Vegan Pantry Essentials

OK, so perhaps you are thinking about moving towards a vegan diet and would like to know what’s in the vegan pantry? What do you need to maintain this and be able to put together vegan meals without hours of preparation. There are a few things that you should stock as a matter of course, then just buy your fruit and vegetables fresh as needed (I like to use organic angels in Melbourne – they deliver and everything is always very fresh and in season and organic! plus they are really nice).

Please note: I don’t include “faux” meat on this list – I don’t like it – if you do enjoy it, feel free to add it to your list.

The top 13 items I use the most (this is tough) would have to be: banana, avocado, chickpeas, medjool dates, coconut milk, oats, rice, lentils, olive oil, almond milk, broccoli, soba, miso paste…

Canned and Dried Beans

I use canned organic beans all the time – I don’t have time to soak beans with a full time job, kids etc Either way – canned or soaked beans – it’s all good!

• Chickpeas – kitchen staple. For hummus, falafel, soups, stews, curries (thai, indian), salad, mashed into burger patty etc
• Red beans – soups, stews, Mexican lasagne, red beans and rice etc
• White beans – soups, stews, salad
• Black beans – Mexican dishes, taco mix, soups and stews
• Lentils – brown or red – burger patties, soups, stews, dahl, salad etc

Grains, Flours and Bread

Flour — Oats — Pearl Barley — Quinoa — Risotto

Pasta — Noodles – buckwheat, soba, rice noodles, vermicelli etc

Rice – brown, white, arborio

Flax seeds — Sesame seeds — Naan — Tortilla — Pita

Nuts and Dried fruit 

Raw Almonds — Raw Cashews — Pecans — Hazelnuts — Peanuts

Pistachio — Walnuts — Medjool dates — Dried cranberry —

Dried Apricot — Sultanas — Pepitas — Pine Nuts

 

In the Fridge

• Nuttelex or other vegan butter — Almond, soy and rice milk — Tofu — Coconut yoghurt
• Bio cheese — Miso paste — Tofutti cream cheese — Tomato paste — Dark chocolate

Fruit and Vegetables

There are too many to mention but these are the staples for me in a week.

Corn — Onion — Zucchini — Tomato — Broccoli — Asparagus

Sweet Potato — Basil and Coriander — Red Capsicum

Mushrooms — Potato — Garlic — Citrus (lemon, lime. orange, mandarin)

Apple — Banana — Mango (when in season) — Pineapple

Berries (all kinds when in season)

 

Sauces and condiments

• Coconut milk — Sun-dried tomatoes — Olives — Tahini — Mustard — Soy sauce  — Olive Oil — Apple Cider Vinegar
• Balsamic, White and Red Vinegar — Vegetable stock powder

Snacks and Treats

I make most of my own treats and snack but here are some accidentally vegan treats that I like:

• Oreos — Skittles — Original Pringles — Potato Chips — Ginger nut biscuits — Golden Crumpets
• Hash browns — Puff Pastry — Popcorn — Weet-bix — Calippo Icy Poles — Smooze Ice blocks

Here is a comprehensive list of Australian Accidental Vegan food:

Other essential stuff

• Coconut oil — Coconut water — Vegemite — Nutritional Yeast — Pure Maple Syrup
• Raw Coconut Sugar — Cacao Powder — Coffee (!) — Herbal tea

I hope this list helps a little bit with your shopping and stocking your pantry.