25 Copycat Recipes for Your Favorite Restaurant and Name-Brand Foods (2024)

Stop selling your soul to corporate America, people. The time has come to kick your dependency on name brand snacks. You no longer have to wait in egregious lines to get your fast food or food trend fix.

It’s time for America to truly become the land of the free. It’s time for you to become the strong, independent person you’ve always wanted to be. And it’s time to take your life and your hunger into your own hands.

So let these 25 DIY Copycat recipes lead you out of the darkness and into the promised land. Where everything is rainbows, smiles and homemade meals.

1. Chick-fil-A Sandwich

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Photo by Kelly Redfield

Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays, but that shouldn’t prevent you from devouring your favorite sandwich. With this DIY recipe, you can get your fill-A everyday.

2. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

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Photo by Megan Prendergast

Doughnuts may be the new cupcake, but homemade is the new store bought. So with this recipe, you can be the trendiest person in all the land.

3. Argo Mojitea

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Photo by Ana Cvetkovic

When you’re thirsty for iced tea but forgot to make that grocery store run, this recipe is here for you.

4. 15-Minute Sushirrito

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Photo by Lily Lou

You know your snooty friend from San Francisco who won’t stop talking about their spiritual sushirrito experience? Rub this DIY sushirrito in their face, and then stuff it in yours.

5. Cool Ranch Doritos

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Photo by Jenny Georgia

Say goodbye to the disappointment of ripping open a bag of Doritos to find out that it’s 90% air, and say hello to this recipe.

6. Sriracha

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Photo by Margaret Weinberg

When the ever-looming Sriracha shortage finally occurs, this recipe will always be there to spice up your life.

7. Microwave Momof*cku Birthday Cake Truffles

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Photo by Alvin Zhou

Introducing your new best friend, the microwave. This recipe will save you a ton of money, not to mention that trip to NYC. Momof*ck-yeah.

8. Panera Autumn Squash Soup

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Photo by Peaches Memishian

With this recipe for creamy, delicious soup under your belt, you’ll never have to go Pa-near-a Panera again.

9.Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

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Photo by Sydney Gabel

Starbucks only sells Pumpkin Spice Lattes in the fall, but being #basic is a year-round endeavor. This recipe will go great with your LuluLemon leggings and kale saladany season.

10. P.F. Chang’s Quinoa Fried Rice

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Photo by Parisa Soraya

You’ve been putting it off, but with this recipe, you can finally be strong and break off your toxic relationship with P.F.

11. Homemade KIND Bars

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Photo by Theresa Sullivan Photography

Your favorite granola bar may have been good to you so far, but these homemade treats will be much kinder.

12. Dominique Ansel Bakery’s Cronut

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Photo by Katherine Baker

Don’t do it. Don’t wake up insanely early to get in that absurd line. Don’t buy into the fad. DO make this masterpiece instead.

13.Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets

Remember that whole Chick-fil-A gay marriage controversy? If you’re still boycotting them, this recipe means you don’t have to miss out on your nugget fix.

14.Ladurée Dark ChocolateMacarons

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Photo by Bon Jin

With a macaron recipe that’s as professional as Ladurée’s and do-it-yourself, you’ll be able to corner the market on both Instagram and Pinterest.

15. In-N-Out Animal-Style Fries

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Photo by Jay Soto

With this recipe from that infamous West Coast fast food chain, you can now do it animal-style in the comfort of your own kitchen.

16. Upgraded Girl Scout Tagalong Cookies

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Photo by Rae Steinbach

You no longer have to depend on an eerily business-oriented tiny girl in a vest to get your cookie hookup. With this upgraded recipe, you can put that Girl Scout out of business for good.

17. Panera Cobblestone Muffins

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Photo by Eva Reynolds

Not only does this recipe replicate Panera’s cinnamon-bun-on-crack, but it does it one better it by turning it into a muffin.

18.Cheez-It Crackers

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Photo by Alyssa Rosello

Step away from the snack foods aisle, friend. These homemade crackers use real cheese, not that mystifying powdered stuff. And they taste infinitely better.

19.Peanut Butter Pretzel Crisp Luna Bars

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Photo by Hayden Carder

If you’re a guy, you no longer have anything to be ashamed of. After trying this recipe, you’ll be screaming, “I’M A MAN AND I LOVE LUNA BARS,” from every rooftop.

20. Momof*cku Cereal Milk

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Photo by Aja Frost

Did you really ever pay money to eat something that tastes like the dregs of your morning meal? This recipe will have you questioning your past self’s naïvety.

21. Homemade Pop Tarts

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Photo by Amanda Shulman

Your favorite childhood on-the-go breakfast is now your favorite college treat. And FYI, this recipe will taste so much better than the original.

22. Quest Bar Cookie Crisp Cereal

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Photo by Alice Huang

Remember those ads where the wolf tries so, so hard to acquire Cookie Crisp but fails over and over? If he had just known this recipe, his whole life wouldn’t have been a tragic waste.

23.Microwave Rice Krispie Treats

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Photo by Allison Arnold

Snap, crackle, pop. What’s that? It’s your microwave, using this recipe to make you the most delicious, easy treats imaginable.

24. Chipotle Burrito Bowl

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Photo by Celeste Holben

Avoid the extreme stress that is the Chipotle experience and enjoy this burrito bowl in the peace and quiet of your kitchen. The guac ain’t extra.

25. Bluth’s Frozen Bananas

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Photo by Myra Su

There’s always money in the banana stand. With this recipe for the Arrested Development classic, you can even start your own family business.

Like this? We figured. Why don’t you pin it?

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Feeling rebellious? Here are more articles about sticking it to the Man:

  • 21 Students Reveal Their Craziest Stolen Dining Hall Goods
  • 4 Sneaky Ways to Hack the Chipotle Menu
  • Food Stolen at Parties
25 Copycat Recipes for Your Favorite Restaurant and Name-Brand Foods (2024)

FAQs

How many ingredients do you have to change to make a recipe yours? ›

The general rule [...] is that three major [emphasis added] changes are required to make a recipe "yours." However, even if you make such changes, it is a professional courtesy to acknowledge the source of or inspiration for the recipe.

How to give credit for recipes? ›

Name the recipe source and provide some sort of link – to the recipe if it is already on the internet; to the author / publisher if they have a website.

What makes a recipe original? ›

A recipe can usually be considered “original” if you have changed three or more major ingredients, or three or more steps in the recipe process, and have written everything in your own words.

Is a recipe just a list of ingredients? ›

A recipe is simply defined as a set of instructions with a list of ingredients used to prepare a particular food, dish or drink. People use recipes to replicate foods they enjoy that they otherwise do not know how to make. Chefs use recipes to make sure a dish tastes the same each time it is ordered.

How to create your own recipe? ›

Tips to keep in mind when writing recipes:
  1. List ingredients in chronological order. ...
  2. Separate ingredients for major steps in a recipe. ...
  3. List steps in order, keeping instructions short and to the point. ...
  4. Give specifics about doneness. ...
  5. Include storage suggestions. ...
  6. Offer extra methods or substitutions (when tested).
Nov 19, 2020

Can you get paid for recipes? ›

Find Freelance Recipe Writing Gigs

Other sites like Fiverr to find freelance recipe writing gigs: Upwork. Facebook Groups like VA for Hire and Pinterest-Friendly Content for Bloggers. Food blogs (reach out to food blogs and ask if they are hiring any recipe writers)

Can I use other people's recipes? ›

Anytime you use a recipe that is not wholly original, authors should give credit to the creator.

How much do you have to change in a recipe to avoid copyright? ›

In other words, “1/4 teaspoon salt” isn't creative material, but explaining how you use the salt is. How's that – clear as mud? Welcome to copyright law. Here in the food writing world, many of us follow an informal standard that you need to make at least three changes before you can claim credit for a recipe.

Is copying recipes illegal? ›

The first thing to understand is that recipes are not copyrightable. Copyright law protects original works of authorship, and while a recipe may be original, it is not an "original work of authorship." This means that anyone can freely copy and use a recipe without fear of infringement.

Can you sue someone for copying your recipe? ›

Whether or not you own exclusive intellectual property on the recipe depends on whether you qualify for one of the four legal areas of intellectual property protection: copyright, trademark, patent, or trade secret. While some limited protections may apply, food recipes are actually rather difficult to protect.

Do bakeries make their cakes from scratch? ›

Don't get caught in the trap of thinking that you must bake from scratch if you sell cakes. Most bakeries do NOT bake from scratch. In fact, I once worked at a bakery that actually claimed to be a “scratch bakery”, but all their cakes started with a Duncan Hines cake mix, the same kind you buy in the grocery store.

Who is the first recipe? ›

The earliest known written recipes date to 1730 BC and were recorded on cuneiform tablets found in Mesopotamia. Other early written recipes date from approximately 1600 BC and come from an Akkadian tablet from southern Babylonia. There are also works in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs depicting the preparation of food.

How to create a unique recipe? ›

On the same note, adding or removing ingredients in a dramatic way would help make the recipe your own. Pro tip: When it comes to herbs and seasoning, simply increasing or decreasing the amount you use doesn't make the recipe an original. But trading cinnamon sugar for Old Bay definitely would be a unique twist.

At what point does a recipe become yours? ›

A general rule of thumb is: if you change three or more ingredients in the recipe, and rewrite the recipe instructions in your own voice, you can consider it your own. Even so, stating that the recipe was “adapted from” or “inspired by” the original recipe is a good idea.

What is the formula for changing a recipe? ›

Determine the required yield of the recipe by multiplying the new number of portions and the new size of each portion. Find the conversion factor by dividing the required yield (Step 2) by the recipe yield (Step 1). That is, conversion factor = (required yield)/(recipe yield).

How to get a patent on a recipe? ›

In conclusion, recipes cannot be patented, but they can be protected under copyright or trade secret law. Copyright protection applies to the expression of the recipe, while trade secret protection applies to the confidential information that the owner takes steps to keep secret.

When might you need to change the yield of a recipe? ›

Recipes often need to be adjusted to accommodate various situations. The most common reasons are: Changing Portion Sizes: Adjusting the number of individual portions a recipe produces. Better Utilization of Equipment: Adapting recipes to fit the available preparation equipment.

References

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