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
Related Posts
You can make so many meals with this list of basic pantry staples!
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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here. Sharing here.
These are some great ideas! I like to keep many of these as well.
We actually buy bulk popcorn and use it to grind into corn meal.
Thanks for bringing this to the Homestead Blog Hop and continue being featured this week!
Laurie
Great idea to grind your own cornmeal!
Good post Joy. I love having a pantry for backup.
Would you consider adding this post to my Friday with Friends link party? It opens on Friday morning at 8am MT.
Thanks
Rachelle
This is a great list and everything looks pretty in jars. Thanks for sharing at #omhgww. Pinned & tweeted. See you next week.
Thank you, Clearissa!
When COVID hit, having pantry staples at home was a life saver. We were even able to share with our neighbors. This is a great list! And I am more than a little jealous that you can get your raw honey from the Amish. Thanks for article! -Andrea
Having a stocked pantry really makes life easier! We love being able to buy from the Amish, although I’d love to have our own bees someday!
These are all must haves for me as well! I always have a bunch of rice, beans, and baking supplies ready to go in the pantry.
Jenna ♥
Stay in touch? Life of an Earth Muffin
Thanks for stopping by, Jenna!
Thanks for sharing! Having a stocked pantry is so crucial for cooking from scratch. I love always the having ingredients on hand to make anything I want!
Thanks for stopping by, Melissa!
I have been doing better with keeping a fuller pantry lately. thanks for sharing
So glad it was helpful!
Thanks for sharing, I know theirs a few items I need to add to my grocery list!
So glad it was helpful!