My Top 25 Plant Based Pantry Staples

A well stocked pantry is incredibly important for an easy way to stick to any new lifestyle. Making sure you have a few staples on hand can make meals infinitely easier and provide a rock-solid base to grow your own plant-based palate.

While I have so many more items hanging out in my pantry than what’s listed, I wanted to talk about my top 25 picks of pantry staples. But keep in mind, these are the things that I use, what I feel I need to be successful in my plant-based lifestyle. I eat a lot of oatmeal and do a lot of baking, so flours, nuts, and seeds play an important part of my life. If you don’t do a lot of baking, then you may want to skip the flours for now.

Similarly, if you don’t like something then don’t buy it. Filling your pantry with foods you will eat and enjoy is important. I also use a lot of dry beans but if you don’t have the time to cook them, go ahead and buy the canned stuff.

So, take this list of 25 pantry staples as a guide for your own pantry. Take what speaks to you and leave the rest. I’ve separated everything into categories to make referencing the list a little easier.

 Beans, Legumes and Pulses

Beans and lentils make their way into chilis, tacos, salads and spreads

1.      Lentils

2.      Dried chickpeas

3.      Dried black beans

4.      Dried white beans

 Nuts and Seeds

I love putting raw seeds on top of non-dairy yogurt or smoothie bowls. I also enjoy making chia seed puddings and my own vegan cheeses

5.      Raw Almonds

6.      Raw Cashews

7.      Raw Walnuts

8.      Raw Pumpkin seeds

9.      Hemp seeds

10.  Chia seeds

11.  Flax seeds

12.  Peanut Butter

Rice and Grains

I enjoy my rice in homemade sushi or burrito bowls. Oatmeal is a staple for my mornings and pasta is always a favorite comfort food

13.  Short grain brown rice

14.  Oats

15.  pastas

Baking and Dried Fruit

Like I said before, I do a lot of baking, so I have A LOT of flours and things to play with. Dates are great to snack on as well and maple syrup winds up in practically anything I make

16.  Dates

17.  Raisins

18.  Flours (whole wheat, spelt, all purpose and bread flour)

19.  Cocoa powder

20.  Maple syrup

21.  Evaporated cane sugar

Oils and Vinegars

I like having a variety of oils and vinegars to add their own dimension and flavor to whatever I’m cooking. Vegetable oil is great for baking and for frying.

22.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

23.  Vegetable Oil

24.  Apple cider vinegar (preferably raw)

25.  Balsamic vinegar

I hope this list gives you some inspiration on how to build your own plant-based pantry. But like I said, this is MY pantry, what I like to eat and plan my meals around. If you enjoy a lot of Asian cuisines you may have things like rice noodles, rice paper wrappers, several hot sauces, hoisin, and other condiments. If you are someone who likes their food more-simple, maybe one or two beans, a few grains, oils, and vinegars will suffice. My rule is, if it’s something you eat a lot of, go ahead and get it in bulk. This limits trips to the stores and saves you money as well.

Let me know if your favorite pantry staple made my list or if there’s something you could NEVER live without.