8 Everyday Grocery Items You Can Make With Bulk Foods

Store-bought pre-made items can never compare to homemade goodness. Remember when our Mom’s And Grandmother’s tried to tell us this?

Yet somehow we have ignored their aged old wisdom and now we have become accustomed to buying most of our food that is readily made for our convenience. This has sadly become our tasteless reality.

We go home with the instant gratification of not having to cook after a long day. But the instant we open that plastic bag we know it isn’t going to taste like Grandma’s cooking. Our taste buds start to long for the taste of something wholesome and real.

When it comes to making anything homemade it is always going to taste better than buying it. And you never know you may find a hobby that fills you with purpose and passion for life. 

As we are now starting to realize more and more that the convenience of pre-made foods comes at a hefty price. You will start to notice that everything we buy is wrapped in plastic and how much this is piling up over time.

Related: Zero Waste Grocery Shopping Guide For Beginners

The best way to avoid the mountains of packaged foods thrown out of our households at alarming rates is by buying simple, clean, organic ingredients from the bulk food section so you can make everyday food items at home.

With our limited schedules, we can’t expect to make every item from scratch.

However, in case you want to make just one food item using bulk foods instead of the pre-made alternative wrapped in plastic, then we could start moving toward a more eco-conscious existence.

Grocery Items You Can Make At Home Using Bulk Foods

With this list, you can find 8 grocery items that you can try making at home. Start with an easy one to add to your weekly routine and add more as you make the time. Every package that you avoid is a step in the right direction.

Bread

Flour, salt, water, and patience are all you need to make delicious sourdough bread. If you don’t have kids then you have plenty of time to adopt a sourdough starter.

Afterall it does become your baby. It will need to be cared for every day. But with a little commitment, you will be surrounded by enough sourdough to make weekly meals.

Pancakes, tortillas, pizza dough, crackers, muffins are a few things that you can make with your sourdough baby. This may be the toughest bread to make but it always yields the most supplies for making all kinds of delicious homemade meals that you can savor throughout the week.

To learn more about making your own sourdough starter read this blog post here. 

For simpler zero waste bread recipes try this whole wheat bread loaf here and try this flatbread recipe here.

Nut Milk

The tetra packs that most nut milks come in are extremely harmful to the environment and you. Making your own nut milk at home is a lot easier than you think, and it can quickly be added to your daily or weekly routine. 

All you need are your nuts of choice, a blender, and a cheesecloth or nut bag. It is just as easy as making a smoothie. And trust us it is going to taste a million times better. We recommend trying these fun recipes so you can get creative with it. 

Check out this homemade almond milk recipe here and these flavor ideas here.

Related: Best tips for buying almond milk

Granola or Muesli

One of the easiest and most convenient everyday grocery items you can make and have on hand is Muesli. It makes for a quick, healthy, and wholesome breakfast that anyone can enjoy. It can be made in many different ways with whatever you have leftover in your pantry.

Once you start shopping in the bulk food section you may have leftover extra bits of this and that. Making muesli or granola with these scraps is a great way to use up a few nuts, seeds, or dried fruit that you have sitting in your pantry for far too long.

Just add oats to whatever you have on hand in a large jar. That way your breakfast is just one scoop away. Make sure to add seasonal fruit on top of nut butter for an extra scrumptious morning.  

Change up your muesli routine by making homemade granola too. This one may be a bit more time-consuming. But when you have it made and ready for you in the morning or for a snack you will be happy you went through the trouble. 

Check out this yummy granola recipe here and this muesli recipe here.

Spice Mixes

Spices are great everyday grocery items to buy in bulk. You can buy a little or a lot depending on your needs. We all know how expensive it can be to buy a nicely packaged spice or herb in a jar. So if you start bringing your own you can save a small fortune over time. 

Then you can start to make your own custom spice mixes for your favorite dishes. Taco mix, curry blend, chai tea, chili mix, pumpkin spice mix, and more can all be made and re-made in your own container at home.

Get creative with the bulk spice section at your local grocery store. This can also make a thoughtful and creative gift. Your creations will be greatly appreciated when someone has a home-cooked meal with your creative spice blends. Move over McCormick. 

Check out this curry seasoning recipe here and this blog for chili, taco, and pizza seasoning.

Pancake Mix

Making your own pancake mix is no burden at all and is surprising how we have been buying it premade for so long because of how simple it is.

All you need is flour, milk (try your homemade nut milk), baking powder, salt, and whatever else you like to add. All of these items can easily be found package free. Then add your favorite nuts and seeds to the batter for an extra wholesome meal.

Here is a great recipe for zero waste pancakes here. 

Tofu

This is another tricky one but it is well worth the extra hassle. Here is a quick run-down on how to make your own tofu so you can avoid the plastic container. You will need soybeans, a cheesecloth, a nut bag, a blender, and a container to form your tofu. 

First, soak the soybeans overnight. Then throw the beans and water in a blender. Strain the mixture through a nut milk bag, and squeeze all the juice out. The soy cream you are left with is then heated on the stove for about 10 minutes. 

Slowly mix in lemon and water to coagulate the tofu (squeeze lemon to form curds). Make sure to stir in a back and forth M shape motion. Then leave it to stand and then strain the excess liquid with the nut milk bag again.

Mold into a square and let it sit so all the excess moisture comes out. You can place a heavy item on top to help speed up the process. Then you have tofu. Use the okara (soybean pulp) to bake something delicious when you are done.

Find how to make your own tofu here, and then try some okara recipes.

Popcorn

Popcorn kernels are a common thing that you can find in the bulk food section. All you need is a popcorn popper at home and you will have access to a quick and easy snack. Garlic powder and nutritional yeast make for a delicious cheesy vegan topping too. 

Making homemade popcorn can take a lot of excess salt and preservatives out of your food so you can have a clean snack that is made of one ingredient. Plus there is always so much plastic and packaging involved in microwavable or bagged popcorn.

Switching up how we snack could have a huge impact on our planet and this switch is an easy one that anyone can do. 

Find how to make your own popcorn here plus other zero waste snack ideas.

Hummus

Hummus is a common snack that can easily be made over the weekend in bulk, so you can enjoy some now and some later. Freshly made hummus is no comparison to store-bought hummus. It tastes so much better. Once you try it yourself you will never go back. 

Lets quickly recap how to make your own hummus:

1. First, you will need to soak chickpeas overnight.
2. Then you will need to cook on the stove or in a slow cooker for several hours. Or in a pressure cooker for a couple of minutes.
3. Once you have the chickpeas cooked it only takes a few minutes to whip up a batch of hummus in the food processor. 

Tahini can be made homemade too in just a matter of minutes and is typically much more affordable. All you need is sesame seeds and sesame oil (or any kind of oil) throw it in the food processor and your good to go. Add your chickpeas to the tahini. Then you will need lemon, garlic, and olive oil to finish off the classic style hummus that will be the best you ever tasted. 

Check out this zero waste hummus recipe here.

Conclusion

With these zero waste recipes, you can start to see your waste bin filling up at a much slower rate. But what is even better is you will start to feel better when you are eliminating all of the harmful additives like excessive amounts of sugar, salt, and other unnatural preservatives.

We hope you have fun creating these everyday grocery items at home. Once you taste the difference you will never buy the store-bought alternative again.