My vegan pantry

Moving to New York meant having my life change in many ways. This was kind of the point, mixing things up, trying something new, living a new life and walking new streets. One of the hardest things I had to adapt to was not having the well-stuffed pantry of my parents’ kitchen. Back home the cupboards were always overflowing, and you could find pretty much anything if you just searched deep enough. When I got here I had to start from zero. My first roommate did not care much for cooking, to say the least. The oven in the apartment didn’t work and the only things to be found in the fridge were beer and milk. Before I moved in, that is. Thankfully my new roommates love to cook too and together we’re starting to build ourselves a decently stuffed pantry. This humbling experience has taught me what truly value having, and now I thought I would share this with you.

Here is a list of the things I find essential to have at home. If you’re new to being a vegan, it may feel like you have to replace everything you have in your cupboards. This really isn’t the case. By trying a few new recipes every now and you’ll slowly but surely get a wide and wonderful variety of vegan foods at your fingertips.

I don’t want you to think you can’t be a good vegan without having these foods at home. This is simply a guided tour through my pantry, which shows you what I think is good to have and what I base most of my recipes on. The most important thing to have around, according to me, is a lot of spices. The more the better as changing the spices is the easiest way to make a world of different dishes from the same basic staples. I’ve listed the one’s I find most important though.

In the fridge

Your favorite kind of vegan milk

Fermented vegetables – just because it’s so healthy and easy when you don’t care to make a salad

Some kind of hummus – this is really the perfect snack: spread it on bread or a cracker, use it as a dip or just eat it with a spoon (I’ve done that…). It’s stuffed with good protein and usually keeps at least a week.

Vegan yoghurt – maybe not necessary, but a nice way to give your breakfasts a bit of variation. Read about how to make it here!

Miso paste – not the most common thing to have at home, but it adds a wonderful umami flavor to anything you put it in.

Dijon mustard – good in salad dressings, sauces, sandwiches and many other things.

Your favorite homemade salad dressing – so that making a good salad is easy as can be. My current favorite is this Miso-Almonddressing.

Maple syrup – OK, I know I’m lucky to live so close to the enchanted land of maple syrup and it’s not too expensive here. Other syrups and sweeteners work too, but if you can get your hands on some…

In the pantry

Dried lentils – I like to have both red and small green (Puy), as the red are great for thicker stews and green hold their shape wonderfully when cooked

Nut or seed butter

Grains – it’s nice to have a few kinds around so that you don’t always have to have the same thing. I like quinoa, buckwheat/kasha, pearled barley and other ancient grains.

Pasta – everyone loves pasta, there’s really not much to say

Coconut milk – great if you want to make a creamy sauce or a fast curry

Whole, canned tomatoes – I prefer the whole kind because I want to think these have to be made from nicer tomatoes than the crushed ones and that they taste more.

Dried fruit – perfect to make your breakfast oatmeal a bit more fun but I also love adding dried foods to savory Middle-eastern dishes. Dried fruit is also great to snack on when you want something sweet. Choose your favorites, such as raisins, cranberries, figs, apricots and dates. For raisins and apricots especially: make sure they’re organic!

Nuts and seeds – packed with energy and great for everything from cooking to snacking and baking. I always have almonds around, cashews are great for mixing into creamy sauces, and pumpkin seeds are great. The list of good nuts can be made long.

Chia seeds – they aren’t only good for making chia pudding, but also as an egg replacement in baking.

Nutritional yeast – if omnivores think everything improves with cheese on top, well here you have you new vegan best friend.

Vinegar – I like to have both balsamic and apple cider, as they have such different personalities.

Coconut oil – I try to use it as little as possible, but for baking it’s irreplaceable.

Neutral cooking oil – canola is great, grape seed works as well. Choose the kind that is grown closest to you it my tip.

Olive oil – a drizzle here and a lug there. Need I say more?

Soy sauce – I like tamari, but any Japanese kind will do. Chinese are good too, but if I had to choose one, I’d go for the Japanese one.

Oats – I like having both steel-cut and regular rolled, but if you have to choose one, go for rolled.

On the spice shelf

Cinnamon

Cardamom

Cumin – I like buying whole seeds, as you can grind them up or leave them whole, and they are easier to roast, which brings out the flavor wonderfully. But ground works too.

Ground coriander

Sweet paprika

Smoked paprika – no need for bacon to get that smoky taste

Red pepper flakes

Nutmeg

Dried thyme

Dried oregano

Turmeric

Fennel seeds

Garam masala or curry

Bay leaves

Black pepper

Sea salt

Other fun spices you might consider buying

Ground ginger, allspice, ground cloves, caraway seeds, nigella/onion seeds, whole coriander seeds, mustard seeds, green cardamom pods.

In the freezer

Home-cooked beans, a few varieties

Leftovers to take out when you don’t want to cook

Berries – for smoothies, oatmeal, baking and more

Overripe bananas – when a banana gets too ripe, freeze it! They are great for making banana pancakes, adding to smoothies, or anything else where you mix or mash the banana.

Frozen spinach or kale – to add some extra greens to your smoothies and other dishes

Bread – I love bread, and probably eat way too much of it

Homemade vegetable stock – if you’re feeling ambitious, it’s really great

Tempeh – if you can get ahold of it, it is a great thing to have around and add to stir-fries, stews or any dish that needs some extra protein

My dream pantry contains many more things, in fact my dream pantry would probably mean having a door to my own grocery store and market in the kitchen. But if I have to choose, these are probably the essentials.