How to Start Cooking from Scratch (Even If You’re a Total Beginner)

Learn how to start cooking from scratch—even if you’re a total beginner. This guide covers simple tips, pantry staples, and easy recipes to help you make real, homemade meals with confidence.

If you’ve ever stared into your pantry wondering how to turn “real” ingredients into a homemade meal, you’re not alone. I’ve been there too. And I want to show you that cooking from scratch isn’t about being perfect, fancy, or even fast—it’s about being intentional. Whether you’re a busy parent, a curious beginner, or someone looking to ditch processed foods one meal at a time, this post is for you.

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My Story

Growing up, I didn’t think much about where our food came from. Dinner often came from the freezer or the pantry—a lot of boxed, canned, and prepackaged meals. And you know what? That was normal. My mom made sure we ate dinner together every night, which I treasure. But it wasn’t until I was older that I realized cooking from scratch could mean something deeper: nourishment for both body and soul.

My journey didn’t start in a gourmet kitchen. It started with bread. Specifically, sourdough. Something about the slow rhythm of sourdough—mixing, stretching, shaping—started to change the way I looked at food. Once I had fresh, homemade bread coming out of my oven, it felt strange to serve it alongside a boxed mac and cheese or frozen chicken nuggets. I wanted the rest of the meal to match the care I’d put into that bread.

That’s how it started: one loaf at a time. Now, as a homeschool mom with kids who are always hungry (seriously, always), I find so much joy in creating simple, nourishing meals that fuel their little bodies and minds—and mine too.

A Step-by-Step Guide for Building a Real Food Kitchen with Confidence and Joy

This 8 step guide is meant to help you step-by-step accomplish the understanding of cooking from scratch.  It is not meant to overwhelm you, but instead give you the tools and easy, simple steps to make cooking from scratch and creating nutritious meals into a lifestyle.  

I love being able to share the knowledge I have gained over the years, and the simple steps that have helped me not feel overwhelmed. Home-cooked meals don’t have to be gourmet, but they can still be delicious while using the most basic ingredients.

• Step 1: What Does Cooking from Scratch Really Mean?
• Step 2: Why Cook from Scratch?
• Step 3: Starting Small
• Step 4: Must Have Pantry Staples
• Step 5:  Tools that Make it Easier
• Step 6: Realistic Tips for Getting Started
• Step 7: What to Expect 
• Step 8: Start Now

Step 1: What Does Cooking from Scratch Really Mean?

Let’s get something straight: cooking from scratch doesn’t mean everything has to be made from the most pristine, organic, homegrown ingredients. It’s not about perfection. It’s not about spending six hours in the kitchen every day.  

To me, cooking from scratch means using real, whole ingredients—things that your great-grandmother would recognize as food—and turning them into meals you feel good about serving. Foods like fresh fruit, fresh produce, raw meats, bone broth, really any fresh ingredients.  

Cook from scratch is also about connection. With your food. With your family. With the process.  If you’ve ever stirred a pot while your child read aloud, or chopped onions while a baby sat on your hip, or measured flour while your toddler “helped” (flung oats everywhere)—you know it’s not always neat, but it’s meaningful and has a huge impact on your family.  The process brings people and families together.  I love this about creating homemade food together. 

Step 2: Why Cook from Scratch?

Let’s talk about the why. There are so many good reasons to make the leap, even if it’s just for one meal a week, but understanding the why behind home-cooked food gives you a base to know why you are even putting in the efforts!

• Fewer Ingredients, More Control–When you cook from scratch, you know exactly what’s going into your meals. That’s been a big deal for us. I can choose quality ingredients, skip the preservatives, and adjust things to suit our family’s needs. (Less sugar? More protein? No problem.)
• Avoid Preservatives and Additive–I used to glance at ingredient labels, then started actually reading them. Some of those boxed items had words I couldn’t even pronounce. Cooking from scratch lets me avoid unnecessary fillers and chemicals—and that gives me peace of mind.  The extra effort to read ingredients aren’t needed if you know what is going in your food.
•  Save Money Over Time–It might feel like real food costs more—and sometimes it does upfront—but scratch cooking has saved us so much in the long run. I can stretch a whole rotisserie chicken into three meals. I bulk cook and freeze. And ingredients like beans, rice, and flour go a long way.
•  Build Confidence in the Kitchen–You don’t have to be a chef to get good at this. I’ve fumbled plenty of recipe, but every mistake taught me something. The more I cooked, the more confident I became.
• Nourish Your Family with Real Food–There’s something deeply satisfying about watching your kids eat a meal or snacks you made from scratch—something wholesome, warm, and made with love. It’s not always Instagram-pretty, but it’s real. And that matters more.

Step 3: Start Small

I have found many things that have really helped me begin from-scratch cooking.  But, one of the most valuable things to me is remembering to start small.  Meal planning, new recipes, and the new knowledge of whole foods can make a lot of people give up easily.  But starting small and simple is easy.  Just a little bit at a time is such a game changer.  It allows you to take on each part of scratch cooking a one step at a time.

Whether that is starting with meal prep, a well-stocked pantry, or focusing on just the main meal of the day, taking it slow and small will help you accomplish your way to delicious meals made from scratch.

Here are five beginner-friendly recipes that helped me build confidence—and that my kids love!  If you can start with these, you will be well on your way.

1.  Quick & Easy Pizza Dough—This was one of our very first family “scratch” meals. Let your kids help roll it out and top it with sauce and cheese. It’s simple, fun, and beats any delivery.
2.  Simple Skillet Chicken Drumsticks—Affordable, flavorful, and a hit with kids. I season ours with salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika—then sear and bake. Dinner, done.
3.  Sandwich Bread—Once I started baking bread, I never looked back. This sandwich loaf is soft, sliceable, and makes even a PB&J feel special. Plus, it freezes well!
4.  Cake—Because every cook deserves a win. I started with our favorite vanilla birthday cake. Baking a cake doesn’t always have to come from a cake mix.  Cooking and baking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious.
5.  Sourdough Biscuits—These are heaven. They’re also a great way to use sourdough discard. I love serving them with soups or breakfast for dinner.

Step 4:  Must-Have Pantry Staples for Scratch Cooking

Stocking your kitchen with the right basics makes cooking from scratch so much easier. Here’s what I keep on hand:

• Dry Goods: all-purpose flour, oats, baking powder, salt, basic herbs
• Fridge Staples: eggs, butter, milk
• Pantry: dry beans, rice, pasta
• Natural Sweeteners: honey, maple syrup
• Flavor Boosters: olive oil, vinegar, chicken or vegetable broth 

 Download my free Real Food Pantry Essentials checklist here

Step 5: Tools That Make It Easier

You don’t need every gadget, but I have found that few reliable tools go a long way.  The right tools make all the difference.  Here are the ones that I recommend. 

• Sheet pan – For roasting veggies or making a quick dinner
• Large pot – Perfect for soups, pasta, and batch cooking
• Quality knife – Seriously, a good knife changes everything
• Cast iron skillet – Durable, versatile, and perfect for everything from drumsticks to cornbread
• Mixing bowls + storage containers – For prepping and leftovers
• Nice-to-haves: food processor for chopping, stand mixer for sourdough

You can shop an extensive list of my favorite kitchen essentials in my amazon storefront.

Step 6: Realistic Tips for Getting Started

I’m all about keeping it doable. Here’s what helped me stay sane as I have journeyed through the process of being intentional about cooking from scratch.

• Don’t try to change everything at once.  Use what you have. Start with something your family already enjoys like homemade cookies or a simple bread recipe.  Remember one step at a time.  
• Start with one or two meals a week—like bread on Mondays or pizza on Fridays.  Then you can work your way to full meals or even meal planning–which always helps me!
• Double recipes and freeze half (saves my sanity every time)–I love to do this with cookie dough, especially because nothing is better than homemade cookies without the mess or prep work. Doubling recipes is quite simple, though cost is upfront, you’ll thank yourself in the long run!  I even love to double and freeze cooked ground beef which makes spaghetti and taco nights a breeze…as long as I remember to thaw it the night before!
• Let your kids help–Yes, it’s messier, but it’s also how they learn, and how you create a culture, for your kids and their future families, of nourishing homemade foods. 
• Use what you already have—no need to buy fancy ingredients right away.  You can start with what you have!  You can easily do this with bread recipes, homemade broth, or even some ground beef you may have sitting in the freezer!

Step 7: What to Expect & How to Stick With It

Let’s be honest, scratch cooking can feel slow at first. But it gets easier, I promise.  Home cooking takes time from knowing what to buy, to getting down timing when everything needs to get on the table.  But soon you will find it takes less time, and you’ll be so proud of your own food you have created.  

Whether that be homemade salad dressings or getting your sourdough starter to behave, I know you will find something that inspires and helps you on to the next endeavor in the kitchen!  I have learned: 

• It takes time to learn—give yourself grace.  You can’t possibly learn everything at once. 
• Not every meal will be a masterpiece—and that’s okay.  This was hard for me at first, especially with sourdough!  I learned through those imperfect loaves or meals though, and I often think back to those moments and it actually helps me see my progress!
• Celebrate the small wins: a batch of muffins, a roasted chicken, a perfectly risen loaf, or maybe even choosing to make your own salad dressing instead–these all are great accomplishments!
• Keep a list of go-to meals so you’re not always starting from scratch mentally.  You know the recipes already, I am sure.  Your mom’s roast or favorite potato soup.  Be sure to weave those into your weekly meal plan to give yourself a little mental break.
• Keep at it to make it a rhythm in your family’s lives.  Of course there will be times when you go on vacation or need to pack the quick snack.  It does not have to be an all or nothing thing, rather a consistent steady integration of homemade meals, easy snacks, and food choices. 

Step 8: Ready to Start?

Here’s a little secret I’ve learned along the way: this last step doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t have to be dramatic or well-planned. Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is just… start.

Start with a pot of rice instead of a boxed side. Start with mixing up your first batch of homemade biscuits. Start with one meal this week that doesn’t come from a can or a drive-thru. That is the next step. You don’t need to know everything. You don’t need a perfect kitchen. You don’t even need a clear plan. All you need is the willingness to try—one recipe, one meal, one intentional swap at a time.

For me, it was sourdough. That first crusty loaf was more than just bread—it was the first time I saw that I could create something real and nourishing from basic ingredients. I started with replacing store bought bread with my own creation using flour, water, and salt—and a desire to do better for my family. You can do that too. And I’ve made something to help you begin. It’s full of 25 easy recipes to help you gently move away from processed foods and build your confidence—one recipe at a time.

Start with 25 easy recipes to ditch the processed stuff and build confidence in your kitchen—download it here.

Remember, cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be overwhelming! 

It’s About Progress, Not Perfection

If you’ve read this far, let me just say, I’m proud of you. Whether you’re just starting to rethink your relationship with food or you’re already a few homemade meals into your journey, you’re doing something that matters. Something lasting.

Cooking from scratch isn’t about having it all together. It’s not about mastering every recipe, making elaborate meals every night, or having a picture-perfect kitchen. It’s about choosing—one meal at a time—to nourish your home with intention.

I know how overwhelming it can feel. I’ve been the mom staring into a half-stocked pantry, wondering how to turn a bag of beans and a cup of flour into dinner. I’ve burned meals. I’ve cried over collapsed loaves. I’ve served pancakes for dinner when nothing else worked. And you know what? That’s part of it.  

I love that cooking from scratch is an invitation to slow down in a world that wants us to speed up. To create when convenience tells us to consume. To teach our kids—through the mess and the flour-dusted counters—that food is more than fuel. Every home-cooked meal is a step toward something better—more connection, more nourishment, and more intentionality to slow down in fast paced world. It can be as simple as baking bread or boiling pasta.  Whatever you’re doing to intentionally make steps toward homemade versions of anything, it counts as something beautiful.

I’d love to hear your story—what was the first thing you ever made from scratch? Or what’s holding you back? Leave a comment and tell me and be sure to tag me @autumn.chasingoursimple. I’d be honored to cheer you on.