Making your own condiments is very satisfying. You can adjust the flavor to your liking, adding or subtracting ingredients that don’t sit well with you, or you can abide by the recipe to a tee. The choice is always yours when you make the recipes yourself, and that’s the beauty of taking the time to make them. Just in time for those summer cookouts and pool parties, here are five condiments that can be readily made in no time at all, so get cooking!

1. Ketchup

Slather almost anything in ketchup and it will taste divine. Just make sure it’s free of high fructose corn syrup, or better yet, make your own! For a recipe with some unusual ketchup ingredients, you’ll need to obtain blueberries, garlic, red wine vinegar, ginger, onion powder, salt, and stevia. The blueberries make the ketchup a bit sweeter, so you won’t miss that corn syrup one bit. Once you’ve got your ingredients together, put them in a pot, bring it to a boil, simmer for 25 minutes, then chill the mixture in the fridge. You can also pulverize the mixture for a smoother consistency. If you don’t like the concept of blueberry ketchup, just use tomatoes instead, but I thought this recipe was super cool to try out! You can also use sun-dried tomatoes for this this ketchup recipe.

2. Hummus

Hummus is the perfect condiment to top rice, salad, tacos, and sandwiches, but it can also serve as a dip for vegetables, crackers, or bread. Making this marvelous stuff of the Gods is relatively simple, requiring only a food processor and a storage container. You’ll also need the following ingredients: chickpeas, salt, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, water, tabasco sauce, olive oil, and paprika. Put all these ingredients into your food processor minus the salt, and puree them. Then, add salt to taste, and you’ll have the perfect hummus! Take a gander at the following recipe for more specific instructions or this Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus for a fun twist on this Mediterranean classic.

3. Barbecue Sauce

Sweet, savory, and speckled with spices, barbecue sauce enrobes your vegetables or meat in a delectable crust that breaks only at the touch of your saliva. This summer favorite condiment does not have to be difficult to make; in fact, here is a simple recipe for 1 ½ cups of the delicious sauce that involves the following: tomato sauce, Dijon mustard, tamari, molasses, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, stevia, liquid aminos, salt, and pepper. If you take just a few minutes to stir these ingredients together, then you’ll get a sauce free of high fructose corn syrup, gluten, and excess additives.

4. Mustard

Yellow, perky, and the key to a beautiful sandwich, mustard is as old as the hills in the world of condiments, but have you ever thought to make it yourself? All it takes is mustard seeds, vinegar, salt, and some optional cayenne pepper — that’s not a lot of ingredients, if I do say so myself. This recipe tells you just how to make your own mustard, but essentially, you need to soak the mustard seeds, cook them, blend them, and add in the extra ingredients for a vibrant condiment that lasts for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. Also, check out this recipe for a maple-mustard glaze.

5. Salsa

The chopped up conglomeration of fruit, vegetables, herbs, and spices makes salsa what it is. Tomatoes or tomatillos are the base, while lemons and/or limes are the secondary fruits. Onions and/or bell peppers serve as the vegetables, while cilantro, garlic, and jalapeños are the finishing herbs and spices. This recipe makes a bright green salsa that would be your best friend at your pool party — just sayin’. All you have to do is boil your tomatillos, lug your food processor out from the garage, add in some onions, garlic, a jalapeno, lime, and cilantro, and chop up everything together. Refrigerate your mixture for an hour or two, and then you’re done. If you’re using regular red tomatoes, then most of the time, you won’t have to boil them. Also, check out this recipe for Mason Jar Salsa.

Condiments are the perfect addition to a meal or snack. Add some hummus to your crudités, some ketchup to your sweet potatoes, some barbecue sauce to your mushroom, some mustard to your potatoes, or even some salsa to your burrito; they will all elevate your food to the next level.

Lead image source: The World’s Healthiest Homemade Barbecue Sauce