Create Quick & Cheap Meals with these 30 Pantry Staples on a Budget

Can you guess the secret to creating cheap, quick meals? If you guessed that it’s keeping a well stocked pantry, then you win!

There are just certain ingredients that make dinner time more efficient and less expensive.

You can even stock your home with pantry staples on a budget!

This well-stocked pantry list will help you create frugal, healthy, and quick meals.

You can keep these cheap food staples on hand to make dinner time much easier.

And feel good about both your grocery budget, and what you’re feeding your family.

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30 Pantry Staples on a Budget

Dry and Canned Goods:

1. Pasta

So many varieties to choose from and an endless amount of meal possibilities!

2. Couscous or instant brown rice

These make nutritious, quick-cooking side dishes.

3. Spices

No meal or pantry is complete without spices. Here are some of the best spice staples:

Garlic
Cumin
Chili powder
Paprika
Seasoned salt
Cinnamon
Salt
Black pepper
Onion powder
Italian blend

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4. Canned beans

Dry beans are inexpensive as well, but for quick meals, nothing beats canned. Here are some to keep on hand:

Garbanzo
Chickpeas
Black
Kidney
Pinto
Cannellini
Refried

5. Canned tomatoes

Tomatoes are so useful and versatile in everything from spaghetti to chili and beyond. Be sure your pantry includes:

Tomato sauce
Crushed tomatoes
Tomato paste
Stewed tomatoes
Diced tomatoes
Whole tomatoes

6. Stock or broth

Premade stock makes so many dinners faster and easier. Some varieties include:

Chicken
Veggie
Beef
Bouillon cubes
Stock paste

7. Canned Tuna

Canned tuna or salmon are excellent no-cook sources of protein.

8. Baking ingredients

Some of the best frugal pantry staples are for making baked goods. Here are some ideas:

Flour
Sugar (white, brown, powdered)
Oats
Cornmeal
Dried fruit
Baking powder
Baking soda
Vanilla extract,
Cocoa powder
Quick yeast
Cake or brownie mix

9. Baking mix

If you really want to make it easy, buy some baking mix (such as Bisquick).

You can make everything from pancakes to biscuits, muffins, blondies, and even as a coating for chicken.

10. Condiments

Nothing jazzes up dinner like some flavorful sauces and condiments. You can make sauces out of:

Soy sauce
Vinegar (white, balsamic, red wine, or rice)
Ketchup
Mustard
Barbecue sauce
Worcestershire
Honey
Maple syrup
Peanut butter
Hot sauce
Mayo
Salad dressing

11. Condensed soups

You can use condensed soups to make a huge array of cheap pantry meals.

The ‘cream of’ varieties and condensed tomato soup are quite versatile.

12. Tortillas

Another one of the best budget pantry staples is tortillas.

They have a much longer shelf life than a loaf of bread, but can be used for anything from tacos to individual pizzas.

13. Pasta sauce

A spaghetti dinner can come together super quickly with the use of a jar of pasta sauce.

You can always doctor it up with more spices or fresh ingredients if you want.

14. Instant potatoes

Believe it or not, you can make more than just mashed potatoes with these.

Try using them to make gnocchi, as a binder for meatloaf or a thickener for sauces and gravy, or even as a crispy coating for onion rings.

15. Jarred salsa

Salsa is good on everything from eggs to baked potatoes, plus it’s a super easy side dish or appetizer with tortilla chips.

16. Roasted red peppers or sun dried tomatoes

These two pantry staples really pack a flavorful bang for your buck.

Great in everything from pasta dishes to pizza toppings.

17. Breadcrumbs

Having a canister of breadcrumbs in the pantry can be used to:

Bread chicken
Top fish or baked dishes like macaroni and cheese
Act as a binder for meatballs or crabcakes.

18. Potatoes

Russet, red, and sweet potatoes all have an incredibly long shelf-life when kept in a dark, cool place like your pantry.

They are so versatile for side dishes!

19. Onions

Onions also stay good for a long time, and add an incredible amount of flavor to any savory dish.

20. Canned vegetables

Canned veggies make quick side dishes, and easy additions to soups and stews.

Some great vegetables to keep on hand are:

Corn
Green beans
Carrots
Peas
Potatoes
Asparagus
Diced green chiles
Olives
Artichoke hearts
Chinese vegetables
Water chestnuts
Sauerkraut

21. Olive and canola oil

No kitchen is complete without olive oil for flavor and sauteing, and canola oil for higher temperature cooking and baking.

Fridge and freezer staples

22. Eggs

If you really want a quick and cheap meal, make something with eggs.

From omelettes to breakfast burritos to scrambled in a hash, there is no less expensive source of good protein.

23. Butter

Both as a topping for breads and baked potatoes, to an ingredient in sauces and baked goods, butter is an ideal ingredient to keep in your kitchen.

24. Greek yogurt or sour cream

Much like butter, plain yogurt and sour cream can be used as a topping or ingredient.

Pro-tip: Greek yogurt has a lot of protein, which makes the the perfect healthy alternative to sour cream.

25. Cheese

Both parmesan and cheddar cheese pack a flavorful punch to many quick meals.

Mozzarella can turn almost any type of bread into pizza with some sauce and toppings.

26. Lean proteins

Keeping a few different kinds of meat in your fridge or freezer means you’ll never have to run to the store before making dinner.

I like to stock up when there’s a great sale, and use my Foodsaver to lock in the freshness.

Some protein ideas to keep in your kitchen are:

Ground beef (here are 30+ ideas of what to make with ground beef!)
Ground turkey
Chicken breasts
Chicken thighs
Turkey kielbasa
Turkey bacon (or regular bacon of course)

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27. Long-lasting vegetables

Some root vegetables will stay good for weeks!

Here are a few ideas of veggies with a long shelf life:

Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Squash

28. Lemons and limes

These citrus fruits are excellent when squeezed on a variety of dishes, plus they make drinking water and cocktails more flavorful.

29. Frozen vegetables

Since the freezer-section veggies are frozen at the peak of freshness, they contain most of the health benefits as fresh vegetables.

They’re also crunchier than the canned varieties.

30. Frozen berries

Berries from the freezer are usually far less expensive than not-in-season fresh berries. They can be thawed and eaten with yogurt or on oatmeal, or used to make tasty baked goods.

Ready to stock up on these pantry staples?

I hope this list of pantry staples on a budget has given you lots of inspiration for how to stock your pantry.

You can use this well-stocked pantry list to create TONS of quick and cheap meals.

By keeping these ingredients on hand, you’ll never have to run out to the store just to make dinner.

It also makes meal planning a breeze!

New to meal planning? Check out these super handy resources: