How to Stock Your Plant-based Pantry

For any kind of efficient meal preparation you need a pantry or storage area for your non-perishable items. Having frequently used items always on hand makes it easy to prepare a meal for last-minute, drop-in guests or easily put together a simple, nutritious meal.

You don’t have to have a lot of room. You can even use some under-bed plastic storage bins if you have no kitchen storage space. I like to use mason jars in 2 cup, 1 quart, and 2 quart sizes to store grains, dry beans, nuts and seeds (I keep small amounts of nuts and seeds in the kitchen and store the bulk of them in my freezer). If you buy a dozen jars at a time from Walmart or Menards you can get them for less than $1.00 each. Glass is a better storage option than plastic as you avoid potential chemical contamination and it is more environmentally friendly.

Below you can see or download a starter Pantry Stocking list that help you get started with the basic items you want on hand for being able to make a variety of plant-based meals.

This list is divided into 3 sections – the Must Have items, I recommend items, and Nice to Have items. I keep all three on hand but if you are just getting started I would suggest you get everything in Section 1 first, then work on sections 2 and 3 as you are able. The list in this post has links to online sources where you can get some of these items. The downloadable version is handy to stick on your fridge or carry with you when you go shopping. Please note that most of these items are available at most large, chain grocery stores and Walmart. I recommend getting your herbs and spices and non-vanilla flavorings from Penzeys.com as they are the highest quality and about the same  price you would pay in a grocery store. They don’t give me any commissions but using their products will make a significant difference in the flavor of your dishes due to the very high levels of essential oils in their products, the freshness, and the fact that they buy direct from growers around the world. They also offer free shipping with a minimum purchase amount which is easy to meet if you are doing some restocking. You can also combine orders with a friend to to get the free shipping 🙂

Basic Plant-based Pantry List

1-   Must Have

• At least 3 kinds of dry and/or canned beans – Lentils, Pinto Beans, Black Beans
• Salt (Himalayan Pink (fine) or Celtic Sea Salt are my favorites)
• Onion – fresh, granulated, and dry minced
• Garlic – fresh, granulated (not powdered)
• Coconut Oil or Olive oil  
• Tomatoes –  canned diced (Aldi’s has a good price on the organic canned ones)
• Long grain brown rice – Basmati has a nice flavor
• Intact Grains (at least 3)  like – oat groats, millet, quinoa, amaranth, hulled barley
• Raw walnuts
• Raw sunflower seeds
• Raw almonds
• Vanilla extract

2-  I Recommend…

• Rolled Oats (old fashioned and quick)
• Millet (a grain)
• Split Peas, dry
• Garbanzos (canned or dry)
• Raw cashews
• Raw sesame seeds
• Nutritional yeast flakes
• Raisins
• Dates
• Raw honey
• Date sugar (dried, ground up, whole dates – find at a health food store or online)
• Italian Seasoning herb mix
• Dry basil
• Dry sage
• Dry marjoram
• Dry oregano
• Coriander
• Turmeric
• Cumin, ground
• Soy supreme milk powder 

  3-  Nice to Have…

• Maple syrup (the real thing, please!)
• Almond extract
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Cumin, whole seed
• Cardamom, ground
• Star anise, ground

Download a printable copy of the pantry list HERE