How To Stock a Pantry
As a nutritionist and Avon Wellness Consultant I teach clients and customers how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Stocking a healthy pantry is one of the tools I share with clients transiting into a fresh real clean whole plant based lifestyle. Below is a simple quick guide to help you get started.
Keep these ingredients on hand in your kitchen pantry so you can make a delicious, nutritious meal every night of the week.
I tell my clients all the time that just because life is busy, dinner doesn't have to be. A well-stocked pantry is the best way to ensure you'll have everything you need to make a healthy and flavorful dinner every night, even on the busiest weeks when stopping at the grocery store just isn't realistic. A combination of classic pantry staples (like canned tomatoes, chicken broth and canned beans) and flavor-boosting convenience items (like herb mixes, soy sauce and jarred pesto) are key to keeping your kitchen dinner-ready full of healthy foods. No need for expensive takeout when you have what you need to make a healthy dinner at home.
This kitchen pantry list below includes many of the items you need to prepare healthy recipes, plus a few other ingredients that will make impromptu meals easier and more delightful. If you're building a healthy pantry from scratch, start with the basics and slowly expand your pantry with some of the other ingredients as you're trying new recipes and cooking techniques.
Pantry Basics
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Canola or grapeseed oil
- Unsalted butter
- Mayonnaise (olive-oil mayo has less saturated fat)
- White, red-wine, white-wine and cider vinegars
- Sriracha
- Dijon mustard
- Ketchup
Extra
Flavorful nut and seed oils, such as toasted sesame oil and walnut oil
- Balsamic and rice-wine vinegars
- Reduced-sodium soy sauce
- Fish sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Chile-garlic sauce
- Curry paste
- Kalamata olives and green olives
- Capers
- Barbecue sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Hot sauce
Pantry Basics
- Salt, including Kosher salt, coarse sea salt and fine salt
- Black peppercorns
- Onions
- Fresh garlic
- Dried herbs: bay leaves, dried thyme leaves, dried oregano, Italian seasoning blend
- Spices: chili powder, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, curry powder, dry mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, turmeric, garlic powder
- Citrus: Lemons, limes, oranges. The zest is as valuable as the juice. Organic fruit is recommended when you use a lot of zest.
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Honey
Extra
- Fresh ginger (store in the freezer for longer life)
- Anchovies or anchovy paste for flavoring pasta sauces and salad dressings
- Dried herbs: dill, crumbled dried sage, tarragon
- Spices: allspice (whole berries or ground), caraway seeds, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, ground ginger, nutmeg, za'atar
- Pure maple syrup
- Unsweetened cocoa powder, natural and/or Dutch-processed
- Bittersweet chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips
Pantry Basics
- Canned tomatoes, tomato paste
- No-salt-added diced tomatoes
- Reduced-sodium chicken broth, beef broth and/or vegetable broth
- Canned beans: cannellini beans, great northern beans, chickpeas, black beans, red kidney beans
Extra
- Clam juice
- Light coconut milk
- Canned tuna (chunk light) and salmon
Pantry Basics
- Whole-wheat flour and whole-wheat pastry flour
- All-purpose flour
- Assorted whole-wheat pastas
- Brown rice and instant brown rice
- Rolled oats
- Whole-wheat breadcrumbs
- Whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs
Extra
- Pearl barley, quick-cooking barley
- Whole-wheat couscous
- Bulgur
- Dried lentils
- Yellow cornmeal
- Dried beans (black, cannellini, garbanzo)
- Polenta
Pantry Basics
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Almonds
- Dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
- Natural peanut butter
- Extra
- Hazelnuts
- Pine nuts
- Sesame seeds
- Tahini
- Natural almond butter
- Assorted dried fruits, such as apricots, prunes, cherries, cranberries, dates, figs, raisins
Fridge Basics
- Low-fat milk or soymilk
- Unsweetened coconut or oat milk beverage
- Low-fat or nonfat plain or Greek yogurt
- Reduced-fat sour cream
- Good-quality Parmesan cheese and/or Romano cheese
- Sharp Cheddar cheese
- Eggs (large)
- Fridge Extra
- Orange juice
- Blue cheese
- Dry white wine
- Water-packed tofu
Freezer Basics
- Frozen vegetables: edamame soybeans, peas, spinach, broccoli, bell pepper and onion mix, corn, chopped onions, small whole onions, uncooked hash browns
- Frozen berries
- Italian turkey sausage
- Fish fillets
- Falafel
- Whole-wheat pizza dough
- Freezer Extra
- Fruit-juice concentrates (orange, apple, pineapple)
- Sliced prosciutto to flavor fast pasta sauces
- Frozen yogurt for impromptu desserts
- Whole-grain bread
