Skip The Store-Bought Condiments—These Easy Recipes Are SO Much Better

Ketchup: It's sweet, savory, and just the right amount of tart. It's the perfect condiment for everything from French fries to burgers to hot dogs. Sure, you could buy a bottle of the stuff, but why not try your hand at homemade ketchup? If you want a version without high-fructose corn syrup, this recipe delivers. It's also great for cooks who like project cooking or simply making things from scratch.

Get the Homemade Ketchup recipe.

This iconic sauce only requires 8 ingredients (plus salt and pepper) to make it, and some of those ingredients just may surprise you! While this copycat sauce obviously completes the classic Big Mac, its uses go way beyond it. This special sauce goes on just about everything (yes, even Big Mac hot dogs).

Get the Big Mac Sauce recipe.

Why buy prepared honey mustard when it can be as simple as just two ingredients mixed together? Our version does add a little more into the mix for a rewarding richness from the mayo and perky puckers from the lemon and black pepper, but trust us, it's worth it.

Get the Honey Mustard Dressing recipe.

This version is a smart cheat: 3 ingredients, 1 clean jar, and a few seconds of stirring, and you are done. A little tart, substantially spicy, and sufficiently sweet—just like honey should be.

Get the Hot Honey recipe.

If you always grab a bottle from the store, you may be surprised to learn just how simple and easy it is to make teriyaki sauce at home. Our simple Japanese-style recipe takes just 30 minutes and uses only 4 pantry staple ingredients to create the authentic sauce; if you always have these ingredients on hand, you’ll always have teriyaki sauce to put on anything and everything, from chicken to stir-fries.

Get the Homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe.

This luxuriously creamy street food rock star has just the right amount of tang. Drizzle it on beef, lamb, chicken, or grains or serve as a dip with crudités—this sauce can do it all.

Get the Halal Cart-Style White Sauce recipe.

There’s something extra special about homemade BBQ sauce. This recipe is not only easy to make—it’s great on everything (grilled chicken, pizza, and even nachos). It's a Kansas City-style recipe, which means it’s thick, slightly sweeter, and perfectly tangy.

Get the Homemade BBQ Sauce recipe.

There are variations on how to make this umami-packed dressing, but in our kitchen, there's only one true way. Whether you're looking to perfect your Caesar game or simply need a new staple dressing recipe, this is the one you should keep in your back pocket.

Get the Caesar Salad Dressing recipe.

Arrange a smorgasbord of all the crunchy veggies you can get your hands on, because we know a spicy-funky-salty-sweet-creamy-crunchy condiment that will keep you coming back for more. It’s called ssamjang—technically not a dip but a jang (or paste) that Koreans dollop in ssam (a wrap), specifically rice and grilled meat wrapped in crisp greens. This slightly chunky version is sweetened with agave syrup and tiny bites of apple.

Get the Ssamjang: Korean Barbecue Sauce recipe.

This creamy dressing is nutty with plenty of sharp ginger. Its bright yellow color will bring a lot of life to your salads and is great for dipping raw veggies in like carrots and bell peppers!

Get the Copycat Trader Joe's Almond Butter Turmeric Dressing recipe.

Cane’s sauce is rightfully secretive—rumor has it that not even the employees know the exact recipe, but I love to crack a mystery. Their sauce is tangy with just a bit of sweetness and a lot of pepper, and this version is about as close as you can get.

Get the Copycat Raising Cane's Sauce recipe.

Sweet, spicy, tangy and fruity, you’ll want to spread mango chutney on everything from grilled cheese sandwiches (we like sharp cheddar) to baked salmon to pork chops. This chutney is somewhere between a sweet jam and a savory condiment, but in India, where chutneys hail from, the word can refer to many different spiced dishes made with fruits, vegetables, and/or herbs.

Get the Mango Chutney recipe.

A fan favorite at Trader Joe’s is their green goddess dressing. Next time your store runs out, you can make our copycat version instead, and you'll have a dressing that is just as good on a Cobb salad as it is on a Greek salmon salad.

Get the Copycat Trader Joe's Green Goddess Salad Dressing recipe.

Alabama white sauce is essentially white BBQ sauce in a creamy, peppery, zingy sweet form. Traditionally used over smoked chicken, this sauce can really do any meat justice. There are many variations on this sauce of course, but I’ve combined what seemed to be the best group of ingredients to go along with that beef brisket or roast chicken you’ve been hankering for.

Get the Alabama White Sauce recipe.

This tahini sauce is probably one of our favorite uses for the sesame seed-based condiment. It's simple, fresh tasting, and comes together in minutes. It is as good on hearty dinner salads as it is on a lamb burger or falafel.

Get the Tahini Sauce recipe.

Of all of our favorite Trader Joe’s products, we are obsessed with their toasted sesame dressing. It’s nutty, a little sweet, with plenty of salty umami flavor. This is one of their shelf-stable bottled dressings, so we needed to make the perfect copycat at home.

Get the Copycat Trader Joe's Toasted Sesame Seed Dressing recipe.

Russian dressing is one of those classic mayo-based sauces that can kind of go with everything. While it might be known best on the classic Reuben, this simple, savory dressing goes way beyond the sandwich.

Get the Russian Dressing recipe.

A homemade ranch dressing is quick, simple, and so much better than anything you can buy at the store. Feel free to change up the amounts or types of herbs depending on what you have or what you prefer. All you need now is some French fries to dip!

Get the Ranch Dressing recipe.

This spiced condiment is enriched with peanuts and flavored with fresh ginger, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and cayenne. Often served with dosa or uthappam, tomato chutney is also great served on top of cheeseburgers or with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Get the Tomato Chutney recipe.

Tangy, salty, spicy and sweet, this tamarind dipping sauce hits all the right notes. Nước Mắm Me is a great accompaniment to a simple grilled fish or Vietnamese rice paper rolls like our shrimp or vegetarian summer rolls. Tip: You can find blocks of reddish-brown tamarind paste at your local Asian, Latin, or Middle Eastern grocery store.

Get the Tamarind Dipping Sauce recipe.