These pantry recipes use mainly shelf-stable pantry staples. These recipes are perfect for cleaning out your pantry, or can be kept with your emergency food supply for shelter in place meals.
Do you have an emergency food supply in your pantry?
We’ve been pretty diligent (off and on) about keeping an emergency go-bag ready, just in case there’s a disaster (like a tornado) where we need to quickly flee our home. This page has the checklist we used to help get our go-bags ready.
But until very recently, we didn’t have much of an emergency food supply in our home.
Why not?
Our apartment is tiny, so I always thought I didn’t have the room.
Plus, I’ve never needed an emergency food supply.
The only reason I’ve been stuck inside in the past has been bad weather, like snow or icy roads. And that never lasted very long.
Recently though, I’ve had some incentive to be more proactive about my food supply. But really, an emergency food storage is good to have on hand at all times.
Because you never know what life will toss your way.
So I finally did it. I stocked my pantry with dry goods and made an effort to be prepared.
As I assembled my pantry staples, I wondered what I would do if I ran out of eggs and milk. Which recipes work best for cooking almost entirely from the pantry?
This collection of pantry recipes is designed to work with your emergency food supply, but is also perfect if you’re simply trying to use up food from your pantry or cook on a budget.
Pantry Recipes
Breakfast Recipes
Here are my favorite breakfast recipes made with pantry staples, such as oats, grits, and nuts.
Slow Cooker Oatmeal with Fruit
This slow-cooker oatmeal uses heart-healthy steel-cut oats for a healthy and hearty breakfast.
The recipe calls for fresh or frozen citrus fruit, but if you don't have that on hand, use dried fruit (like dried cranberries or raisins) instead!
Pantry Ingredients:
steel-cut oats, milk (or shelf-stable non-dairy milk), fruit (or dried fruit)
Homemade Muesli
This easy muesli recipe walks you through making homemade breakfast cereal. It’s gluten-free, vegan, quick, inexpensive, and delicious!
Don't have milk to serve with your cereal? Try eating it on yogurt (which lasts a long time in the fridge), or keep non-dairy shelf-stable milk on hand.
Pantry Ingredients:
rolled oats, dried fruit, nuts or seeds, maple syrup
Slow Cooker Grits
These slow cooker grits are perfect as breakfast or as a side dish.
Top the grits with items you have on hand, like hot sauce, cheese, or an egg.
Pantry Ingredients:
stone-ground grits, milk (or non-dairy shelf-stable milk substitute), butter or coconut oil
Snacks, Lunch + Dinner
These easy main dishes use pantry staples like lentils, canned fish, canned vegetables, and grains.
Chipotle Hummus
This spicy chipotle hummus is made with canned chickpeas, tahini, and chipotle peppers (or hot sauce), and is a thick, creamy, and easy snack food!
This recipe does call for fresh lemon or lime juice, but in a pinch you could use bottled citrus juice.
Pantry Ingredients:
chickpeas (canned), baking soda, lemon or lime juice, salt, tahini, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, olive oil
Instant Pot® Refried Beans
These vegan Instant Pot refried beans transform dry pinto beans into flavor-packed refried beans seasoned with jalapeños, onions, and spices.
Use the beans to make chip dip, burritos, or a bean bowl.
Don't have fresh jalapeños? I've made this recipe with pickled jalapeños too, and it was delicious.
Pantry Ingredients:
dry pinto beans, oil, onions, salt, smoked paprika, red chili flakes, jalapeños (or pickled jalapeños), bay leaves
Goan Fish Curry with Sardines
This quick and easy Goan fish curry was intended to be a camping recipe, but works perfectly in your home kitchen as well.
The recipe calls for a lime, but if you don't have any on hand, use a splash of vinegar. Omit the cilantro if needed.
Pantry Ingredients:
rice, oil, onion, garam masala (spice), red pepper flakes, salt, tomatoes (canned), coconut milk (canned), sardines in tomato sauce (canned), lime (or a splash of vinegar)
Tuna Couscous Bowl
This tuna couscous bowl was intended to be a backpacking recipe, but works perfectly in your home kitchen! It's an easy seafood meal made with just a few ingredients.
No couscous? Swap it for another grain, or put the tuna salad in a wrap.
Pantry Ingredients:
couscous, tuna (can or packet), mayo, relish
Red Lentil Dal
This vegan red lentil dal is an easy and delicious spiced red lentil dish. It can be served alone as a soup, or as a side dish along with rice.
Pantry Ingredients:
oil, onion, garam masala (spice), red chili flakes, ground cayenne, garlic, tomatoes (canned), red lentils, ground turmeric
Mackerel Salad
This quick and easy mackerel salad is a healthy, low-mercury alternative to tuna salad, and is perfect for lettuce wraps and sandwiches, packed lunches and light dinners.
The recipe calls for yogurt, but if you don't have any swap it for mayonnaise.
Pantry Ingredients:
mackerel (canned), yogurt (or mayo), raisins or dried cranberries (optional), relish
"Get Well Soup" with Onion and Garlic
This Get Well Soup with caramelized onion and roasted garlic is a little different from the other recipes on this list, because it primarily uses produce.
That said, all the produce in this recipe (onions, garlic, and ginger) is easily stored in the pantry for several weeks. Plus, this recipe freezes well!
This is a nice option if anyone in the house is sick, but you can't get out to go to the store. Make them soup with ingredients easily found in the pantry.
Pantry Ingredients:
oil, onions (8!!), salt, bay leaves, rosemary (swap dried or skip if needed), garlic (2 heads), ginger, ground turmeric
Do you have a favorite pantry recipe? Let me know what it is in the comments!
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