These Seasoning, Sauce, and Condiment Recipes Are Too Easy Not to Make Yourself (2024)

Sometimes, a recipe just calls for a little something extra to add a bit more flavor, spice, and kick. That's where our healthy condiments, seasonings, and sauces recipes come in. Whether you're looking for a quick and easy way to jazz up a salad that won't load on hundreds of extra calories or you just want to liven up your go-to pasta, chicken, and steak dinners, these recipes will become your new go-tos to really elevate every dish. Not only do they bring complex flavors to your meals, but they're all good for you, and there's nothing better than knowing your home-cooked meals not only taste great, but are actually healthy for you, too.

Prepare to truly wow with these healthy condiment, seasoning, and sauce recipes that offer quick ways to add some major flavor to your meals!

Blackening Spice

These Seasoning, Sauce, and Condiment Recipes Are Too Easy Not to Make Yourself (1)

If you're looking for something new and zesty to coat your meat, fish, or veggies, look no further than this potent blend of seasonings that's very easy to make: all you have to do is simply cook it over high heat until it transforms into a dark, savory crust. Mastering the art of the blackening spice is great, too, as you can customize the seasoning as you see fit, whether you're in the mood for something less spicy or want a bit more smokiness.

Get our recipefor Blackening Spice.

Pepperonata

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This dish is best described as a magical pepper trifecta, which already most likely has your mouth watering. It's a spicy, tangy, and sweet dish made of sliced peppers that pairs great with pastas, salads, or sandwiches. It basically adds a tasty pop of spice and flavor to pretty much anything! You can use different types of peppers, too, but ideally, you want the freshest batch of red, yellow, green, and orange peppers for your pepperonata.

Get our recipefor Pepperonata.

Chimichurri Sauce

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In case you're unfamiliar, chimichurri is an herb-based, jalapeño infused sauce from Argentina. You can find it dressing up many different types of dishes, from grilled meats and fish to roasted vegetables, sandwiches, and even a fried egg. It's hands-down one of the best condiments, and once you make it, there's a good chance you're going to want to spread it on everything.

Chili Powder

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If you're whipping up a big pot of chili, it's important to note just how essential a good chili powder is to the whole meal. Our recipe is an easy, beginner-level powder that simply needs two different dried chiles toasted and then put into a coffee grinder. That's all it takes to have your own secret, spicy powder for next-level chili.

Get our recipefor Chili Powder.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

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Choosing to eat a salad is always the healthier option, right? Well, that isn't always the case, thanks to the highly caloric dressings the lettuce often ends up drowning in. In our ranch dressing recipe, we spike the ranch with yogurt and fresh herbs in place of mayo for a just as creamy but healthier option. Now you have a much lighter, still flavor-filled ranch dressing.

Get our recipefor Homemade Ranch Dressing.

Tomato Sauce

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This classic tomato sauce recipe is everything you would want—it's bright, sweet, and lightly acidic, making it the perfect tomato sauce for pizzas, spaghetti, topping chicken parm, or pouring it overpolentaorgritsandroasted vegetables. The recipe itself is simple, but you still have plenty of complex options when it comes to how you dress it up.

Get our recipefor the ultimate Tomato Sauce.

RELATED: Easy, healthy, 350-calorie recipe ideas you can make at home.

Pico de Gallo

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Pico de Gallo is the most versatile of all salsas, as it's much milder on the spice scale. It's a chunky mix of fresh tomato, onions, peppers, and cilantro that come together for a sauce that's simply delicious, whether it's scattered on tacosornachos, added to eggs and salads, put on sandwiches, or rolled into a burrito. You can even just eat it with some homemade tortilla chips!

Get our recipefor Pico de Gallo.

Pesto

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The best way to bring maximum flavor impact with minimum effort is with a homemade pesto sauce. This recipe makes enough to dress a big pasta dish, spread on turkey sandwiches, and swirl into soups and salad dressing. Pro tip: in order to keep the pesto as fresh as possible and still, you know, green, add a thin layer of oil on top before refrigerating.

Get our recipefor Pesto.

Caramelized Onions

These Seasoning, Sauce, and Condiment Recipes Are Too Easy Not to Make Yourself (9)

The addition of syrupy sweet slow-cooked caramelized onions is always a good idea. In this caramelized onions recipe, you can cook them for as long as you would like, so if you're in the moo0d for an oniony jam (this takes around 45 minutes), be sure to add an extra onion or two and keep the flame low. If you want a quick layer of sweetness but don't plan on cooking the onions for too long, add a splash of balsamic vinegar when they're in their final stages of cooking.

Get our recipefor Caramelized Onions.

Sweet and Sour Onions

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If you're thinking of serving up some greasy potato chips with your next steak or roast chicken dish, swap in these onions instead for a truly savory topper. Caramelized pearl onions are not only more filling and satisfying than a standard helping of chips, but you get the sweet and savory combo in one easy, tasty dish.

Get our recipefor Sweet and Sour Onions.

Pickled Jalapeños

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These peppers—when pickled, specifically—have a truly complex and versatile taste that makes for the perfect sandwich, burger, stir-fry, and pizza topping. You can even just put them on a piece of toast for a spicy, sweet kick, too.

Get our recipefor Pickled Jalapeños.

Pickled Onions

These Seasoning, Sauce, and Condiment Recipes Are Too Easy Not to Make Yourself (12)

As you can tell, pickling is for more than just pickles. Here, we take on raw onions, which can be harsh and overpowering. However, in a vinegar solution, they take on more of a sweet-spicy flavor. These make one of the best condiments for sandwiches, tacos, nachos, and burgers.

Get our recipefor Pickled Onions.

Ginger-Lime Vinaigrette Dressing

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This tangy, vegan-friendly ginger-lime vinaigrette is not only simple and easy to make, but it's much more exciting than the average bottled balsamic vinegar dressing. You can put this dressing on a salad, over a fish fillet, scallops, or grilled steak, or even use it as a marinade for a chicken before roasting.

Get our recipefor Ginger-Lime Vinaigrette Dressing.

Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette

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This balsamic vinaigrette recipe is a classic, and knowing how to make the most versatile of dressings is a pretty amazing kitchen skill to have. You can tweak this recipe to your liking, too. For a sweeter taste, swap out the Dijon mustard for a little maple syrup. For some spice, instead of using black pepper, go for some red pepper. Your salads are about to be the tastiest they have ever been.

Get our recipefor Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette.

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