Don’t know what to include in your pantry stock? Numerous essential ingredients for crafting nutritious and quick recipes are featured in the list of kitchen pantry items below, complemented by additional elements that enhance your impromptu dinners’ convenience and flavor.
Don’t have an ample pantry to accommodate all these items? You can narrow down this list to include your top choices or your go-to items, those you frequently utilize in your everyday cooking. This way, you can adequately stock a compact pantry without overwhelming the available room.
What to Stock in Your Pantry?
Oils, Vinegar, and Condiments
Oil, vinegar, and condiments play an essential role in facilitating the swift preparation of marinades, salad dressings, pan sauces, and various culinary creations.
In the realm of home cooking, having a diverse assortment of oils becomes particularly significant. Certain oils, such as extra-virgin olive oil, shine brightest when incorporated into dishes without heat, such as salad dressings or as a finishing touch on grilled chicken and fish. Conversely, canola oil stands as a high-quality option that can withstand the rigors of high-temperature cooking. The inclusion of flavorful nut and seed oils introduces a distinct and captivating dimension of taste to both salad dressings and stir-fry recipes.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Canola, avocado, or grapeseed oil
- Unsalted butter
- Mayonnaise (you might want to choose olive oil mayo, which has less saturated fat)
- Balsamic, rice, and cider vinegar
- Hot sauces (Sriracha or Tabasco)
- Dijon and whole-grain mustard
- Ketchup
- Nut and seed oils (toasted sesame oil or walnut oil)
- Reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- Fish sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Chile-garlic sauce
- Curry paste
- Olives
- Capers
- Barbecue sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
Seasonings
When you’re planning to stock up pantry, don’t forget the spices. Spices are very important, no matter what you like to cook. They can quickly make your food taste really good, whether it’s canned beans, roasted vegetables, or chicken. These items are the basics you need for your spice collection in your kitchen. But again, don’t be intimidated. You can narrow this list to what you usually use.
- Salt, including kosher salt, coarse sea salt, and fine salt
- Onions
- Fresh garlic
- Dried herbs (thyme, bay leaves, oregano, dill, crumbled sage, tarragon)
- Spices (ground cinnamon, chili powder, coriander seeds, ground coriander, ground cumin, curry powder, paprika, cumin seeds, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, turmeric, garlic powder, ground allspice, cinnamon sticks, caraway seeds, ground ginger, and nutmeg.)
- Citrus (lemons, limes, oranges for the zest and juice)
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Honey
- Fresh ginger
- Anchovies or anchovy paste
- Pure maple syrup
- Unsweetened cocoa powder, natural and/or Dutch-processed
- Bittersweet chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips
Canned & Bottled Goods
Canned foods are quite handy to have around in your pantry because they can stay fresh for a long time without going bad. When you’re in a rush or don’t have much time to cook, using canned goods can be a real time-saver. Another great thing is that even though they are convenient, they still provide you with important nutrients and a tasty flavor in your meals.
- Canned tomatoes, tomato paste
- No-salt-added diced tomatoes
- Beef broth, unsalted chicken broth, and/or vegetable broth
- Canned beans (chickpeas, cannellini beans, great northern beans, black beans, red kidney beans)
- Clam juice
- Light coconut milk
- Canned tuna (chunk light) and salmon
Grains & Legumes
Whole grains and legumes offer fiber, along with vitamins and natural plant compounds that help keep you healthy. They contain nutrients that are not as common in vegetables and fruits, so you might want to include them in your stock pantry list.
- Whole-wheat flour and whole-wheat pastry flour
- All-purpose flour
- Assorted whole-wheat pasta
- Brown rice and instant brown rice
- Rolled oats
- Whole-wheat breadcrumbs
- Whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs
- Pearl barley and/or quick-cooking barley
- Whole-wheat couscous
- Bulgur
- Dried lentils
- Cornmeal, polenta, and/or grits
- Dried beans (black, cannellini, garbanzo)
- Farro
- Quinoa
Nuts, Seeds, & Dried Fruit
Nuts and seeds are rich in protein, good fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. These food items can help you maintain a healthy body weight because your body doesn’t absorb all the fats in them (around 80% of the fats are absorbed), and they regulate food intake. Nuts and seeds also contain unsaturated fats and other nutrients that can protect your heart and lower your risk of diabetes.
Dried fruits are packed with essential oils, proteins, potassium, and calcium, which can boost your immune system. They also contain antioxidants, which help your body defend against different infections and illnesses.
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Almonds
- Dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
- Natural peanut butter and/or almond butter
- Hazelnuts
- Pine nuts
- Sesame seeds
- Tahini
- Assorted dried fruits, such as apricots, prunes, cherries, cranberries, dates, figs, raisins
Refrigerator Basics
Make sure your refrigerator stays at or below 40°F (4°C), and your freezer should be set at 0°F (-18°C). Stock your fridge with these ingredients listed here, as they can be easily used for making quick and convenient dinners.
- Low-fat milk or soymilk
- Unsweetened coconut or oat milk beverage
- Low-fat, nonfat plain or Greek yogurt
- Reduced-fat sour cream
- Good-quality Parmesan cheese and/or Romano cheese
- Sharp Cheddar cheese
- Eggs (large)
- Orange juice
- Blue cheese
- Water-packed tofu
Freezer Basics
Certainly, your freezer is also considered an extension of your kitchen pantry. It’s a cold storage space where you can prolong various foods’ freshness, providing extended opportunities and choices for utilizing them.
- Frozen vegetables (soybeans, spinach, peas, bell pepper, broccoli, and onion mix, corn, pearl onions, chopped onions, uncooked hash browns)
- Frozen berries
- Italian turkey sausage
- Fish fillets
- Whole-wheat pizza dough
- Frozen yogurt for impromptu desserts
- Whole-grain bread
Conclusion
You don’t have to empty your wallet by splurging hundreds of dollars shopping for your kitchen pantry stock all at once during a single grocery trip. Begin with the essentials and gradually grow and stock up your pantry as your cooking skills improve. As time goes by, you’ll discover that preparing meals from scratch becomes more manageable with the ingredients you already have available.
