11 Creative Ways to Repurpose Empty Pasta Sauce Jars

If you’re the kind of person who tends to think about sustainability in the kitchen, then there’s a good chance you’re often coming up with ways to use food scraps and reduce food waste as you cook. But reducing waste goes way beyond the food itself — repurposing food packaging is another way to use what you already have, allowing you to consume less. One of our favorite types of food packaging to reuse is empty pasta sauce jars. These large, sturdy jars hold up better than other types of food packaging. And since most food packaging tends to be single-use (and quite resource-intensive to make and transport) and much of it never ends up being recycled anyway, it only makes sense to find alternative uses for it when you can.

If you’re new to repurposing food packaging, you may not know what exactly you can do with those empty pasta sauce jars. That’s where these helpful ideas come in. Once you start thinking of all the ways you can utilize these jars in your kitchen, you’ll never throw one away (or even recycle one) again.

For those who drink their iced coffee at home, just about any glass will do the trick. But when you need a portable cup of iced coffee, finding a good way to transport it can be difficult. So many (often expensive) travel coffee cups out there leak or crack after just a few uses — especially when you stash them in a bag while on the go — leaving you with a mess and with your caffeine needs unmet. Getting coffee from your favorite coffee shop will often land you with a flimsy plastic cup that leaks quite easily, too. That’s why we love using an empty pasta sauce jar for iced coffee. First of all, you can be confident that the screw-on lid will be tight and secure — after all, if it wasn’t, it would be impossible to adequately contain pasta sauce in the first place. Using one of these jars pretty much ensures that you’re not going to deal with any leakage.

Another reason we love using empty pasta sauce jars for iced coffee? They can help make your coffee colder and foamier than it would otherwise be. Since you can screw that lid on tightly, you can then shake your coffee with ice and milk (if you choose to add any), creating that creamy, foamy texture that you’d normally only expect from coffee shop iced coffee. This works especially well with our recipe for an iced non-dairy caramel macchiato. Give it a try, and you may never go back to an expensive portable coffee cup again.

Keeping your food fresh and keeping your leftovers are two excellent ways to ensure that you’re reducing food waste in the kitchen. However, those plastic food storage containers you have in your cabinets may not be the best, healthiest option when it comes to food storage. Glass containers are generally considered the better-for-you and more sustainable option since they don’t contain BPA, which can disrupt hormone function. Glass can be recycled indefinitely, but let’s face it: Buying a whole new set of glass food storage containers can be quite expensive. Luckily, you don’t have to go out and buy brand new stuff when you can just as easily use empty pasta sauce jars for food storage.

Think about it: Pasta sauce jars are made to store food already, so why not fill them with something else once you’ve finished the sauce inside? This works well for leftovers, produce, and basically any other type of food you need to store in your fridge, since a glass jar provides an airtight environment that prevents premature spoilage. It’s also a great option for dried pantry goods if you want to keep them fresh for longer. This trick allows you to reduce food waste all around, and it doesn’t require you to spend any extra money at all.

Like food storage containers, buying new glassware can be expensive. But you don’t have to spend a ton of money just to have cute drinking glasses at home. Empty pasta sauce jars can make excellent drinking glasses. They’re most likely larger than a lot of normal drinking glasses, which means you can really load them up with liquids — and hopefully encourage yourself to drink more water in the process. Plus, if you want a matching set, you just have to buy the same brand of pasta sauce a few times in a row, and you’ll have drinking glasses you can use for just about any occasion. Just make sure you remove any labels before you stock your new glass jars in the fridge. The best way to do this is to soak the jars in hot, soapy water before gently peeling off the labels. If you’re still left with a sticky residue, use a bit of olive oil on a towel to rub it off — it should come off relatively easily.

Another smart reason to use empty pasta sauce jars for drinking glasses? Since they come with a lid, you can easily take your beverage to go. That means you don’t have to go out and buy a water bottle just to ensure you always have something to sip on, even when you leave the house.

Gifting on a budget can be tricky, particularly if you have a very low budget. However, it’s not impossible — especially when you utilize an empty pasta sauce jar. These jars offer the ideal vessel for recipe mixes you can gift to friends and loved ones. We love these for several reasons. Firstly, you can present a unique gift to someone that’s actually practical. After all, why wouldn’t someone make a recipe that’s already been prepped for them? Secondly, you can often use ingredients you already have in your pantry, including dry goods like flour, pasta, and dried beans. You can make mixes for soups, cakes, cookies, chili, and even seasoning mixes. Therefore, you can make a beautiful gift for someone for just a few pennies.

Don’t forget to attach the recipe directions to the glass jar so the giftee knows exactly how to make the dish you prepared for them. Then, you can make the jar more visually appealing by adding a ribbon or handmade gift tag to finish it off. It’s a simple but thoughtful gift that your loved one is sure to adore.

We love going out for cocktails, of course, but going to fancy cocktail bars on a regular basis can get expensive fast. That’s why we like making our own cocktails at home from time to time. But let’s be honest — a lot of us don’t have a wealth of professional bartending equipment in our homes. Go ahead and splurge on a real cocktail shaker if you want, but we find that using an empty pasta sauce jar will often get the job done in a pinch. The process of using an empty pasta sauce jar as a makeshift cocktail shaker is a simple one: Just add the cocktail ingredients plus ice into the jar, screw on the lid, and then shake as directed. Unscrew the lid, and use a strainer (or the lid itself) to strain the liquid into your glass, keeping the ice in the jar.

Does it yield the exact same results as an actual cocktail shaker? Maybe not. But it gets the job done when you want a nice pre-dinner cocktail, and it’ll help you save some money in the process. At-home cocktails have never tasted so delicious or budget-friendly.

The next time you cook with scallions, you may want to rethink throwing away the ends with the roots. No, we’re not suggesting that you include them in your recipe, but they can be used to regrow scallions at home. This way, you won’t have to buy them quite so often, and you’ll always have some on hand when you need them. Luckily, though, you don’t have to be a gardener to regrow scallions in your kitchen. You just need to place the rooted ends in some soil or water, water them regularly if they’re in soil, and wait as they regrow. It might take them a few weeks to reach the desired size, but you can even use the small, young shoots in a pinch.

Sure, you can always buy a special pot to regrow your scallions in, but that’s not necessary if you have an empty pasta sauce jar on hand. Just make sure you place the scallions in a sunny window so they get some light every day to ensure a quicker growing process. This process allows you to reduce kitchen waste in two ways at the same time — what’s not to love?

Whether a special someone brought you some flowers or you simply picked a few wildflowers for yourself to enjoy, placing a bouquet (or even just a few single flowers) in your kitchen is a great way to make it feel brighter and more inviting. Seeing fresh flowers in the kitchen is an instant mood-boost that can be relatively inexpensive. What’s not inexpensive, though, is the pricey vase you almost bought the last time you stopped by a home decor shop. If you want to save money on a new vase — and make your flowers look even more appealing in the process — use an empty pasta sauce jar as a makeshift vase instead.

Of course, this is a great way to repurpose an item you would’ve otherwise thrown in the trash or the recycling bin, but it also adds more texture and character to your bouquet. It’s great for crafting a casual, bohemian look that will make your kitchen feel cozier than fancier vases would allow. Add a bow or a strip of burlap to make it look even prettier, or paint the jar to give it an extra flair.

There’s nothing that we love more than adding a fresh, crunchy, and acidic vegetable to an otherwise heavy dish — it instantly brightens the dish in question and introduces a whole new flavor profile into the mix. Naturally, pickles can help you achieve just this effect. Quick pickling involves placing ingredients in vinegar or brine to give them that pickled flavor without having to wait weeks for them to actually ferment. And an empty pasta sauce jar makes the perfect vessel in which to quickly pickle any ingredient you want to give a boost of acidity to. You’ll just want to make sure that the ingredient you’re pickling is covered in brine or vinegar before placing the jar in the fridge. You can let your pickles sit from anywhere from five minutes to a few days.

Onions, cabbage, and beets are all great candidates for quick pickling, but you don’t have to stick to veggies alone. You can pickle fruit like peaches and pineapple for a sweet and sour treat. Or you can pickle eggs for an especially tasty, protein-packed snack. Just place some brine or vinegar in your empty pasta sauce jar, add in your ingredients of choice, and get ready for bolder, more flavorful meals.

Sometimes, it makes sense to buy sauces, dressings, and other condiments at the store. However, if you want a fresher and more delicious flavor profile, it can pay to make these sauces yourself. An empty pasta sauce jar is an obvious vessel of choice, since its purpose was to store sauce in the first place. Once you clean it out and dry it, it’s ready to house any kind of sauce you make. We like using empty pasta sauce jars to store homemade mustard, which can be quite delicious when prepared fresh, as well as homemade aioli. The homemade versions of these condiments are free of any additives or preservatives and can help you save some of your hard-earned money in the process.

Using an empty pasta sauce jar is a good option because you know you’re not going to deal with any leaks when it comes to more liquid-y condiments. Unlike other types of food storage containers, you can ensure your homemade dressing isn’t going to spill all over the fridge, creating a mess and negating the work you took to make the sauce in question.

Are you the kind of person who’s always hurrying out the door at the last minute, rushing to wherever you need to be first thing in the morning? You’re not alone — a lot of people struggle to find enough time to get their day off to the best possible start. This is why we love making overnight oats. You simply place all of your oatmeal ingredients into a container at night before you go to bed, and then you’ll wake up to a healthy, filling breakfast that’s ready to go even as you’re running out the door. We like adding fresh fruit, chia seeds, cacao nibs, coconut flakes, various nuts, and even jam to our overnight oats, but you can get creative with your own concoctions.

So, why not store your overnight oats in an empty pasta sauce jar? This supremely portable container allows you to take your oatmeal with you on the go and ensures that no leakage will occur, even if you added a bit more liquid than intended. Plus, it makes for an aesthetically pleasing breakfast that might just make you more inclined to eat healthy first thing in the morning.

If you work outside the home, then you’ve probably realized how expensive it is to buy lunch on a daily basis. Sure, it’s a convenient option, but it can really cut into your budget if you constantly find yourself buying sandwiches, salad bowls, and grocery store sushi on a regular basis. This is why it’s such a great idea to pack your lunch. Not only will you have more control over the ingredients you’re eating (which may lead to a healthier diet), but doing so will also save you a ton of money in the process. And if you’re looking for an easy way to transport your lunch that will leave you feeling like you’re treating yourself, look no further than that empty pasta sauce jar you have lying around.

An empty pasta sauce jar works especially well for cold lunches, so you can eat them directly out of the jar. Pasta and egg salads, for example, can just feel a bit more fun when you eat them out of the jar, as do yogurt bowls and dense bean salads. You can even make your own meal prep-friendly ramen jars. Just be sure to put any dressing you’re including in the recipe at the bottom of the jar so the other ingredients don’t get soggy before you get a chance to dig in. Perhaps the allure of buying lunch out won’t be so strong anymore.