Every time I talk about cooking, I get asked about my top pantry essentials. So I’ve gone through my entire pantry and shared my top staples we always have on hand.
Looking for a good list of pantry essentials?
These are all my pantry essentials that I basically have on hand all the time, no matter what.
I’ve been buying my groceries from Walmart since we moved to Texas and I discovered grocery pickup. After a year of doing that, I signed up for Walmart+, which does grocery delivery to your house and my life has never been the same.
I literally never go to the grocery story anymore. It’s the best.
I love that I can order everything all in one place, the prices are amazing (and not more expensive than in store), and they have all the brands that I love.
A few notes about Walmart’s Online Pickup and Delivery
- I’ve never had a bad experience with them picking my produce! Seriously, in dozens of orders, it’s always been fantastic.
- You can order groceries right from the app or from Walmart.com. They make it so easy.
- If something isn’t available, they make a substitution automatically and you can choose whether or not to accept the substitution.
- Pickup is always completely FREE, delivery is included in your Walmart+ membership (details here), but I always tip my driver!
- Food prices are the same as in store – no hidden markups
- You can order anything from Walmart’s Online Pickup and Delivery – not just groceries!
*$35 minimum and small delivery fee apply. Pickup and Delivery available in select markets.
Now here are my pantry essentials, all of which I order regularly from Walmart!
Basic cooking essentials
- Salt
- Black peppercorns
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Vegetable oil
Baking essentials
I do a ton of baking with and without my kids, so these are essentials in my pantry and we use them often.
- All purpose flour
- I keep a TON of it in these 5 gallon storage buckets with an air tight lid
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Unsweetened Cocoa powder
- Chocolate chips
- I actually keep mine in the freezer, but they’re an essential. We ONLY buy Ghirardelli milk chocolate brand, cause we’re chocolate snobs.
- Granulated sugar
- I also keep this in a 5 gallon storage bucket
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Brown sugar
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Butter
- we keep lots of this in the freezer, but it’s absolutely a baking essential for us
Grains:
- Rice
- I rarely use brown rice. We keep a huge 5 gallon container of white rice in the pantry
- Pasta
- shell pasta, egg noodles, angel hair spaghetti are our most used
- Breadcrumbs
- I always have panko and italian on hand
- Cornmeal
- I use this for the bottom of our pizza crust each week
- Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Mix
- I make one of these pancakes in a mug for my oldest every single morning
Cereal
- Oats
- I use these for baking and for eating oatmeal, and I always have old fashioned and quick oats on hand
- Corn Chex
- we make Puppy Chow almost every week for Friday night dessert, so lots of Chex are essential — Walmart always has the family size for the best price,
- Other breakfast cereal
- We rotate which kinds we get. Sometimes granola, Golden Grahams, Cheerios, Frosted Mini Wheats, etc.
Nuts:
Nuts are my go-to snack for the afternoon. I usually try to stay away from cashews, cause they make me break out if I eat too many, and they’re so high in fat. But a handful of almonds or pistachios is always a great treat. Philip typically eats the cashews.
- Cashews
- Almonds
- Pistachios
Canned Goods
I don’t cook with a lot of canned goods, but I always have canned beans and tomatoes on hand, plus a few other random things for certain recipes.
- Beans
- cannellini, pinto, black, and kidney are my most used
- Salsa
- this fire roasted canned salsa is THE BEST. We just toss it in the blender to make it a little less chunky – it’s delish.
- Tomatoes
- fire roasted, petite diced, and stewed are my most used
- Tomato paste
- I just discovered that it comes in a tube instead of a can and my life has been changed forever
- Canned Chili
- our enchilada recipe calls for a can of this, so I always have some on hand
- Enchilada sauce
- I make these enchiladas every month or two – they’re our fave!
- Evaporated Milk
- I always have this just in case I need it for a recipe
Spices
You can’t cook without spices! These are my most used that I always have in the cupboard.
- Chile powder
- Crushed red pepper
- Garlic powder
- Cinnamon
- Cumin
- Ginger
- Oregano
- Smoked Paprika
Condiments:
Obviously most of these are fridge essentials, but I like to have an extra or two in the pantry at all times.
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- BBQ Sauce
- We make BBQ chicken pizza almost every Friday, and this is our favorite brand of BBQ sauce to use.
- Jam
- Peanut Butter
- Almond Butter
- Pickles
- Ranch dressing
Snacks:
We always need snacks on hand! I buy a random assortment every month, so we don’t always have the exact same snacks. But these are some regulars that we usually have.
- Marshmallows
- Pretzels
- Fruit Snacks
- Fruit by the foot
- Crackers
- Trail Mix
- This Walmart brand has real M&M’s and is our favorite
- Chips
- We love Popchips and Pringles the most
I hope this is helpful as you stock your pantry. And check if you have Walmart’s Online Pickup and Delivery available in your area – I promise, it’s life changing!
Free Printable
If you want a list of pantry essentials to print off and hang up in your kitchen, you can download my list by entering your email below!
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this post is sponsored by Walmart
