Healthy Pantry Staples for Nourishing Meals
Having a well-stocked pantry makes creating healthy and delicious meals so much easier. It makes it easy to whip up a great dish with what you have in the house.
Of course you’ll need to stock up on plenty of fresh produce each week, however here are some of the products with longer shelf lives that I recommend keeping in your pantry.
Having a long shelf life makes it easy to buy these foods in bulk, which also means you’re able to save money.
Now before I start, don’t be put off by the long list of foods. You don’t need all of these in your pantry at one time. You can start by selecting a few from each category or even rotate which ingredient you buy on a weekly basis. For example, choosing one new seed per week to make the focus and using that in your meals, then the next week picking another one.
Variety is a super important aspect of a healthy diet, so don’t get stuck on the same ingredients all the time. Find the ones you like and the ones you enjoy cooking with, but don’t be afraid to experiment with something new too.
Healthy Pantry Staples
(Choose some from each category)
Grains
Rolled Oats
Quinoa
Brown Rice / Basmati Rice / Wild Rice
Buckwheat
(Other: Amaranth, Millet, Teff, Barley, Rye)
Nuts*
Almonds
Walnuts
Cashews
Brazil Nuts
Macadamia Nuts
Hazelnuts
Seeds*
Chia seeds
Pepitas / Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Linseed / Flaxseed
Sesame Seeds
Hemp Seeds
Legumes
Beans (black beans, kidney beans, butter beans, cannellini beans etc.)
Lentils (red, green, brown)
Peas (split peas, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, etc.)
Spices
Black Pepper
Turmeric
Chilli
Cumin
Paprika
Cinnamon
Dried Herbs
Oregano
Rosemary
Mixed Herbs
Thyme
Oils
Olive Oil (Cold Pressed Extra-Virgin)
Coconut Oil (Extra-Virgin)
Other: Flaxseed Oil, Avocado Oil, Sesame Oil, etc.
Other Liquids
Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother)
Tamari (fermented soy sauce)
Tinned coconut milk or coconut cream
Plant Milks (almond/oat/coconut/rice/soy)
Spreads
Tahini
Nut Butters (peanut, almond etc.)
Flours
Wholemeal flour
Buckwheat flour
Coconut flour
Besan flour (chickpea flour)
Other: rice flour, sorghum flour, etc.
Grain Products
Rice Noodles
Wholemeal Pasta
Pulse Pasta (e.g. chickpea pasta)
Miscellaneous
Himalayan Rock Salt or Celtic Sea Salt
Raw Cacao Powder
Protein Powder
*While nuts and seeds can technically be kept in the pantry, I do recommend keeping these in jars in the fridge to protect the healthy oils in them.
These are a great foundation for anyone wanting to create more nourishing meals. Everyone is different and there may be some you prefer over others, this isn’t a definitive list, just an example of some great suggestions for what to have on hand.
