Vegan Pantry Essentials: My 10 Favorite Pantry Staples
There are certain foods I almost always have in my pantry. Not necessarily because they’re the most exciting ingredients in the world, but because they make it so much easier to throw together a good meal or snack without having to think too hard about it. They’re often main ingredients to my favorite breakfasts, dinners, or treats, so I’d miss them sorely if I ran out!
And while my pantry obviously changes depending on what I’m cooking, these are the things I find myself reaching for over and over again. They’re staples I rely on for everything from quick weeknight dinners to breakfast and sweet treats.
This isn’t meant to be a definitive list of everything a vegan kitchen needs. It’s simply my personal list of the pantry staples I wouldn’t want to be without. Some are obvious, some maybe a little less so.
I’ve also linked some of my favorite recipes using these ingredients below, so you can get a few ideas for putting your own pantry staples to good use.
Chickpeas
You know I used to have a vegan food blog called Happy Chickpeas. That should tell you something about how much I love chickpeas. They’re not only my favorite legume by far, they’re one of my favorite foods, period.
Chickpeas are really versatile. You can roast them until they’re crispy, mash them, turn them into hummus, add them to curries and stews, or simply throw a can into a salad when you need something a little more substantial. You could even use them as a base for a sweet treat, like in a Chickpea Cookie Dough.
They also taste great on their own. I often snack on them straight from the can. Add a little bit of olive oil and you’re in my idea of vegan food heaven. Speaking of cans: I do like chickpeas from a can or glass jar best.
Whenever I cook chickpeas from scratch, I find the end result a little too hard for my liking. I like their softness when they come out of a can. Plus, lets face it—it’s definitely easier and less time-consuming to open a can of chickpeas than to cook them for 1.5 plus hours.
Some of my favorite ways to eat chickpeas:
Nutritional Yeast
I hear that nutritional yeast (AKA nooch) can be divisive. I’ve always been firmly on the love it side right from the get-go. If you’ve been vegan for a while, you probably remember the nooch-based cheeses we used to spread on pizzas. I haven’t made a sauce like this in forever, but they actually were pretty good!
Nutritional yeast has this savory, slightly cheesy flavor that makes it incredibly useful in vegan cooking. I use it whenever I want to add a little extra umami or a cheesy note without actually making a cheese substitute.
It’s great sprinkled over pasta, vegetables, popcorn, or potatoes. It’s also my go-to addition to baked tofu or soy chunks.
Using nutritional yeast doesn’t just boost flavor, it’s also an easy way to add some nutrients to everyday meals, including vitamin B12 when you choose a fortified variety.
Love nooch as much as I do or simply want to see what it tastes like? Start here:
Tahini
I love tahini and make sure I never run out. It’s essential as a base for a tahini dressing or sauce, which goes well with just about any bowl, vegetable, or grain. I also use it in my chocolate tahini date shake or for other sweet treats.
It’s one of those ingredients that work surprisingly well in both savory and sweet recipes, which is probably a big part of why I use it so much. Also, tahini is really rich in calcium, which, as a vegan, is something I try to keep in mind. So while I mostly use it because I genuinely love the taste, it’s nice when something you enjoy also happens to contribute some important nutrients to your diet.
Here are some recipes using tahini that I love:
Almond Butter
It’s funny. I love peanut butter, yet, for this vegan pantry essentials list, what came to mind first was almond butter. I think it may be because almond butter is actually more versatile and a bit more subtle in flavor.
Peanut sauces are great, don’t get me wrong. But they can be overwhelming in their richness. I find that’s a little different with almond butter. It’s great in a dressing, like paired with lime juice and a splash of oil for a rice noodle salad.
I also love almond butter for my morning oatmeal, in smoothies, or as a base for my almond butter caramel that I love to dip apples in. The inspiration for the latter came from a recipe from Hello Nutritarian which I’ve slightly adapted with regards to ratios over time.
Here are some of my favorite recipes with almond butter:
Oats
I love oats! And not just for breakfast, though they’re invaluable to me in that department. I just love a nice bowl of oatmeal or some overnight oats in the summer. They’re also a great filling ingredient to add to smoothies, though I would recommend that only with rich and nutty smoothies, as the taste blends in better than with, say, a fruit smoothie.
Oats also turns into oat flour after a second or two in a high-speed blender, which is handy for baking. Oat flour can be expensive if you use store-bought, which I have never done. The blended version may be a tiny bit grainier, but it’s still always worked out for me. Oat flour is a great addition to baked goods or even no-bake treats when you’d like an alternative to regular all-purpose flour. I also just like its specific taste!
Love oats as much as I do? Why not try these recipes:
Soy Sauce (or Tamari)
I couldn’t (= wouldn’t want to) live without soy sauce. It’s not just essential for so many Asian-inspired dishes. Soy sauce is also perfect for a little umami note in anything from pasta to curries.
It’s one of those ingredients that can make a dish taste more well-rounded with very little effort. A splash can be all you need when a dish tastes a little flat.
I use it for marinades, sauces, stir-fries, noodle dishes, and pretty much any time I want a little saltiness and depth. And obviously, tofu and soy sauce are a match made in heaven. I always use soy sauce to season my tofu (or soy chunks, seitan, etc.).
Since the sodium content of soy sauce can be quite high, I’ve switched to a less salty version. If you make recipes with soy sauce or tamari and have a very salty product, be sure to start with just a little and then see how you like it. You can always add more!
See how soy sauce transforms a dish with these recipes:
Garlic Powder
It’s funny – garlic powder didn’t find its way into my pantry until maybe ten or so years ago. I don’t remember cooking with garlic powder (or onion powder, for that matter) before that. Ever. Which is unfathomable to me now, because if I had to pick just five spices for my pantry, garlic powder would most definitely make the cut.
Garlic powder is an easy swap when I can’t be bothered to peel a clove of garlic as a dressing ingredient. But it’s so much more than that. It adds a nice note in all things savory. I always use it when seasoning tofu, soy chunks, or seitan.
The flavor is different from fresh garlic, and there are plenty of meals where I actually prefer garlic powder. It distributes more evenly, is great in dry spice mixes, and makes it very easy to add a little garlic flavor without having to chop anything. For dressings, especially salad dressings, I often use a pinch of garlic powder instead of raw garlic, as I find that fresh garlic can taste quite overpowering in those.
I rely on garlic powder in these recipes:
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of my favorite spices ever. I just love its taste in everything from baked goods to my morning oatmeal.
Because it contains way less coumarin, I usually buy Ceylon. It’s a little more expensive than Cassia cinnamon, but it’s not only the safer choice, but in my opinion, tastes better, too.
Cassia has such an on-your-nose cinnamon taste while Ceylon is more subtle. I prefer that in meals like oatmeal, where I don’t necessarily want the cinnamon to overpower everything else.
I also love adding cinnamon to smoothies, apple desserts, homemade granola, and anything involving dates. Basically, if something is sweet and contains apples, bananas, oats, or chocolate, there’s a good chance I’ll consider adding cinnamon.
Here are some nice ways to enjoy that cinnamon-y taste:
Cocoa Powder
I have a major sweet tooth, and that seems to focus almost entirely around chocolatey things. So it probably doesn’t come as a surprise when I say that cocoa powder is one of my must-haves in the pantry. And good news to all you health-conscious people out there: It’s actually got a nice nutrient profile (well, depending on what kind of cocoa powder, or better yet, cacao powder, you buy, that is). It can be high in minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iron, just to name a few benefits.
I use unsweetened cocoa powder in smoothies, oatmeal, or to make a delicious nice cream. It’s perfect for energy bites or homemade desserts. And of course, it would come in handy if you were making a hot chocolate! (Although using just melted chocolate can be very indulgent in that one, too.)
Try some of these chocolate favorites:
- Rich & Velvety Vegan Hot Chocolate
- No-Bake Chocolate Puff Quinoa Bars
- Creamy Vegan Chocolate Nice Cream
Dates
Dates are called nature’s candy for a reason. The right kind can taste just as great as any store-bought snack, in my opinion—or even better, because it actually nourishes your body.
Dates are great as a natural sweetener in sweet treats and snacks, they add sweetness to smoothies and nice creams, or are an awesome snack as is.
I encourage you to try different kinds of dates, as their taste and texture can vary quite a bit. Personally, I’m not too fond of Medjool dates. I just think if eaten as is, they are overwhelming in size and too soft and sweet for my liking. But because they’re so soft, they’re great to use in making no-bake or baked treats.
My favorite dates are khidri and ajwa. In case you were wondering.
If you love a smooth, decadent shake, why not try this
The Bottom Line
Of course, there are plenty of other things I could have added to this list. Rice, lentils, canned tomatoes, pasta, maple syrup, spices… my pantry is not exactly minimalist.
But these ten are the ingredients I find myself coming back to again and again. They’re versatile, easy to keep on hand, and can be used in so many different ways.
And I think that’s what makes a good pantry staple. That you don’t just use it for one particular recipe, but can reach for it when you’re not quite sure what to make yet. A can of chickpeas, some oats, tahini, soy sauce, a few spices – and before you know it, you’ve already started your next meal.
If you’re trying to stock a vegan pantry from scratch, you certainly don’t need to buy everything on this list at once. Start with the things you actually like and know you’ll use. The rest can find their way into your pantry over time.
