Always keep these foundational items stocked in your pantry, cupboards, and the like when you are eating a plant-based diet. Some of these foods have a short shelf life, but you can keep others around for longer periods of time.
Goods with a shorter shelf life: Pastas, milks, and more
Make sure you buy these items in small amounts, and rotate your inventory frequently:
Baking goods: Baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla (and other) extracts
Dried beans: Black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, pinto beans, and white beans
Egg replacements: Ground flaxseeds or ground chia seeds
Flavorings: Carob, cacao powder, sea salt, and wasabi powder
Flours: Buckwheat flour, brown-rice flour, oat flour, kamut flour, or spelt flour
Herbs and spices: Allspice, basil, bay leaves, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, curry powder, five spice powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, ground mustard, marjoram, onion powder, oregano, paprika, rosemary, sage, thyme, turmeric, whole black pepper, and whole nutmeg
Store your herbs and spices away from heat and light sources. (In other words, don’t store them over the oven or in the window, because the heat and light cause them to lose their flavor more quickly.) Replace herbs and spices that are older than one year. You can substitute one teaspoon of dried herbs for one tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs.
Milks: Almond, carob, hempseed, oat, or chocolate or vanilla rice (store in the fridge after opening)
Natural sweeteners: Coconut nectar; blackstrap molasses; brown-rice syrup; maple syrup; or whole, unrefined cane sugar
Nuts and seeds: Almonds, cashews, pecans, popcorn kernels, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, shelled sunflower seeds, and walnuts
Pasta and noodles (whole grain): Buckwheat soba noodles, spelt, kamut noodles, and brown-rice noodles
Pseudo grains: Amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, and wild rice
Sea vegetables: Arame, dulse, hijiki, kombu, nori, and wakame
Teas: Green, rooibos, and herbal
Thickeners: Agar, arrowroot, and kudzu
Unsweetened dried fruit: Apricots, cranberries, dates, figs, and raisins
Whole grains: Barley, brown rice, millet, and spelt
Whole-grain products or sprouted grains: Cereals, breads, pita breads, and wraps
Foods with longer shelf lives: Canned goods and condiments
Although these items have a long shelf life and make cooking and eating convenient, purchase them only when necessary:
Canned, BPA-free, organic tomatoes in diced, crushed, pate, or whole form
Dijon mustard
Unsweetened fruit jams (strawberry, blackberry, or raspberry) and apple butter
Naturally brewed soy sauce, such as liquid amino acids, shoyu, and tamari (wheat free)
Naturally sweetened ketchup — sweetened with agave or coconut nectar, which is much better than high-fructose corn syrup
Nut and seed butters, such as almond, cashew, walnut, and tahini
Oils, including olive, flaxseed, coconut, grapeseed, and toasted sesame
Pineapple, mango, or yam puree (not ideal, but may be required in some baking)
Salsa
Tomato sauce
Unsweetened coconut milk
Vinegars, such as balsamic, brown rice, coconut, red wine, and unpasteurized apple cider
