Pantry Essentials For Meal Planning on a Plant-Based Diet

Now more than ever we need to think about how we are stocking our pantries. We want to have a good balance between things that are going to nourish our bodies, food items that are practical and can create a quick healthy meal, and some items to help us curb our cravings for sugar and sweets for those long days at home. Here are some of my top pantry essentials for meal planning on a plant-based diet.

Ingredients for French lentil stew: ginger, garlic, onion, coriander, cayenne, carrots, couscous, lentils and parsley

I have been thinking a lot about how I have been stocking my pantry lately, and how by limiting my trips to the grocery store this is changing how I have been eating. Meals are still nutritious and delicious, but they do take a little more creativity and no longer am I following recipes from my favourite online bloggers. I wanted to put together some tips on how to stock your pantry with pantry essentials, and some of my strategies on how to create simple and healthy meals out of what you have on hand.

Close up of lentil stew on couscous with parsley and lemon in background

Ginger French Lentil Stew with Couscous Recipe

Pantry Essentials For Meal Planning

Stock Your Pantry With 5 Grains

Grains can be stored for long periods of time, especially if they are stored properly. Heat, air and moisture are the enemies of whole grains; store any opened bags and containers of grains in sealable glass jars, such as mason jars, glass peanut butter, or pasta sauce jars that have been well washed to keep your grains fresh. Keep your jars of grains in a dark cupboard, away from direct light and heat. Choose nutritious grains that are higher in fibre and lower glycemic index – see list below.

Some of my favourite grains to have on hand:

Basmati Rice
Brown Rice
Wild Rice
Black Rice
Quinoa
Bean Pastas
Couscous
Oats, traditional
Barley

Some Of My Favourite Recipes Featuring Grains

Japanese Salad Bowls with a Miso Tahini Dressing and Brown Rice - Vegan Gluten Free

Recipe for Japanese Salad Bowls with Eggs and a Miso Tahini Dressing

Have 3 Proteins On Hand

The great thing about plant-based proteins is that they have a longer shelf-life than other sources of protein. Dried legumes will stay good for years if stored properly, in sealed containers outside of direct sunlight and heat. Tofu and tempeh can be frozen, and often taste better, developing a firmer more textured consistency. A quality peanut butter will stay good for one year out of the fridge.

Some of my favourite plant-based proteins to have on hand:

Dried Legumes (e.g. red lentils, brown lentils, chickpeas, black beans, mung beans, pinto beans)
Canned Beans (e.g. chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans)
Tofu, organic
Tempeh, organic
Edamame Beans, frozen and shelled, organic
Peanut Butter, natural
Hemp Hearts
Eggs, free-range*

*Not a plant-based protein, but see my post The Health Benefits of Eggs + Why I Eat Eggs for why I have included them in this list.

Some Of My Favourite Recipes Featuring Plant-Based Proteins

Lentil Vegetable Bowl Recipe On Wooden Background

Vegan Buddha Bowl with a Miso Tahini Dressing

Choose Long-Storage Vegetables

The current recommendations are to stock up on groceries to last for up to 2 weeks. Some of my favourite vegetables such as kale and baby-spinach might not last that long in your fridge. For these vegetables, you can freeze any leftovers to use in smoothies or smoothie bowls later (see Low Carb Smoothie Bowl with Cauliflower and Greens). Long-storage vegetables go great in roasted sheet-pan dinners, or soups and stews.

Some of my favourite long-storage vegetables include:

Squash (Butternut, Acorn, Kabocha)
Sweet Potato and Yam
Potato
Carrots
Parsnip
Turnips
Beets
Cabbage
Onion
Garlic

Some Of My Favourite Recipes Featuring Long-Storage Vegetables

Side Shot of Vegetarian Bean Soup in Blue Bowl

Easy Vegetarian Bean Soup Budget Friendly

Canned Pantry Staples To Have On Hand

To create some simple and healthy meals, while still allowing for creativity in the kitchen there are a few must-have items to have on hand. Canned tomatoes are essential for my curries with chickpeas, added to a stew or soup, or for a pasta sauce. Coconut milk can turn a curry or a soup into a five-star dish.

Some of my must-have pantry staples include:

Canned Tomatoes
Canned Coconut Milk
Canned Chickpeas or other Legumes

Condiments and Other Essentials To Have On Hand

Have ingredients on hand to make your own salad dressing or sauce for your Buddha bowl. Spices can take a dish to the next level.

Some condiments and other essentials might include:

Soy Sauce or Tomari
Miso
Apple Cider Vinegar
Tahini
Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
Spices
Mustard
Hot Sauce
Nutritional Yeast
Vegetable Stock

Some Recipes That Can Be Made With These Essentials Include

Healthy Snacks and Baking Supplies To Have On Hand

More time inside might trigger your desire to bake or create healthy snacks. Having ingredients on hand may help curb your craving for salty chips or other junk-foods. I love making popcorn with nutritional yeast, or baking healthy cookies, or making energy balls to make sure I always have a healthy snack on hand.

Some healthy snack ingredients might include:

Popcorn
Almond Flour
Whole-wheat Flour
Honey
Eggs
Baking Soda and Baking Powder
Oats
Peanut Butter
Apples*
Frozen Berries*

*Apples can stay good for 1 to 2 months in your fridge, and frozen berries are great to have on hand for smoothies, healthy crumbles, or on oatmeal.

Here Are Some Healthy Homemade Snack Recipes

How To Put Together A Healthy Pantry Meal

Base Your Meal Around Your Protein

Think about what protein you want to have for dinner, then build from there. If you are having lentils or beans this will also give you time to prepare them for maximum nutrition – see my post How To Cook Lentils + 5 Reasons Why We Should Eat Lentils. If you have some tofu available – think ok do I have stir-fry vegetables or buddha bowl ingredients? If you have edamame on hand – think do I have ingredients for an Asian soup, or can I make an edamame hummus? Here are some example combinations:

Red Lentils: They break apart nicely so go well in soups or curries.
Green or French Lentils: They hold their shape better so go great on salads, Buddha bowls or in any dish that would traditionally use minced meat.
Chickpeas: You can add them to a curry, on top of a Buddha bowl, on top of a roasted vegetable sheet-pan dinner.
Beans: Beans such as kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans or bean-mixes go great in salads, soups or stews.
Black-Beans: Great to have on hand to make tacos, just add some Mexican seasoning mix.
Tofu and Tempeh: Great baked or pan-fried and added to stir-frys, on top of Buddha bowls, or into Thai or Indian inspired curries.
Edamame Beans: Add them to soups, or on top of Buddha bowls or salads. Purchase them in the shell and they are a great high protein snack.

How To Use Up Leftover Vegetables

When your crisper is looking pretty bare and your not sure what to make, I like to think of my vegetables as going into four categories. From your vegetables, can you make a one – stir-fry, two – a soup or stew, three – a salad, or four – roasted vegetables.

Stir-fry: cabbage, broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, mushroom, onion, ginger, garlic, bok choy, peppers
Soup or Stew: potato, sweet potato or yam, onion, garlic, celery, carrot, mushroom, parsnip, turnip
Salad: spinach, kale, beets, carrot, cucumber, tomato, sprouts, peppers, cabbage
Roasted Vegetables: potato, sweet potato or yam, mushroom, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts

What Pantry Staples Should I Stock Up On?

What do you go through a lot of in your house? Make a list of items you don’t think you could go without, and make sure you have at least a few week’s supply in your house. For some people this might be coffee, for others, it might be frozen berries. Whatever it is, try to make sure you have slightly more than a 2-weeks supply at home, just in case the grocery store is without on your next shopping trip.

Granola with Hemp Seed and Hemp Milk On Side

Homemade Hemp Milk Recipe

What To Start Making Your Own?

Make Your Own Milk-Alternatives

In my house, milk alternatives are what I go through the fastest. I try to purchase three 2 litre containers on each shopping trip but sometimes this doesn’t last. You can purchase the UHT packs of milk alternatives that you find on the grocery store shelves, or you can make your own in a pinch.

My favourite is homemade hemp milk because it is so easy. Simply add hemp hearts to a blender, add some water and blend – no straining required. See my recipe for hemp milk here at Hemp Milk Nutrition & Hemp Milk Recipe.

Make Your Own Granola

This is easier than you think, and there is no need to follow a recipe. Choose what you would like in your granola – oats, coconut, seeds, nuts, dates, raisins and combine them all for a simple raw granola or muesli.

You can toast the oats in the oven for about 10 minutes if you wish, and the coconut for 3 minutes. If you are using nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and pepitas you can also toast these for about 7 minutes. See my recipe here for Toasted Muesli with Nuts Seeds and Dates.

Make Your Own Salad Dressing

I love homemade salad dressing, which is not only healthier than store-bought but also tastes better. You just need a few essentials such as a nut or seed butter (I love tahini), a vinegar (apple cider or lemon are my favourites) and some flavours (garlic, ginger, miso, nutritional yeast).

I’ve compiled a comprehensive guide on how to make your own salad dressings at home here in this ULTIMATE Guide On How To Make Salad Dressing.

Last Words On Pantry Essentials For Meal Planning on a Plant-Based Diet

How To Deal With Food Abundance

For some people who are not used to having so much food in the pantry at one time, this could trigger some binge eating habits. When there is a constant reminder of an impending food shortage, this could trigger the brain to go into over-consumption mode.

It is important to be kind to yourself and allow yourself the space to not be 100% perfect during these stressful times. Stocking your pantry with healthy items, and saying no to the chips and treats in the grocery store will also help prevent binge eating on unhealthy choices.

Cook With Family

During these times of social isolation, we have more time to spend with our family. Instead of looking at cooking as a chore, look at it as an activity you can do together. Get creative with each other and don’t be afraid to mess up. If you are on your own, video call one of your closest friends and follow-along a recipe together.

Planning Plant-Based Meals

If your still not feeling confident that you could put together a healthy plant-based meal with the pantry essentials you have on hand, an easy guide is using the ‘hand-model’. Choose a ‘fist-size’ of your starch, a ‘palm-size’ of protein, and ‘2 hands’ of vegetables. No need to get fancy and following these basic guides for portions will help you create a nutritious and balanced meal.