Condiments are part of our everyday meals but how often do you consider making your own? Its easy to pick up a bottle of your favorite ketchup or BBQ sauce at the grocery store and you can even get organic versions of most. My biggest issue with store bought brands though is the added sugar and oils they can contain, so why not control exactly what goes into it by making them yourself?!
There are numerous recipes across the internet for DIY condiments and I’m going to share a few of my favorites. Feel free to expand on these to suit your tastes, after all no one knows what you like best better than you!
Ketchup: Eating Vibrantly has a raw ketchup recipe that combines sun dried tomatoes with fresh Roma tomatoes which gives it a richness in flavor. With a recipe this easy you’ll be bottling up that homemade ketchup in no time!
Mustard: I found this great recipe for wholegrain mustard at The Vedge. It calls for some soaking time, so plan a day or two ahead. This mustard is great as is, but if you want to get adventurous add in some garlic, jalapeños or bee-free honey for fun variations.
Mayo: Finding a vegan mayo at the store is pretty easy these days, but if you’re in the DIY mood and curious about making your own try Isa Chandra’s version over at The Post Punk Kitchen. It does contain a tiny bit of sugar, but I bet you could play around with it and substitute that with agave or stevia.
Salsa: Salsas are pretty simple to make and there are so many variations on them that it’s hard to pick just one to share here. I’ll show you a standard recipe from Vegan Living Today and you can expand on it depending on whatever mood you’re in (peaches or mangoes if you’re feeling sweet or add extra jalapeño if you want more fire).
Chutney: There are a huge variety of chutneys, which is a spicy condiment made of herbs, fruits or vegetables. Minty green chutneys are usually what comes to my mind first so I’ll share with you this recipe from Vegan on the Prowl for Coriander Mint Chutney. This recipe doesn’t use sugar or oil and would be great with some fresh garlic too!
Relish: Since you already have your DIY ketchup and mustard, the next step in the veggie dog topping trifecta is pickle relish of course! You can make it sweet or spicy according to your tastes and Organic Authority has a great recipe to get you started.
Hummus: Traditional hummus is a creamy dip made from chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and olive oil. You can add pretty much anything to that basic recipe and come up with a number of fun hummus concoctions: roasted red pepper, avocado, cinnamon, etc. I want to share something a little different with you though to really knock your socks off. Check out this recipe for edamame hummus from Andrea’s Easy Vegan Cooking.
Marmalade: Marmalade is similar to jam but is traditionally made with the juice and peels of citrus fruits. The great thing about making your own is that you can do it in big batches and give it away as gifts. Who doesn’t love homemade marmalade?! Vegan Yack Attack has an easy to follow recipe for Orange Marmalade that looks simple and delicious.
BBQ Sauce: There is something about the sweet tangy taste of BBQ sauce that brings up wonderful memories of summertime picnics, but BBQ sauce isn’t just for summer anymore! Mix up your own high fructose corn syrup free (yeah, most store brands contain that) with this recipe from Oh She Glows.
Teriyaki Sauce: Like a lot of other store bought condiments teriyaki sauce is normally loaded with nasty sweeteners. If you want to avoid all that noise while marinating tofu or grilling seitan, try My Whole Food Life‘s homemade teriyaki sauce which uses very little sugar but promises to taste amazing!
There you have it family! You are now armed with a list of recipes to get your condiment creation on. Let me know which ones you tried in the comments below!
