11 Items Needed In Your Pantry
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Today, I’m sharing 11 essential items to have in your pantry. Sometimes, we need to see lists repeatedly before saying, “Oh my gosh, I forgot that one.” Knowing which items to buy can be helpful if you want to stock your pantry with essentials. However, if you’re unsure what to put in your pantry, check out this list of the 11 essential items you need to prepare various meals for yourself and your loved ones.
Update: We’ve moved into our new house, and since it’s smaller than our last one, I’m scrambling to find a spot for all my belongings, particularly in the kitchen. I have one of my 40-inch-tall, 36-inch-wide, and 18-inch-deep rolling racks in the living room/kitchen area. You know, where you watch TV, eating popcorn with food storage next to the couch (see picture)? It’s no big deal. I have to laugh because the food means more to me than decorations. That’s how I roll, literally.
11 Items Needed In Your Pantry
1. Pasta
Always keep pasta in your pantry, as you never know when you might need it to complete a meal or even make a quick pasta salad. You can buy different types of pasta, including spaghetti, fettuccine, macaroni, rotini, and more. It’s always good to have a versatile selection of pasta in the pantry. Don’t forget that you can also make homemade soups and add pasta to them, complete with meat, vegetables, and seasonings.
One of the things I like about pasta is how far a package goes. You take a handful of spaghetti and cook it for dinner, and it feels like you could feed the neighborhood—a very cost-effective item for your pantry.
2. Seasonings
Be sure to select a variety of seasonings that will enhance the flavor of your food. Some of the best herbs include pepper, garlic powder, seasoning salt, cayenne pepper, cajun seasoning, and garlic salt. Then, you can grab what you like to use on your favorite foods. Even if you’re on a budget, you can find most spices at low prices if you check store ads and are willing to try your favorite store’s brand name. Another place to check for special deals is at the dollar store.
3. Chicken, Beef, and Vegetable Bouillon Cubes
Buy some chicken bouillon cubes and keep them in the pantry for use in various meals. For example, toss them in boiling water to prepare the chicken broth for soups and other meals. Please add them to a pot with rice to enhance the flavor, and use them in other meals to elevate the flavor to the next level.
Once you start using chicken bouillon cubes in your cooking, you won’t want to go back to those old bland meals of times past. Chicken Bouillon Cubes.
And don’t forget beef and vegetable bouillon cubes. They add a great deal of flavor to many meals.
4. Canned Vegetables
Collect canned vegetables on sale and then keep them in the pantry. Then, you can serve heated canned vegetables as a side dish with some of your favorite foods, including chicken, pork chops, turkey breast, and meatloaf. The last few times I’ve been to several local grocery stores, they’ve all had full-scale case goods sales. Please take advantage of them NOW.
While canned vegetables may not have the fresh taste of fresh vegetables, they’re still delicious and nutritious. To ensure you have something healthy and flavorful to put on your plate, consider adding canned peas, carrots, beets, green beans, and more.
In case you missed this post, Canned Foods I Highly Recommend You Store
5. Boxed Cake Mix
It’s always beneficial to buy boxed cake mixes on sale and keep them in your pantry, as you never know when you’ll need to make a cake in a hurry. If your kids are in the mood for something sweet or someone’s birthday is approaching, you have the cake mix ready to go, and you can prepare a delicious dessert easily by following the box instructions.
However, you can also mix the boxed cake with minimal ingredients, such as one can of your favorite soda. It tastes good and is perfect for a pinch when you don’t have eggs or milk for the batter. Or use your dehydrated eggs and instant milk.
October is a month when my favorite Duncan Hines brand of cake mixes is typically on sale for $2.00, two for the price of one. They only do it once a year, so I like to buy 12 boxes to get me through months of special holidays, birthdays, or other events calling for a cake.
6. Beans
Start stocking your pantry with various types of beans, such as black beans, pinto beans, and red kidney beans. You can prepare side dishes with them, add them to rice, and incorporate them into various recipes, such as slow cooker meals and casseroles. Beans are good for you, containing essential vitamins and nutrients that can improve health. Most varieties of beans are also a great source of protein.
7. Peanut Butter
As long as no one in the household has a peanut allergy, it’s good to have a peanut butter container or two in the pantry.
For example, peanut butter is an excellent ingredient for making homemade cookies or cakes, adding that distinctive peanut butter taste to these baked treats. It’s also great to spread on crackers or serve with fruit and veggies.
Who doesn’t love peanut butter and jelly/jam sandwiches, right? Harry freezes his peanut butter jars in bags and removes the air (FoodSaver) before placing them in the freezer. Here is another way to extend the life of your peanut butter.
8. Canned Tomatoes
Don’t forget about canned tomatoes! The canned tomatoes are fantastic in the pantry because you can add them to soups and stews to enhance the flavor. There are different variations of canned tomatoes, including stewed and diced options. In addition, canned tomatoes are typically inexpensive.
9. Hot Sauce/Salsa
If you like a little spice in your food, consider buying your favorite hot sauce or salsa and keeping it stocked in your pantry. Then, you can add it to nearly anything, such as fried chicken, rice, tacos, and other flavorful foods, to easily enhance the flavor and the “heat” of your food.
10. Brown Rice
Be sure to buy brown rice and store it in a container in your pantry. You can make traditional brown rice or prepare variations by adding ingredients and spices, such as vegetables, soy sauce, garlic powder, and more.
Brown rice is a great side dish to serve with vegetables, meat, or fish, such as chicken, salmon, flounder, and pork. But, of course, you don’t need to eat meat with it. You can even add it to homemade burritos to make them more fulfilling if you’d like.
Remember, brown rice has a relatively short shelf life due to the oil in the bran layer, typically lasting only about six months. I would store it in the freezer.
11. Flour
Finally, flour is one of the most important staples of all time to have in your pantry. You can do so much with flour, such as preparing pancakes, making waffles, coating chicken before frying it, making a cake from scratch, and so much more.
It’s a valuable ingredient for making homemade gravy or thickening up some of your favorite soups. Because many recipes require a bit of flour, you can’t go wrong with having it in your house. I prefer bread flour and use it in most of my recipes that call for flour. I enjoy making homemade bread, so having bread flour in the pantry is natural for me; however, I also use it in other flour-based recipes.
Final Word
When you plan to stock up on the essentials and add them to your pantry, these are the 11 items you need. Of course, you don’t have to rush out to the store and buy them all at once, but consider purchasing these items when you can find them on sale to get the best price.
When you have these staples in your closet, you have what you need to make all kinds of meals for yourself and your loved ones. Additionally, you’re likely to have all the necessary ingredients when following various recipes. May God bless this world, Linda
Copyright Images: Spaghetti and Rice Depositphotos_216187588_s-2019
Linda, this is a good list! I don’t keep brown rice on hand as it doesn’t last as long as white rice, but I do prefer it’s taste. With beans and rice, a little seasonings, you can make some really good foods. Yum. We keep Suddenly Salad on hand. I buy it up when it’s on sale. Last time, it was $1 a box. I do add some chopped onion to it. You can make it from scratch. It’s easy. The original, I use pasta, and Italian dressing. Add some chopped onion and olives and it’s so good. Of course you can add whatever you want to it. I like chopped broccoli in mine. And have used Finley grated carrots.
I keep garlic powder, not salt, on hand, as well as dehydrated onion. I also like to keep beef bouillon cubes in my pantry.
Hi Deborah, oh my gosh, I forgot you told me about Suddenly Salad. I used to buy that and loved it! Thanks for the reminder! I like beef bouillon cubes as well. We can cook just about anything, anytime, anywhere. Life is so good! Linda
Yes, we can cook almost anything we want. And add ins is just a bonus. I have the spices that I need to make Taco seasoning as well as a few others. I do like making my own mixes. Easy and I know what’s in them.
Hi Deborah, that is so true. It’s so easy to make them and yes, indeed, we know what’s in them! Linda
I always have garlic powder and showed a person just last week how to make bread for spaghetti I fixed when you have no bread.
Loaf bread, butter, and garlic powder.
I just treat it like toast. Delicious..better than garlic bread; lots cheaper.
HI JayJay, great tip! I love making garlic bread with regular bread! I even cut the bread into slices so my kids could dip the bread in the spaghetti sauce! Now I want to make some!! Linda
Hi Linda:
I don’t keep bouillon cubes because they have too much salt. I also don’t keep Hot Sauce or Picante Sauce I can make my own Picante Sauce that tastes better then store bought and my family likes it better. When I make it I buy 2 #10 cans of tomatoes, cilantro, Garlic and some chilli peppers that I buy locally. I also don’t like Garlic Powder or Garlic Salt. I use Granulated Garlic and Granulated Onion. They really do taste better than Garlic Powder and Garlic Salt. One funny thing about my Picante Sauce is that I never had a recipe. My daughter brought some home one time and I read the ingredients and I put so much of this and that and it turned out great. Now my family won’t eat store bought picante sauce. Of course I use New Mexican Chili’s
Hi Jackie, oh my gosh, homemade Picante would always be better!!! Now my mouth is watering, I love Picante Sauce!! Great comment! Linda
After researching the web to find the perfect salsa recipe to can, someone recommended Mrs.Wages salsa seasoning packet (they sell it at Walmart or Smith and Edwards if you live in Utah). It’s a game changer. Just follow the directions. I did add some additional cilantro to it and chose the medium heat. Highly recommend!
Hi Bridgett, oh my gosh, I love that brand! I have never canned it but I used to buy it at Ace Hardware in Southern Utah. I have a Smith & Edwards near me, oh I lOVE that store! Thanks for the reminder of that great product! It is really good! Linda
I love this list- added some things to shop for! I know you have a connection to amazon but do you know of any small/family businesses that sell similar items that you can post a link to? Amazon is unfairly crushing these small stores & they are really struggling, I’d like to help them out too! Appreciate your articles/newsletter so much!
Hi Suzanne, that’s a great idea. When I know the companies and have used their products, I would love to use their links. Great idea! Linda
Suzanne:
I don’t know where you live but we have a Albertsons, a Lows Grocery Store, and a store called Smokies near where we live in New Mexico. I used to go to Smokies all the time but they grew and stopped selling their Anistazi beans so we don’t go there anymore.
Linda,
I’m with Deborah on the brown rice. I only use white rice for long term storage–in mylar bags with O2 absorbers.
I have vacuum sealed pasta but have found simply putting it in glass jars with O2 absorbers keeps it from getting buggy during long term storage.
I’d add beef bouillon cubes to the list–if you can find them. They are completely out of stock at our stores.
Oh I got a surpirse when I was out fertilizing my Asparagus beds today. New spears are coming up. Looks like I’ll be getting a second asparagus crop this year.
Hi Ray, yes, I only buy a small bag of brown rice every few years because it goes bad so quickly. You know, I’m glad you mentioned the beef bouillon, I had a hard time finding any bouillon when I started making my soups in a jar. Oh, man, a second asparagus crop! Squeal! I love it! Linda
Linda,
When you get to your new place plant a Purple Passion Asparagus bed. You won’t be sorry.
Hi Ray, oh, I will check with you for sure on which ones to plant. I tried asparagus here and it did fairly well. I will try the type you mentions. Thank you, my friend, Linda
I wonder if brown rice would last longer in the freezer??
H JayJay, yes it would last longer in the freezer. It’s like nuts, I keep them in the freezer because of their oil content. Linda
Why only chicken bouillon cubes?
I buy containers of loose or powdered bouillon. I also use beef bouillon and vegetable bouillon.
Hi Madeline, I added beef to the post. I should add vegetable bouillon now, thank you. Sometimes, it’s 2:00 am in the morning and I’m trying to beat the clock before it goes live at 5:00 am. Thanks for the reminder. Linda
I’ve got to add #12 and #13: oils and sweeteners. Oils can be olive, vegetable, lard, shortening or spray , etc. Sweeteners can be white or brown sugar, honey, stevia, even artificial sweeteners. I’d faint (lol) if I went to cook almost anything and needed one of these to find I was out. Loved your list as you listed a lot of types of each category.
Hi Wendy, yes we need oils and sweeteners for sure!!! I love it!! I have a sweet tooth and I love to bake so you nailed it! Linda
Linda,
I forgot to mention I’d add Old Fashioned Oatmeal–the kind you cook. I’m not much for steel cut oats touted by many others but regular oatmeal stored in jars with O2 absorbers lasts a very long time without going bad.
Hi Ray, I have stored both types of oatmeal, but I’m with you, I love the regular old-fashioned oats! Love it! Linda
I am in south Ky, central. I have never found a store here that has case sales.
That peanut butter stores well in the freezer–I am eating generic BB 2015 right now.
I have so many canned tomatoes, I didn’t can any this summer…I could eat spag. type pasta with tomatoes every day.
My flour is White Lily and if you weren’t aware, this makes real southern biscuits. When the covid scare began in 2020 with stores being crazy with their restrictions, I bought several bags at Walmart, put two in the freezer and vacuum sealed the others in pint canning jars-the right size for two, but now I don’t need for two. Lasts longer for me now.
Enjoy the great fall weather.
Hi JayJay, oh I need to look for some White Lily flour, thanks for the tip!! I like your tip on putting peanut butter in the freezer!!!! I love pasta with tomatoes, sounds so good right now! I think the case lot sales are more out here in the west. Unless the stores see a need for them they will not order case lot sale products. I have bought them in Utah for over 50 years, so there is a need here for sure. And the bonus, is they are name brands typically 1/2 price. Linda
Chocolate! Must have chocolate in my pantry!
Hi Robbie, YEAH!! Lol! We must have chocolate!! I love it! Linda
I was a Manager at a candy shop back in the 80’s. If you see white on your chocolate, don’t worry, it just means is that the oil in the chocolate melted. Take a rubber glove, or plastic bag and rub the white off. It’s still good.
HI Barb, oh thank you for that tip! I still use my chocolate chips even if they have white on them, I love learning why they turn slightly white! I remember one year a lady in my neighborhood gifted me this HUGE Hersheys chocolate rectangle chunk of milk chocolate. She sold to local candy stores and that was so fun to look at! It had to have been 8 inches by 16 inches or bigger, I was in heaven, who wouldn’t be with that much chocolate?! LOL! Great comment, Barb, Linda
Anytime I can help you and your people I will. Your articles are great.
HI Barb, thank you fro your kind words, Linda
I have started making my own cake mixes. I store them in mason jars and vacuum seal them. I usually just make a 1 layer cake as we don’t eat a lot of sweets. A whole 2 layer cake mix goes to waste. Waste not, want not.
Hi Deborah, oh I love hearing you make your own cake mixes! I hear you on the two layer cakes, I bought two small bundt cake pans and then I freeze one. I used to take one to a sweet lady in Southern Utah who had Dementia, she knew I would bring her one once a month until she sadly died. We can;t eat a whole cake either. That’s why I shared my SMALL Texas sheet cake recipe. It’s basically cut in half. Now I want to make a cake! Great idea! Linda
I find it just as easy to make a cake from scratch but if I see angel food cake mixes on sale I like to grab a few. Saves a lot on eggs but unfortunately they rarely go on sale anywhere near me. I like to keep all the basics in my pantry so I can make whatever I need and I even made graham crackers from scratch one time when I had none to make a cheesecake crust. Turned out not too bad but it’s definitely easier to buy them.
I have a lot of the rolling racks covered with curtains lining the walls in my bedroom for storage. You can make fitted decorative covers for them, lots of instructions online. A painter’s drop cloth has enough fabric for the big units or you can use duvet covers from the thrift shop to get the wider fabric. You can add pockets on the outside to hold magazines or whatever if they’re near your seating area.
Hi Alice, I totally agree with you on the Angel Food cake mixes, I never see them on sale. They are so easy to make with the box mix! I’m impressed you made graham crackers, now I want to try and make some. Oh, girl, cheesecake sounds so yummy right now! I have covers for the rolling racks, I just wish they had asked me how deep I wanted the pantry. Oh well, I have to let it go. Linda
I’d like to suggest *honey as one of the necessities, as it can be used as a sweetener, but also for sore throats. It never goes bad and even if it sugars it can be slowly heated to return it to a liquid state. (Honey used to be one of the 5 staples that they used to recommend). I also keep *canned milk in my storage as it is great for creamed soup types, and in making frostings for cakes, homemade fudge or caramels, etc I keep canned *pineapple also, as it can be added to sweet and sour chicken or pork, cookies, upside down cake made with a boxed mix, or add to mixed fruits for a flavorful fruit salad. Kids like *olives too, and they are great with Mexican food, and elevate some of the mundane quick dinners, like Chili Mac, (cooked pasta, with a can of chili concarne).
*Chocolate chips, and some chocolate candy, as it makes hard times seem less severe, and it can be used for bartering. One of our Bishops grew up in Norway, during the 2nd WW, and chocolate was a bartering item.(So was coffee, tobacco and alcohol–but I won’t recommend that. haha). When things are rough, the things we are used to, are preferred over the ‘have to’ nutritious, fill-the-stomach-foods.
Hi Linda, oh my gosh, I’m so glad you brought up honey and the other items. I have always purchased honey from Co’s Honey in Shelley, Idaho. I just looked at the prices for the creamed honey, it’s so expensive unless you live in Idaho close to a store. I love that creamed honey! I totally agree with you about items like olives, and canned milk. Chocolate chips are a priority for me as well! I post several lists adn will continue to add items like you mentioned, thank you! Love it! Linda
I keep my eyes open for honey, whenever I go to a fruit stand, whether close to home, or far away. The best honey we EVer got, was apple blossom honey, that was the lightest honey I have ever seen, but so tasty. I used most of it up canning peaches and pears that year, (my son was hyperactive and it had been suggested to not use sugar, but honey was okay for him. The meds they put him on were awful). The honey worked great and the peaches and pears were even better than using sugar. It let the real flavor come through. We got it close to the Washington-Canada border, in Penticton, where there were miles and miles of apple orchards. I’ve always wanted to go back, but just does not seem to be enough time. I wonder if you were to explore the area’s in UT that are close to farms, if you might find some honey that you like? My daughter’s in-laws, bring her some, when they visit from WA Central valley, and the other in laws that live in Eastern ID, close to Rexburg, bring her creamed honey, which they love.
Do you, or any of your readers, know what to do with cheese, to make it last longer? I keep a little bit in the freezer for emergencies. It becomes crumbly after being frozen, but it still works just fine for casseroles, etc. If the power goes out for a long time, I’d like to have an alternative method of storage.
Hi Linda, blocks of cheese always crumble for me as well after freezing. I only buy grated cheese and freeze it. I have freeze-dried cheese but I bought it years ago when it was a lot cheaper. One #10 can of cheddar cheese is around $60.00, not buying any right now. Prices are out of sight. https://www.thrivelife.com/all-products.html#dairy. Linda. P.S. I will not wax cheese, I was taught in my Master Canning and Preserver classes it is not safe with the cheese produced today. Be careful what you read or see on the internet. Linda
Hi, Linda et al.: Thank you for your many wonderful ideas to be thinking of as I continue to do a little prepping here and there. Our pantry and freezer are so full, we can barely fit more into them, but I will try! Just an FYI: I clicked on your link to Thrive Life, and it appears they may have gone out of business. At least their main page says “we have sold everything now”, and “thank you for your years of business” or something similar. Bummer, I went there to see if they happened to have a Labor Day Sale going on!! Well, we can freeze dry a lot of our own foods right here with our Harvest Right Freeze Drier, so no worries. Plus, I have found great prices on canned meats lately, so am all set on most of those. I never buy canned hamburger, though, because I’ve pressure canned so many jars of various meats already.
The GREAT NEWS for us!: We found out that the contractor working on the wood siding on the front of our home knows about a local “grocery auction”, where if you are looking for gluten free food (like us), you can often buy a case of g/f foods for $2-$3.00! He and his wife sent us a case of g/f flatbreads/crackers and g/f Lasagna noodles! He also just offered us 2 cases of red cabbage with apples, which sounds like a wonderful veg. to have in the pantry! There is so much valuable nutrition and also gut-healing properties in that combo. I am really excited that we are able to give them some produce we have too much of, and they give us exotic things like 2 cases of “Fig Jam” as a thank you!! I would never have thought of Fig Jam, except that a no. of years ago, we dined at a Greek Restaurant that featured a dessert made of Greek Yogurt, Honey and Fig Preserves. WOW!!! One of the best desserts ever! And I am not particularly a sugar hound, either!!
Gotta run now. We are drowning in low-acid tomatoes, Zephyr and Zucchini Squash, Blackberries, Aronia Berries, Org. Peaches and Org. Nectarines right now. Time to get the pressure canner and the Freeze Drier going again! Best to all!
Hi Jess, I went to look for that link, yes, Thrive Life is officially closed as of August 31, 2025. Or until all food is gone, the last i heard everything is sold out. It sound like you found some great bargain on GF items! Squeal! I never buy canned hamburger, either! It has the worst texture! Life is good, Linda
For once I have everything on one of your lists!! I guess I’m getting there!
Hi Cindy, I love your comment! Sometimes I don’t have everything on my list and this is why I repost the lists! We’re all trying to get there! LOL! Linda
We are in pretty good shape for our winter storage. I need basil, frozen baby carrots, better than bullion and fine egg noodles. My husband won’t use anything but regular 1% milk on his cereal and freezing it last year failed. I don’t know what to do on that one.
Hi Chris, it’s a great feeling when you feel totally stocked! I started buying frozen carrots after you mentioned that once! Best idea ever! I buy frozen Grandmas egg noodles, I need a few more packages before they sell out of them. Freezing milk never worked for me either. Linda