Skip to Content

The Only Pantry Essentials Checklist You Need (All 101+ Items)

You + Sharing This = Us as Best Friends

Your pantry is the hub of your kitchen; it’s the go-to place for kids when they come home from school and the place you grab your late-night snack (c’mon, we all have a bag of chips stashed away somewhere). Making sure you have a properly stocked pantry is a key thing to keeping your household running efficiently. Here is our free pantry essentials list so you can be well-stocked on all of your household needs. 

Airtight Food Storage Containers, Vtopmart 7 Pieces BPA Free Plastic Cereal Containers with Easy Lock Lids, for Kitchen Pantry Organization and Storage, Include 24 Labels

List of Pantry Staples Checklist

With over 100 items that you can start to stock in your pantry. This list of pantry essentials can feel slightly overwhelming. Don’t worry about it. The best thing to do is start with the basics and add as you go.

This list of pantry essentials is designed to help you start stocking your pantry and add to it over time. If you don’t have some of these things, it’s all good; add it to your next grocery list. As you add one or two things to every shop, you will find that your pantry is soon fully stocked and ready for anything that can get thrown at it. 

 

Baking Supplies List

Basic baking items like flour, salt, sugar, eggs, etc…  are a must. These make up most of your recipes, from cakes to cookies and so many more things.  Here are the most common baking supplies listed for your convenience.

 

List of Oils and Vinegar

Even if you are cooking with the best non-stick cookware or waterless cookware, you will need some types of oils, vinegar, or broths to help you with your meals. Here are the most common ones you will want to have on hand in your pantry. 

  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Canola Oil
  • Sesame Oil
  • White Vinegar
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Sherry Vinegar
  • White Wine Vinegar
  • Malt Vinegar
  • Rice Vinegar
  • Chicken Broth
  • Beef Broth
  • Peppercorn
  • Kosher Salt

 

List of Drinks

This list could have gone on forever, but to keep it simple, we’ve kept it to the main groups of drinks that don’t need to be refrigerated. 

  • Coffee 
  • Coffee pods (For us Keurig coffee snobs 😉 
  • Tea
  • Green Tea
  • Juice
  • Powdered Drinks

 

List of Starches

Having a good stock of starches means that you will always have a side dish to go along with your meat and veggies. These are great to have and are very versatile in what you can do with them. FYI, Panko crumbs have taken some of our meals to the next level.

  • White Rice
  • Brown Rice
  • Long Grain Rice
  • Quinoa
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Panko crumbs
  • Polenta
  • Pasta
  • Couscous
  • Rice Noodles

 

List of Dry Goods

Dry goods are essential pantry staples. These are the most commonly found ones in most households and are often on your grocery list. Of course, there are likely some specialty things you may want (kelp chips, maybe???), but this is a great set of items to get you started. 

  • Cookies
  • Pretzels
  • Potato Chips
  • Marshmallows
  • Popcorn 
  • Breakfast Cereal
  • Peanut Butter
  • Almond Butter
  • Nut Butter (other kinds)
  • Seeds
  • Dried Fruit 
  • Applesauce
  • Fruit cups
  • Crackers
  • Bread 
  • Tortillas
  • Oatmeal
  • Rolled Oats
  • Pine Nut

 

List of Spices

Spices can transform our meals and make them go from awful o delicious. Having a well-stocked pantry means that you will need to have some essential spices. If you are starting in your first house, then having the basics (salt, pepper, and garlic powder) can take you a long way if you are new to cooking. Every Masterchef recipe seems to have those 3 things. If you are looking to up your pantry game, this list will help you stock up on your spices. 

 16-Jar Revolving Countertop Spice Rack Organizer with Free Spice Refills for 5 Years,

  • Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Granulated Garlic
  • Basil
  • Thyme
  • Oregano
  • Cumin
  • Chili Powder
  • Curry Powder
  • Bay Leaves
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Cajun Seasoning
  • Dill 
  • Cinnamon
  • Ginger
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Nutmeg
  • Paprika
  • Rosemary
  • Cloves
  • Onion Soup Mix

 

List of Canned Foods

A solid stocked pantry has enough canned goods to last a week or two (or more). Make sure you stock up on these items the next time you shop.

  • Black Bean
  • White Bean
  • Vegetable Broth
  • Olives
  • Capers
  • Salsa
  • Canned Tomato
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Tomato Paste
  • Tuna
  • Chicken
  • Chiles
  • Corn 
  • Anchovy

 

List of Dressing and Sauces

  • Salad dressing
  • Mayonnaise
  • Barbecue Sauce
  • Chipotle Sauce
  • Aioli Spread
  • Hot Sauce
  • Worcestershire Sauce

 

 

Kitchen Essentials

There are many other things you can have in your kitchen. To make sure you have them all, check out our Kitchen essentials checklist. It has everything you need for your kitchen, including refrigerated items.

New House Checklist

If you are looking to buy for the rest of your home, check out our new house checklist, it has over 200 things you will need for your new place. 

 

pantry essentials list

Need more checklists? Check these out:

You + Sharing This = Us as Best Friends

This post may contain affiliate links which go towards keeping this site running. Please see our Disclaimer and Privacy Policy for more. We are a member in the Amazon Affiliate Program. Thank you for your support!