The Ultimate Guide to Pantry Organization

If you’re spending too much time hunting for ingredients, it's time for a pantry makeover. We consulted experts to uncover the best strategies for organizing your pantry to suit both daily meals and bulk storage. They walked us through a step-by-step process to help you take inventory, declutter, and reorganize, making it easier to find snacks, dinner items, and baking necessities.

1. Start with a deep clean.

We often don't associate 'decluttering' with food, but professional organizer Shira Gill emphasizes that it's a crucial step in streamlining your pantry, ensuring it’s filled with only the essentials. "Empty everything out and be honest about what you actually plan to cook with," she advises.

Pack up any unopened nonperishable items and donate them to a local food bank. Challenge yourself to use up those small leftovers in soups, stews, pasta dishes, or homemade trail mixes for the week.

2. Pay little attention to expiration dates.

The USDA states that, except for infant formula, expiration dates are often not something to worry about. Canned goods, jarred items, dried beans, and many sweeteners can last for years (just make sure to toss any cans that are dented, rusted, or bulging). For quicker-to-go-off items like oils and whole grain flours, rely on your sense of smell, says chef Vivian Howard, author of This Will Make It Taste Good: "If it looks good and smells good, it’s probably fine."

3. Transfer items to transparent containers.

Experts agree that transferring items from bags and boxes into transparent containers is a game-changer for a well-organized pantry. It not only maximizes space—especially when the packaging is more air than food—but also makes it easier to see exactly what you have, simplifying meal prep and grocery list creation. Plus, it helps eliminate visual clutter. Opting for airtight containers will also help keep your staples fresh for longer.

4. Choose a coordinated set.

Though it might seem a bit particular, Gill insists that using matching containers "is one of those small details that makes a big impact." Your pantry will instantly look more organized, and you’ll never have to search for that elusive matching lid. It doesn’t need to be costly—Joe Yonan, author of Cool Beans, uses mason jars and masking tape to keep his dry goods tidy. If you want to preserve cooking instructions, just cut the label and tape it to the jar.

5. Only stock what you truly enjoy.

When you think of prepping your pantry for an emergency, canned vegetables and tuna might come to mind. But if your family doesn't eat those items, there's no point in buying them. "Fill your pantry with things you actually like," says Yonan. "Don't keep anything that won’t inspire you to cook."

6. Shop according to your available space.

When deciding how many pantry staples to keep, it’s easy to stress about being overly prepared. Some say a week’s worth is enough, while others recommend a year’s supply. The simple answer: Keep as much as your storage space can accommodate.

Maximize your pantry space with a slide-out drawer that makes even the most hard-to-reach corners easily accessible. If shelf space is limited, consider using a rolling storage cart to make the most of your vertical storage.

7. Set aside space for backups.

If bulk shopping is your thing, you'll need a designated spot for your extra stock, says Jacqueline Darrow, a design consultant at California Closets. Use a basket or bin, label it "back stock," and place it on a shelf out of the way to keep it from cluttering high-traffic areas. For bulk items like pet food cases or packs of tomato sauce, Gill suggests removing them from their original packaging to make it easier to see what you have. And always check your back stock before making a grocery list to avoid buying duplicates of things like cinnamon or chickpeas.

8. Add some flavor.

Cooking with just the basics can feel dull, but Howard suggests adding flavor enhancers to elevate your meals. Try items like pickles, sauerkraut, pesto, jams, and spice blends such as furikake (a Japanese mix with seaweed and sesame seeds) or "everything bagel" seasoning. Howard's book features homemade versions of many of these flavor boosters.

"These additions bring excitement without requiring much effort," she says. Yonan recommends dried mushrooms, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and his current favorite condiment, jarred Chinese chili crisp.

9. Think outside the kitchen.

When Tanisha Porter, professional organizer and owner of Natural Born Organizers, relocated to Los Angeles, she found her kitchen lacked storage. She creatively transformed an unused wall in her dining room by installing floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and using wicker baskets to create a makeshift pantry. "It was both functional and visually appealing," she says.

10. Make maintenance part of your routine.

Marissa Hagmeyer, co-owner of Neat Method, suggests rotating your pantry stock as you unpack groceries. "I spend five minutes to decant and move older items to the front." Yonan also advises using up leftovers as you cook: If making two cups of rice leaves a half cup behind, cook it all and freeze the extra instead of leaving small remnants behind.