Pantry Staples You Need to Start Making From Scratch Meals

Building a from scratch pantry is one really important thing you need to do if you are looking to start cooking from scratch or be more efficient in the kitchen.  Now, I don’t mean hoarding or stockpiling food per say, I mean knowing what the essential staples are and making sure you have one or two on hand so that you can cook pretty much any meal at any time. This pantry will help you save money over the long run.  Read on to find out exactly how to do this,  what you need in your pantry, and somethings that you can buy in bulk to help you save even more. 

Building up your Pantry Staples

When you are first getting into cooking from scratch, one of the first steps to making the entire process so much easier is to make sure that you have pantry staples on hand so that you can always cook your family’s favorite meals. No hoarding but having one or two of an item so you are not running out the the store daily for everything you need for dinner.

If you have to run to the store daily, it’s also going to be hard for you to meal plan and prepare your food efficiently.

It may take you some time to establish a good stocked pantry because getting all your spices, oils, and all your other kind of cooking ingredients may be expensive to do all at once.

So it may take a little bit of time for you to establish a well stocked pantry because  stockpiling all of your grains, baking goods, spices and oils may be too expensive to do all at once.  You may need to slowly build it over the course of a couple months but when done intentionally you will have a from scratch pantry built in no time.

Purchasing your ingredients

It may take some time to establish your pantry because running out to the store and buying everything would be extrememly costly.

I recommend over the next few months, taking advantage of any sales at the store.  When an item on this list is on sale, grab two, one to use and one to keep on hand.  Always try to have one sitting in your pantry so you don’t run out.

This is especially helpful when building up your spice cabinet because spices can be on the pricier side.  My stores often have buy 2 get 1 free sales which I always take advantage of.  After awhile you will get a better idea of some of the ingredients that you are using the most and can consider buying those in bulk to save even more money.

Want a printable version of the the From Scratch Pantry Checklist?  Grab it below!

Want you build your From Scratch Pantry?

Grab the From Scratch Pantry Checklist and Pantry Inventory Sheets to get start building your well stocked pantry today!

Pasta and Rice

Having a variety of pasta and rice on hand is a necessity.  Great for streaching meat or using as a side dish.  In my opinion, a good quality rice is necessary.  While I usually purchase store brand when I can, there are a few things where quality does really matter. Cheap rice will be mushy and gross when cooked.  A variety of rice such as white rice, brown rice, jasmine rice, basmati rice, and long grain rice are a few that I like to keep on hand,

 Pasta, of course, can be homemade pretty easily and homemade pasta is always better than a dried store-bought version. However, I always keep a variety of pasta’s on hand for easy meals and easy side dishes.  The pastas that I always have are: spagetti, linguini, rontini, rigatoni, shells, egg noogles and tortillinis.

I make a lot of mac and cheese, chicken noodle soups, and pasta salads so I love have different kinds available.

Oils and Vinegars

A variety of oils is a must as there are so many perfect for different uses.

• Coconut oil
• Vegetable Oil
• Corn Oil
• Olive Oil
• Grapeseed Oil

Many of these are very versatile and I use them not only in cooking, but also in making personal products.

In addition to this list of oils, I also save my bacon grease.

Typically, I will bake, yes bake, bacon several times a month.  Baking bacon is a really great option because it is easier and less messy.  I then save the bacon grease in a bowl and freeze for later use.

 Vinegars are also a must have ingredient.  Vinegar is very versatile and is can be used for cooking, cleaning, and personal products.  I definitely recommend having these vinegars on hand:

• White distilled vinegar (I buy this in bulk)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• White wine vinegar
• Red wine vinegar
• Malt vinegar 

Baking Ingredients

Baking ingredients is another area that I buy in bulk.  If you do a lot of baking, you definitely want to make sure you have plenty of these ingredients available.

White all-purpose flour is a must, I use it for everything from making pizza crust, bisquits, cookies, cakes, thickner agent, etc.

You can also choose to use a substitute for all-purpose flour such as wheat, rye, almond flour, spelt, or amaranth flour to name a few.

In addition to flour I make sure that I have these on hand:

• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Cocoa Powder
• Vanilla Extract
• Cornmeal
• Bread Yeast
• Powdered Milk
• Condensed Milk
• Evaporated Milk
• Cornstarch

Spices and Condiments

Spices and condiments are typically  where I tend to cut corners and favor convenience over homemade.  I don’t typically make my own condiments although, making your own ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise is definitely doable.

Condiments you want to keep on hand:

• Ketchup
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Soy Sauce
• Lemon Juice
• Worcheshire Sauce

For the spice cabinet, you want a variety of spices but most commonly;

• Dried Basil
• Dried Oregano
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Pepper
• Salt
• Thyme
• Sage
• Parsley
• Cinnamon
• Cayenne Pepper
• Paprika
• Crushed Red Pepper
• Cumin
• Rosemary
• Nutmeg

Preserving my own herbs is something that I am really focusing on this year with my herb garden. We typically grow herbs and I dry what I can but this year I am planting  a ton of extra so that I can actually dry it and then just have our own dried spices.

Building a spice cabinet  may take a little bit of time to build up, but I know the grocery stores have sales like buy two get one free that really help with this. Definitely try to use these sales to your advantage to quickly build your spice pantry.

Want you build your From Scratch Pantry?

Grab the From Scratch Pantry Checklist and Pantry Inventory Sheets to get start building your well stocked pantry today!

Nuts and Dried Fruits

 Nuts and dried fruits are another pantry staple because of how versatile they are as an ingredient.

• Peanuts
• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Peanut butter
• Chocolate chips
• Granola
• Dried cranberries
• Dried Bannanas

These ingredients are not only really great for baking, adding to cakes and cookies, but also really great for just eating as snacks. 

I use these ingredients for healthy snacks, make granola bars with them. They can be self stable, for a long time, so I like to transfer most of these ingredients into mason jars for easier storage.

Canned and Jarred Food

Canned goods are something else I keep on hand, vegetables, fruit, beans, etc. If you can can your own that is really great as well.  I like to have these on hand:

• Pinto beans
• Kidney beans
• Tomato paste
• Diced tomatoes
• Green beans
• Corn
• Carrots
• Peas

As we work to improve our self-sufficiency skill, I am trying to increasing the amount of food we preserve each year.  We typically do tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. 

I also keep a variety of frozen vegetables and canneg vegetables.  Frozen are must better for some meals, while canned is good for other recipes.

Canned fruit such as fruit cocktails,  jellies, jams, and preserves are also a must for our pantry.

Lastly for this section is a variety of broths. Beef, chicken, and vegetable broth is something I always have on hand.

I use a crazy amount of chicken broth when I am making pasta or soups.   I’ve gotten into freezing a lot of the chicken bones and chicken pieces that we have left over after a chicken meal, that I then use to cook down and make broth.  I haven’t exactly worked making chicken broth into my daily or weekly routine but I do make it when I can.  Therefore, to make sure I have enough whenever I need it, I keep store-bought broth on hand.

Onions and Potatoes

Onions and potatoes are also on the list because I use them so much in cooking and baking. I make sure I have white and red onions on hand, as well as, russett potatoes, and usually either white or red potatoes.

Sweetners

While I use a lot of plain white sugar in my baking, I also like to stockup on other sweetners like honey, brown sugar, molasses, and maple syrup.

Other Pantry Items

Lastly, there are some ingredients that do not fit into any other category but are still really important to have on hand.

Some of these ingredients are:

• Popcorn kernels
• Dried Kidney beans
• Dried Pinto beans
• Split Peas
• Oatmeal
• Bread crumbs
• Coffee
• Butter
• Eggs

These are all of the most essential ingredients to have stocked in your pantry! Stock your pantry with these ingredients and you will be well prepared to make a home cooked meal any day of the week.

For a printable list of these grab the From Scratch Pantry Checklist below!

Want you build your From Scratch Pantry?

Grab the From Scratch Pantry Checklist and Pantry Inventory Sheets to get start building your well stocked pantry today!