A single liter of hollandaise sauce costs €10 at the supplier but only €3.20 to make from scratch. Most food truck operators miss this massive cost gap and watch their margins shrink month after month. You can calculate your exact savings by comparing ingredient costs to wholesale prices.
The cost difference in numbers
The gap between making it yourself and buying ready-made is often bigger than you think. Store-bought hollandaise runs €8-12 per liter, while you can make the same amount for €3-4.
💡 Example: Hollandaise sauce
Store-bought (1 liter ready-made):
- Price: €10.00 per liter
- Portion cost (30ml): €0.30
Homemade (1 liter):
- Egg yolks (6 pieces): €1.20
- Butter (250g): €1.50
- Lemon, spices: €0.50
Total homemade: €3.20 → €0.10 per portion
That's a savings of €0.20 per portion. At 100 portions per week, that adds up to €1,040 per year on just this one sauce.
Why store-bought sauces are so expensive
Ready-made sauces carry many hidden costs that you end up paying for:
- Preservatives and stabilizers - expensive ingredients to extend shelf life
- Packaging and transport - especially for refrigerated sauces
- Supplier margin - often 40-60% on top of production costs
- Convenience premium - you're paying for not having to make it
The real costs of making it yourself
Making it yourself costs more than just ingredients. You need to factor in these costs too:
💡 Example: Full cost price mayonnaise
For 1 liter of homemade mayonnaise:
- Ingredients: €2.80
- Labor time (15 min at €15/hour): €3.75
- Gas/electricity: €0.20
- Equipment depreciation: €0.10
Total cost price: €6.85 vs €12.00 store-bought
Even with all costs factored in, you still save €5.15 per liter.
Which sauces are most worth making
Not all sauces are equally profitable to make yourself. Focus on these winners:
- Mayonnaise and variants - 70% cheaper, simple to make
- Hollandaise and béarnaise - 65% cheaper, big price differences
- Tomato sauce base - 60% cheaper, large volumes
- Vinaigrettes - 80% cheaper, very simple
⚠️ Note:
Complex sauces like demi-glace or exotic curry pastes often cost more time than they're worth. Focus on simple sauces with high volume.
Shelf life and food safety
Homemade sauces have shorter shelf lives than store-bought:
- Mayonnaise (homemade): 3-5 days refrigerated
- Hollandaise: use within 4 hours
- Tomato sauce: 5-7 days refrigerated
- Vinaigrettes: 1-2 weeks refrigerated
Plan your production so you don't have waste. Make smaller batches more frequently instead of large quantities that spoil. This is one of the most common blind spots in kitchen management - operators think they're saving money on ingredients but lose it all to spoilage.
Impact on your food truck profit
For an average food truck, the difference can be substantial:
💡 Example: Annual savings
Food truck with 200 portions per day, 250 working days:
- Mayonnaise: €0.15 savings × 30,000 portions = €4,500
- Ketchup variants: €0.08 × 20,000 portions = €1,600
- Special sauces: €0.25 × 15,000 portions = €3,750
Total annual savings: €9,850
That's almost €10,000 per year in extra profit just by making your sauces yourself. For many food trucks, that's the difference between losing money and making a profit.
Practical tips for food trucks
Making sauces yourself in a food truck has specific challenges:
- Prep at home: Make sauces in your home kitchen or central prep location
- Small batches: Limited cooler space requires smart planning
- Shelf-stable base: Make base sauces you can vary with different spices
- Good storage: Invest in quality squeeze bottles and labels
With a system like KitchenNmbrs, you can track exactly what each homemade sauce costs, including labor time and overhead. That way you see directly which sauces are most profitable.
How do you calculate the cost price of homemade vs store-bought sauces?
Gather all ingredient costs
List all ingredients and their exact costs per unit. Don't forget spices, oil, and small ingredients - they count too. Calculate how much you need for 1 liter of sauce.
Calculate labor time and overhead
Measure how long it takes to make the sauce. Multiply by your hourly rate (usually €12-18 for kitchen work). Add gas, electricity, and equipment depreciation.
Compare with store-bought price
Look up the price of comparable ready-made sauce per liter. Compare the total cost price (ingredients + labor + overhead) with the store-bought price. The difference is your savings per liter.
✨ Pro tip
Track your mayo usage for exactly 2 weeks - most operators underestimate by 40%. If you're using 750ml weekly, switching to homemade saves €650 annually just on this one sauce.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
How much time does it take to make sauces yourself?
Simple sauces like mayonnaise take 10-15 minutes. More complex sauces like hollandaise take 20-30 minutes. Plan this into your prep time and factor the labor costs into your cost price.
What equipment do I need for homemade sauces?
A good immersion blender or food processor is enough for most sauces. For emulsions like mayonnaise, an immersion blender is even better than whisking by hand. Investment: €50-150.
How long do homemade sauces keep?
Mayonnaise 3-5 days refrigerated, hollandaise use within 4 hours, tomato sauce 5-7 days. Plan your production so you don't have waste - make smaller batches more frequently.
Is making it yourself always cheaper?
No, complex sauces with expensive ingredients can cost more. Focus on simple sauces you use a lot: mayonnaise, vinaigrettes, and tomato base are almost always cheaper.
How do I store homemade sauces in a food truck?
Use squeeze bottles with clear labels and dates. Always keep refrigerated below 7°C. Make small batches you'll use within the shelf life - better to have too little than waste.
What's the minimum volume needed to make homemade sauces profitable?
You need to use at least 2-3 liters per week to justify the labor time. Below that, the time investment outweighs the ingredient savings.
Can I make sauce bases ahead and customize them daily?
Yes, neutral bases like mayo or tomato sauce work perfectly for this. You can add herbs, spices, or acids daily to create different flavors without starting from scratch.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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