My Healthy Vegan Pantry Staples: The Essential List

If you’re new to veganism or want to try some vegan recipes, there are a number of pantry staples that are excellent to have on hand.

Many of these items you will already have on hand and others will be completely new to you.

So, What Do You Need in a Vegan Pantry?

Below is a list of pantry essentials that are perfect for beginners.

This list of vegan pantry items is broken down in the following ways to help you find what you need easily.

• Beans and legumes
• Nuts and seeds (including seed and nut butter)
• Grains
• Plant milk
• Oils and vinegars
• Herbs and spices
• Flavor additions
• Sweet stuff
• Freezer items

Beans and Legumes

Beans and legumes are essential items in a vegan pantry as they can create easy go-to meals and are an excellent source of protein.

Beans and legumes are also extremely affordable, especially in dried form, so are ideal to make a meal stretch.

• Chickpeas
• Black beans
• Kidney beans
• Peas
• Lentils (green, brown, french puy, red)
• Pinto beans
• Navy beans
• Edamame
• Firm or extra firm tofu (organic non-gmo)

If you’re just starting out, my recommendation is to have:

Two types of lentils (with red being one of them) – red lentils are excellent for making curries and green/brown/puy are great to add to pasta sauces, salads and soups.

Chickpeas – They are so easy to roast in the oven or dry roasted on the stove top with some simple spices or just salt and pepper. Then you can snack on them and add them to salads.

Frozen peas – perfect to keep on hand in your freezer to add to soups, stews, pasta or as a side dish.

Tip: If you aren’t used to eating beans, start small. Your gut needs time to adjust. ¼ cup of chickpeas is a good portion (per day) to get started.

Nuts and Seeds

Having nuts and seeds in your diet is a good way to get healthy fats and add a lot of flavor to your meals.

• Cashews
• Almonds
• Almond flour (ground almonds)
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Peanuts
• Hemp seeds
• Chia seeds
• Ground flax seeds
• Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• Sesame seeds
• Almond butter
• Peanut butter
• Tahini

Grains

A healthy vegan diet consists of eating a whole food plant-based diet, so when eating grains your best option is to choose varieties that are whole and not processed. 

• Corn (frozen)
• Corn kernels (for popcorn)
• Rolled old-fashioned oats (large flake oats)
• Brown rice
• Basmati rice
• Jasmine rice
• Couscous
• Quinoa (technically a seed, but used similar to grains)
• Pearl barley
• Other grain options to try: black rice (aka forbidden rice), freekeh, bulgar wheat, farro, kamut
• Whole grain pasta
• Rice pasta
• Rice noodles
• Whole wheat flour
• Spelt flour

Plant Milk

Depending on what you’re using the milk for, you’ll find that certain plant-based milk is better in different recipes and different uses.

• Soy milk: great for coffee, smoothies, and sauces. Soy is a good source of protein and is a good option if you’re looking for ways to increase your protein intake.
• Oat milk: I personally use oat milk for black English tea. I am a huge tea lover and tried every type of plant milk and I find oat milk (Earth’s Own, unsweetened plain) to be the best tasting. Also excellent in coffee.
• Almond milk: This is good in cereals and can also be used in sauces, however, there isn’t a lot of nutritional value in almond milk, so I personally opt for soy milk.
• Coffee Creamer: There are many options you can try – oat, soy, almond, coconut
• Coconut milk (canned): Amazing to add to curries, desserts, and to make creamy sauces.
• Coconut cream: You can scoop this off the top of a can of coconut milk or buy coconut cream in a can or carton if you need more. You can whip this up as a delicious plant-based whipped cream.
• Coconut milk (tetra pack): Also delicious in smoothies and the perfect plant-based milk for turmeric milk tea.

The taste of milk and how you use it is really a personal taste, so give some plant-based milk a try and see what works for you.

Oil and Vinegar

Many vegans opt to cook without oil, but if you’re looking to use some oil you’ll most likely end up using the same oils as you did before going vegan.

And of course, having good quality oil on hard transforms so many dishes.

Here are my go-to oil and vinegar:

• Extra virgin olive oil: To be used for pouring (not cooking)
• Light olive oil: Good for sauteing
• Avocado oil: Also great for sauteing and can be used at a high heat
• Coconut oil: Perfect for desserts and basking
• Balsamic vinegar: Ideal for salad dressings
• Red wine vinegar: As above great for salad dressings
• Apple cider vinegar: Again, salad dressings and also has so many health benefits
• Rice vinegar: Perfect to add to Asian recipes
• Malt vinegar: Great on chips/fries but can also be used in salad dressings

Herbs and Spices

The amazing thing about vegan cooking is exploring a variety of dishes from around the world and this is precisely where having a good variety of herbs and spices on hand helps.

Below you’ll find the herbs and spices I use in my regular cooking.

Herbs:

• Basil: Fresh and frozen in cubes
• Oregano: Fresh and dried
• Thyme: Fresh and dried
• Rosemary: Fresh and frozen in cubes
• Parsley: Fresh
• Dill: fresh and frozen in cubes
• Mint: Fresh and dried
• Cilantro: Fresh and frozen in cubes

Warming spices: perfect for baking

• Cinnamon
• Whole nutmeg: grate with a Microplane
• Cloves
• Dried ginger

Common spices:

• Paprika
• Smoked paprika
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Bay leaves dried
• Whole black peppercorns
• Iodized salt

Indian Spices:

• Turmeric
• Cumin seeds and ground
• Coriander seeds and dried
• Garam masala (spice mix)
• Black mustard seeds
• Fenugreek seeds
• Indian chili powder
• Green cardamom
• Ginger: fresh and dried
• Cinnamon whole
• Star anise
• Curry leaves

Flavor Additions

• Nutritional yeast: adds a nice cheesy flavor
• Vegetable stock and stock cubes
• Miso paste
• Soy sauce or Tamari (gluten-free)
• Hoisin sauce
• Sriracha sauce
• Vegan mayo
• Vegan Worcester sauce
• Vegan fish sauce

Sweet Stuff

• Dark chocolate: Read the labels but typically 70% dark chocolate and above are dairy free
• Cacao powder: to make hot chocolate and chocolatey desserts
• Dairy-free chocolate chips
• Shredded coconut (unsweetened): perfect for baking, to add to granola, smoothie bowls and oatmeal
• Coconut sugar
• Maple Syrup
• Agave nectar
• Medjool dates
• Dried apricots
• Dried cherries

Lastly, there are some items that are technically below in the freezer, not the pantry but they are definitely worth sharing…

Vegan Freezer Staples

• Peas
• Corn
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Edamame
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Homemade soups, stews and curries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Mango
• Peaches
• Rhubarb
• Veggie burgers

Odds & Ends

• Canned chopped tomatoes
• Canned whole tomatoes
• Marinara sauce
• Tomato paste
• Artichokes
• Olives
• Pickles
• Capers
• Unsweetened apple sauce

Recommendations

Even though this list of vegan pantry items ended up being larger than I anticipated, please note that you do not have to go out and purchase everything at once! Don’t make that mistake.

Instead, see what you already have on hand and what you’d like to try.

This is not a race, but a slow and steady change to your lifestyle, so try some new ingredients and see what you like best and what fits your lifestyle.

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I hope this essential list of healthy vegan pantry staples has given you some inspiration to start a plant-based diet.

I’d love to know…

Did I miss any key vegan ingredients you love to use?

If so, please share in the comments below.