Homemade food seems like it should be cheaper than store-bought, but that’s not always the case. While I love to save money, I also prefer foods made with whole ingredients whose names I can pronounce. That’s how I turned into an immersion blending machine.
I use the KitchenAid Corded Hand Blender, any will do. (Here are our favorite immersion blenders.) This immersion blender is efficient and gets the job done. I’d definitely consider a cordless option if you don’t already have one. It takes up even less space and doesn’t have a cord get in the way of blending. While a traditional blender does similar work, an immersion blender is more convenient, easier to clean, and takes up less space. And it’s arguably more fun.
Below are five foods I’ll never buy from the store again because an immersion blender makes it too easy and delicious. Most recipes take less than 10 minutes and use a simple list of ingredients. Plus, making them at home means you can customize each recipe to your liking or swap ingredients based on any allergies — convenience you won’t get from a store-bought version.
Oat milk
Buying alternative milk is expensive, especially compared to dairy milk. But making oat milk at home? It was the easiest and fastest thing I’ve made yet. You probably already have the ingredients at home too. All it takes is oats, water and a strainer to remove the oat pulp.
I used rolled oats because the internet said it’d be creamier, but you can use whatever kind you have in the pantry. I added vanilla extract and a squeeze of honey for extra flavor, but you can add any sweetener or flavor of choice (or none).
To make it, I put the oats in a glass, added water and blended for about 30 seconds or until I thought the oats were broken down. Then I strained the oat pulp and took a swig. Perfection.
Homemade vs. store-bought oat milk
A bag of rolled oats that contains 19 half-cup servings of oatmeal may cost $4 to $8. One serving can produce about 12 ounces of oat milk, so that bag of rolled oats is about 228 ounces (almost 2 gallons) of oat milk. With store-bought versions, you’ll pay about $4 for 32 to 52 ounces of oat milk. Since this recipe is so easy, it’s definitely worth making at home. You could use a similar method for nut milk.
Whipped cream
This recipe is also easy peasy. All you need is heavy whipping cream, a sweetener of choice and about 3 minutes. Again, I used a dash of vanilla extract and honey. At first, I wasn’t sure it would work, but after blending more (and switching to a tall glass) it turned from liquid to light and creamy fluff.
Whipped cream is so underrated. I love to make a bowl of berries or a brownie sundae and add whipped cream on top as a sweet treat. The freshness of making your own is unmatched.
Homemade vs. store-bought whipped cream
A 16-ounce carton of heavy whipping cream cost me about $3.50, which was pricier than I expected. But the homemade whipped cream was so smooth and creamy, I can’t go back now. Store-bought whipped cream costs about the same or even less. If you already have heavy whipping cream in the fridge, making it yourself can save you a trip to the store. Otherwise, the store-bought option might be the more convenient choice.
Hummus
Hummus is a staple in my refrigerator. I use it daily for turkey wraps or as a snack with carrots and cucumbers. All it takes is a can of chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and water. You can add salt, pepper or other spices to taste.
This simple recipe made a surprising amount, and now I have hummus for at least two weeks. To make it, put all of the ingredients in a tall glass and blend it up. I used the glass that came with my immersion blender, but you could also use a bowl. Add one tablespoon of water at a time as you blend until you reach the perfect consistency. This way, you’ll get a smooth and creamy texture without it becoming too watery.
At the store, you’ll likely find tahini with the nut butters.
Homemade vs. store-bought hummus
The homemade version cost about $2.50, which is comparable to store-brand hummus, but about $1.50 or $2 cheaper than name brands. By making it yourself, you can also avoid added preservatives and other artificial ingredients.
Pesto
Pesto feels like a delicacy and fresh pesto just hits different. I love to use it on sandwiches, pasta and rice bowls. It really makes anything delicious. I used a simple recipe including basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese, pine nuts and a squeeze of lemon.
I put everything in a tall container and blended it. It took a little longer because there was little liquid, but by moving the blender around and being patient, it came together perfectly.
Homemade vs. store-bought
Buying basil was surprisingly expensive. I was expecting it to be like buying a bunch of fresh cilantro, but the only way I found it was a half-ounce in a plastic container. Homemade pesto cost me over $6 compared to the $3 to $4 jars at the store.
If you grow basil, making your own pesto would be a much better bang for your buck. That said, I do enjoy being able to control the type and amount of oil to my liking.
Hot sauce
While most of the other recipes took less than 10 minutes, making hot sauce took about 15. I used jalapenos, ground cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar and a dash of honey. I put everything in a pot and let it simmer on the stove for about 10 minutes.
Once it was done simmering, I blended everything together. For more heat, feel free to add extra cayenne or experiment with other peppers. Definitely do a taste test before you add more cayenne.
Homemade vs. store-bought
There are a seemingly unlimited number of different kinds of hot sauce, so the pricing really depends on the peppers you use and how much you make. My hot sauce tastes a bit like the Green Pepper Cholula but with a kick of cayenne. Cholula costs about $4 depending on where you shop, and this cost me about half as much at $2.
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