Looking to become a vegan and don’t know where to start? Moving into your own place looking to cook vegan meals for your self? Making new recipes is so much easier when you’ve got most of the ingredients on hand. Here are some vegan pantry and fridge staples for the aspiring or seasoned vegan to craft a well-rounded pantry. Pick and choose what you like from this list as inspiration to build your own plant-based pantry!
Baking Ingredients
Agave
Baking powder
Baking soda
Brown sugar
Maple syrup
Raisins
Vanilla extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Whole-wheat flour (white whole-wheat and whole-wheat pastry are best choices for baking)
Beans and Legumes
Dried lentils
Beans of choice (many are available dried; canned are great for convenience) — black beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas /garbanzo beans, great northern beans, kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pink beans, white beans, and so forth
Breads
Corn tortillas
Whole-grain bread
Whole-wheat bread crumbs
Whole-wheat tortillas (100 percent whole grains)
Canned Goods
Apple butter (good for baking)
Applesauce (good for baking)
Coconut milk
Fruit jams or preserves (no sugar added)
Marinara sauce — (check labels for vegan)
Seed butters — sunflower and sesame (tahini)
Nut butter — almond, cashew, and peanut
Silken light tofu (may be in Asian section)
Tomatoes (plum) — chopped, crushed, and whole
Tomato paste
Vegetable stock
Cereals
Oatmeal
Standard rolled oats are great to eat raw in cereal
For baking, use rolled, steel-cut Irish, and quick-cooking oats
Various cereals — 100% percent whole-grain is great
Condiments
Balsamic vinegar
Chutneys (great to spice up your wraps and rice and beans)
Cooking sherry and/or vermouth
Hot sauce
Mustard, but check ingredients for dairy
Olives (in water)
Rice vinegar
Salsa — standard tomato, as well as fun variations, like peach and mango
Tamari and / or soy sauce
White vinegar
“Dairy”
Non-dairy milk — almond, coconut, soy, hemp, rice, or coconut soy (my preference is unsweetened plain for savory cooking and vanilla flavored for desserts
Tofu — Firm and silken
Vegan cheese (check the label to make sure it’s caseine / dairy dairy-free)
Yogurt — almond, coconut, or soy
Freezer Section
Frozen edamame — great snack
Frozen fruit — blueberries, mangoes, peaches, and strawberries , mangoes, and peaches (perfect for smoothies, pancakes, and other treats)
Frozen spinach — we use it so much in cooking
Frozen vegetables
Frozen-fruit bars (popsicles)
Sorbet
Veggie burgers (make sure they’re vegan — many contain eggs and/or cheese; find brands with as few ingredients as possible)
Grains and Pasta
Amaranth
Barley
Brown rice — short short-grain and pre-cooked or quick cooking
Bulgur
Corn kernels for popping
Farro
Lasagna noodles — whole wheat, no boil
Pasta — whole wheat or brown rice
Quinoa
Wheat berries
Herbs and Spices — Dried
Allspice
Basil
Black pepper
Cayenne
Chili powder
Cinnamon
Cumin
Curry powder
Garlic powder
Ginger, ground
Nutmeg
Oregano
Paprika
Red pepper flakes
Rosemary
Saffron
Sage
Sea salt
Thyme
Turmeric
Nuts
Almonds
Brazil nuts
Cashews
Pecans
Pine nuts
Walnuts
Produce
Fresh fruit — tons, in all colors; I especially love: Apples, bananas (great to freeze), berries, mangos, and melons
Lemons for cooking
Fresh vegetables — tons, in all colors: I love bell peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, green and yellow zucchini, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes or yams
Be sure to get extra carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, and onions for freezing and cooking
Fresh herbs — parsley, basil, cilantro, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme, and rosemary
Dried fruits — apricots, cherries, cranberries, dates, prunes, figs, prunescherries, and raisins
Salad and dark, leafy greens (buy pre-washed and organic when possible) — arugula, collard greens, endive, kale, collard greens, mixed salad greens, radicchio, red-leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach, and watercress
Seeds
Chia
Flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed; store in fridge once opened); or buy whole flaxseeds and grind yourself
Flax
Pumpkin
Sesame
Sunflower