15 Copycat Recipes To Make At Home
As you may already know, we don’t eat out at restaurants often because of the high costs.
What I do enjoy is making copycat recipes from some of our favourite restaurants.
Not only does it save us money, but it makes us feel as if we’re not missing out.
Today you find 15 maybe more of our favourite copycat recipes from Pinterest.
I also include recipes from our kitchen, both keto and non-keto.
CopyCat Recipes Without The High Price Tag
Without the expensive costs to your grocery budget, consumers are lured to put on an apron.
One of the main reasons people eat out is convenience, either because of time barriers or lack of meal planning at home.
Eating out can drastically alter your monthly budget if you don’t know it already, especially if you spend more time at restaurants than at the grocery store.
Media Marketing Works
How many times have you seen an advert on the television or in a magazine for food and said, “I want to try that,” probably quite a few times?
I know because I do that quite often, the art of marketing does work.
Factor in the costs of tips and drinks for the meal, and you’ve just spent enough for a week’s worth of groceries for one meal.
Consider how much it costs to make a batch of your favourite muffins, subs or take-out chili compared to a drive-thru.
What doesn’t work is prices which keep us at home working on ways to create mouth-watering meals in our kitchen.
Grocery shopping for some people is just B.O.R.I.N.G, but I don’t know many people who shop to party.
Of course, it’s not the most exciting chore, but when it affects your finances, it should be the smartest.
What is a copycat recipe?
Well, it’s a recipe you love, but there is no recipe, or if there is, you aren’t going to get your hands on it because it’s a SECRET.
If you want your favourite foods at home to save money, you’ll have to figure out the ingredients used in the original recipe.
It’s easier to eat out then it is to make it- True and False?
For the home cook creating copycat recipes might be a fun way to get creative in the kitchen.
Not everyone likes to cook, but sometimes it takes ‘effort’ to increase enthusiasm for it.
Too often, we depend on others for our meals, but I bet if you were alone, you’d have to figure it out by yourself.
Eating at restaurants comes into play for people who are alone and enjoy the atmosphere and conversation more than the savings.
Related: Eating out Vs. Eating in
Anyone influenced by co-workers, family, or friends to frequent fast food and eat-in restaurants should ask themselves whether it impacts their financial goals.
The hardest thing to get out of your mouth might be no, but if you’re running on credit card swipes for money, it must be.
It’s not until someone creates and uses a budget for more than a month do they see the damage eating out can cause.
Related: The costs of coffee and lunch between co-workers- Take-out vs. Homemade
Costs Of Eating Out Can Become A Debt Trap
I can’t tell you the last time we went to a restaurant…oh wait, yes I can in the UK, and it cost me a fortune.
The reason for this was that I wanted to treat my family to dinner out. After all, they can’t afford to do so.
Why? It’s too expensive, and they don’t have the money.
With a family of 4 to feed, my sister has limited funds in her grocery budget, so she opts for making copycat recipes at home to satisfy cravings.
After eating out a treat, we decided to go grocery shopping at Aldi’s to help offset the extra food costs of having us there.
Oddly enough, Mrs. CBB and I have tried our hand at copycat recipes in the past, with our favourite being the Starbucks Lemon Loaf that went what I considered viral for this blog.
Although eating out is nice, doing it too often can lead to high grocery bills and even higher eating out expenses in your eating out budget category.
If you grocery shop and then eat out, you are left with food at home that possibly could waste unless eaten on time or frozen (if it can be).
If you’re working on cutting out either, you must balance both.
That means buying less food for home, leaving more money to eat out or eating out less, leaving more money for groceries.
Ideally, you’d want to eat more at home, plus it WILL be cheaper by a landslide.
Copycat Recipes Are An Eating Out Fix
I realized that people who are conscious of their grocery budget or want to eat out but can’t DO WANT to try copycat recipes to recreate the eating out satisfaction.
Kudos to you because you’re the winner enjoying all the benefits of cooking foods you love but can do without the extra “convenience” expenses.
Why Choose CopyCat Recipes?
To choose copycat recipes that pique your interest, you may consider the following;
- I tried the product before but can’t or don’t want to keep buying it. Example: Tim Horton’s Chocolate Chip Muffins. The Tim Horton’s Chocolate Chip Muffin CopyCat version is the MOST popular recipe in my CopyCat section.
- The copy cat recipes looks mouth-watering.
- Copycat recipes are easy to follow.
- Copycat ingredients are inexpensive in comparison to eating out.
Nicola and I have created our favourite copycat recipes are treats, sauces, appetizers, and condiments instead of meals.
Now that I’m looking at this list and other copycat recipes, I’m finding that people are recreating their favourite packaged foods at the grocery store—oreo cookies, Twinkies, Ding-Dongs, etc.
Popular CopyCat Recipes You’ll Find On CBB
- Dairy Queen Chocolate Dipped Bananas
- Just Like Starbucks Lemon Loaf
- Cherry Bakewell Cheesecake Blondies
- Copycat Tim Hortons Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Crispy Fresh Spring Rolls
- Copycat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- Homemade Old Elpaso Taco Seasoning
- Copycat Twinkies
- Milk Toffee
- Nuts and Bolts Recipe Mix
- Dundurn Castle Shortbread
Most Popular CopyCat Recipes From Restaurants
Amazingly, most copy-cat recipes come from fast-food joints or eat-in casual restaurants that offer a specific sauce, appetizer, drink, or dessert on the menu.
Most popular copycat recipes that consumers flock to.
- Cheesecake Factory recipes in the USA are to-die-for but the closest you’ll get is a copycat version or the real thing if you have a CF nearby.
- Kentucky Fried Chicken specifically the KFC secret recipe and KFC gravy and Classic KFC Macaroni Salad.
- Tim Horton’s recipes are popular especially the muffins, donuts, soup, chili, and bagels.
- Red Lobster recipes– You can buy a box of pre-made Red Lobster biscuits at Costco or make them yourself.
- Applebees recipes are all app ,and meal based like their popular burgers.
- Olive Garden is all about the salads and sauces
- McDonald’s recipes– Did you see the new Big Mac sauce offered in a squeeze bottle at the grocery store yet?
- Chinese restaurant food– This is popular for Canadians especially creating a healthier version.
Some of the best copycat recipes come from inside information, which means you know someone who works at an establishment or works (ed) there yourself.
Most restaurants won’t give up the recipe or leave out ingredients, so food is not part of a copycat recipes community.
You might even try copycat recipes that come SO CLOSE to the real thing you consider it just that or better but more so for your pocketbook than your taste buds.
Top 15 Copycat Recipes On Pinterest
Below you will find the top 15 copycat recipes on Pinterest sought after by people like you and me who want to stay home and save money.
Do me a favour and if you try any of the copycat recipes in this blog post, come back and leave me a comment and tell me what you thought about the recipe.
Copycat Cinnamon Cinnamon Rolls
Copycat Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls
Cheese Biscuits CopyCat Recipe Red Lobster
Kentucky Fried Chicken Secret Recipe
McDonalds Big Mac Secret Sauce
McDonald’s BIG MAC Secret Sauce
Salad Dressing From The Olive Garden
Copycat Pancakes From The Popular IHOP
Orange Julius Recipe
The Most Popular Wendy’s Frosty Recipe
Crazy Bread CopyCat Recipe From Little Caesars
Muffin Recipe From Costco
Copycat Wing Sauces From Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings Copycat Wing Sauces
Copycat Red Velvet Cheesecake From Cheesecake Factory
Cheesecake Factory Copycat Red Velvet Cheesecake
Pretzel Bites Copycat Recipe From Auntie Anne’s
Auntie Anne’s Copycat Pretzel Bites
Coleslaw Recipe From Kentucy Fried Chicken
Delicious Copycat Arby’s Sauce
Kentucky Fried Chicken Recipe #2
Discussion Question: What copycat recipes do you make at home, or would you like to make at home?
Please leave your comments below if you try any of the recipes above, as I’d love to read your feedback.
Be Well,
Mr.CBB
