a bamboo mat, the right ingredients, and a good YouTube tutorial, it’s so much more possible to enjoy sushi at home than you might expect.

Gourmet Sauces

Set of sauces in bowls - ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, soy sauce, bbq sauce, pesto, chimichurri, mustard grains on dark stone background. Top view copy space.
Image Credit:Katarzyna Hurova/Shutterstock.

Store-bought gourmet sauces can be pricey, especially those fancy truffle oils or artisanal pesto. However, making your own sauces at home can save you a bundle and allow you to customize flavors to your liking. Not only that, but most of them are extremely simple to make, usually only requiring you to have a blender and the ingredients. Salad dressings, infused oils, and even fancy aioli are so much easier than people would lead you to believe and don’t cost nearly as much.

Granola

Granola bar with chocolate chips.
Image Credit:Craig F Scott/Shutterstock.

If you’ve ever picked up a bag of artisanal granola, you know it can cost as much as a small car. The good news? Making granola at home is not only easy but also allows you to control the ingredients and sweetness level. Customizing the ingredients means you’ll always have granola you love so you don’t get bored with your morning breakfast. And the best part? Most people will have the ingredients already in their pantry—at least to make a basic granola.

Fresh Pasta

Homemade pasta.
Image Credit:Margoe Edwards/Shutterstock.

While fresh pasta from a local Italian deli restaurant can be a bellissimo treat, it often comes with a price tag that makes you wince. Making your own pasta at home is a fun project and can save you money in the long run. You might need a pasta machine if you don’t want to deal with the hard labor of the rolling pin. But if you’re a big pasta fanatic, the machine will pay for itself in the long run anyway!

Chocolate Truffles

Assorted Gourmet Chocolates Close-Up Stylish Image With Depth of Field.
Image Credit: DesignMarjolein/Shutterstock.

If there’s an occasion that calls for chocolate truffles, then you also know that you’re probably going to have to shell out $30-40 for a box of them. But here’s the reality that Big Chocolate isn’t telling you—they’re simple and cheap to make at home! Even if you buy higher quality ingredients like good dark chocolate or crushed hazelnuts, you’ll still end up spending less than you would on a box from the store.

Energy Bars/Bites

Various granola bars on table background. Cereal granola bars. Superfood breakfast bars with oats, nuts and berries, close up.
Image Credit: Sokor Space/Shutterstock.

Energy bars are not only expensive—they usually aren’t even that good for you. But much like with granola, you probably have many of the necessary ingredients sitting at home to make a much better and cheaper version. One of the main things you might need to pick up would be whey or pea protein. Other than that? Many recipes don’t call for much past some rolled oats, dried fruits, peanut butter, or other things to bulk up the calories and protein factor.

20 Shocking Cooking Facts That Will Change Your Kitchen Forever

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Image Credit: True Touch Lifestyle/Shutterstock.

Cooking is a journey filled with surprises; sometimes, the most surprising truths are the hardest to swallow.

From debunking culinary myths to rethinking kitchen practices, here are 20 facts that might make you rethink your approach to food and cooking.

20 Shocking Cooking Facts That Will Change Your Kitchen Forever 

10 Grocery Store Foods Linked to Memory Loss

Elderly woman with bruised eye.
Image Credit: Barbara Sauder/Shutterstock.

Medical research shows that your diet has the potential to affect your mental function and overall brain health. We often focus on foods that affect our internal health but rarely give attention to the impact food has on our brains. Our brain uses 20-30% of the calories we consume.

While you may have an idea of foods that promote brain health, you may be surprised to find out that some foods you’re consuming could be affecting your focus and memory.

10 Grocery Store Foods Linked to Memory Loss 
 

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