If you’re trying to plan what eating at home might look like for the next few weeks, I thought I’d share what my family is stocking up on in our pantry, as well as some easy recipe ideas for how to use them!
Recipes Using Pantry Ingredients
If you want to skip my shopping list and go straight to the recipes, click on the links below to jump:
- Dinner Recipes
- Breakfast Recipes
- Dessert Recipes
- Staples You Can Make at Home (Usually cheaper!)
My Go-To Pantry Staples
Below you’ll find a list of everything I like to keep on hand in my pantry. You can download a convenient shopping list here if you want to print it off and take it to the store with you!
The amount you need to buy of these items will vary based on what you already have on hand, and the number of people in your home, so I’ve only listed the ingredients I keep in stock– not necessarily the amount you need of each one.
Fresh Produce
To go along with the pantry items on this list, I like to keep some fresh produce on hand to complete our meals. If you don’t have access to fresh produce, frozen will work in many cases, too. (Keep in mind that you can freeze things like chopped onions, carrots, and celery in easy portions for later, so save anything you don’t use right away.)
Here are my favorites:
- Lemons (or limes)
- Apples or pears
- Bananas
- Fresh spinach
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sweet potatoes
- Yukon Gold potatoes
- Medjool dates (I’m seriously stocked up on these)
Dinner Recipes
Red Lentil Soup
4.95 from 50 votes
Red Lentil Soup is made with easy pantry ingredients, and tastes like it came from a restaurant! It cooks in just about 30 minutes, for a fast weeknight meal.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Dry red lentils, canned coconut milk, and canned tomato paste.
You’ll also need some basic fresh produce, like onions, carrots, and celery, but you can use frozen if you need to. (This soup also freezes well!
Instant Pot Spaghetti (with or without meat!)
4.09 from 24 votes
Here's how to make perfect Instant Pot Spaghetti two ways. You can make this with a classic meat sauce, or as a vegetarian dish, in under 30 minutes. It's the easiest one-pot meal!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Dry spaghetti, jarred marinara sauce, and dry red lentils.
With this recipe you literally dump these ingredients into the Instant Pot a press a button. If you want to use ground beef instead of the lentils, there are instructions for doing that, too.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup
5 from 12 votes
This slow cooker pumpkin soup is an easy and comforting meal, made with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Only a few minutes of prep work required!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Canned Pumpkin, coconut milk, and maple syrup.
Slow cooker pumpkin soup is an easy “dump” meal that’s packed with flavor and nutrients, thanks to the canned pumpkin. Serve it with crunchy pumpkin seeds on top!
Vegan Coconut Curry (an Easy Weeknight Dinner!)
4.90 from 69 votes
This Coconut Curry recipe makes an easy weeknight dinner. I love serving it over quinoa as a complete source of plant-based protein, and you can add in any vegetables
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Canned coconut milk, curry powder, spices, maple syrup, and rice or quinoa, for serving.
Coconut curry makes an easy weeknight meal, and you can use up any vegetables you happen to have on hand– fresh or frozen!
Instant Pot Quinoa Burrito Bowls (Vegan!)
4.87 from 124 votes
These Instant Pot Vegan Quinoa Burrito Bowls are an easy and healthy make-ahead meal loaded with fiber and protein.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Dry quinoa, salsa, canned black beans, and spices.
These quinoa burrito bowls are the perfect recipe for a pressure cooking beginner. All you have to do is press a button and walk away!
Quinoa & Black Bean Salad
5 from 42 votes
STARCH | Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free
This Quinoa & Black Bean Salad is loaded with fresh vegetables and tossed in a spicy lime dressing, for a Southwestern flare. It's loaded with plant-based protein and makes an easy packed lunch or vegetarian dinner.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Dry quinoa, canned black beans, and spices.
This is probably my favorite make-ahead salad of all time. It’s super flavorful, and it lasts in the fridge for an easy packed lunch.
Instant Pot Vegan Chili
4.50 from 59 votes
Instant Pot Vegan Chili is a delicious vegetarian twist on the traditional version. It cooks quickly thanks to the help of your electric pressure cooker!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: canned black beans, canned kidney beans, diced tomatoes, dry red lentils, and spices.
Vegan chili is a hearty meal made with plant-based protein, and it uses the convenience of canned beans. I love to serve this with my vegan cornbread— which technically isn’t made with corn, but it tastes like it is.
Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
4.95 from 38 votes
Pumpkin Pasta Sauce is a delicious Fall-inspired sauce that you can whip up in just 20 minutes. Serve it over your favorite noodles or as a dip for a crispy grilled cheese sandwich!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: canned pumpkin, crushed or strained tomatoes, coconut milk, and spices.
This pumpkin pasta sauce is made with canned pumpkin and strained tomato– which is similar to crushed tomatoes or canned tomato sauce, if that’s what you have on hand. It’s addictive over your favorite pasta!
Chipotle Burrito Bowls (in the Instant Pot!)
5 from 17 votes
These Chipotle Burrito Bowls are an easy one-pot meal in the Instant Pot. The black beans & brown rice cook from scratch at the same time! No soaking required.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: dry black beans, dry brown rice, and spices.
Make affordable Chipotle burrito bowls at home, and then serve them with a variety of toppings for a build-your-own-bowl situation!
Vegan Meatloaf (Lentil Loaf)
4.81 from 81 votes
Vegan Meatloaf is a hearty vegetarian meal that will impress your dinner guests. Featuring a satisfying mixture of lentils and walnuts, it tastes just as delicious as the traditional version!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: dry green lentils (or canned), quick cooking oats, ground flax, tomato paste, and spices.
When you need some vegetarian comfort food, this “meatloaf” is a hit! I love the combination of textures and flavors.
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
4.93 from 56 votes
Instant Pot Lentil Soup is a delicious way to eat more veggies, and the pressure cooker makes it as easy as possible! Just press a button and walk away, while the Instant Pot cooks it to perfection.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: dry green lentils (or canned), diced tomatoes, and spices.
This lentil soup is hearty and filling, and takes no time to throw together in your pressure cooker! Stove top directions are included as well.
Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
4.75 from 402 votes
Vegan Mac and Cheese is just as quick to prepare as the boxed version! Tossed with a quick creamy sauce, everyone loves this dairy-free alternative.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: cashews, dry pasta, nutritional yeast, and spices.
This Vegan Mac n’ Cheese comes together in minutes! You can blend a handful of ingredients in your blender as the pasta cooks, then simply stir it all together for a comforting dish.
Best Lentil Salad
4.95 from 53 votes
This Lentil Salad is loaded with veggies and plant-based protein and will make your taste buds do a happy dance! It's an easy make-ahead meal you can eat straight from the fridge.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Dry green lentils, vinegar, and spices.
This lentil salad is hearty, yet refreshing, and will last in the fridge for several days after you make it, so it’s perfect for meal prepping ahead of time.
Vegan Chickpea Salad
4.91 from 10 votes
This Vegan Chickpea Salad is an easy make-ahead meal, filled with plant-based protein. I love how quick and filling it is!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Canned chickpeas and spices.
This Vegan Chickpea Salad is filled with fresh Greek-inspired flavors, and takes just minutes to stir together!
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad with Chickpeas
5 from 4 votes
This Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad is an easy make-ahead meal that's loaded with plant-based protein. Made with lentil pasta and tossed with a flavorful sun-dried tomato dressing.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Canned chickpeas, dry pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, and spices.
When you pair sun-dried tomatoes with pasta, it’s hard to go wrong flavor-wise. You can stir in any veggies you happen to have on hand, to make this salad nutrient-packed!
Vegan Black Bean Burgers (Veggie Burgers)
5 from 11 votes
This Vegan Black Bean Burger recipe is easy to make, without a mushy middle! Made with sweet potato instead of egg, they are packed with fiber and plant-based protein.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Canned Black beans, rolled oats or oat flour, BBQ sauce, and spices.
When I make veggie burgers, I want them to be flavorful and EASY to prepare. These are both! You don’t even need to break out the food processor to make them.
Breakfast Recipes Using Pantry Staples
Healthy Granola (Oil-free!)
4.91 from 22 votes
This healthy granola is the perfect make-ahead breakfast or crunchy snack. I love that it's oil-free and naturally sweetened! This recipe makes roughly
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Rolled oats, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, and spices.
Homemade granola is a great make-ahead meal, so it makes for an easy breakfast. Serve it with homemade almond milk and fresh or frozen fruit.
Easy Granola Bars
4.78 from 72 votes
Homemade granola bars are quick & easy to make at home, and require only 4 simple ingredients! You can make them in just minutes, and add in any extras you like to customize the flavor.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Rolled oats, peanut butter, honey or maple syrup.
Homemade granola bars require just 4 ingredients that your probably have on hand! Feel free to mix up the nut butter you use, along with any add-ins, to change the flavor.
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats (Fool-Proof Method!)
4.78 from 153 votes
STARCH | Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Vegan
Here's how to make steel cut oats in the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker for a quick and easy warm breakfast. They're naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, and are loadedwith fiber and plant-based protein.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Steel cut oats, and any toppings you like.
This is the only way I cook steel cut oats now. Just add the oats and water, press a button and walk away!
Chia Pudding Recipe
4.50 from 2 votes
NUT/SEED/DRIED FRUIT | Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Vegan
Chia pudding makes an easy make-ahead breakfast that's dairy-free and gluten-free. It takes just minutes to stir together, and you can top it in a variety of fun ways!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Chia seeds, almond milk or rice milk.
Chia pudding is an easy and filling breakfast, loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. You can flavor it however you’d like to!
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding (only 4 ingredients!)
4.92 from 36 votes
This Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding is a quick & healthy breakfast, that tastes like chocolate pudding!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Chia seeds, cacao powder, almond milk or rice milk, and maple syrup.
Chocolate chia pudding is like having a rich chocolate dessert, for breakfast or a snack! You can sweeten this one with fruit or maple syrup.
Overnight Oats
5 from 17 votes
Here's how to make overnight oats, with 8 different delicious flavors! Start with the base recipe of oats and your favorite milk, then add in your favorite toppings for an easy meal prep breakfast.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Rolled oats, maple syrup, and almond milk.
Overnight oats make an easy meal prep option, if you don’t mind eating oatmeal more like a chilled bowl of cereal. You can get creative with the toppings, using frozen fruit, cinnamon, or crunchy walnuts.
Crispy Almond Flour Waffles
4.56 from 76 votes
These Almond Flour Waffles are naturally gluten-free and grain-free, made with protein-packed almond flour. They are super-filling!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Almond flour, olive oil, maple syrup, baking powder, and eggs (or tapica starch for an egg-free version).
Almond flour waffles are extra-filling, thanks to the natural fat in almonds, and you can make these ahead for an easy freezer waffle. My kids love these!
Dessert Recipes
Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
4.91 from 102 votes
This is the best black bean brownie recipe you'll ever try. No eggs, flour, or dairy, and they don't taste "healthy" at all.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Canned black beans, coconut sugar, chocolate chips, and ground flax.
If you’re stocking up on black beans, you might as well make the most of it with these rich & fudgy brownies!
Vegan Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
4.87 from 91 votes
An easy vegan cookie that is loaded protein, fiber and minerals thanks to the addition of chickpeas.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Canned chickpeas, coconut sugar, oat flour.
You can’t even tell there are chickpeas in these cookies, but they act as a great binder without using eggs, and keep these cookies moist.
Chocolate Aquafaba Mousse (Vegan!)
4.60 from 22 votes
This aquafaba mousse is easy to make, with only 3 ingredients. It's unbelievably light and fluffy, without using dairy or eggs.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Liquid leftover from canned chickpeas, chocolate chips, cream of tartar.
If you’re already opening up a can of chickpeas, you might as well make the most of the liquid in the can, too! It makes the most amazingly fluffy vegan chocolate mousse.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
4.87 from 66 votes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are a quick & easy dessert, made with just 5 ingredients. You'd never know they are naturally sweetened just by tasting them!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Peanut butter, cacao powder, coconut oil, almond flour, and maple syrup.
These bars are a staple in my home because we always have these ingredients on hand! They are rich & decadent, so be warned– they go fast!
Chocolate Pots De Creme (Egg-free!)
4.91 from 52 votes
Chocolate Pots de Crème are a rich chocolate dessert, reminiscent of chocolate mousse-- only denser and more decadent. This version is dairy-free & egg-free to suit special dietary needs.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Raw cashews, coconut oil, cacao powder, maple syrup, and vanilla.
Who knew that one of the most decadent desserts can be made with simple pantry staples? This is my show-stopping dessert that I made for parties and guests. It’s always a hit!
Staples You can Make at Home:
How to Make Almond Milk
4.87 from 74 votes
Homemade Almond Milk is super-easy to make at home, and tastes better than the store-bought version! All you need is 2 simple ingredients to get started.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Almonds.
It takes just minutes to make your own almond milk at home, and it tastes better than store bought! I recommend keeping a nut milk bag on hand to make this easily. (Try my 2-Minute Almond Milk to skip the need for straining.)
How to Make Oat Milk (Not Slimy!)
4.73 from 43 votes
Here's how to make oat milk at home in just minutes! This simple method creates creamy results and tastes just as delicious as the store-bought version.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Rolled oats.
I’ve tested this method to help you make it as NOT slimy as possible, and it’s the cheapest non-dairy milk option around!
Hemp Milk
4.71 from 17 votes
Hemp milk is an easy dairy-free alternative with a complete source of plant-based protein. I love how it's nut-free and quick to prepare!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Hemp hearts and dates or maple syrup, for sweetness.
Hemp hearts are a complete source of plant-based protein, and make a super-creamy milk that you don’t have to strain.
How To Make Almond Butter (No Added Oil!)
4.83 from 165 votes
Making homemade almond butter is easier than you might expect! It tastes so much better than the store-bought version, you may never go back once you taste it.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Almonds.
You can make your own almond butter using only 1 ingredient! You just need patience as they break down in your food processor.
Homemade Peanut Butter (No Oil!)
4.88 from 8 votes
Here's how to make peanut butter at home, using no added oil. It takes less than 5 minutes to make from start to finish and is silky smooth!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Peanuts.
You can make peanut butter at home in just about 5 minutes, without added oil or sugar. It tastes amazing!
Homemade Ketchup (5-minute recipe!)
5 from 11 votes
This Homemade Ketchup recipe is made in a blender in just 5 minutes! No need to simmer it on the stove, and it's made healthy without white sugar. Paleo & Vegan.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Tomato paste, dates, vinegar, mustard, and spices.
This homemade ketchup takes just 5 minutes to make, and it tastes amazing!
How to Make Tahini (in 10 minutes!)
5 from 2 votes
Here's how to make tahini, with only 1 ingredient. No oil needed!
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Sesame seeds.
Tahini is a staple in my life– I use it for my favorite Lemon Tahini Dressing and Tahini Dill dressing, not to mention hummus for snacking!
Easy Hummus
5 from 14 votes
This is the best hummus recipe! Made with chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice, it comes together in just 5 minutes for a healthy dip, or you can take the extra step of boiling the chickpeas for even smoother results.
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Pantry Ingredients You’ll Need: Tahini, canned chickpeas, and spices.
You can make a creamy and fluffy hummus in just 5 minutes using pantry staples! It makes a great dip for crackers and veggies.
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I hope this collection of recipes will be helpful for you in the near future. Please leave a comment below and let me know what you make!
Reader Feedback: What are your go-to pantry meals on a busy weeknight?
