32 Essential Foods You Should Always Have Available In Your Pantry

There are all sorts of essentials that you may have overlooked when stocking your pantry. While you likely have the basics, you maybe haven't considered the importance of items like oil-packed vegetables, dried fruit, or even the humble sardine. A lot of the items on this list can be eaten on their own, just out of your hand as a snack or as part of a little afternoon graze. But the best part of all these consumables is that they can all be used in a variety of ways to amp up dishes you might already be making.

We consider these pantry essentials because they all provide simple solutions when you're pressed for time, hungry, and might not have the luxury of a full fridge. The items range from basic to a little higher-end, but they'll all serve you well when looking for an easy way to satisfy your cravings.

This is a pretty broad category, so it's up to you to pick the beans that you'll use the most. If you're into cold bean salads, maybe a bean mixture is your best choice.

Into Tex-Mex? Pick up a can of beans (pinto or black) and make your own slow-cooker refried beans. Dried versus canned is up to you; dried take longer to cook (soaking overnight, usually), but canned will usually have sodium added (rinse them before using, if that's a concern).

Not every dessert needs to be an afternoon-long affair. A decent box of cake mix can quell cravings just as easily as an expensive bakery cupcake could. And boxed brownies are even easier — just add a handful of chocolate pieces or your favorite chopped nut and you've already won the upgrade game.

Check out our experiments using extracts to upgrade boxed brownie mixes from good to incredible. And once you add a scoop of ice cream to the top, no one will know that it wasn't made from scratch, anyway.

You might be lucky enough to have a pantry full of Nonna's hand-packed, slow-roasted tomatoes, all lovingly packed into heritage Ball jars (yeah... we're pretty envious). For the rest of us, it's time to start looking into the best type of canned tomatoes to stock in your pantry. Go for whole peeled tomatoes, because they're often the best quality and can be used in most applications; you can always purée or dice them up yourself.

Honestly, one of the quickest and often most satisfying meals is a big bowl of your favorite cereal, whether it's Grape-Nuts or Cap'n Crunch. Crushed up, cereal makes a great topping for yogurt or a breading for French toast. We can even show you how to rescue stale cereal if you've left it out for too long. And if you're in the market for something new, here are our top cereals of 2023, so far.

Crackers rarely go to waste, so stock up on a box or two of your favorites. We suggest a box of plain ones that will go with anything from strong cheese to topping a rich casserole.

Then, add a second box; the kind that has enough flavor that you can eat straight out of the box. Smash them up if you're out of breadcrumbs, use them to top a casserole, or amp up a quick bowl of soup with them.

By fruit preserves, we mean the whole gamut — from preserves to jam to jelly — anything that preserves fresh fruit, whole or juice, for future use. A dollop on top of plain yogurt makes everything better, a spoonful slathered onto buttered toast makes a pretty great breakfast. Add it to rice pudding, make a sweet and savory meat glaze with it, or use a spoonful to add some sweet fruit flavor to an otherwise dull cocktail.

This entry might be a callback to your college days, but instant ramen is big now. There are lots more options than that ubiquitous, crinkly, packet we all know (and love).

Not only can you find a surprising amount of flavors, but there are even self-heating options for people on the go. If you have more time, we'd love to suggest a few easy ways to upgrade your instant ramen to a filling and complete meal.

Marinara sauce can be used for a quick pasta right out of the jar, or you can add whatever flavor upgrades you have on hand. Fresh herbs or a little melted butter is all it takes to add a little something special.

Try heavy cream as a simple addition to make a deliciously creamy tomato sauce for your next pasta night. In a pinch, you can even use marinara as a base for pizza sauce, a quick chili, or even tomato soup.

What can't nuts do? A handful will get you through the 2 p.m. stress-induced snack, chop them up, and they make a lovely addition to your salad, yogurt, pancakes, or anything. In a pinch, whizz them up and make butter (see above) whenever you crave a sweet sandwich.

If you're looking to expand your nut repertoire, we can help you with this primer on the most popular types of nuts. And, head's up, we mean all the seeds and legumes, too.

Much like pickled veggies, the oil-packed versions are useful in lots of situations where you just want a little something-something added to a dish. The biggest differences between the two canning techniques are something to be mindful of when choosing which one to use.

Oil-packed vegetables don't have that crunch or vinegary tang that pickles do; oil doesn't work as a preservative so anything packed in it has to be fully cooked before processing, whereas pickles are often raw. And if you keep the oil level topped up, your vegetables will last longer, too.

Sure, you can whip up pancakes on your own, but a big box of pancake mix is a faster and still delicious option. Like boxed cake mix, you can upgrade your pancakes with a couple of secret ingredients to take them from good to really good (hint — it's mostly mayo). A handful of blueberries, some smashed bananas, chopped walnuts, or chocolate chips can make your Sunday morning at-home brunch something to look forward to.

When you don't have any fresh herbs on hand, a spoonful of pesto can go a long way to amping up the flavor of your meal. Genovese pesto is made with basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan, but you don't have to stop there. Check out the shelves the next time you're picking up groceries and find a jar that appeals to you, like one made from garlic scapes, walnuts, cilantro, anchovies, red peppers, or arugula.

While not pesto in the strictest sense, they're still all terrific additions for quick pasta dishes, adding to a boring salad dressing, or just smeared on toasted baguette. Keep your pesto covered with a layer of olive oil to help preserve it for longer.

While polenta isn't all that hard to make, sometimes you just need something quick. You've likely seen pre-made polenta and had no idea what it was or how to use it.

Vacuum-packed into a plastic tube, the polenta comes out firm but can also be made into a creamy version with the addition of a little broth, cream, and Parmesan. However, we suggest slicing it up and using it in a myriad of ways, from frying it and topping it with cheese and mushrooms to making a 30-minute polenta lasagna.

Quinoa, while hailed as a superfood, is pretty divisive. Many home cooks find it hard to prepare properly — it has a bitter coating that needs to be rinsed off, and it's easy to both under or overcook this tiny pseudo-grain.

A thorough soak and rinse will get rid of the bitter coating, and we have the secret for mush-free quinoa. It makes a great replacement for rice but can also be added to salads or soups.

Salsa is a super popular condiment for everything from chips to eggs, and it has also recently become a trendy low-price, high-reward charcuterie board theme. With so many different takes on salsa, there really should be something for everyone. Salsa is also a pretty handy workhorse for making a lot of Tex-Mex dishes with little fuss, like this tasty and simple slow cooker chicken tacos recipe, or use it to whip up a quick seven-layer dip when you're craving an upgrade to your snack rotation.

Canned tomato soup and grilled cheese is possibly the most nostalgic meal ever, so there's not much more to recommend shelf-stable soup than that. But if you want to expand your horizons, canned soup has loads of other options beyond tomato.

Cream-based soups make particularly tasty (and easy) casseroles, while you can upgrade broth-based options with dried pasta, Parmesan shavings, croutons, or even tinned seafood like clams. We even have options for elevating the flavor of that perennial fave, tomato soup.

Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table and Mashed.