Best Ways to Organize Your Pantry for Easy Storage

Whether your home has a large walk-in pantry, a cupboard you use as a pantry or a set of closet shelves close to the kitchen that you use as your dedicated pantry, there are a few easy ways to organize this space so it’s easy to use.

Why is it important to have an organized pantry?

• Less food waste. When your pantry is organized, it is easier to use up food before the expiration dates.
• Save money by not buying what you already have. I remember buying a new protein powder container because I didn’t realize I had an old one stuffed in the back of my pantry cupboard. You also don’t need to guess with your grocery lists and won’t buy more before you need to. It also means you know if you have enough space to take advantage of a warehouse sale on a pantry staple you always need. We can all use a break on our grocery bills, am I right?
• Easier meal prep. You can see what you have and don’t have to look for ingredients to find an idea.
• Reduced odds of bugs/pests. Nothing is open and lost in the back of a crowded space, creating a decent place for things to hide. 
• Extra work space in your kitchen because you don’t have to store things on your countertops. If you’ve got the space, your kettle, toaster and cookbooks can be stored in your pantry instead of sitting out in the open. 
• Save time. An organized space is easier to keep clean and organized. Spend the time now to organize it so later you don’t have to spend a lot of time looking for things and trying to put stuff away in a crowded spot.
• You have space for the extra things that crop up and it doesn’t throw the whole system into chaos. Maybe it’s extra hot chocolate or shelled nuts at Christmas. A friend gives you some homemade jam. You have room to temporarily make space for those little extras.
• Added Bonus: Family can help put things away and know where to put things. You do not have to be the only one in charge of the kitchen and pantry! Some days you want to be the one with the cup of tea at the table while everyone else figures it out!

What always comes before organizing?

Decluttering! Before you begin moving things around, remember that you can not organize clutter—ever!

There will be things that don’t belong here and just need to be relocated. Put the reusable totes for grocery shopping back in your vehicle. Put your teen’s hoodie back in the closet or on its hook. (How does their clothing end up everywhere?!)  You can take care of those first. Those are your quick wins! Go you! 

Inspect Food

The next obvious step is to scan those shelves to ensure that you don’t have any expired or out-of-date food. In Canada, there are expiration dates and best-before dates, which are not the same thing. https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-labels/labelling/consumers/understanding-date-labels-your-food. Use your best judgement to get rid of anything unsafe or that your family will never eat. (If you hated that salad dressing, no one will fault you for tossing it in the bin! It’s ok, I give you permission!) 

Then look for the unwanted and forgotten things in the back of the pantry (or your designated makeshift pantry) which can be donated or sold. Do you still have school lunch containers your teens have long outgrown? Maybe you moved away from family and don’t need that monster roasting pan that you used when you hosted holiday meals.

Sunk Cost Items Can Go Too!

And if you bought into any popular organization hacks or cooking trends that just weren’t a good match for you (air fryer, anyone?), then let them go. Holding onto them doesn’t fix a bad purchase or give you the money back. Keeping them punishes you by taking up valuable storage space and reminding you over and over that you made a poor choice. It happens. Move on!

You and your family go through different seasons of life. Don’t bog down your pantry with things that you won’t use. 

Dividing Up the Space

No matter how big or small your pantry is, a good place to start is to separate the food items from the dishes, appliances and other non-edible things. This might be just a left and right side of the cupboard or a top and bottom of the pantry division, depending on how much space you have. Maybe you have one cabinet that is only for food, and the one beside is for dishes. Heck, maybe they’re not all in the pantry, and that’s ok too!

Small Appliances

If you have a full pantry space, keep your small appliances on the bottom shelf or floor. Maybe this is your crock pot, ice cream maker, or Kitchen Aid Mixer. You want easy access, and you don’t want to lift heavy items down from a high shelf when you need them. That is a safety issue. This may also apply to cast iron pans, clay bakers, and Dutch ovens. 

This is also a good option for heavy containers of dry goods, like bags of flour, onions, or potatoes. If you keep them on the floor, consider bins with wheels to make it easier to slide them out of the way when you clean or sweep the floor. 

Maximize Space

Do not overlook the vertical space inside the pantry door or cabinet door. You can use hooks, wire shelves with adjustable baskets or soft over-the-door hangers with a series of pockets. This extra storage is available for permanent or temporary mounting; don’t think you can’t have storage because you live in a rental unit. The back of your pantry door is a good spot for more than a broom hook. 

Consider limiting your upper shelves to pantry items that you do not use as frequently or only need seasonally. This might be your cake platter, the Christmas candleholders for your kitchen table or flower vases. It’s okay to leave this space empty if you have nothing to put there. (I know it’s tempting to use open space even when it’s high up!)

Food Storage and Organization in Your Pantry

When it comes to the food in your pantry, group similar items together. This is something most of us do without thinking: collect the baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and other essentials on the baking shelf and cereals on another one. If you have school-age kids, creating a section for school lunch and snack items can reduce the number of times you have to hear, “There’s nothing to eat!”

My kids complain that “we only have ingredients!” Then learn to cook, kiddo!

Use a System to Organize Your Pantry

Take an inventory periodically to ensure you remove any expired food and to relocate anything that has slid into a spot it doesn’t belong. You can do this weekly or before your regular shopping trip to the grocery store or Costco. You may also want to do this with the change of seasons to ensure you are ready for what is coming. (I know I’ll be stocking up early for Christmas baking!) Keep newly purchased food at the back and move older food to the front.

Refillable clear containers or glass jars let you know at a glance how much you have and can offer visual relief if you don’t like the busy look of all the different labels. By having food containers of the same size, you may find it easier to fit the space you have in your pantry or kitchen cabinets. Food storage containers (like Tupperware) may give you more choices in size but also give you the flexibility to stack, which can be helpful if your pantry shelves are widely spaced.

If you have especially deep shelves, shelf risers are available that help tier your items to make it easier to see what you have. Pull-out drawers are another way to utilize the space to reach items stored at the back. 

Use Baskets, Bins and Storage Solutions Sparingly

Baskets and bins can be a good way to keep items together and use dead space where the cupboard extends beyond a door opening. Wicker baskets might be better suited for tea or seasoning packets while a larger basket might be suited to cereal boxes, boxes of food or mason jars. This is a really flexible solution which works well for shallow shelves, drawers or wide shelves.

A lazy susan is a great option for taking advantage of limited shelf space if your pantry is in a small cabinet. Instead of trying to line everything up, you can load up the round tray and turn it to access anything on it. Consider this alternative to a traditional spice rack. If you have a tall enough shelf, it can be a good option for oils, vinegars, and sauce bottles.

But if you don’t have the budget for new storage solutions, use what you have. A countertop wine rack can easily be repurposed as a holder for water bottles. Cardboard boxes can be painted or covered with paper to create a more uniform look. If you want new containers, consider going secondhand; thrift stores can offer you other storage solutions at a fraction of the retail price for new. I see them there all the time!

 A well-organized pantry makes it easier to keep track of what you have, helps your whole kitchen function better, and reduces some of the stress of cooking. You deserve that, whether you have a small space or a full walk-in pantry. 

Related Resources

Kitchen DIY Decluttering and Storage Hacks