Let’s be honest—just because you can make something from scratch doesn’t always mean you should.
Sure, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes from whipping up a silky homemade hummus or layering flavors into your own pasta sauce. But not every dish is worth the time, effort, or dirty dishes. Some are a delightful DIY win… and others? Total time traps best left to the pros (we’re looking at you, croissants).
In this guide, we’re breaking down the truth about homemade vs. store-bought. From easy wins that’ll upgrade your meals to fussy fails that aren’t worth the mess, here are 8 dishes you should absolutely make yourself—and 6 that are better picked up at the store.
Let’s dive in and save your sanity (and your Saturday).
1. Worth Making: Pasta Sauce
Nothing compares to the rich aroma of tomatoes, garlic, and herbs simmering on your stove. Homemade pasta sauce allows you to control exactly what goes in—no preservatives or hidden sugars.
The process is surprisingly simple: sauté some garlic and onions, add quality canned tomatoes, and let it bubble away while you handle other things. Your sauce will taste fresher and more vibrant than anything from a jar.
Plus, you can customize the flavors to your family’s preferences, adding more garlic, less salt, or throwing in vegetables that might otherwise go to waste.
2. Worth Making: Salad Dressing
Store-bought dressings often contain weird thickeners, preservatives, and way too much sugar. Making your own takes literally seconds—whisk together olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, a touch of mustard, and whatever herbs you like.
The flavor difference is remarkable. Fresh homemade dressing brightens up even the simplest salad with zingy, clean flavors that bottled versions just can’t match.
You’ll save money too! A basic homemade vinaigrette costs pennies compared to fancy bottled dressings, and you can adjust the ingredients based on what you’re serving it with.
3. Worth Making: Chicken Stock
Chicken stock forms the flavor foundation for countless dishes, and the homemade version absolutely demolishes anything from a box or can. Start with leftover chicken bones, vegetable scraps, and water—that’s basically it!
The magic happens as it simmers, drawing out collagen and flavor compounds that give homemade stock its signature body and depth. Many home cooks keep a “stock bag” in the freezer for vegetable trimmings and chicken parts.
Beyond superior taste, making stock reduces food waste and stretches your grocery budget. One chicken carcass can yield enough rich stock for several meals.
4. Worth Making: Pancakes
Boxed pancake mix might seem convenient, but homemade pancakes require just a few pantry staples: flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, milk, and butter. The difference in taste and texture is night and day—fluffy, tender pancakes with real flavor!
Making the batter takes about five minutes, and you avoid the preservatives and artificial ingredients found in many mixes. Want blueberry pancakes? Add fresh berries instead of those weird dried blue pellets.
Homemade pancake batter can be customized endlessly. Try adding cinnamon, vanilla, cornmeal, or even mashed banana for variations that would cost extra at a restaurant.
5. Worth Making: Guacamole
Fresh avocados transformed into guacamole at home creates an entirely different experience than the sad, gray stuff sold in tubs. The vibrant flavors of lime, cilantro, and onion shine through when you make it yourself.
The process couldn’t be simpler—mash ripe avocados with lime juice, salt, and whatever add-ins you prefer. Some people love tomatoes and jalapeños, while purists stick to the basics. Either way, it takes just minutes to prepare.
Timing matters with guacamole. Making it fresh means you’ll enjoy it at its peak flavor and color, rather than something that’s been sitting in a plastic container for days.
6. Worth Making: Granola
Fancy store-bought granola often costs a small fortune for tiny packages. Making your own transforms breakfast while saving money and giving you complete control over ingredients.
The basic formula couldn’t be easier: mix oats with nuts, seeds, a sweetener like honey or maple syrup, and a touch of oil. Bake until golden, then add dried fruit if desired. Your kitchen will smell amazing!
Homemade granola lets you avoid excess sugar and oil found in commercial versions. You can also customize it endlessly—add coconut flakes, chocolate chips, or whatever combination of nuts and fruits you love.
7. Worth Making: Hummus
The silky smooth texture and nutty flavor of freshly made hummus puts store-bought versions to shame. With just a few ingredients—chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil—you’ll create something truly special.
A food processor does most of the work, transforming simple ingredients into a creamy dip in minutes. The secret to ultra-smooth hummus? Remove the skins from your chickpeas or use a touch of baking soda when cooking dried beans.
Beyond better flavor, homemade hummus gives you endless customization options. Add roasted red peppers, extra garlic, herbs, or spices to create your perfect version without paying premium prices for flavored varieties.
8. Worth Making: Birthday Cake
Birthday cakes from scratch create memories that box mixes simply can’t match. The flavor difference is remarkable—real butter, vanilla, and fresh ingredients produce a cake that actually tastes like something other than sugar.
Making a birthday cake shows love in a way that store-bought versions never will. Even if your decorating skills aren’t professional, the recipient will appreciate the time and care that went into their special treat.
You’ll avoid artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives found in commercial cakes. Plus, you can customize flavors and decorations exactly to the birthday person’s taste—whether they love chocolate, prefer less sweetness, or need allergen-free options.
9. Not Worth It: Puff Pastry
Even professional chefs often reach for frozen puff pastry. The homemade version requires a specific technique called lamination—folding butter into dough repeatedly to create those signature flaky layers.
The process is incredibly time-consuming and technically challenging. You’ll spend hours folding, chilling, and rolling dough, with no guarantee of success. Meanwhile, high-quality store-bought puff pastry delivers reliable results every time.
Temperature control is crucial when working with puff pastry. If your kitchen is too warm or you work too slowly, the butter melts prematurely and ruins those perfect layers you’ve been working so hard to create.
10. Not Worth It: Pho
This beloved Vietnamese soup requires simmering beef bones for at least 6-8 hours to develop its signature rich broth. You’ll also need specialty ingredients like star anise, cinnamon sticks, and fish sauce that might be used just once.
The complexity comes from balancing many aromatic components perfectly. Even after investing a full day, your homemade pho might not match the depth of flavor achieved by restaurants that have perfected their recipes over generations.
Supporting local Vietnamese restaurants offers cultural appreciation while saving you hours of work. For about $12-15, you’ll get an authentic bowl of pho made by experts—likely tastier than a first-time home attempt.
11. Not Worth It: Croissants
Achieving those beautiful, flaky layers in homemade croissants requires precise temperature control and specialized techniques. The dough needs to be laminated with butter through multiple folding and rolling sessions, with chilling time between each step.
The process spans multiple days, with most recipes requiring at least 24 hours from start to finish. Even experienced bakers often find their homemade versions falling short of bakery quality.
Finding a great local bakery that makes traditional croissants is a much better investment of your time and money. You’ll get professionally crafted pastries without turning your kitchen into a butter-covered disaster zone.
12. Not Worth It: Sushi
Great sushi requires specialized ingredients that are expensive and hard to find. Sushi-grade fish must be extremely fresh and properly handled to be safe for raw consumption—not something available at regular grocery stores.
The rice alone takes years to master. Sushi chefs train extensively to perfect the art of cooking, seasoning, and handling the rice at precisely the right temperature. The neat, tight rolls you see at restaurants come from practiced technique.
The cost of setting up for homemade sushi often exceeds what you’d pay at a decent restaurant. Between the specialized knife, bamboo mats, premium fish, and other ingredients, you’re better off enjoying sushi made by trained professionals.
13. Not Worth It: Macarons
Those colorful French cookies with creamy fillings are notoriously finicky to make at home. Success depends on precise measurements, proper technique, and even factors like humidity and room temperature.
First-time macaron bakers often end up with cracked shells, missing “feet” (the frilly bottoms), or hollow centers. The learning curve is steep, and you might waste expensive ingredients like almond flour through multiple failed attempts.
Professional pastry chefs spend years perfecting their macaron technique. When you factor in ingredients, time, and potential disappointment, the $2-3 per cookie at a good bakery suddenly seems reasonable compared to making them yourself.
14. Not Worth It: Phyllo Dough
Making phyllo dough from scratch is an exercise in patience that few home cooks find rewarding. The paper-thin sheets require extraordinary skill to stretch without tearing—traditionally done by hand across a large table.
Commercial phyllo is remarkably consistent and affordable. Professional manufacturers use specialized equipment to create uniform sheets that are nearly impossible to replicate at home. A box of frozen phyllo costs about $4 and saves hours of frustration.
Even in countries where phyllo-based dishes are traditional, most home cooks now use store-bought dough. They focus their energy on creative fillings and perfect baking techniques rather than wrestling with the base dough.
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