Kitchen Pantry Organization

This is an edited and updated post for 2025. The original version first appeared on the blog in 2020.

The new year always seizes me with a desire to organize! If I look around and everything is tidy and clean, It’s much easier to convince myself that I’ve really got my life together, lol. I usually search Pinterest for ideas for my own spaces and I love a good clean and simple the aesthetic. Since my own kitchen pantry looked like it had been invaded by the dwarves from the Lord of The Rings, some kitchen pantry organization was a necessity to start the year off right. We have moved so many times (most recent detailed here) that my pantry was crammed with containers that I’d used in previous houses and everything was just pretty much thrown in there. I find it difficult to know what I have and what I need at the store when the pantry is a mess, so organizing it has definitely helped my grocery shopping!

The end result was absolutely worth the effort and every time I open that door (about 100 times a day), I let out a pleasing little sigh and feel a tiny glimmer of happiness shoot through my soul.

Have I convinced you? Are you ready to organize your kitchen pantry?

*This blog uses affiliate links. If you purchase anything through one of these links, at no cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

Here’s how I did it:

1. Empty the entire pantry

After you take everything out of the pantry and have it strewn over your entire kitchen, it is at this point that you will go weak in the knees, feel extreme doubt and wonder what in the hell ever possessed you to do this. Ignore these thoughts, steady your nerves with an adult beverage and scrub down your now empty pantry. Really get in there with the vacuum or broom first and then scrub it with some hot, soapy water. I wiped the entire thing down with white vinegar as a final step.

2. Organize the contents into groups

OK, this is where you’ll start really gaining some ground. Put on some music and just place like items together. Breakfast, snacks, bottled vinegars & oils, baking goods, etc. This will help you get a good idea of what sort of containers you need as well as helping you to throw out anything that needs throwing out.(How long has that opened pack of crackers even been in there??)

3. Pull out the items you’d like to take out of their boxes and cartons.

These are the items that will go into air tight containers that you can see through. For me that would include all main items reached for almost daily: flour, sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar, rice, etc. You may have things like cereal, oatmeal, nuts, etc. Just figure out what would be easier for YOUR family to be able to see in clear containers. This is SO helpful in knowing when you need to repurchase your most used items.

4. Figure out your canned goods situation

We all have lots of canned goods. My current kitchen has a pull-out, vertical drawer for cans, so thats what I use. But if you need a way to organize your canned goods on your shelves, I think these are the best. They are aesthetically pleasing, functional and they will last forever.

5. Corral the rest of your items into bins

Since you’ve already decided what items you’d like to place into clear containers, everything left needs to be grouped into bins. You don’t have to spend a lot of money here. I used inexpensive white dish pans. You could also use these . For me , I was binning things like: coffee, tea, Winston(pet), Protein powders, snacks, breakfast, etc.

6. Keep the bottom area for open baskets for onions & potatoes

On the floor of your pantry, where it’s darkest, place a few open baskets or wooden crates for onions and potatoes. I already had these white ones, so that’s what I used. This is also where I have to keep a few larger appliances that are too tall to sit on the shelves.

7. Gather the containers

I have a list of what I used linked below and they are the most economical that I could find while still being functional and meeting the aesthetic look that I had in mind. Don’t neglect using large mason jars. You can add the white plastic lids to keep everything looking uniform. I found free printable labels here, and I love them! They have a chalkboard look and you can print them out and use clear packing tape to attach them. The basic categories are pre-printed and I used a white sharpie to write on the blank labels over the tape.

Shop My Pantry Organization

8. Putting it all together

I placed the items that everyone uses the most within easy reach. If you have small children, you may have to rethink what goes on the lower shelves and what you’d like to keep out of reach and sight. At my house there are only adults, so frequency- of- use is king in deciding where to place things back into the pantry. You MUST get these lazy susan turntables for all of the odd oils, vinegar, condiments etc. Seriously…..game changer. I’ve since, placed these in each under-the-sink cabinet in our home.

The End Result

Whose pantry is this? Man, that girl really has her life together! <wink, wink>

I love it! This has made life easier and I LOVE it when life is easier. Being able to open the pantry and quickly assess what we need is such a time saver and a help to me when filling out my grocery list online. During the time I did this kitchen pantry organization I was using Walmart curbside pick up when it first started during Covid. Now the convenience of delivery and other services is off the charts! and Ohhh do I ever miss that! There is nothing here to compare.

And for snacks, I’d order once a month from Thrive so we can get healthy snacks cheaper. Check out Thrive here and save 20% on your first order- it’s a great way to keep your pantry stocked with healthy snacks and save $$ on the in-store prices.

I hope my kitchen pantry organization has been inspiring. Below you’ll find the label categories I used for our pantry. I think doing this same set up using black bins , lids and containers would look chic and minimalist too. Has the arrival of the New Year had you doing a lot of organizing at home?

Label Categories I used For Bins

• Tea
• Coffee
• Dried beans
• Pets
• Snacks
• Protein
• Super Foods
• Drinks
• Breakfast
• Supplements
• Baking

Label Categories I used for Clear Containers

• Flour
• Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• 10 X Sugar
• Rice
• Beans
• Corn meal
• Grits
• Tea
• Pasta

Next Up

If you remember my New Year post, you remember that one of the things I wanted to pick up this year was pilates. I’m on the hunt for some good videos to get started so if you have any that you love, please let me know in the comments.

Troy and I are back in the city for a bit and I look forward to telling you all about whats been happening for us personally as we get a little farther down the line with our current events. While we are here, I’m hoping to get some shopping done for some of the things I find it hard to get on the island. I do find inspiration in the faster the pace of the city and seeing everyone dressed in their winter finest.

My entire life right now is unlike anything I would have ever imagined and I’m learning that uncertainty is the only certainty outside of the faithfulness of God.

As always, thank you for reading! You can pin any of these photos to Pinterest , by clicking on the Pinterest button and you can also find me there. I’d love to have you follow me in the LTK app. I’m brainstorming to curate truly useful content for you there- things that I use and love and that are truly helpful. And they’ve really improved that app to create more of a “hang out space”, and it just keeps getting better! I’m also on Facebook. Anywhere you share my content helps me out so much, and means the world to me, so thank-you!