There’s nothing worse than starting a recipe and not having basic ingredients. Print this checklist to make sure you have all of the pantry staples!
We’ve spent the last few weeks going over some of the basics when it comes to cooking and the supplies you use. Now let’s make sure you have all of the pantry staples before you start cooking and realize you are out of essential foods.
This is an extensive list, but it’s assuming you are working with an empty pantry. It can also be used as a checklist to make sure you have the basics. These are the foods that I make sure to never run out of. As soon as they start to get low, they immediately go on the shopping list.
Since this list is all pantry items, they are mostly foods that have a pretty long shelf-life. Trust me, one container of baking soda will last a long time. I’ve only bought it a few times in the last few years.
This list of pantry staples is also great for when you move. A lot of times you will use up a lot of the food or not want to pack it up. It’s a great list to start with when you go grocery shopping for the first time in your new home.
Originally Published On: April 24, 2018
Last Updated On: June 15, 2021
List of Pantry Staples
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Bread
- Brown sugar
- Canned beans (pinto, black, refried)
- Chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
- Cider or white vinegar
- Cocoa powder
- Cornstarch
- Dry milk
- Flour
- Granulated sugar
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Oats
- Olive oil
- Pasta
- Peanut butter
- Powdered sugar
- Rice
- Salt
- Tomato sauce, paste, and canned tomatoes
- Vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil
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To help keep all of your staples lasting longer, it helps to make sure they are in airtight containers. Obviously, anything that’s canned is already airtight as long as it isn’t opened yet. But once you open something, you want to make sure it’s sealed well so it doesn’t go bad before you can use it.
I prefer to transfer everything to containers as soon as I get it home. I’ve even started putting the flour and sugar into them right away. A few years ago we ended up getting bugs in the pantry. They got into everything that wasn’t airtight including the bags that the flour and sugar are packaged in.
I also use a lot of mason jars and leftover glass jars. Anytime we use up something in glass, I clean the jar and save it for later.
The airtight containers can get expensive if you try to purchase all at once. So I got one new set every time I went to the store until I had what I wanted. I am still short a few pieces. But I am working on transitioning away from plastic.
I have a lot less pantry staples than you, but some how WE HAVE SO MUCH STUFF IN OUR PANTRIES! LOL!!! I don’t know how that happened – ha! My staples: canned fish, olive oil, erythritol, herbs and spices… And um, for me that’s like IT – but my husband has some stuff in there I don’t even look at!
When you’re working with such dietary needs, I know it’ll look quite a bit different, for sure!
This is a great list! This is what my pantry looks like!
Thanks, Heather! It helps to have it all listed out when you need to do a refresh of the pantry.
This is such a great list, so awesome to have this as a reminder for what I need to get or what I’m running low on!
I use it for that a lot, too!
This is a great list! We just moved to a new state and our kitchen is being remodeled, so I have very few of these things but once it’s done, I’ll be checking this list.
That’s what I originally used the list for, when we moved from one state to another and needed to completely restock the pantry.
I have been working on reorganizing my pantry — it’s been a slow process. The upside is I know what i have and what I need to purchase.
That’s on my list to do soon. My pantry needs some reorganizing soon!
Great article! definitely adding this to our pantry. thanks for the free checklist.
Happy to help!
This is a great list. There’s some of these I need to restock in my pantry.
It helps to have it all written out to know what you have and what you need.
What a great list! I’m going to send it to my daughter who recently moved into a new apartment. This will help her get organized!
That’s a great idea! The list has helped me anytime we’ve moved and needed to restock our kitchen.
Thanks for sharing this great list. Always need a list to remind me when something is running low. This will help me a lot!
Yes, it’s a great way to take stock of what you have in the pantry and what you may need soon.
This is a super helpful list. Thank you for putting this together. Very helpful!
You’re welcome! I love having lists to check off.
My pantry is shamefully bare. I rarely cook at home so my cupboards are filled with ketchup and soy sauce packets. I have to do better. I like the idea of transferring dry goods into air-tight containers. I do that with my sugar, which I keep on my counter for easy coffee service access. Pancake mix too, now that I think about it. I love pancakes.
I love transferring the dry goods because it tends to keep them good longer and I can see what I have easier.
Glad to know I have pretty much all of these pantry staples! I absolutely love pasta so we’re always stocking up.
We have so much pasta right now! It’s a half a box of this and a half a box of that, but we do a lot of pasta, too!
Awesome list! I pretty much have all of these items and more lol when you are of mixed ethnic backgrounds you tend to have extra spices.
Oh, I’m sure you do! I have more spices, too, but those are the ones that I find most common among everyone.
I need to take this list to the store with me! I’m missing so many of these items.
April
It’s a great way to make your next grocery list!
Before we were told to stay home, we didn’t even think twice about what was in our pantry. Now we’re all about keeping it stocked with essentials! Plus a whole lot of baking stuff for me 🙂
I’ve always thought a bit about what was in there, since we cook from home so much. But this has really brought the idea to light recently. Especially when I can’t get some of my staples.
oh I thought I had everything in my pantry, I was so mistaken!!! Amazing list, thank you so so much…Heading to Amazon now lol
These are the things I don’t allow to run out of. Each house may be slightly different, but these are a great base!
Bread and honey are two things I always stock up in my pantry. They are pantry staples in our home.
Definitely! We’ve had a harder time finding bread right now, so when I do I buy 2 loaves and freeze one. I don’t like freezing bread most of the time, but it’s better than not having any!
Yep all things we try to always have on hand. When my husband says “we have nothing to eat” Im like nope we have tons 🙂
I get the same thing from my husband and kids, too!
It is so important to keep pantry staples available at all times. There is nothing worse than missing a key ingredient at the last minute!
Yes, that is the worst time to find out you are missing something!
The list is such a great idea, and so useful! It’s always handy to be stocked up with these things.
I use this list any time I feel like we are starting to really run low on things in the pantry to make sure I don’t miss something on the grocery list.
This reminded me to raid our pantry and see if we’re missing something. haha thanks for the checklist!
I do that about once per month, especially when I am making a big grocery list!
These are all must haves for the pantry! I love the checklist. I am doing some organizing this weekend so I will put it to use!!!
I plan to do some major kitchen organization in the next week as well and checking all the expiration dates as I do it.
I love a great checklist! This is such a helpful resource.
I love lists, too! It’s so organized and fun to mark things off as you go.