A well-stocked pantry is an important part of keeping your grocery budget under control. Use this printable pantry staples list to stock up.
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These 49 pantry staples can be used to make a wide range of meals. Get a printable pantry staples list and read tips for stocking up without spending too much at once.
Every weekend, I make my weekly meal plan and grocery list. I stick to that plan most of the time, but even when I don’t, we usually have the ingredients to make something else instead. My pantry is small but well-stocked.
Aside from fresh produce and milk, I could probably go any single week without a trip to the store. Sure, we would probably eat some basic meals, but I could make it work.
Unexpected expenses, bad weather, holidays, and busy schedules happen. On those days, it’s important to have a few easy go-to meals that you can make with pantry staples so you don’t have to hit the drive-thru.
Regardless of your situation, a balanced stock of pantry staples can make or break your cooking routine. Here’s what I always have in my pantry.
What to keep stocked in your pantry
Dry goods
Beans – black, kidney, garbanzo, navy, and black-eyed peas, plus lentils
I have found that a one-pound bag of beans will make about five cans worth, but they take a long time to cook. If you have a tight budget, dry beans are cheaper. If you need something fast, canned is the way to go.
You can cook about a pound of dried beans in a slow cooker, divide them into meal-sized portions, and freeze them so you can just heat and go later. If you don’t have the freezer space, dry beans will last in your pantry for a year or two.
Rice – white and brown
I cook with both, depending on how much time I have to cook. White rice is done in 20 minutes while brown rice takes about 45. You can also cook rice in a pressure cooker or even bake rice in the oven.
Pasta – elbow, bowties, rotini, and spaghetti
Pasta lasts a long time and is an easy way to add filling to a meal. White, wheat and vegetable are usually easy to find. Specialty pasta like gluten-free or pasta made with cauliflower are becoming easier to find.
Crackers
I buy a mix of white saltines and wheat Ritz.
Cereal
My kids seem to eat their weight in cereal, but it’s also one of the cheapest things on my list. Cereal isn’t just for breakfast – it makes a good lunch at home or afternoon snack too.
Dried fruit – raisins, cranberries, cherries
Dried fruit is a great after-school snack or an addition to cold cereal, oatmeal, granola, or cookies.
Nuts – almonds, pecans, peanuts
Like dried fruit, nuts can be added to lots of things or eaten as a snack on their own.
Bottles and jars
Oil – olive, canola
We usually don’t cook with too much oil, a tablespoon here and there. For high-heat cooking, canola oil is good. For mixing into salad dressing, pesto, hummus, and other sauces, olive oil is a healthier and tastier option.
Vinegar – white distilled, red wine, balsamic, apple cider
You could get by with just a white and a red, but each has its own flavor nuances. White distilled vinegar is all-purpose, for salad dressing or when the flavor doesn’t matter much.
Red wine vinegar is its colorful counterpart, just like with drinking wine. Balsamic vinegar is good when you want something robust. Apple cider vinegar is good for sweeter applications.
Honey
I use honey in cooking and baking, and substitute it for corn syrup and sometimes regular sugar.
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is a food staple for most kids. Aside from the classic PBJ sandwich, it’s an easy way to make a snack like apple slices, toast, waffles, graham crackers, or regular crackers more filling.
Baking
Flour – all-purpose and whole-grain wheat
All-purpose flour is just as the name suggests and works for just about any recipe. Whole-grain wheat is healthier but has a denser texture when baked. If you’re looking for a compromise, you can mix equal parts of the two.
Cornmeal
We don’t go through this quickly, but it’s the only way to make cornbread.
Baking powder and baking soda
They’re very different, but both are important leavening agents for baking.
Sugar
White granulated sugar and raw sugar are good for all-purpose baking. Brown sugar is white sugar that’s had molasses added. Powdered sugar is white sugar that’s been ground more finely; it’s handy for making smooth frosting. You can make your own by blending regular white sugar in a blender.
Rolled oats
I use oats so much that I wrote a whole post about them. We use them in a lot of things besides oatmeal.
Breadcrumbs
I use both Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) and regular. Panko has bigger pieces and gives your food a crispy crust. You can make your own bread crumbs by toasting old bread (I use the heel ends) and pulsing it in the food processor.
Canned goods
Stock or bullion
I use mostly vegetable stock because it is neutral and goes with everything. Cans (or aseptic boxes) take up a lot of space, so if your pantry is tiny, buy bullion cubes. Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock is a tasty alternative to water for cooking rice, quinoa, couscous, and just about anything else. It’s also the perfect base for an anything-goes vegetarian soup.
Canned tomatoes
I buy petite diced because that is the only kind my kids will eat. We eat a lot of tomatoes and they don’t like the texture of tomato chunks. It is easy to turn diced tomatoes into a sauce with a whirl through the food processor.
Tomato paste
Tomato paste is essential for thickening pasta sauce, pizza sauce, and other tomato-based meals. If you hate opening a 5-ounce can for just a tablespoon, try this: When you open a can, put the leftovers in a snack-size zip bag in the freezer. Be sure to lay it flat and smooth out the sauce. It will last a while, so label it too. The next time you need some, just open the bag and snap off a piece.
Canned tuna
Tuna salad is an easy lunch that can have as many or few ingredients as you like. I also add tuna to a meatless supper sometimes to fill it out.
Canned chicken
Canned chicken has a different flavor and texture from fresh or frozen chicken. But, in a pinch, it can be used when chicken is just one ingredient in a dish, such as chicken noodle soup.
Dried herbs and spices
Note: I have about 30 or so herbs and spices in my pantry. I wrote a post on keeping a spice inventory. With these essentials, you can flavor just about anything.
- salt and pepper
- oregano
- basil
- thyme
- cumin
- cinnamon
- garlic
- onions
How to stock pantry staples
Stock up slowly.
Buy things as you need them and purchase extra when you’re running low. After a while, you will get a feel for how often you need certain things. I buy about 12 cans of tomatoes each month, but balsamic vinegar lasts us about three or four months.
Stick to your budget.
It’s easy to go overboard, especially when you want to fill your pantry. Set your grocery budget and decide how much you can spend on stocking up each week.
Keep it simple.
I try a lot of new recipes, so it’s tempting to buy every new ingredient. That can easily break my budget, though. I try to find recipes that use things I already always have, rather than buying a few things that will just sit in the pantry for months. I might also just leave something out if I probably won’t use it in a year (Sorry, capers).
Keep it organized.
If you don’t know whether you have soy sauce, you’ll probably buy one just in case. Group like items together and if your pantry is big, keep a pantry inventory list handy.
Label everything.
Of course, the original packaging for some things is all you need. Clear plastic containers are handy for keeping things fresh longer and seeing exactly how much you have left.
Download a one-page printable list with these 49 items, plus space to add your own family’s favorite items.
Get the printable
Print on 8.5×11-inch paper. All printables are for personal use only.
What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:
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