Cooking from scratch and maintaining a well-stocked pantry go hand in hand. Without basic pantry essentials, preparing meals from scratch can become quite challenging. A well-stocked pantry not only streamlines the cooking process but also helps avoid the frustration of realizing you’re missing key ingredients when it’s time to cook.
Frequent trips to the store every time you want to make something just isn’t practical, especially with our busy lives. It’s important to be able to step into the kitchen and whip up simple, homemade dishes without a hitch.
I’ve put together a list of what I consider pantry essentials—items I always keep on hand. Having these staples readily available makes meal preparation quicker and easier. Whether I plan my weekly menu in advance or decide on a dish last minute, I know I can rely on these ingredients.
What I love about these essentials is their versatility. I focus on multi-purpose items that can be used in a variety of meals. This approach not only simplifies cooking but also helps to keep grocery costs down, which is especially beneficial these days.
Use this list as a guideline and stock only the items your family consumes. Consider the foods you eat regularly and designate those as your pantry staples. If you’re embarking on learning to cook from scratch, your list of essentials is likely to expand along with your skills.
Beans/Peas
- Dry/Canned beans
- Dry peas
I like to keep several different types of beans. Here are a few that I like to keep on hand in my pantry.
- Pinto Beans
- Kidney Beans
- Black Beans
- Garbanzo Beans
- Navy Beans
- Lima Beans
- Black-Eye Peas
Rice/Grains
- White rice is always great to have on hand.
- Barley
Tomato Products
- Tomato Sauce
- Tomato Paste
- Diced Tomatoes
Pasta
I always have a few different shapes in my pantry like
- Spaghetti
- Macaroni
- Rotini
- Penne
- Egg Noodles
- Lasagna
Stocks
- Chicken
- Beef
- Vegetable
Breadcrumbs– Breadcrumbs are quite easy to make, if you run out of what you keep in your pantry you can always make some. I put the stale bread or hotdog/hamburgers buns in the freezer before they go bad and use them for breadcrumbs or croutons when I need them.
Canned Tuna Is great to keep on hand for quick, protein packed lunches.
As well as any other canned meats that your family may enjoy.
Flours I do a lot of baking, so I keep a few different flours in my pantry. You may not need any other flour besides All-Purpose if you do not do a lot of baking.
- All-Purpose
- Wheat
- Bread
Sweeteners
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Powdered Sugar
- Honey
- Maple Syrup
Cornmeal Plain, not Self-Rising
Oats
Peanut/Nut Butters
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Dry Instant Yeast
Corn Starch
Vanilla Extract
Oils and Vinegars
- Olive- A Cooking Olive Oil
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil is great for making vinaigrettes.
- Vegetable/Canola Oil
- Coconut Oil
- White Vinegar
- Apple Cider Vinegar
I do keep a few other flavored vinegars for cooking as well. They are great to have on hand to add additional flavor to dishes. I’ll list those here as well.
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- White Wine Vinegar
- Champagne Vinegar
- Red Wine Vinegar
Sauces– Here I have listed a few. There are so many more that are great to cook with.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Barbecue Sauce
Fresh Produce
- Potatoes
Russets are great all-purpose potatoes. They are good for making mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, potato wedges and more.
- Onions
- Garlic
- Limes
- Lemons
These are all essential for my pantry. This list is a great place to start and easily customizable to meet your family’s needs. I hope this list is helpful.
As I mentioned before, your pantry essentials will vary depending on what your family eats. A few staples that I keep in my pantry that I don’t have listed above are:
- Tortillas, flour and soft corn for making chicken wraps, tacos and more.
- Quinoa
- Coconut Milk
- Fish Sauce
Thanks for stopping by!