Have you ever come home from work full of intention and motivation to cook dinner at home, only to find an empty pantry and nothing to work with? Sometimes cooking at home sounds totally do-able, but making that extra stop at the grocery on the way home is where I lose steam. Making sure you have a few pantry staples can be that make-or-break factor between whipping up something homemade or grabbing your phone to order from Postmates, yet again.
Stock Your Kitchen: Pantry Staples
This list of pantry staples are the items that I like to keep on hand to help me whip up meals on the fly. They’re basic, versatile ingredients that are used frequently, are usually fairly inexpensive, and have a long shelf life (pantry, refrigerator, or freezer). Your personal list will take shape as you begin to cook regularly and develop favorite recipes or flavors. In the mean time, use this list as a guide for slowly building up your pantry over time. You don’t have to buy everything at once! Buy one or two items, as needed, but always check if you need to restock on these items before you do your weekly shop.
Need ideas for what to make with your pantry staples? Check out these 19 Quick and Easy Weeknight Dinners, designed specifically to use pantry staples and require little planning ahead!
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Dry Goods
Dry goods are usually the least expensive and most versatile ingredients in your kitchen. I like to buy these items from bulk bins, if possible, to cut down on packaging, and because I can buy any quantity needed. If you don’t have fancy containers to store your dry goods, don’t fret. A heavy duty zip top food storage bag will do the job. Just make sure they stay dry, cool, and away from sunlight because flavors and freshness don’t last forever.
- Flour: all-purpose, whole wheat
- Sugar: white, brown, confectioners (powdered)
- Rolled Oats
- Rice: long-grain white, brown, or jasmine rice
- Cornmeal
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Cornstarch
- Dry Beans: black, white (cannellini, navy), kidney, garbanzo
- Lentils
- Pasta
Oils, Vinegars, and Sauces
Oils, vinegars, and sauces are essential to giving life to your food. They add flavor, zing, and can be used to make a million different dressings and sauces that will liven up even the most boring meals. Again, these items are pretty basic and inexpensive, and most have an extremely long shelf life. Don’t worry yourself over buying top quality when you’re just starting out. Until you become more experienced in the kitchen and your taste develop, you may not be able to tell the difference between generic and high end. Stick to what you can afford and I promise you’ll still be able to make good food!
- Oils: vegetable or canola, extra virgin olive oil, toasted sesame oil, non-stick spray
- Vinegar: apple cider, red wine, rice, balsamic
- Soy Sauce*
- Worcestershire Sauce*
- Sriracha*
- Honey
- Mustard*: yellow, Dijon
- Mayonnaise*
- Hoisin Sauce*
- Peanut Butter*
*Refrigerate after opening
Herbs and Spices
Herbs and spices are my arsenal in the kitchen. They can turn boring, flavorless food into a drool-worthy creation. Spices have a fairly long shelf life, especially if kept in an air-tight container, away from heat and sunlight. There is no exact expiration date for herbs and spices, but a good way to determine their potency is to give them a sniff. If you can’t smell your spices, you won’t likely be able to taste them in your recipe, either. For super fresh and affordable spices, look for spices sold in bulk (this is becoming more popular in grocery stores) and check international grocery stores.
This list is highly personalized and will differ greatly depending on what kind of cuisine you like.
- Salt (fine sea salt and coarse kosher salt)
- Whole Peppercorns (with grinder – see photo above, far right)
- Basil
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Cumin
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper
- Smoked Paprika
- Cinnamon
- Curry Powder
- Chili Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Cocoa Powder
- Vanilla Extract
- Turmeric
Refrigerated Items
Obviously these ingredients don’t have as long of a shelf life as dry goods, but it’s good to keep them on hand.
- Milk: dairy or non-dairy
- Eggs (large)
- Butter
- Plain Yogurt
- Grated Parmesan
- Mayonnaise, Mustard (also listed under sauces)
- Shredded Cheese (can be kept in the freezer for long term storage)
- Tortillas (almost anything can be made into a quesadilla for a quick meal!)
Frozen Items
In lieu of trying to keep a variety of fresh vegetables on hand (keep dreamin’, Beth) I like to keep a variety of frozen vegetables on hand. Frozen vegetables are the next best thing to fresh because they don’t have any extra salt or preservatives added (make sure you’re not getting the kind that come with a sauce). They’re always there ready and waiting to be tossed into a soup, casserole, pasta dish, or even tossed onto pizza, without worry that they’ll go limp and begin to stink up the fridge.
- Spinach
- Broccoli Florets
- Fruit: blueberries, strawberries, peaches
- Shelled Edamame
- Corn Kernels
I also like to make sure I have a little meat stashed in my fridge for quick meals. When I encounter meat sales, I stock up and stash the goods in my freezer for later.
Canned Goods
I don’t use canned goods often, but they’re extremely convenient and usually fairly inexpensive, so they can certainly be a life saver. I try to stick to canned goods with as little additives as possible.
- Tomatoes: paste, diced, sauce, crushed/puréed
- Beans: black, kidney, white, garbanzo
- Pumpkin Purée
- Pasta Sauce (for when there’s no time to make your own)
- Coconut Milk
- Soup Base: I used Better Than Bouillon, chicken, beef, and vegetable. Refrigerate after opening.
So there you have it—my most valuable pantry staples that I rely on to get me through busy days and last minute meal requests. What about you? What have I forgotten? What ingredient can you not live without having on hand at all times?
Share yours in the comments below!
Post originally published 11-19-14, updated 7-5-18.
What kind of storage containers do you use for your dry food? Thank you for all you do!!
The clear containers with the white lids in the photo are made by Better Homes and Gardens and I think you can only get them at Walmart. But for a lot of things, like beans and some grains, I just keep them in their original bags and make sure to close them up tight if I don’t use it all (either with a rubber band, clasp, or by putting it inside a zip-top bag).
I also freeze freshly grated and shredded Parmesan. It stays dry, doesn’t clump and can be sprinkled on a dish right from the freezer.
Love it!
I don’t drink milk anymore, but I use it in recipes. I’ve recently started to keep powdered milk on hand to cook with. I don’t even make it into milk – I just add it to the liquid in any recipe (and maybe some butter) until the dish seems milky/creamy enough. I can make Alfredo Sauce any time I want it, without running to the store! There are lots of recipes/ways to use powdered milk online.
Years ago I bought an old-fashioned wooden bread box that sits on my kitchen counter. I use it for bread, muffins, and sweet rolls. They last for a long time without drying out or getting moldy and taste much better than bread that has been frozen.
I keep instant mashed potato flakes on hand. I take them out of the box and store in a canister. I use them all the time to thicken soups, gravies and stews. They dissolve instantly and can be added at the end of the cooking process. I usually start with 1-2 tablespoons, stir, and then add more one teaspoonful at a time. No need to cook first (like flour), or mix with liquid for a slurry, and since they are added at the end, there’s no burning/sticking to the bottom of the pan, and no burned or raw flour taste.
That is a great idea! Thanks for sharing (I always wondered about those when I saw them on the grocery shelves)
I always keep frozen peas on hand. I add them to most every soup I cook, and to almost every white pasta dish I make. I also keep fresh ginger in the freezer along with green onions which I dice up first. They’re not good for raw uses, but are great in soups/casseroles.
I also keep a variety of onions in my fridge in a plastic basket. The cold stops them from spoiling/sprouting for a LONG time, and I no longer cry when I cut them.
I also keep ketchup in the fridge. I use it to make barbecue sauce and as a tomato sauce substitute when I just need a small amount.
Some of my faves: Frozen peas, jarred pesto, canned tuna, fresh onions, garlic, and thanks to your Mac n cheese recipes I now always have those 6oz cans of evaporated milk and shredded cheddar so I can whip up Mac magic anytime without a box anytime 😬.
Thank you for all these great tips.
First time on this webside.
I would like recipe for in can from
Great list! Thank you. Do you have a printable version I can tape to the inside of a cupboard door?
I don’t, but I will put that on my to-do list! :)
I just discovered bake-at-home bread that stays in the pantry uncooked for months. Frozen bread is key, but fresh-baked is better. (I’m preparing for The Big One in Seattle.)
Jude
I am usually not a blog reader. However, your budget bytes is the best commentary on common sense cooking , etc. I have come across in many years.
Tips are especially good!! Thank you for all your hard work in putting together such a fine cooking/ home making support system for all of us.
Thank you!! That is one of the best compliments, ever. :)
I second Judith’s compliments. She took the words right out of my brain! I look forward to your posts and share lots of your recipes with my daughter who has a large family. I just signed up for your newsletter so I can get my Budget Bytes fix every day!
I love marjoram…. and frozen peas are always useful for the mushroom tuna casserole, or a quick pea sald, etc, etc, etc. (so much better than canned) Also, root vegetables last a long time in the crisper – carrots, beets, etc. I learned that wrapping celery in aluminum foil extends it’s life quite a lot!) Plus onions hold well at a cool temperature… and can be diced and frozen if they’re on their way out… no longer crisp, but find when sauteed)
What I have in my cabinets basically mirrors this list. I actually learned about toasted sesame oil from Budget Bytes and it’s added so much flavor to my food! One thing not listed is bread, which I find essential to have in the house. I live by myself and can’t finish a whole loaf quickly, so I store bread in the freezer. It’s easy to thaw a few slices at a time (just set it on the counter for ~30 min or zap in the microwave for a few seconds) or toast from frozen. That’s a game change for me!
I used to do that with bread, too! These days I just never really eat bread, but on the odd occasion that I do buy it, it goes straight into the freezer. :)
This is great! Matches up with what we also use regularly (probably since all of our recipes come from here, haha). We also store tofu in the freezer (thanks to a recent tip from you!) and it thaws surprisingly quickly when the package is set in warm water. I freeze beans (either that we cooked from dry or leftover from a can) in a ziploc in the freezer as well, since I often need or want some quickly. Just today, I broke off a small chunk and ran it under warm water to add to a salad. I do the same thing with diced onions– I hate chopping them, so I’ll usually do a bunch of onions at once in my food processor and then bag them up flat so that I can break off chunks when I need them for recipes. It saves SO much time and mess in the end. We also buy the jarred minced garlic that we keep in the fridge since we use it all the time and it’s a pain to chop. Finally, back when we weren’t vegetarian, it was awesome keeping bags of pulled chicken or pork in the freezer, and we’d usually have links of italian sausage frozen as well. Ok, I’m cutting myself off from rambling!
Wonderful tips! Thanks for the ramble! :) I’m sure it will be helpful to many.
Good list, Beth! I have most of the mentioned items in my pantry, and am pleased many other readers also freeze butter, ginger etc.
I would add that whole wheat flour and any whole grain should be refrigerated. Whole grains and whole grain flours are higher in natural fats which can turn rancid.
Chilled flour/grain should be brought up to room temp before using, This is easily done by measuring out the needed amount and leaving it on the counter until warmed up. In a pinch a microwave can be used to warm up the flour/grain.