How to Stock a Kitchen Pantry: A Basic List

You can tell a lot about a person by raiding his/her pantry. I love a full pantry, and the ones with plenty of Oreos, potato chips, and fruit snacks are delicious. However, they’re not very creative.

Instead of loading your pantry completely with processed and packaged foods, consider choosing fragrant dried spices, bold sauces to accompany your veggies and pasta, and diverse dried ingredients to make sweet treats and desserts.

Trader Joe’s has very inexpensive jars of spices, ranging from cinnamon to crushed red pepper flakes, and they’re all about $1.99. Consider TJ’s for your spice needs since their prices are unbeatable.

I’m not kidding when I say you can survive with these basic pantry items. You can pretty much whip up anything. I promise. You can count on it. I bet my entire collection of kitchen utensils on it. (that’s one serious bet, so take it)

Here’s a basic list for you to start your lush pantry:

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Pantry Stocking:

Spices:
☐ Salt
☐ Black Pepper
☐ Garlic powder
☐ Cayenne
☐ Paprika
☐ Curry Powder
☐ Cumin
☐ Dried Parsley
☐ Dried Oregano
☐ Dried Thyme
☐ Dried Rosemary
☐ Crushed red pepper flakes
☐ Cinnamon
Optional: Lemon pepperItalian seasoning, Onion powder, Poultry seasoning, Chili powder

Canned vegetables:
☐ Canned tomato paste
☐ Canned whole tomatoes
☐ Canned black beans, white beans

Prepared products:
☐ Soy Sauce
☐ Boxed stocks and broths(chicken, vegetable, beef)
☐ Marinara sauces
☐ Peanut Butter
☐ Dijon Mustard
Optional: Oyster Sauce and Fish Sauce (for Thai and Vietnamese food)

Liquid Ingredients:
☐ Honey (or Maple syrup, Agave syrup)
☐ Vanilla extract
☐ Balsamic Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar
☐ Olive Oil, Vegetable Oil

Dry Ingredients:
☐ Unbleached, all-purpose white flour
☐ Light or Dark Brown sugar
☐ White granulated sugar
☐ Powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
☐ Baking powder
☐ Baking soda
☐ Unsweetened cocoa powder

Carbs/Starches/Grains/Nuts:
☐ Sandwich breads
☐ Tortillas
☐ Dried pastas(e.g., orzo, spaghetti, whole grain pastas)
☐ Plain rolled oats
☐ Cornmeal
☐ White rice, brown rice
☐ Plain, unroasted almonds
Optional: Rice noodles, Soba noodles, Arborio rice, Quinoa, Couscous, Black beans, White beans, Kidney beans

Sweet items:
☐ Chocolate Chips
☐ Dried raisins
☐ Dried cranberries

Miscellaneous:
☐ Teas (e.g., Green tea, Black tea, English Breakfast tea)

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