Pantry Staples to Always Keep On Hand

Pantry staples to keep on hand so you’ll always be able to make a quick meal! These are the items to stock your pantry with when you go shopping. These frugal pantry staples will help you save money on your grocery bill and help you with your meal planning.

Pantry Staples

The following pantry staples are the food items I like to always have available in my pantry. With these simple supplies, I can make a variety of wholesome meals to feed my family.

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Flour

I buy both whole grains (to grind into flour with my grain mill), and unbleached flour that’s already milled.

Oats

We buy old fashioned rolled oats from our food co-op. I love keeping this on-hand for homemade granola bars, granola, cookies, and baked oatmeal.

Rice

My husband and I usually eat riced cauliflower for fewer carbs, but my kids love rice, so I keep it in the pantry. It’s a great way to stretch a meal when you’re feeding growing children.

Dried Beans

Dried beans are one of the most frugal pantry staples ever! Great for frugal dishes like Caribbean Beans and Rice or chili.

Our favorite dried beans are black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans, but we sometimes also have green and yellow split peas, lentils, and Great Northern or navy beans.

Popcorn

We buy popcorn kernels in bulk from our food co-op and make popcorn on the stove top in one of these or in an air popper.

Pasta

I primarily buy whole grain spaghetti noodles, but occasionally we also have other types of pasta in our pantry.

Baking Powder

So many quick breads call for baking powder that I buy this in bulk.

Baking Soda

We use this for recipes and also as a natural cleaner. I wouldn’t be without baking soda!

RELATED: 15 Surprising Uses for Baking Soda

Yeast

I use this in my homemade bread recipe.

Spices

We keep a large variety of spices in our pantry, including onion and garlic powder, paprika, oregano, basil, cinnamon, parsley, and cumin (to name just a few).

Honey

We buy raw local honey from the Amish.

Sugar

Both regular sugar, Sucanat, coconut sugar, and stevia are all on our list of pantry staples.

Salt

This Himalayan sea salt is my favorite.

Cocoa Powder

We use cocoa powder in so many recipes!

Vanilla

I’ve been making my own for years. It’s easy! Here’s how.

Coconut Oil

I use coconut oil for baking, frying, and just about everything! We keep both virgin and refined coconut oil on-hand.

Olive Oil

This is great for salad dressings.

Vinegar

Both white vinegar and apple cider vinegar are so useful. I use the white vinegar for natural cleaning products as well as recipes.

RELATED: Make Your Own Cleaning Products

Canned Tomatoes

So many recipes use canned tomato products that I try to always keep them on the shelves.

Canned Meat

I keep canned chicken and tuna in our pantry for quick and easy pantry meals like tuna or chicken salad.

Canned Beans

In addition to dried beans, I also like to keep a variety of canned beans on hand. These include kidney beans, refried beans, and a variety of white beans for different recipes.

Onions

We use so many onions!

Garlic

I also love having fresh garlic available for recipes.

Potatoes

Potatoes are another one of the most frugal pantry staples.

Nuts and Seeds

I keep a variety of nuts and seeds available for snacks and also homemade granola.

Dried Fruit

We mostly use dried fruit in homemade granola and granola bars.

Chocolate Chips

We use these for homemade chocolate chip cookies, granola bars, chocolate chip bars, and other recipes.

Tortillas

You can do so many things with tortillas, including bean burritos and egg burritos.

Tortilla Chips

Our whole family loves chips and salsa! We also eat quite a bit of taco salad, so we pretty much always have tortilla chips on hand.

Refrigerated Items

In addition to all of the pantry staples above, here’s what I like to always have on-hand in the refrigerator.

• Butter
• Yogurt
• Nut milk
• Milk
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Cream cheese
• Sour cream
• Lemon juice
• Lettuce and other produce
• Condiments, including mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, etc.

Freezer Staples

Here’s what I like to keep my freezer stocked with:

• Homemade chicken stock
• Frozen vegetables
• Meat
• Frozen fruit and berries

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You can make so many meals with this list of basic pantry staples!

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