Healthy Pantry Staples List

Here's a detailed version of what is in my healthy pantry. You will also find a free printable list of pantry ingredients you can use to create a grocery list.

When studying with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in 2019, I became confident in what ingredients I wanted to keep in my kitchen and regularly use. Here are my pantry staples for cooking from scratch and healthy eating with my family!

Pantry staples for healthy eating

Included are basic pantry essentials every kitchen should have, as well as my top favorites I use to make snacks and meals every day. These are ingredients for real food cooking.

These aren't foods that need to be bought every shopping trip; they are core ingredients that make preparing snacks and cooking wholesome meals easy when on hand. Use this as a guide and example while making it your own.

If you want the condensed PDF version of my healthy pantry checklist, this button will take you straight there, or else read the detailed version with links and notes below.

Being certified in holistic nutrition, I focus on filling my cupboards with things I want my family to eat - this mostly means it's filled with whole-food ingredients. If you want to make healthy snacks and quick wholesome meals, this is what I think you need to have in your cupboards! These ingredients are all you need to make your food from scratch! Let's jump into my pantry checklist.

Grains and pasta

• Oats: steel cut, rolled oats, and quick oats (I use a couple of different kinds of oats depending on if I am making cookies, oatmeal, oat flour, or granola!)
• Quinoa
• Brown rice
• Wild rice
• Short-grain sushi rice
• Whole-grain pasta
• Thick rice noodles

Flour

The flours are in order of what I use most to give insight if you are stocking a pantry for the first time.

• Organic whole-wheat flour
• Organic white flour
• Almond flour (I always keep this in the freezer to stay fresh, Costco is the cheapest!)
• Oat flour (I make it from rolled oats, it's gluten-free, and I use it in these muffins)
• Buckwheat flour

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds can go rancid at room temperature, so it's best to keep large amounts cold in the fridge or freezer, then restock the smaller cupboard jars as needed. As a Canadian, I like to large-order my nuts once a year with Rancho Vignola. If you live outside of Canada, check for large, bulk-order companies with deeper discounts. Make sure to explore the organic and raw nut options.

• Almonds
• Cashews
• Walnuts
• Pistachios
• Hazelnuts
• Pecans
• Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• Sunflower seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Hemp hearts
• Flax seeds
• Chia seeds

Nut and Seed Butter

• Almond butter (make your own!)
• Natural peanut butter (fits on this list, but I'm allergic, so I don't keep it in stock)
• Tahini (sesame seed paste)
• Sunflower seed butter
• Coconut butter

Sweeteners

• Local unpasteurized honey
• Maple syrup
• Coconut sugar
• Medjool dates
• Organic cane sugar
• Occasionally, I will use monk fruit, stevia, or truvia

Other baking ingredients

• Aluminum-free baking powder
• Baking soda
• Vanilla (or make your own with 2 ingredients!)
• Dark chocolate chips/chunks
• Cocoa powder
• Dark or semi-sweet baking chocolate
• Canned full-fat coconut milk

Dried fruit

Look for dried fruit without any added sugars (unsweetened). As water is no longer present in dried fruit, they have a higher concentration of natural sugar (and a higher glycemic index).

• Unsweetened shredded coconut
• Flaked coconut
• Dates
• Apricots
• Raisins
• Unsweetened craisins
• Mango

Oils and Vinegar

Buy oils in a dark, glass bottle, as oils are prone to rancidity when exposed to light. Coconut oil is an exception and can be stored in a clear jar.

• Extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Avocado oil
• Avocado oil spray
• Sesame oil
• Apple cider vinegar (Buy it 'with the mother' because you will know it is unrefined and 100% natural; keep it in the fridge to prevent it from fermenting more)
• Balsamic vinegar

Salt

Say goodbye to bleached table salt with added chemicals and low in minerals. Choose nutrient-dense salt that is high in minerals.

• Good quality sea salt: Celtic sea salt, or redmond real salt
• Maldon sea salt flakes (I use these pretty flakes on top of some sweet treats)

Herbs and spices

Fresh: I like to rotate through the fresh herbs I buy each week for salads, dressings, and toppings. These are also fun to grow in the summer or under a grow light!

• Cilantro
• Mint
• Basil
• Dill

Dried: Below, I have included my most used and favorite herbs and spices. Buy organic spices when you can - you will notice the vibrant difference.

• Turmeric (the fresh root and dried)
• Ginger (the fresh root and dried)
• Cumin
• Curry
• Chipotle powder
• Chili powder
• Oregano
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Rosemary
• Pepper
• Vegetable bouillon powder
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg

Supplementable herbs, superfoods, ferments

The first few are ingredients I will add to my daily smoothies or hot drinks. They are good sources of antioxidants, adaptogens, and immune boosters, while rich in nutrients. Note that not all of these will be safe for you, depending on whether you are pregnant or have health concerns.

Note: Superfoods is an unregulated term; however, I use this term to point to high-quality food with exceptional nutritional properties.

• Maca
• Spirulina (blue-green)
• Moringa
• Stevia
• Ashwagandha
• Adaptogenic mushrooms
• Kombucha
• Saurkraut
• Broccoli sprouts (very nutrient-dense, grow your own in a couple of days)

Other pantry food in my cupboards

• Nutritional yeast
• Coconut water
• Lemon juice
• Apple sauce (or if I'm on top of it, I make it with old apples and keep it in the freezer)
• Canned pumpkin puree
• Chickpeas, canned and dried
• Black beans
• Red & green lentils
• Crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste
• Pesto
• Salsa
• Fish sauce
• Canned tuna and salmon (wild-caught)
• Rice paper sheets
• Nori/seaweed
• Coffee
• Tea: herbal, green, matcha

Snacks

When choosing snacks at the grocery store, I am looking for whole foods (things that were once considered alive) and something with short ingredient lists with words I recognize.

• Crackers (Mary's, Finn crisp, my homemade recipe)
• Popcorn kernels
• Bars (RX, Lara, Made Good, Nature Bakery fig bars)
• Organic corn chips
• Seaweed packs
• Dark chocolate

Produce

Fruits

• Seasonal fruit
• Bananas
• Lemons
• Limes
• Apples
• Oranges
• Grapes
• Berries
• Avocados

Vegetables

• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Zucchini
• Bell peppers
• Mushrooms
• Greens: lettuce, spinach, kale, etc
• Tomatoes
• Onions (red & white)
• Garlic 
• Sweet potatoes
• Potatoes
• Winter squash (spaghetti squash, butternut, acorn...)

Fridge Staples

Here you will find a list of essential fridge items and staples for healthy eating. It is a pretty small list of condiments since I often make my own sauces, salad dressings, and dips with the ingredients listed here.

Condiments

• Dijon mustard
• Curry paste
• Soy sauce
• Coconut aminos
• Sriracha

Milk

My family moreso drinks dairy-free milk and plant-based milks. These are often full of fillers, preservatives, sweeteners, and sodium. Buy the ones with the shortest ingredient list. Or make your own! I have 1-3 of these in my kitchen every week for smoothies, granola, or baking.

• Almond milk (amazing homemade recipe)
• Oat milk (Earth's Own Naked 4 ingredients and no added oils)
• Organic soy milk
• Cashew milk
• Coconut milk

Dairy

When I buy dairy, I choose organic when possible, as these products can be high in antibiotics, synthetic growth hormones, and controversial pesticides. Look for grass-fed or pastured-raised, meaning the cows were fed this way (rather than factory farmed).

• Organic plain yogurt, or plain Greek (choose plain yogurt so it doesn't have any added sugars or artificial flavours)
• Organic butter
• Organic cheese

Eggs

The happier and healthier the chickens are with space to roam (pastured-raised), fresh air and good food to eat, the more nutritious the eggs will be. Free range is a tricky term on the egg carton; it means they just need to have access to fresh air, but often means a very limited outdoor space - look for Farm eggs or pasture-raised organic eggs.

Freezer

The frozen fruit and vegetables in my freezer are mostly used for daily smoothies.

• Frozen fruit (bananas, peaches, dragon fruit, mango, pineapple, dark cherries, strawberry, raspberry, blueberries, blackberries, avocado)
• Frozen vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, beets, butternut squash, okra)
• Whole-grain seedy bread
• Frozen seafood (salmon and shrimp, usually)

Homemade food in the freezer:

These are foods I like to make in large batches and have on hand for busy weeks.

• Sourdough bread
• Crackers
• Muffins
• Energy balls
• Popsicles
• Banana bread
• Crockpot freezer meals

Pantry staples list printable pdf

I've created a straightforward, comprehensive list of all the foods listed here, it's a healthy pantry checklist. Use it as an inventory list, or as insight for keeping a well-stocked pantry. Also included are my top two tips for healthy eating that changed the way I eat. Grab this printable pdf now!

Tips for stocking the pantry essentials on a budget

Groceries can be expensive, so here are some economic tips when stocking the pantry.

• Buy it in bulk. You can go to a bulk store and get a small amount, or order a large sack of flour, rice, or nuts for a wholesale price.
• Check out Organic Matters online for good quality bulk organic foods in Canada or in the USA (use my link for $10 off your next purchase).
• Rancho Vignola does seasonal ordering in bulk for nuts, dried fruits, seeds, and chocolate.
• Choose dried legumes (beans, lentils, peas) as they are cheaper dried than canned.
• Buy a big amount when it's on sale (such as when it's in season).
• Some grocery stores have 10% off the first Tuesday of the month (i.e., Safeway, Save On, and Nutters from my experience), or a no-tax day: stock up on these days.

Pantry ingredient recipes

Stocked the pantry and ready to eat something delicious? Let's go make some healthy snacks and food!