Meal Plans Meal Planning 101 How to Stock Your Pantry Keep these ingredients on hand in your kitchen pantry so you can make a delicious, nutritious meal every night of the week. By Kimberly Holland Kimberly Holland Instagram Kimberly Holland is Southern Living magazine's digital food editor and a highly regarded content creator. She shares her knowledge on turkey basting, pizza making and random food facts for dozens of nationally known brands. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 2, 2022 Reviewed by Dietitian Victoria Seaver, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Victoria Seaver, M.S., RD Instagram Twitter Victoria Seaver is a registered dietitian and Associate Editorial Director for EatingWell.com. She completed her undergraduate degree in nutrition, dietetics and food science and her masters degree and dietetic internship at the University of Vermont. Victoria has been a part of the EatingWell.com team since 2015. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Getty Images Life is busy, but dinner doesn't have to be an afterthought. A well-stocked pantry is the best way to ensure you'll have everything you need to make a healthy and flavorful dinner every night, even when it seems like you have nothing to cook. A combination of classic pantry staples (like canned tomatoes, broth and beans) and flavor-boosting convenience items (like herb mixes, soy sauce and jarred pesto) are key to keeping your kitchen dinner-ready. No need for expensive takeout when you have what you need to make a healthy dinner at home. This kitchen pantry list below includes many of the items you need to prepare healthy recipes, plus a few other ingredients that will make impromptu meals easier and more delicious. Don't have a large pantry to stock? You can hone this list down to go-to foods, the ones you are most likely to use again and again in meals. This way, you can stock a smaller kitchen pantry cabinet without overwhelming your limited space. Try These: 30 Easy Pantry Dinners to Make When You're Trying to Save Money What to Stock in Your Pantry Oils, Vinegars & Condiments Eva Kolenko Featured recipe: Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette Oils, vinegars and condiments are the backbone of many recipes. They're necessary for quick marinades, salad dressings, pan sauces and more. For a cook with an eye toward healthy ingredients, this collection of pantry staples helps you swap out convenience foods that are often filled with too much sodium, sugar and other unnecessary ingredients. (Bottled salad dressing, we mean you.) A collection of oils is particularly important for home cooks. Some oils, like extra-virgin olive oil, are best used in uncooked dishes, such as salad dressings, or brushed on chicken and fish after cooking. (Olive oil has a low smoke point and can burn in a hot pan or grill.) Meanwhile, canola oil is a high-quality oil that can tolerate high temps. Flavorful nut and seed oils add unique flavor to salad dressings and stir-fries. Extra-virgin olive oilCanola, avocado or grapeseed oilUnsalted butterMayonnaise (olive-oil mayo has less saturated fat)White, red-wine, white-wine, balsamic, rice and cider vinegarsHot sauces such as Sriracha or TabascoDijon and whole-grain mustardKetchupNut and seed oils, such as toasted sesame oil and walnut oilReduced-sodium tamari or soy sauceFish sauceHoisin sauceChile-garlic sauceCurry pasteOlivesCapersBarbecue sauceWorcestershire sauce What Is the Best Oil for Cooking? Seasonings Ryan Liebe Featured recipe: Spice-Crusted Roasted Potatoes A seasonings cabinet or drawer can quickly begin to burst at the seams. Unique spice mixes you used just once sit stale beside the cumin and coriander, which do get a fair share of use in a variety of recipes, from Mexican and Southeast Asian dishes to beef stews and more. Paring down to the basics will help you save space and make sure you're utilizing everything before the flavors fade. This seasonings list also includes foods that make up the foundation of many recipes—the aromatics. These foods are the first things you throw in the pot to start simmering—onions and garlic, for example. They add a depth of flavor and heft to many dishes, even fast ones, so make sure to keep them on hand. Salt, including kosher salt, coarse sea salt and fine saltBlack peppercornsOnionsFresh garlicDried herbs: bay leaves, thyme, oregano, Italian seasoning blend, dill, crumbled sage, tarragonSpices: chili powder, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, coriander seeds, ground cumin, cumin seeds, curry powder, dry mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, turmeric, garlic powder, ground allspice, caraway seeds, cinnamon sticks, ground ginger, nutmeg, za'atar, onion powderCitrus: Lemons, limes, oranges. The zest is as valuable as the juice. Organic fruit is recommended when you use a lot of zest.Granulated sugarBrown sugarHoneyFresh ginger (store in the freezer for longer life)Anchovies or anchovy paste for flavoring pasta sauces and salad dressingsPure maple syrupUnsweetened cocoa powder, natural and/or Dutch-processedBittersweet chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips 9 of the World's Healthiest Spices & Herbs You Should Be Eating Canned & Bottled Goods Jamie Vespa Featured recipe: 20-Minute Creamy Tomato Skillet Salmon While your first inclination may say otherwise, some canned foods are indispensable in healthy cooking. Canned tomatoes, for example, can be used in soups and stews, but they're also a boon to many quick and healthy skillet meals and one-pot pastas. Cooking dried beans takes time and effort (though it's worth it if you can manage), but canned beans make black bean tacos or a tomato-bean shakshuka happen in a hurry. Canned tomatoes, tomato pasteNo-salt-added diced tomatoesUnsalted chicken broth, beef broth and/or vegetable brothCanned beans: cannellini beans, great northern beans, chickpeas, black beans, red kidney beansClam juiceLight coconut milkCanned tuna (chunk light) and salmon The Best Healthy Canned Foods, According to a Dietitian Grains & Legumes Ted & Chelsea Cavanaugh Featured recipe: Slow-Cooker Overnight Farro Porridge Beans, rice, whole grains and lentils can be added to a plethora of dishes for instant protein and filling fiber. They also store well, so you can keep them on hand for a considerable time, and they go from season to season-in soups and stews in the winter and in light grain sides in spring and summer. You can use some of these pantry staples to turn basic chicken breasts into crispy oven-fried pieces, leftover steak into a hearty burrito bowl or make black-bean patties in a pinch. Whole-wheat flour and whole-wheat pastry flourAll-purpose flourAssorted whole-wheat pastasBrown rice and instant brown riceRolled oatsWhole-wheat breadcrumbsWhole-wheat panko breadcrumbsPearl barley and/or quick-cooking barleyWhole-wheat couscousBulgurDried lentilsCornmeal, polenta and/or gritsDried beans (black, cannellini, garbanzo)FarroQuinoa Nuts, Seeds & Dried Fruit Jennifer Causey Featured recipe: Pizza Pistachios You may think these kitchen pantry staples are best suited for snacks and trail mixes, but a cook with an eye toward healthy eating knows they can be used in everything from salads and grain bowls to muffins, quick breads and quick coatings for proteins (like this Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon). Most fresh nuts and seeds should be stored in the fridge or freezer to keep their oils from turning rancid. WalnutsPecansAlmondsDry-roasted unsalted peanutsNatural peanut butter and/or almond butterHazelnutsPine nutsSesame seedsTahiniAssorted dried fruits, such as apricots, prunes, cherries, cranberries, dates, figs, raisins The 10 Best Snacks for Weight Loss Refrigerator Basics Ali Redmond Featured recipe: Mango-Raspberry Smoothie We use the term kitchen pantry to refer to your cold storage, as well as dry storage. These ingredients should be kept stocked in your fridge, as they can quickly and easily be used for many fast dinners. Yogurt, for example, is a great snack, but it can be a dipping sauce for fish, tofu or pork. or turn into a dressing for falafel or shawarma. Eggs are staples for many dishes, but they can star in fast omelets and frittatas too. Read More: 10 Tips for Organizing Your Refrigerator Low-fat milk or soymilkUnsweetened coconut or oat milk beverageLow-fat or nonfat plain or Greek yogurtReduced-fat sour creamGood-quality Parmesan cheese and/or Romano cheeseSharp Cheddar cheeseEggs (large)Orange juiceBlue cheeseWater-packed tofu Read More: Everything You Need to Know About Oat Milk Freezer Basics Featured recipe: Prosciutto Pizza with Corn & Arugula Yes, the freezer counts as part of you kitchen pantry too. You can use this chilly storage option to keep a number of foods good longer, which gives you more time—and more options—for using them up. A stash of frozen vegetables promises you'll have a healthy, crisp side in the bleak mid-winter months. Berries are at their best in summer and quite pricey in winter, so stocking up on frozen options saves you money and delivers nutrient-filled fruit. Even quick-thawing meats are good to have on hand for fast pizzas or stir-fries. Frozen vegetables: edamame (soybeans), peas, spinach, broccoli, bell pepper and onion mix, corn, chopped onions, pearl onions, uncooked hash brownsFrozen berriesItalian turkey sausageFish filletsWhole-wheat pizza doughFrozen yogurt for impromptu dessertsWhole-grain bread The Freezer Essentials to Keep on Hand for Fast 15-Minute Meals The Bottom Line You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars filling out your kitchen pantry during one trip to the grocery store. Start with the basics and expand your pantry as you expand your cooking skill set. Over time, you'll find it easier to make meals from scratch using what you have on hand. The 8 Pantry Staples to Keep on Hand for 3-Ingredient Dinners on a Whim Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit