Guide to Stocking Your Pantry

What to keep on hand to make cooking a delicious, nutritious meal easy every night of the week.

The best way to ensure you have everything you need to prepare delicious meals is to keep a well-stocked pantry. When you cook at home you can prepare healthy, nourishing food using quality, fresh ingredients—much better than prepared food that is often loaded with calories, fats, sodium and added sweeteners.

Our Healthy Pantry list includes all the items you need to prepare healthy recipes plus a few other ingredients that will make last-minute meals easier. You can also use it as a starting point for a grocery shopping list.

Flavorings

Kosher salt, coarse sea salt, fine salt
Black peppercorns
Onions
Fresh garlic
Fresh ginger
Anchovies or anchovy paste for flavoring pasta sauces and salad dressings
Dried herbs: bay leaves, dill, crumbled dried sage, dried thyme leaves, oregano, tarragon, Italian seasoning blend
Spices: allspice (whole berries or ground), caraway seeds, chili powder, cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon,coriander seeds, cumin seeds, ground cumin, curry powder, ground ginger, dry mustard, nutmeg, paprika, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, turmeric
Lemons, limes, oranges. The zest is as valuable as the juice. Organic fruit is recommended when you use a lot of zest.
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Honey
Pure maple syrup
Unsweetened cocoa powder, natural and/or Dutch-processed
Bittersweet chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips