16 Canned Vegetables You Should Consider Stocking In Your Pantry

In 1811, British merchant Peter Durand patented the process of preserving food in a tin can as a way to safely feed the British army. Canning food for preservation was nothing new for many in the United States, but home canning was a tricky process that could sometimes end in accidental food poisoning and even death. Industrial canned food was considered a safer process, but it wasn't until Gail Bordon's 1856 invention of condensed milk in a can that canned goods really took hold. Canned vegetables suddenly had a longer shelf life, even if some homemade ones ran the risk of uneven sanitation and a Russian roulette of bacteria.

These days, canned goods are a critical part of any well-stocked pantry. They make quick meals easy to whip up on busy weeknights, and can be much higher quality than their frozen counterparts. Many brands are now offering low-sodium and organic options, some with no added flavors — a good blank canvas for a home chef.

Canned goods can last years when stored properly. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says that if no bulging, dents, or rust is visible, canned vegetables are safe to eat indefinitely.

When fresh food isn't available, and home canning is not an option, canned vegetables are an affordable alternative. But when pantry space is at a premium, which canned vegetables are most essential that you keep on hand?

An easy win and a no-brainer for stocking the pantry, canned corn is sweet and most closely mirrors the flavor of fresh corn on the cob. Skip the tasteless, frostbitten chunks of freezer corn. Looking for nutrition? You're in luck there: It's every bit as healthy as fresh corn on the cob, at about half the price.

Canned corn is a great choice for a starchy side dish, but also plays well in casseroles, soups, pasta, and even as a puréed base for a sauce. Because of its high sugar content, it offsets bitter flavors and evens out sour notes and various dishes. Corn's flavor profile is versatile enough for an elegant soufflé or a punchy street corn recipe. It loves everything from bold, spicy sauces to creamy, elegant bisques.

But it's not just for lunch and dinner. Canned corn can be used in desserts, too. Think sweet corn, ice cream, upside-down fruit cakes with puréed corn in the batter, and sweet corn pudding.

One canned vegetable that should be a staple in any pantry is carrots, which lose very few nutrients when preserved. Sliced into coins or chunks, these bright orange beauties have plenty of vitamins, minerals, and protein. Canned vegetables are picked and packed at their freshest, and carrots keep their flavor and nutrition largely intact. Cooked carrots, like tomatoes, have more beta-carotene than raw ones. This gives carrots their bright hue but is also great for eye and skin health, cancer prevention, and memory support.

Because they are already fully cooked, adding too much heat to canned carrots can take them from just done to fully mushy. Instead of choosing long cooking processes, use canned carrots in recipes that merely need warming or finishing. Think glazed carrots or carrots in an air fryer. Ginger, brown sugar, and orange are great flavor combinations for carrot dishes.

But if you do cook them to the other side of mushy? Don't panic. Blend those mushy carrots, then add them to a carrot cake or soup.

Canned beans are a staple pantry item in many cuisines. Many people don't think of beans as a vegetable, but botany has your back. Hardworking and protein- and fiber-packed, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, and cannellini beans are a subgroup of vegetables called legumes.

It's hard to overstate just how good for you beans are, particularly canned beans. Multiple studies have cited legumes for their ability to lower the risk of chronic disease. They are also good for the heart, reducing clinical obesity and the risk of some types of cancer.

Their protein content makes them great as a vegetarian main course, but canned beans are used across a variety of culinary applications. Try black bean soup, chickpea tacos, and chili to get started, then move into making hummus. Fresh tuna with white beans, olive oil, and garlic is a perfect summer lunch, or boost protein and fiber by tossing a handful of drained and rinsed beans into a favorite salad.

Pro tip: Save the liquid from those drained chickpeas. Use this aquafaba to make everything from vegan meringues to chocolate mousse, or as a substitute for egg whites in baked goods and vegan cocktails.

With a can of mixed vegetables, you have a reliable base for many family favorites. The veggies vary but typically include carrots, peas, corn, and lima or green beans. This is a rounded balance of flavor and nutrition, and can be added to bump up the nutrition in many soups, but there are other ways to use them.

Adding canned veggies alongside fresh is a great way to boost flavor on a budget. Try cowboy caviar — a chunky dip with canned veggies, avocado, and fresh onion — or stretch the remaining fresh vegetables in the fridge to create a big salad.

Another easy way to use mixed canned vegetables is in a chicken or veggie pot pie. Make a roux with flour and butter, then add stock to create a sauce seasoned with salt, pepper, and plenty of thyme. Place frozen mixed veggies in a frozen pie crust, then add sauce and diced cooked chicken. Top with whipped potatoes, then bake to bubbling perfection.

Nearly every pantry has a can or two of tomatoes lurking in it somewhere. As with carrots and sweet potatoes, cooked and canned tomatoes have higher amounts of a beneficial compound than in their fresh state: lycopene. Lycopene is great for heart health and can prevent certain types of cancer.

But the main benefit of tomatoes? They taste delicious in their canned state. When buying, look for brands that list the type of tomato on the can. These are generally of higher quality and will yield the best flavor. Canned tomatoes come in many forms, including whole, diced, and petite diced. Some companies add ingredients such as jalapenos or green peppers, while others fire-roast their tomatoes to bring out even more flavor.

Regardless of which you choose, the culinary possibilities are endless. Use fire-roasted tomatoes in a spicy soup. Braise beef and shred for tacos all week. Crack an egg or two into a spicy tomato sauce for a quick weeknight shakshuka. Use the remnants of an open can of tomatoes to make Tex-Mex rice.

Few things are more delicious than tender spring asparagus, cooked with nothing but a bit of butter, salt, and pepper. But this springtime experience is fleeting, and fresh asparagus from the grocery store is often tough, thick, and woody.

If you enjoy the flavor of asparagus without the prep time, canned asparagus is a good option. Fully cooked and packed quickly, canned asparagus has tons of fiber, vitamin C, and folate, making it a great vegetable for pregnant people.

Cooking canned asparagus on the stove may result in mush. For the best flavor and texture, roast canned asparagus as you would fresh, pop it in the air fryer, or drain and rinse before chopping and adding to omelets or salads. The air fryer is the best option for a crispy texture; it dries the outside of the asparagus and crisps it up.

One of the best ways to harness the delicious flavor of asparagus while avoiding an unpleasant texture is cream of asparagus soup. Because the soup is blended, there's no need to worry about excessive cooking time. Better still, it uses another canned pantry staple as a thickener: potatoes.

Technically, olives are a fruit, but their savory nature means they are generally classified as a vegetable. Olives are the perfect little snack before dinner — they are salty and prepare the body for the main course without filling you up.

But they are good for more than just snacking. Olives feature prominently in Mediterranean dishes, such as baked fish with olives and fresh pasta with olives, capers, and artichoke hearts. The type of olive you use influences the dish you'll make. Some are larger and good for stuffing with pimentos, garlic, or cheese, while others are smaller and can be added whole or chopped into dishes.

Add olives to pizza, or create a delicious olive tapenade. Another great Mediterranean dish that is light but filling is Mediterranean olive salad. This refreshing summer staple uses a grain (such as couscous or quinoa), adding chopped olives and cucumbers and dressing with pomegranate molasses, lemon, olive oil, and fresh mint.

Vegans rejoice. A crabcake's delicious taste and texture (minus the crustacean) is within reach, courtesy of hearts of palm. This is the tender, delicious center of a palm tree, with a delicate flavor similar to artichoke hearts and a texture that, when chopped, can be used to simulate crab meat.

But this ingredient is not without controversy. To get to the heart, a palm tree must be completely chopped down and stripped bare of all outer layers. Once harvested only from mature trees, hearts of palm are so in demand that unscrupulous farmers have begun to harvest young trees, too.

Fortunately, some species of palm trees have multiple stalks, and harvesting one does not kill the tree. It's critical to make sure your hearts of palm were sustainably harvested. Once you verify its provenance, bust out the Old Bay.