Sharing is Caring...
If you want to save money by cooking food from scratch, DIY baking mixes are one of the best bangs for your buck. The mixes in the grocery store are convenient but they contain random additives and cost so much more than they need to.
DIY baking mixes take less than 10 minutes to prepare and cut down on day of prep time by over half! When you have a muffin mix or biscuit mix to use up, you will be more likely to cook things from scratch, saving your wallet and your health!
If you’re a busy mom trying to make healthier choices and stretch your grocery budget, homemade baking mixes are a total game-changer.
*Please note this blog is reader supported and may contain affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! To learn more, click here.
This post is all about DIY baking mixes.
Table of Contents
Why make your own baking mixes?
Imagine you are super busy in the mornings so you grab a homemade muffin mix, spend 5 minutes making it and let them cook while you get ready for the day. Your breakfast/ snack is ready when you are and you can start the day on the right foot!
There are so many reasons you should consider making your own baking mixes but here are a few of my top reasons for stocking my pantry with them:
No preservatives or hidden sugars- You know EXACTLY what is going into the foods you make for your family and can limit the sugar involved if you desire.
Saves you money: By buying your ingredients in bulk, you can cut down on a lot of unnecessary costs. You will also always have the building blocks of a scratch meal if you store foods like flour, sugar, oats, rice and salt in bulk.
Customizable to your dietary needs: If you need gluten free, dairy free or egg free options, you can use whatever ingredients work for you and your family. We have a dairy allergy in the family and we can’t eat half of the mixes from the store. It is really hard sometimes. Making my own mixes makes life so much easier.
Limit waste: You really get a double whammy with this one if you buy bulk ingredients because you cut down on packaging there but you also cut down on single use plastics and packaging when you make your own mixes and store them in mason jars.
You always have a quick baking solution on hand: You can focus on the things that matter to you, all while feeding your family from scratch.
They require very limited supplies: All you need to make your own DIY baking mixes are mixing bowls, measuring cups and mason jars! A mason jar vacuum sealer never hurts either!
How DIY mixes make life easier for busy moms
Reduce the mental load: Know exactly what foods you are going to make your family for breakfast, snack or randomly throughout the day. This greatly reduces decision fatigue and the stress of “what can I feed the kids?”
More family time, fewer last-minute grocery runs: Know exactly what is in your pantry at all times so you can use up what you have. This also saves money as each last minute grocery run can cost over 50 dollars easily!
Baking mixes are a great way to involve kids in the kitchen: The stakes are low to goof up a recipe with egg shell or other mishaps so you can bond and have slow moments of connection instead. Older kids can prep the recipes with minimal supervision and feel like a valuable contributor to the family (which they are!)
Perfect for quick breakfasts, snacks, and dinner sides: You can use these recipes any time, any day. You can make breakfast for dinner or an easy after school snack. When you choose to use them is up to you!
What mixes can you easily make at home?
If you can bake it, you can likely make a mix for it. I like to keep a few staples on hand at all times and then switch things up with different flavours or add ins to keep things fresh. My top recipes to prep in bulk are:
Pizza dough: You can make the dough and freeze it for later or you can make the mix ahead of time and add water when you are ready to make it. Both ways save you time in the long run!
Apple bread: This recipe is delicious and moist. Make this dry mix and use it when you have company or a busy week ahead of you. Everyone who tries this recipe loves it!
Banana bread: A classic and wonderfully easy way to use up bananas that are about to go bad, all while limiting food waste!
These next recipes are in the free 5 day baking mix challenge if you are interested in them! 🙂
Muffin mix: Use a muffin mix base and customize the ingredients and add ins depending what mood you are in. Perfect for breakfast, snacks or brunch!
Taco seasoning: So much better than store bought and super simple to make.
Biscuit mix: To use on pot pies, breakfast biscuit sandwiches, to dip into chili and more!
How can I get started building a scratch pantry?
The best way to start a scratch pantry is by thinking about the foods you already enjoy eating or making from a mix and replace those with your own homemade version.
Some very common recipes to replace are pancakes, bisquick (biscuits,) spice mixes such as chili or taco seasoning, extracts and more!
If you do not know where to start on your scratch pantry journey, I have made it super simple for you. I have put together a fun 5 day challenge where each day you get a new baking mix recipe sent to your email to take all of the guesswork out and give you a simple goal to work towards.
To learn more about the challenge, check out the next section but if you are ready to join, enter your info below! I can’t wait to see you there.
You can also start buying pantry staples in bulk whenever it fits in your budget so you always have the building blocks for a baking mix. Things like flour, sugar, rice or oats are awesome to keep stocked at all times.
How the 5- day baking mix challenge works
- The first email you get will contain a supply/ shopping list so you can make sure you have all of the ingredients you need on hand. Most of the ingredients are things you most likely have on hand already so you don’t need to worry about sourcing difficult ingredients!
- Each day you’ll get an email containing 1 easy dry mix recipe that will take you less than 10 minutes to make.
- Most days you will get a few tips and tricks or ways to use the mix so you feel excited and know exactly how you will use the mix you made.
By the end of the 5 day challenge, you’ll have a pantry stocked with 5 easy go-to mixes that you can use to simplify your days so you can focus on the other things in life that bring you joy.
This challenge is totally free to join and starts the same day you sign up.
At the end of the challenge, you will get a few bonuses to help keep your pantry organized and keep you motivated to continue on your journey.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you feel well on your way to creating the scratch pantry of your dreams. If you liked this post, you may also like…