If you keep a pound of hamburger in the freezer and this mix in the pantry, dinner stops being a last-minute panic. This homemade Hamburger Help mix gives you a creamy, savory starter you can turn into a fast skillet meal without paying box-mix prices for a lot of starch and not much else.
The blend uses dry milk, cornstarch, beef bouillon, and pantry herbs to build body and flavor. Make one batch, seal it tightly, and you’ve got a practical base for quick beef-and-pasta dinners, skillet casseroles, or your own spin on Hamburger Help: Chili Mac or Italian Style Hamburger Help.
Ingredients
- 2 cups nonfat dry milk
- 1 cup corn starch
- 1/4 cup beef bouillon powder
- 2 tablespoons onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
This makes about 3 1/2 cups dry mix, enough for roughly 7 batches if you use about 1/2 cup mix per pound of beef for a skillet dinner. That yield is an estimate, but it is a practical one that actually helps when you are meal planning.
Instructions
- Measure the nonfat dry milk, corn starch, beef bouillon powder, onion flakes, dried basil, dried thyme, black pepper, dried parsley, and garlic powder into a large zip-top bag.
- Seal the bag and shake well until the herbs and seasonings are evenly distributed through the powder mixture.
- Transfer the finished mix to a vacuum-seal bag or another airtight container.
- Seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place until you are ready to use it.
If you want a finer, more even blend, give the onion flakes a quick pulse in a spice grinder before mixing. That helps the seasoning disperse more evenly in finished skillet meals instead of leaving larger onion bits in a creamy sauce.
Tips for Best Results
Shake longer than you think you need to. Cornstarch and dry milk like to settle into layers, so an extra 20 to 30 seconds of mixing keeps the batch consistent from top to bottom.
Use a truly airtight container. Dry milk and cornstarch both pull moisture from the air, which can lead to clumping. A vacuum-sealed bag, mason jar with a tight lid, or pantry canister with a gasket works better than a loosely closed bag.
Label the container. Add the name and date so you know what it is six months from now when the pantry starts looking like a science fair for beige powders.
Ways to Use It
Use this mix as a base for a quick hamburger-and-pasta skillet. Brown 1 pound of ground beef, drain if needed, stir in about 1/2 cup of the mix, then add pasta and liquid according to the dish you are making. From there, you can turn it cheesy, tomato-based, or herb-forward depending on what is in the cupboard.
It also works as a shortcut seasoning base for noodle casseroles, creamy beef rice skillets, or budget-friendly pantry dinners. If you like homemade mixes, pair it with your own onion powder and garlic powder to cut the cost a little further.
Storage
Store the dry mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry cupboard away from heat and humidity. For best quality, use it within 6 to 12 months. That is a conservative estimate based on the shorter pantry life of dried herbs and seasonings, even though dry staples themselves are shelf stable much longer when kept dry. If the mix smells flat, looks discolored, or has hardened into damp clumps, it is time to toss it.
Once you turn the mix into a cooked hamburger meal, refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat leftovers until they are hot all the way through. For general leftover timing, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service leftover storage guidance is the practical standard to follow.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: Homemade Hamburger Help Mix
Ingredient |
Walmart Item |
Pkg Price |
Amount Used |
Cost Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Nonfat dry milk |
$9.28 |
2 C. |
$1.74 |
|
Corn starch |
$1.92 |
1 C. |
$0.54 |
|
Beef bouillon powder |
$3.48 |
1/4 C. |
$0.58 |
|
Onion flakes |
$2.44 |
2 T. ≈ 1 count ≈ 0.55 cup(s) |
$0.14 |
|
Dried basil |
$1.24 |
1 t. |
$0.07 |
|
Dried thyme |
$1.24 |
1 t. |
$0.06 |
|
Black pepper |
$2.48 |
1 t. |
$0.07 |
|
Dried parsley |
$1.24 |
2 T. |
$0.26 |
|
Garlic powder |
$1.24 |
1 T. |
$0.12 |
💸 |
Cost |
|---|---|
🧾 Total Batch Cost |
$3.58 |
👨👩👧👦 Cost Per Serving |
$0.51 |
📅 Walmart prices last verified August 26, 2026. Prices may vary by location and are subject to change. Learn how to calculate the cost of a recipe on your own!
🛒 Walmart Grocery List
- Instant Nonfat Dry Milk, 64 oz
- Corn Starch, 16 oz
- Beef Bouillon Powder, 3.75 oz
- Minced Onion, 2.35 oz
- Basil Leaves, 0.8 oz
- Thyme Leaves, 0.75 oz
- Ground Black Pepper, 3 oz
- Parsley Flakes, 0.4 oz
- Garlic Powder, 3.4 oz
Not sure exactly what this batch costs you per serving? Here’s how to break down the real cost of any recipe so you know before you shop.
Frequently Asked Questions about Homemade Hamburger Help Mix
Start with about 1/2 cup of mix per 1 pound of ground beef. That gives you enough dry milk, starch, and seasoning to flavor a standard skillet dinner without making the sauce overly thick, and it turns this batch into about 7 meal starters.
Absolutely, as long as the jar seals tightly. Moisture is the enemy here, so use a clean, dry mason jar or airtight pantry container and keep it away from the stove, dishwasher steam, and that one cabinet that always feels suspiciously damp.
Clumping usually means the mix picked up moisture from the air. Dry milk and cornstarch both absorb humidity quickly, so a loose lid, a warm kitchen, or scooping with a damp spoon can turn a fluffy mix into a brick with opinions.
You can, but it will change the flavor quite a bit. Chicken bouillon makes a lighter, more general creamy skillet base, while vegetable bouillon works if you want a meatless pantry mix, but both taste less beefy and may be saltier depending on the brand.
It can be, but only if every packaged ingredient you buy is labeled gluten-free. Cornstarch is naturally gluten-free, but bouillon powders and spice blends can vary by brand, so check the package instead of trusting the pantry fairy.
Yes, and this recipe scales cleanly because it is a straight dry mix. Just multiply every ingredient by the same amount, then mix in a bowl first if you are making a large batch so the herbs and bouillon do not settle unevenly in the bag.
Cornstarch thickens the cooking liquid into a sauce. Without it, you would still get flavor from the seasonings, but the finished dish would be thinner and less like the creamy skillet-style meals this mix is meant to mimic.
You can cut the sodium by choosing a lower-sodium bouillon, since that is the biggest salt source in the mix. I would not remove it entirely unless you plan to season each finished meal separately, because the mix will taste flat fast.
Short pasta works best because it cooks evenly in a skillet and holds the sauce well. Elbows, shells, rotini, and small penne are the practical choices, especially if you want that boxed-helper feel without the boxed-helper markup.
Toss it if it smells stale, looks darker than when you made it, or has hard damp clumps that do not break apart easily. Old dried herbs lose flavor before they become unsafe, so the biggest warning sign is usually a mix that smells like almost nothing at all.
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🖨️ Print-Friendly Homemade Hamburger Help Mix
Homemade Hamburger Help Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups nonfat dry milk
- 1 cup corn starch
- ¼ cup beef bouillon powder
- 2 tablespoons onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
Equipment
Instructions
- Measure the nonfat dry milk, corn starch, beef bouillon powder, onion flakes, dried basil, dried thyme, black pepper, dried parsley, and garlic powder into a large zip-top bag.
- Seal the bag and shake well until the ingredients are evenly combined.
- Transfer the mix to a vacuum-seal bag or another airtight container.
- Seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
A practical serving size is about 1/2 cup mix for 1 pound ground beef, which gives an estimated 7 uses per batch.
Prep time is an estimate based on measuring, mixing, and packing the dry ingredients.
For best quality, store airtight in a cool, dry place and use within 6 to 12 months.
Once prepared in a cooked beef dish, refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 3 to 4 days.
how much of this mix do you use per meal of the helper?
how much do you use of this mix when making hamburger helper thanks carol king
i also am wondering how much mix to use. i would like to use this recipe. thanks!
and do what with it???
get more information here.
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