Many of the most flavorful ingredients in my kitchen come in jars. Condiments, dill picklesolives, and sweet spreads are all staples in the door of my refrigerator.

I find myself reaching into the jars that hold these flavor boosters every week, and when one begins to dwindle, I often scrape the bottom to get those final bits of mustard or almond butter.

Especially during a time when grocery prices are rising, I refuse to waste even a little bit of anything, and the internet has provided me with a few of my favorite methods to make sure I use every ounce of deliciousness inside each jar I buy.

Thanks to creative home cooks on Instagram and TikTok, I’ve picked up a few tricks that help me make the most out of every condiment and pickle jar in my kitchen. Whether you’re buying jam, nut butter, pickles, chili crisp, or Nutella, these simple techniques will help that jar last a little longer.

Shaken peanut butter espresso

Skip the Starbucks line and a $7 coffee, and make yourself a nutty, rich beverage at home using your empty peanut butter jar. Pour hot espresso into the jar of peanut butter — or simply brew the shot directly into it — which will help melt the lingering bits of the spread, adding the perfect amount of flavor to your drink.

Add hot espresso, a sweetener, and your milk of choice to the jar. Screw the lid on tightly and shake vigorously until the mixture appears homogenous and frothy. Pour your peanut butter-infused coffee over ice and enjoy.

This method works well with any nut or seed butter, and while I haven’t tried it myself yet, I expect that Biscoff cookie butter would make a delicious shaken espresso too.

Chili crisp vinaigrette

I’m already a big advocate for always making vinaigrette in a Mason jar, and this version of a jar dressing helps use up every bit of the deeply savory chili crisp that’s stuck inside a container. This is the kind of no-recipe recipe you can improvise on your own; just make sure you’re adding at least some additional oil and vinegar to the jar.

Feel free to add black pepper, a touch of sweetener like honey, or multiple types of vinegar for complexity. Quite a few creators include some dashes of sesame oil for its nutty flavor. Once everything is in the jar, tighten the lid and shake aggressively, then taste to see if it needs anything else. Make sure you add salt to the salad dressing at the end, as the chili crisp might already provide enough salinity.

If you don’t have chili crisp available or don’t enjoy heat, this trick also works well with any leftover jars of Dijon or coarse-ground mustard.

Jam jar cocktail

Want to enjoy the kind of fruity notes you’d find in a craft cocktail at a great bar? You don’t need to make a fancy simple syrup or muddle any ingredients; just wait until you’re almost done with your next jar of jam.

This trick uses leftover jam in a jar as both a sweetener and a fruit-forward flavoring agent for an alcoholic drink. Add your spirit of choice, a squeeze of lemon or lime, and some ice to the jar with the leftover jam, then screw on the lid and shake well (a step that’s essential for nearly all these ideas).

Once the liquor and jam are thoroughly combined and the jar is chilled, top it off with a bubbly topper of your choice. Seltzer is the most straightforward option, but a citrusy soda or some Prosecco would be delicious too. To take things over the top, garnish with a slice of fruit or a sprig of herbs.

Make more pickles

Pickle brine is practically liquid gold, which means you shouldn’t let it go to waste. When you’ve eaten all the pickles from a jar and are left with a container full of brine, you can still get more use out of the vinegar and spices sitting inside.

Slice some cucumbers, carrots, onions, or radishes and add them to the leftover pickle brine. Let them sit in the fridge for at least a few hours — ideally a full day or overnight — and then enjoy your homemade quick pickles.

Nutella hot chocolate

Whether it comes from a packet or is made from scratch at your favorite cafe, hot chocolate is always delicious. One easy way to make it even better is with an infusion of hazelnut flavor.

Next time you have a jar of Nutella in the pantry with only a few morsels of the chocolatey spread left inside, head to the fridge and grab a carton of milk. Heat the milk until it’s steaming — not boiling, because you don’t want to burn it — either in the microwave or on the stovetop. Carefully pour the hot milk into the empty Nutella jar, then screw the lid back on.

Be careful when handling the Nutella jar. Since it’s made of plastic, heat can seep through easily, so it’s best to use a kitchen towel for grip. Shake the jar until the milk inside turns into a muted, cocoa-colored brown, then pour it into a mug.

If you find that the cocoa has cooled too much, you can quickly warm it in the microwave or pour it over ice and enjoy some Nutella chocolate milk.