Pantry essentials for budget cooking

Keep these non-perishable items in your pantry and you’ll never be left with “nothing to eat” again! To download a PDF Checklist of this list click here.

Beans & Proteins

  • Dried Lentils
  • All-Natural Peanut Butter
  • Roasted Peanuts
  • Pumpkin Seeds, Hulled
  • Sunflower Seeds, Hulled
  • Tuna canned in water
  • Tuna canned in olive oil

Grains

  • Pearl barley
  • Bread crumbs
  • Cornmeal
  • Whole wheat flour
  • All-Purpose flour
  • Old fashion rolled oats
  • Steal-cut Irish oatmeal
  • Whole wheat pasta
  • Popcorn kernels
  • Brown rice

Baking Help

  • Almond extract
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Cocoa powder
  • Unsweetened coconut
  • Coffee
  • Cornstarch
  • Locally sourced honey
  • Vital Wheat Gluten flour
  • Sugar-free or homemade jam

Seasonings and Herbs

  • Basil
  • Chili powder
  • Cinnamon
  • Cloves
  • Cumin
  • Curry powder
  • Ginger
  • Mustard powder
  • Mustard seeds
  • Nutmeg
  • Oregano
  • Parsley
  • Paprika
  • Black Pepper
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Poultry seasoning
  • Salts, variety
  • Turmeric
  • White Vinegar
  • Red Wine Vinegar
  • Worcestershire sauce

Condiments

  • Home-canned pickles
  • Home-canned salsa

Good Fats

  • Canola oil
  • Coconut milk
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Flaxseed oil
  • Grapeseed oil

Canned Items

  • Home-canned applesauce
  • Dried cranberries
  • Crushed pineapple in 100% juice
  • Raisins
  • Crushed tomatoes
  • Tomato paste
  • Diced canned tomatoes
  • Home-canned pasta sauce

Snacks

  • Melba toast
  • Multi-grain crackers
  • Rice cakes

Other

(add your favorites here)

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, Tampa Bay Budget Meals Examiner

Renia Carsillo is a Mommy-Preneur, freelance food writer, and grassroots marketing freak show by day and a cooking and recipe creation mad-scientist by night. Just a simple mom with one big life purpose: to make the world a more delicious place to live.

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