Staple ingredients to have on hand in your pantry, fridge, and freezer

Whether you are cooking for yourself or multiple people, you’ll likely find yourself needing to throw together meals somewhat regularly. To do so, you need to have ingredients in your pantry, fridge, and freezer that can come together in a harmonious way. Please keep in mind that I am a cook, not a baker, so I am writing to what I know. That said, below are the pantry, fridge, and freezer ingredients I could not live without!

-Pantry-

Oil

Forks Over Knives pointed out to me recently that oil is not a health food. For me personally though, I use oil in almost everything I cook and am not interested in cutting it out of my diet. Let’s be real — if you’re entirely or mostly whole-foods plant based, you’re doing better than most. Sautéing or stir frying onions and other aromatics, making salad dressing, greasing baking sheets, and making pesto are just a few of the ways I use oil.

Extra-virgin olive oil is tastier and better for you than vegetable oils, and it is my number one go-to. I HIGHLY recommend California Olive Ranch over any other brand — some brief research will confirm this is the highest quality option widely available on the market. However, olive oil has a low smoke point, and the beneficial compounds are destroyed at a high temperature. For higher temperature cooking such as stir frying, you will want to use an oil with a higher smoke point. For Asian cooking, a small amount of sesame oil brings out flavor incredibly. For Indian cooking, I love the neutral safflower oil. When I’m feeling fancy, I am a big fan of using avocado or coconut oil.

Vinegar

Acid is a HUGELY important flavor-brightener. Vinegar is a great acidic option because it will last basically forever in your pantry, and it is versatile. It is great in dressings, sauces, and condiments alike. My favorite is balsamic — there’s just nothing quite like it. I also love to switch it up with red wine vinegar (this was my most used vinegar when I began cooking), white vinegar, and apple cider vinegar. I’d recommend starting out with one or two that appeal to you and trust that whichever you choose will enhance your cooking immensely.

It is worth mentioning here that lemons and limes are key acidic ingredients to have on hand. While they have a shorter shelf life than vinegar, they do last for quite some time in the fridge — two weeks or more in my experience. (And I do cheat by using the bottled lemon and lime juice on a regular basis).

Canned Goods

I’m mainly talking about beans and specifically chickpeas here — I can’t get enough y’all. To pack in some easy protein to a salad, I simply drain and rinse a can of chickpeas — no cooking or seasoning necessary. But they are also fantastic in curries or even seasoned and baked into a high protein snack.

Other canned goods that are great to have on hand at all times are diced tomatoes, black beans, and kidney beans, especially if you’re in chili season.

Boxed Goods

Yep, I’m talking about mac n cheese and ramen. The vegan versions of both are widely available and quite tasty. In a pinch, mac n cheese is ALWAYS my go to. Such a painlessly cheap and easy way to avoid spending on takeout, and let’s be real folks — some days we just don’t want to cook.

You’ll want to watch the sodium intake here and avoid eating these foods too often, as they are highly processed. As most Americans have a diet consisting MAINLY of processed foods, you’d be doing pretty well if you are relying on these types of meals only once a week. I’d be lying if I told you I’m not reaching for the mac at least bi-weekly.

More of a carton good than a boxed good, vegetable broth is essential. Cooking your rice, lentils, quinoa, and millet in broth instead of water is an excellent and easy way to instantly enhance your dish’s flavor. You will want to refrigerate any unused broth after opening, and it will keep for quite a while.

Nuts and Seeds

I LOVE nuts and seeds. Yes, they are expensive, but when you are not eating out constantly, it is easy to justify this investment. I rely heavily on walnuts in particular for salads (highly recommend toasting them at medium heat for a few minutes on the stove), on sliced almonds for my breakfast yogurt, and ground or whole seeds (like pepita, sesame, chia, and flaxseed) for smoothies. In terms of cooking — cumin, coriander, fennel, and mustard seeds, as a few examples, have been excellent additions to my diet as of late, thanks to Vegan Richa. Not to mention all of these ingredients are PACKED with nutrients and health benefits.

Back when I had roommates, one of them commented that she noticed how many nuts I eat. For me, it is a go-to filling snack — totally awesome, as there is no assembly required and it actually does good things for your body (fat is not the enemy, folks). If you do feel like kicking your nut snacks up a notch, I have been obsessed with coating a serving of nuts in some olive oil and sea salt.

Nut and Seed Butters

In the same vein, nut and seed butters are a great way to add richness and flavor to your diet. The ones I always have on hand are almond butter (can’t believe I took so long to try this DELICIOUSNESS), peanut butter (which I’m not even a big fan of but LOVE in a stir fry), and tahini (sesame seed paste) which adds so much savory flavor and depth to salads, sauces, and marinades alike.

If you want to take your smoothies and oatmeal up a notch, just add some almond butter and SEE WHAT HAPPENS. For me, this was a game changer. Again, these are some of the pricier ingredients you will buy, but they are 100% worth it.

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit stays good just about forever, and can really enhance a salad, stovetop dish, or even a veggie burger. The ones I have stocked are raisins and figs, but I’d love to get my hands on some cherries.

If you’re snacking on dried fruit, I’d recommend making a trail mix instead of eating it straight. While fruit is healthy, it’s packed with sugar, so moderation is key.

Garlic & Onion

This goes without saying — garlic is crucial, and something I go through surprisingly quickly as a single person. Yep, I am one of the people who doubles the specified amount of garlic in nearly every recipe. Keep in mind though — if garlic will be consumed raw, it should NOT be doubled. This stuff is potent when raw, so I’d recommend sticking to what the recipe specifies if you are making something like pesto. Also keep in mind that my recipes will already use a generous amount of garlic due to how much I love it, and ingredients can always be adjusted to your taste.

Another staple of mine is red onion. This wasn’t always the case — I thought red onion could only really be used raw on sandwiches. However, as a recipe developer I found myself gravitating toward this particular type of onion, and now I always have it in the house. It is great in raw and cooked meals alike. I like to store it in a drawer away from other foods (it will encourage the foods around it to rot otherwise), cut off as much as I will use in one meal, and then store the rest in the fridge. It then keeps well for a couple of weeks. If you notice the outside layer has dried out after storing it, no worries — it’s still good! Just cut off a thin layer, and you should find it to be much fresher. If light, watery looking spots are starting to develop throughout the onion, that is the first sign of spoilage — consume it within a day or two if this starts to happen. And obviously, when in doubt (especially in the presence of an “off” texture or smell), it’s better to toss it and play it safe.

Flours

Holy sh*t, this pantry list is long. But all ingredients are highly important in my cooking, and this is the last one I will mention! All purpose and whole wheat flour are basic ones I like to keep stocked. More than anything, though, I have been LOVING chickpea flour as a comforting egg replacement (did I mention I love chickpeas?). If you’ve never tried this type of flour, I would encourage you to check out my indulgent and nourishing spicy chickpea veggie frittatas. It’s no secret that Bob’s Red Mill is killing the game when it comes to flour and oats — you can even get gluten free all purpose flour from him! (Gluten free pancakes, anyone?).

-Fridge-

Condiments

There’s no doubt about it — condiments are the powerhouse of the fridge. Listed here are the top condiments I have stocked, and a description of how I use them.

-Hot Sauce

My absolute favorite is chili garlic sauce. I eat my chickpea omelette sandwich linked above regularly, and I tear through this condiment particularly quickly now that I’ve brought that sandwich to the table. I also like to use it to spice up really anything that could be enhanced with some heat, whether that be a burrito bowl, quinoa and greens casserole, or salad. I also recently got my hands on Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and am OBSESSED — please see my vegan hot chicken if you’d like to dive in to this one. Lastly, knock it as I may due to the high sugar content, I do enjoy Sriracha on avocado toast.

-Salsa

I have found that tacos and burritos are incredibly easy fallback meals when I feel like I have nothing in my kitchen to work with. Cook up some lentils, season them with spices, add in whatever veggies you have on hand, top with some vegan sour cream and salsa, fold into a tortilla, and you’ve got a winning meal that is not only delicious but nutritious and high in protein. I love red habanero salsa and green chili salsa personally, but there are a lot of options to choose from here.

-Mustard, Mayo, and Ketchup

I list these together as they represent the burger sauce trifecta. Mustard (BIG fan of Dijon, Spicy Brown, and Plain Yellow) and ketchup will typically be vegan, but for mayo, you’ll want to opt for egg-free Vegenaise by Follow Your Heart. This brand is absolutely delicious and you’d never know the difference from its animal based counterpart.

-A1 Sauce

While the product label may tell you this is used for animal products, THE DELIGHT DOESN’T STOP THERE MY FRIEND. I first got hooked on this condiment when my good friend and I made Tabitha Brown’s stupid delicious carrot dog, and then I went on to feature this condiment in my patty melt sauce. Really anytime you are craving steak and want to add some savory goodness to your vegan meats, this condiment is a great one to reach for.

-Soy Sauce and Coconut Aminos

I am a real sucker for this one. I can guarantee whenever I eat sushi, I am getting at least three times as much sodium from the soy sauce as what is recommend for a day. EACH. PIECE. MUST. BE. DOUSED. However, coconut aminos is an excellent sub for soy sauce in my experience making my super comforting peanut tofu stir fry, and it has less than 3 times the sodium per serving than traditional soy sauce.

-Black Bean Sauce

You may have to find an Asian market to get this one, but holy sh*t is it worth it. My dad used to make a stir fry which included equal parts soy and black bean sauce, plus pork, water chestnuts, and pea pods. WOW was this one of my favorite meals of my childhood, and I will absolutely create a vegan version ASAP. This is another condiment great for burrito bowls, stir fry (used in my peanut tofu stir fry linked above), marinades, and sauces.

Jarred Goods

The cousin of condiments, jarred goods are something I rely on just as heavily. Here are my favorites:

-Sweet Cherry Peppers

There is a reason these delicious peppers are featured on the cover of this article. I had never heard of them until I subbed them in place of another ingredient in a skirt steak salad, and I’ve kept them on hand since. Want to enhance pasta? Sweet cherry peppers. Salad? Sweet cherry peppers. Pesto? Sweet cherry peppers. Sandwiches? Sweet cherry peppers. These little peppers are INCREDIBLY flavorful and versatile, and I credit them hugely in my ability to throw meals together. They just may be my favorite ingredient of all time.

-Sun Dried Tomatoes

Similarly, I would be lost without sun dried tomatoes, also featured on the cover photo of this article. While the cherry peppers pack a tang, the tomatoes pack a savory punch of flavor. I frequently use the two together. Once again, these tomatoes can enhance pretty much any meal you could think of. Their flavor is strong, so it doesn’t take much to kick your meals up a notch.

-Jalapeño Peppers

I don’t use these quite as much, but if you are wanting to add bites of spice to your meals, it is incredibly convenient having jarred jalapeño peppers to reach for. Just like the above two ingredients, these can be used to enhance just about anything. While the above ingredients provide tang and umami, jalapeños have you covered on spice. You may also consider pepperoncini or banana peppers — YUM.

Fats

While the ingredients below are quite different, it makes sense to lump them into the category of fats. Rest assured — these fats will not make you fat if they are used as part of a balanced meal. Fat plays a crucial role in the body and is not something to shy away from — just something to be intentional about.

-Vegan Butter

It’s kind of hard to believe I was not eating this on the regular before I went vegan. Yes, this is just as processed as dairy butter and not exactly a prime example of healthy fat (high saturated fat content), but it tastes exactly the same and has NO cholesterol. This can be used in place of dairy butter anytime a recipe calls for it, or whenever you just want to slap it on some bread as an unhealthy but admittedly comforting snack. I’ll call that a win.

-Vegan Cheese

Kite Hill makes some fantastic vegan cream cheese — another ingredient featured in my chickpea omelette sandwich. I also LOVE Daiya for several different non-dairy cheeses and Follow Your Heart for mozzarella specifically. Lastly, Miyoko’s products are phenomenal, and her delicious vegan mozzarella is featured in my pesto tapenade caprese sandwich. Personally, the biggest struggle for me in committing to veganism was giving up cheese, but when I tried all of the above products, I found it is no sacrifice at all.

-Sour Cream

I don’t use this as regularly as the two above, but vegan sour cream is excellent for tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, enchiladas, or really anything Mexican. I’ve also found it subs in well for vegan cream cheese in my chickpea omelette sandwich. Again, Kite Hill is a shining star brand here.

-Plant Milk

If I could ask a regular consumer of animal products to make one change right now, it would be to switch from dairy to plant milk. The ingredients in dairy milk between the somatic cells (pus), estrogen, and cancer promoting IGF-1 are truly alarming (and not destroyed through pasteurization), and there is no reason for any human being to be drinking a liquid designed to develop a calf into a 400 pound cow as rapidly as possible. Below are my absolute favorite plant milks — packed with calcium and devoid of the aforementioned harmful ingredients.

-Almond-

This one seems to be a favorite among many people who switch from dairy to plant milk. I like to get the unsweetened variety and use it in smoothies, vegan mac, pancakes, chickpea omelettes, and sauces alike. This delicious plant milk is featured in my roasted red pepper chickpea pasta.

-Coconut-

I’ve found there to be variety in flavor among brands here, and SO Delicious is the best I have discovered so far. I use this plant milk in all of the same ways as almond, and it’s also probably my favorite milk to drink straight.

-Pea-

This plant milk is special, as it contains a different type of protein than other plant milks. I love the brand Ripple for this dairy-free nutrition superstar, and I find it to be the most indulgent out of all the other plant milks on the market.

The above three plant milks are my favorite and most used, but other worthy plant milks are soy, oat, flax, macadamia, and cashew — they’re all amazing. With so many options to choose from, there is absolutely no reason to contribute to the sexual exploitation of cows — please get your hands on any or all of these milks, and I can promise you won’t regret it!

Leafy Greens and Veggies

The most perishable item on this list, greens and veggies are a must-have in the fridge — leafy greens especially are something you will want to re-stock weekly and have a plan for consuming. Getting leafy greens into your diet is very important.

One green I always have on hand is cilantro — I absolutely love this herb. Between sandwiches, pesto, stir frys, salads, pastas, and rice, you won’t have to worry about being able to use the whole bunch before it goes bad.

Beyond cilantro, I alternate between arugula and spinach each week. When in doubt, I throw a bunch in a bowl and top it with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper for a quick and easy light meal. Less frequently, but importantly, I regularly eat kale as well (check out my aromatic kale and wild rice salad if you’re looking for a new way to eat this superfood!).

A less perishable vegetable I always have on hand, as mentioned above, is red onion — once I cut one open, I store the rest in the fridge and it stays good for a long time. I get through the whole onion, every time. Beyond onion, you are likely to have leftover veggies in your fridge not used in your weekly meal plan, and these can be tossed into salads, pastas, sandwiches, and rice dishes alike to easily up your nutrition in a given meal (the more colors, the better!).

Lemons, Limes, or Bottled Juice

These wonderful acidic fruits can enhance nearly any meal. For times you think this acid would be a great addition to your meal and you don’t have the actual fruit, the bottled juices for both are a great substitute and less perishable.

Breads

A quick shout-out here for bread — this is another fridge essential. I find having a multi-grain loaf and tortillas on hand is all I need. By keeping them in the fridge, you will be able to consume the bread at your own pace without it going bad. I also find it’s worth it to have back-up loaves and less-used bread in the freezer — which brings me to my last topic!

-Freezer-

Moving onto the final category — freezer ingredients! This list is the shortest, but these ingredients are staples nonetheless.

Fruit

As condiments are the champion of the fridge, fruit is the champion of the freezer. I always have blueberries, strawberries, and bananas (chopped into thirds) stocked, and will also occasionally have raspberries, blackberries, grapes, and mangoes. Fresh fruit may go bad quickly, but you won’t have that problem when it’s frozen. Not only that, but you will be enjoying the fruit at prime ripeness with every single serving. Usually I am getting my dose of fruit in the mornings with one of my 3 go-to breakfasts.

Vegetables

Frozen veggies are a fantastic fallback when you don’t have fresh ones on hand, and similar to fruit, their quality will be well preserved in the freezer. I have peas and corn on hand always, and also have edamame as a fabulous and delicious protein option. This is one category where I will continue to branch out — there are a lot of possibilities.

Freezer Meals

In a pinch, freezer meals are an excellent and easy go-to when you don’t want to spend on takeout. Daiya and Sweet Earth have some tasty and high quality options as far as this is concerned.

Breads

As mentioned above, I keep backup breads and less used breads in the freezer — since I am just one person, I’m not going to get through loaves at room temperature fast enough. There is no reason not to freeze bread and keep it fresh essentially forever!

Plant-Based Proteins

I find that I usually buy ingredients like Beyond Beef, tofu, and tempeh as I need them and keep them in the fridge, so I do not have much experience with freezing and thawing these proteins. However, they all can be frozen and produce a delicious result when they are ready to use, as Google has confirmed for me, so this is a category worth including in the freezer section.

* * *

There you have it — a long, yet basic list to guide you in building your kitchen from the ground up. Having the above staple ingredients on hand allows me to avoid spending on takeout, as there is always something I can throw together.

I hope you have taken some valuable information and ideas away from this list — if I missed anything you consider a staple, I’d welcome your feedback in the comments!