This post has been a long time in the making. For me, living a healthy lifestyle comes down to what I keep in the house and have access to everyday when cooking or meal planning. I thought I would finally put together a list for those of you putting together your pantry, or those of you thinking about how to restock your pantry for healthier eats.
Here is a mostly comprehensive list of what I keep on hand for meals and replenish right before I run out so I can always make a variety of meals from these items (and a vegetable on hand if possible!). I have linked up recipes for each item, so feel free to click on one if you are looking for ideas for how to incorporate it into your diet.
How To Stock Your Pantry for Healthy Eating
Grains + Legumes
Canned + Boxed Goods
Oils + Sauces
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Sesame oil
- Balsamic + red/white wine vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Hot sauce or chile paste
Dried Spices
Baking Supplies
- Baking cocoa
- Whole wheat and all-purpose flour
- Almond flour
- Sweeteners: maple syrup, molasses, sugar
- Chocolate: semisweet chips and bittersweet baking bars
- Vanilla extract and almond extract
Other
What are your Pantry Essentials? I would love to hear! Let me know if you have any questions.
Marisa
Leah A says
Great post… our pantry has SO many items in common! I keep little cubes instead of broth, and also like to keep rice cakes, which can be paired with an endless variety of sweet or savory toppings for snacking.
Marisa says
Do you have a type of broth cube you like in particular? I would love to try that – I’ve also tried the concentrated version from Penzey’s Spices. I need to give rice cakes another try – I think I just haven’t been topping them with flavorful enough stuff!
Lauren says
Great post Marisa! I’m terrible at keeping a stockpile in my pantry, so its good to know how you stock yours!
Marisa says
I have been known to be an excessive planner! But it comes in handy and saves me from takeout (usually..) 🙂
GiGi Eats says
Canned Tuna + Canned Salmon are ALWAYS in my pantry! I eat them like one might eat candy! LOL!
Marisa says
Great ideas! I just picked up some boneless skinless canned salmon from Trader Joe’s if you have any recipe recommendations!
Dana | fresh simple five says
I stock a lot of similar items in my pantry! Favorites are brown rice, beans and whole wheat pasta. With a combination of those items and either fresh or frozen produce, I can usually whip up a pretty tasty (& healthy) meal on the fly. On my “to try” list is liquid aminos!
Marisa says
Definitely easy to make fun creations when you include the frozen veggies! Let me know how you like liquid aminos – I find it tastes better to me than normal soy sauce.
Marian says
I always have some type of nut butter.
Marisa says
I think I need a nut butter intervention, Marian – my favorites are peanut and almond but I also love trying cashew, etc!
venice ng says
nice! i love brown rice vinegar too 🙂
Marisa says
Great addition! So zesty and perfect for a strong vinegar bite in lots of recipes.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Always have to have buckwheat flour, canned fishes, and beans!
Marisa says
I still need to try buckwheat flour!
Kelsey says
Whole wheat pasta is a staple in mine! I also love stocking up on quinoa at Costco so that I am always ready to throw it in a recipe.
Marisa says
Yes, Costco has the best deal on quinoa! I have the perfect crockpot quinoa coming for you in a week or two 🙂
Renae H. says
Always keep sweeteners in my pantry.. honey, maple syrup… and maybe some chocolate chips to grab a few on the go 🙂
Marisa says
Those chocolate chips always tempt me too 🙂 They are definitely pantry ‘essentials’! 🙂
Stacy says
I love keeping almond butter in my pantry. It satisfies my sweet tooth and savory tooth (I just made that up). I also love keeping brown rice and quinoa in mine to throw together a quick meal with things I have in my fridge as well.
Marisa says
Yum! Yep, almond butter is great alone, with chocolate chips, in smoothies, or in Asian sauces!
Alanna says
I keep most of your pantry staples on hand myself 🙂 Always good to be prepared for a healthy meal.
Marisa says
That’s great to hear! Hope you entered the giveaway, Alanna!
Tori says
These are pretty much the exact same things I keep in my pantry :). Coconut sugar and flour are a couple of my favorites for baking and I always have all kinds of nuts for nut butters, nut milks, etc.
Marisa says
We are pantry twins!! 🙂 I keep almond milk sometimes as well – love that it can be shelf stable!
Erin @ The Almond Eater says
I love this! This is extremely helpful for anyone looking to either A) start a healthy lifestyle or B) get #BackToBasics and start eating healthy again! Super helpful chica.
Marisa says
Yes – we all need a reboot sometimes! Thanks 🙂
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I ALWAYS keep oats, lentils, veggie broths, tons of spices, rice, and beans in my pantry! Oh, and nut butter!!
Marisa says
Yum – those are the ingredients to make all my favorites!
Laurie says
I always keep granola for a snack. Dry pasta and jarred sauce for an easy dinner.
Marisa says
Yes, granola! I actually store mine in the freezer usually since it’s homemade and doesn’t have preservatives. Pasta + sauce is the best on a crazy night!
Kim @ Racing Bananas says
I like having oatmeal and black beans on hand (but not to use together!)
Marisa says
Oooh.. I see your brain brainstorming a savory black bean oatmeal!? Yes!
Elizabeth @ Bowl of Delicious says
Awesome information! I also always keep honey (the good stuff) stocked as well 🙂
Marisa says
Honey is THE BEST 😀
Laura says
Like you, I have a huge list of staples! Canned beans, canned diced tomatoes, and chicken broth powder are the three most-used things in my cabinet. I can make a meal out of them and whatever veggies I have on hand very easily, and they never go bad!
Marisa says
That’s awesome – I also love topping a pantry meal with a fried egg (since I don’t normally run out of those).
Laura says
I definitely use that trick too! One of my favorite breakfasts is pan-roasted brussel sprouts with a fried egg… I love when the yolk gets all mixed in 🙂
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
This is great, and will serve as an amazing start for the pantry inventory I keep meaning to create for myself! My pantry has changed over time and my eating can be pretty rigid, especially lately, so I try to make sure that I keep on hand only what doesn’t irritate my stomach and plenty of it. My pantry varies but always contains various flours (namely almond and coconut), oils (olive, coconut, and recently hazelnut), herbs and spices, quinoa, jarred flavoring stuff (curry paste, crushed tomatoes, salsa, jams, etc), chicken stock, dried spices, canned pumpkin, cocoa powder and dark chocolate, honey and vanilla extract. And good salt!
I have never shopped at iherb but the idea of all my pantry essentially being shipped to my door sounds pretty appealing. 🙂
Marisa says
Thanks for sharing your pantry favorites, Nora. I’m glad to hear you’ve done the hard work which is figuring out what foods jive with you – and it’s a great idea to keep them stocked up! A good salt is magic and I love that you included jarred flavors like curry. I will have to try hazelnut oil based on your recommendation!
Cassie says
I need to keep canned salmon/tuna in my pantry! I always have oats, protein powder, spices, beans, onions & sweet potatoes (do those count?), and lots of nut butters, alternative flours and nuts 🙂
Marisa says
Sweet potatoes totally count – I wonder how long they stay good for? Maybe I should stock up on those too because they’re my favorite quick meal!
Lindsay says
I’m an Oregonian, living in Busan, South Korea and iHerb is a LIFESAVER! I can’t tell you how much I love this company! Sooo many things I can’t find here, but are so easily accessible through this amazing website. Raw honey, coconut oil, grains, even guilty pleasures like Kettle Chips. I heart iHerb!!!
Marisa says
Glad to hear your rave review of iHerb, Lindsay, and thanks for stopping by my site! And hi to South Korea! What are you doing in Busan? I’m so happy to hear you can still get your favorites that you need for cooking from iHerb, and you probably have access to some exciting Asian ingredients too.
Lindsay says
I’ve been teaching here for over five (!!!!!) years. I love it so much, but always lament leaving during the humid summers, haha! I miss beautiful Oregon the most, that time of year.
Big fan of your blog and love all the yummy recipies and tips. Keep it up my strangerfriend! ♥
Marisa says
That’s awesome, Lindsay. Yes – Oregon summers are the best! Thanks for following my blog, commenting, and introducing yourself and I hope to see you commenting more often so we can keep in touch 🙂 I’d love to hear your feedback if you make any of my recipes, or have any fun Korean recipes I should try – send them my way! uprootfromoregon @ gmail
lynne @lgsmash says
an (unhealthy) staple we have in our pantry is Skyline Chili – cincinnati chili in a can. it’s not healthy, by any means, but is so easy to make (throw it over some pasta, add cheese!) and reminds us of home. 🙂
other staples? grapefruit juice! bananas. and always the right ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies. 🙂
Marisa says
Yep, I didn’t confess to my Trader Joe’s ginger thins, Nutella, extensive selection of chocolate chips, or pretzels 🙂 I’ve never had Cincinnati Chili before!
Jocelyn says
Can’t say I have as nicely stocked of a pantry as you do! Being a law student, I mostly survive off of mac and cheese and frozen Trader Joe’s food. But every now and then I try to do *something* healthy! I always have brown rice and some veggie on hand. I’m a huge salad eater so I have a shelf exclusively for croutons…
Marisa says
Oh my gosh, a shelf for croutons sounds amazing. I’m a fan of boxed mac and cheese for quick comfort meals too – and I love Trader Joe’s frozen veggie mixes!
Ellen says
I was pleasantly surprised to realize how well-stocked I am with almost all of these items! In addition to the essential vanilla extract, I like to have almond and peppermint extract on hand as well to add to sweets and smoothies to change up the flavor. And a bottle of apple cider vinegar is always in my pantry- I love to add it to sauces and dressings for it’s tangy taste and great health benefits. It’s also my go-to natural face toner and hair rinse.
I’ve never ordered from iHerb, but have been tempted to try it. Do you find the prices comparable to elsewhere online for the items you purchase?
Sending you love from DC! 🙂
Marisa says
I love your idea for other extracts for smoothies! I also have apple cider vinegar – I’m a fan of dressings with it too 🙂 I haven’t done much food shopping online outside of iHerb (besides a few things on Amazon), but I have trouble finding these items in my weekly grocery trip at a reasonable price so it’s perfect for me! xoxo
Holly E says
I love keeping quinoa pasta, coconut flour, almond flour, organic canned goods, coconut oil, spices/herbs, in my pantry.
Marisa says
I still need to try quinoa pasta! Thanks for sharing your pantry goods.
Diana Toma says
In my pantry, I pretty much always have green and red lentils, canned beans, buckwheat, dry chickpeas and chickpea flour, brown rice, corn flour for polenta, millet, oats, dry dates and pickles. All my favorite things to cook with and I’m not joking 🙂
Marisa says
That all sounds delicious – I need to pick up dates again to keep on hand! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Jeroen says
Cocoa, coconut milk + oil!
Marisa says
Coconut milk is a great staple!
Elena T says
I like to keep rice, dried beans, lentils, different assortments of oils, nuts and different type of seeds and also musli.
Marisa says
I love muesli – I have a great recipe if you ever want to make it yourself!
Natalia says
Honey & coconut oil <3 i can use them for meals and skin-hair care at the same time!
Marisa says
Great point – many whole foods are useful in lots of different ways. Congrats on winning one of the giveaways! I have emailed you.
Donnie Smith says
Enjoyed your blog, look forward to more. Am gluten free (medical reason) so different items in my pantry.
Always watching for GF and Quinoa recipes, also cooking tips. Thanks.
Marisa says
Happy to have you follow along, Donnie! I hope you find that my recipes are easy to adapt to your GF diet. I use a lot of quinoa, rice, and other GF grains so I hope you find plenty of recipe ideas.