10 Popular Sauces That Are Easier And Cheaper To Make At Home

As a chef, I have an endless appreciation for sauces; they are a main ingredient in virtually every cuisine around the globe. Most sauces tend to fall into one of these categories: tangy and garlicky, rich and creamy, or sweet and sour. Of course, there is a whole spectrum of flavor beyond those realms and there are regional variations of sauces that stray outside of the norm. But what's remarkable is that despite their flavor differences, most of the popular sauces that we all eat on a regular basis — from alfredo and marinara to teriyaki and barbecue — can be easily whipped up from scratch with only a handful of ingredients.

You might be wondering: But why would I make sauces from scratch rather than buying them premade? Believe me, I understand the appeal of buying premade sauces — it's so easy to just pop a lid and be done with it. At the same time, let's be honest: Homemade sauces taste light-years better than the premade stuff. And don't you want the food that you're eating to taste better? Of course you do. 

Well, I'm here to tell you that with minimal effort and only a few simple ingredients, you can make a bunch of sauces in the comfort of your kitchen that can majorly bump up the flavor into truly delicious territory. And because making sauce is often cheaper than buying premade versions, you'll even save a few bucks along the way.

Most store-bought barbecue sauces are way too sweet. They're also often far too thick. The good news is that the beauty of making homemade sauces is we can customize them to our liking, and barbecue sauce is one of the easiest ones to make at home. Better yet, most of the ingredients are probably things that you already have on hand in the kitchen.

To make homemade barbecue sauce, you'll need little more than ketchup or tomato paste, brown sugar, apple cider or red wine vinegar, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and paprika. You can also try using honey instead of brown sugar to add some extra stickiness to the sauce. Mix all of these ingredients in a blender until smooth and then season to taste. To add a smokier flavor, you can use smoked paprika or add a few drops of liquid smoke to the sauce. Glaze your homemade barbecue sauce on everything from grilled ribs and chicken to pulled pork, or turn it into a dipping sauce.

Garlic butter is one of the most useful things to have on hand in the kitchen. Whether you're making garlic bread, naan, mashed potatoes, crispy chicken wings, or a steaming bowl of pasta, this sauce is one of the most versatile and tastiest imaginable. It packs a punch of flavor and instantly transforms everything it touches. But rather than relying on store-bought garlic butter or paying Papa John's for a few extra sides of it, you can easily make a delicious batch of it right at home.

To make garlic butter, you really only need four ingredients: unsalted butter, fresh garlic, parsley, and salt. It honestly couldn't be any easier — all you have to do is stir in some grated fresh garlic, a pinch of salt, and a little chopped parsley to room temperature butter; adjust the salt and garlic to taste. To add a little more garlicky complexity, you can also add in some roasted garlic bulbs to bring in some sweeter notes to balance the bite of raw garlic.

If there's one sauce that I have made the most, it's probably cheese sauce. I think the reason that I make it so often is because of the massive flavor difference between freshly-made cheese sauce and jarred cheese sauce. Homemade cheese sauce has a silky, velvety texture that's so much better than goopy jarred version. And I'm convinced that most people aren't aware of just how easy it is to make a delicious one at home.

The key to making good cheese sauce is using processed cheese, such as Cooper sharp, which is like a cross between American cheese and cheddar. The reason processed cheese works in a cheese sauce is the same reason it works so well on grilled cheeses and cheeseburgers — it melts like a dream. 

To make a simple and delicious cheese sauce, cut processed cheese into pieces and add it to a small saucepan of warm evaporated milk. If you want it to be extra tangy, shred some sharp cheddar and toss the cheddar in a light dusting of cornstarch (to help it emulsify). Add a splash of hot sauce, a little pepper jack, and some canned hatch chilis if you want to turn it into a spicy queso for tacos, nachos, and burritos.

If you're an enchilada enthusiast like myself, then learning how to make enchilada sauce is a game-changer. There's something incredibly satisfying about pulling out a bubbling tray of cheesy chicken enchiladas from the oven and smelling tangy and smoky sauce made from scratch. Of course, enchilada sauce is great on enchiladas, but it's also awesome to drizzle over other foods like taco salad or you can use it as a dipping sauce for quesadillas.

To make a simple red enchilada sauce, all you need are onions, garlic, fresh or canned whole tomatoes, and canned chipotle or adobo peppers, along with some salt, pepper, and chili powder. Start out by sauteing diced onions and garlic in some oil and seasoning them with salt and pepper. Add the onions and garlic to a blender with canned whole tomatoes, a little chili powder, and a chipotle pepper (you can add more chipotle peppers if you like it spicy). Puree until smooth and season to taste. Then add the enchilada sauce to a pan and simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened.

Sour cream is fantastic with chili, nachos, and more. But you know what's even better? Cilantro lime sauce.

This is probably the easiest sauce to make on this entire list. It doesn't require any cooking and the ingredients are kept to a minimum. To make this sauce, all you need is fresh cilantro, sour cream, mayo, fresh limes, salt, and a little fresh garlic. Add equal parts sour cream and mayo to a mixing bowl, then add grated fresh garlic, a pinch of salt, chopped cilantro, and some lime juice along with a little fresh lime zest. Whisk together until smooth and season to taste. 

This sauce is creamy and garlicky with a touch of refreshing herbaceousness thanks to the cilantro. Once you make this from scratch and give it a taste, you'll be putting it on everything. Pro tip: Try using this sauce to mix into some homemade chicken salad. Blend with fresh avocado slices for some extra nutrition and creaminess.

As a big fan of stir-fry, I love using teriyaki sauce as a glaze for everything from chicken or salmon to beef and mushrooms. This sauce walks the line between sweet and savory with impressive grace, and it works as well on the grill as it does in the oven or on the stove. Though, truth be told, I tend to prefer using it on the grill because of how beautifully it caramelizes on meat over an open flame.

Teriyaki is another sauce made from common ingredients and it's also super easy to make. To make teriyaki, mix soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ground ginger, garlic powder, cornstarch slurry, and a little water. Simmer everything in a pan until the sauce is thickened and season to taste. I tend to enjoy teriyaki that's a little less sweet, so I go a little lighter on the sugar and honey in my recipe, but feel free to adjust as you like.

Creamy and garlicky, tzatziki is incredibly delicious as a dipping sauce for vegetables, grilled meats, and sandwiches made with pita bread. The one ingredient you may not have that tzatziki requires is fresh dill. Fresh dill has a distinctive flavor that simply cannot be swapped out with another ingredient, and it also tends to be something that most people don't keep on hand often. So if you want to make homemade tzatziki, jot dill down on your shopping list and make sure to pick some up. You can also use some dried dill, which has a much longer shelf life, but fresh is far more flavorful.

To start, grate some fresh cucumber, place it on a paper towel, and then gently squeeze out some of its water. We want our tzatziki to be nice and thick; squeezing the water out of the cucumber will prevent the water inside of it from leaching into the sauce and making it thin and watery. Mix the grated cucumber with Greek yogurt, grated garlic, chopped fresh dill, fresh lemon juice, and olive oil until smooth. If you want to go the extra mile, consider adding some chopped fresh mint.

Chicken fettuccine alfredo is one of my favorite comfort foods. There's something extra satisfying about a bowl of fettuccine bathed in creamy alfredo topped with juicy grilled chicken and Parmesan. This is another sauce where the difference between freshly made and store-bought is highly noticeable. And because alfredo is so quick, easy, and cheap to make, there's really no excuse to use the jarred stuff.

Melt butter and cream in a saucepan over low heat on the stove. Once the butter has melted into the cream, add fresh cracked black pepper, a pinch of salt, and freshly shredded Parmesan cheese. I would not recommend adding powdered Parmesan to alfredo sauce, because it will create a grainy texture and we're aiming to make a sauce that's exceptionally smooth. Note that it's also recommended to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese instead of the pre-shredded stuff because the latter is coated in anti-caking powder during production that makes it harder to melt; freshly grated parmesan melts better and also has a much deeper flavor. The key here is controlling the heat — you don't want the cream to boil, you just want it to lightly simmer. The whole process shouldn't take more than five minutes.

Yes, there are differences between marinara and spaghetti sauce. The biggest difference is the amount of cooking time required — spaghetti sauce tends to be simmered for a much longer period of time, while marinara sauce is only briefly cooked in order to maintain the freshness of the tomatoes to create a sauce that's light and bright. Marinara is excellent as a dipping sauce for fried mozzarella and garlic bread, but it's also the key to delicious pasta dishes like chicken Parmesan. There's no doubt that knowing how to make fresh marinara is a fantastic skill to have as a cook. And the good news is that it also happens to be very easy.

To make marinara, tear apart whole canned tomatoes and set them aside (be sure to save all the tomato juice inside the can, too). Saute' diced onions and garlic with some salt, pepper, and oregano, then add the crushed tomatoes along with their juices. Simmer over low heat for a few minutes and season to taste. At the very end, once the heat has been turned off, I often like to add a few fresh basil leaves to the marinara and let them sit in the sauce for about 10 minutes or so (long enough so that the taste of fresh basil infuses with the sauce).

I'm a sucker for peanut butter, so of course I'm also a big fan of peanut sauce. Peanut sauce is savory and delicious and totally worth making from scratch. My favorite way of using it is with stir-fried noodles, which I often mix with chicken, garlic, and broccoli, but it's also fantastic on tofu or used as a dipping sauce for spring rolls. It can also be used as a salad dressing. You get the idea — peanut sauce is delicious and versatile and you should definitely be making it at home so that you can enjoy it all the time.

To make peanut sauce, you'll need creamy peanut butter, rice vinegar, grated garlic, sriracha, and maple syrup. Whisk everything together until it's smooth and season to taste. If you want it to be spicier, add more sriracha or a few shakes of crushed red pepper flakes. If the peanut sauce is too thick, thin it out by adding a little more water or rice vinegar. Coconut milk is another excellent option that will add even more depth of flavor.