A well-stocked pantry is essential if you want to cook delicious vegan food on a budget. When I first started cooking, I would often get discouraged by recipes that had more than five ingredients because I couldn’t afford to buy everything needed on top of my other groceries; after all, spices and oils can be expensive when you’re on a tight budget. But when I made the commitment to go vegan, I decided to save some money and buy the essentials: spices, oils, vinegars, baking supplies, etc. Once you make the initial purchase, you won’t have to do it again; keeping your pantry stocked will only be a matter of picking up one or two key ingredients here and there. And now, when I see a recipe that has a long list of ingredients, I usually only have to buy a few items because I already have most of them on hand. Plus, it makes it a lot easier to whip up dishes on the fly when you have all the essentials.

Tips:

• Scope out the best places for purchasing certain ingredients. For example, I discovered that Fresh Market, a gourmet market chain that is usually kind of pricey, actually sells bagged spices for really cheap. Every couple of months, when I’m out near the market, I swing by and stock up on spices.

• Also, don’t be afraid of places like Whole Foods, which has a reputation for being more expensive than, say, Kroger. I’ve found that if you stick to its house brand for most items, you can actually get away with spending less money for better quality food.

• Finally, buy bulk whenever possible. It’s so much cheaper than pre-packaged goods. For example, nutritional yeast, when purchased in the supplement section, can run about $15 (yikes!). A pound of nutritional yeast from the bulk aisle is half that.

The Pantry

So, without further ado, below is a list of essential ingredients that make vegan cooking incredibly easy and budget-friendly (most of them keep for a long time, so you don’t have to worry about spoilage). The list may change here and there, but I’ll be sure to let you know. Also, I realize that money can be an issue when stocking up, so I’ve highlighted the ingredients that I tend to use the most, so you can break up the list if you need to.

Cold:

red miso
white miso
Vegenaise
Earth Balance margarine
Dijon mustard
yellow mustard
ketchup
tahini
Sriracha

Dry:

all-purpose flour
whole wheat flour
nutritional yeast
cornmeal
baking powder
baking soda
cornstarch
sugar
Ener-G Egg Replacer

Oils:

olive oil
canola oil
sesame oil

Vinegars:

red wine vinegar
white wine vinegar
rice vinegar
balsamic vinegar

Spices:

thyme
oregano
basil
Hungarian paprika
tarragon
cumin
curry powder
cardamom
cinnamon
turmeric
arrowroot powder
coriander
sage
chili powder
red pepper flakes
kosher salt
pepper
ginger powder

Other:

Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
low sodium soy sauce or tamari
vanilla extract
almond extract
mirin
molasses
maple syrup
agave nectar
non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
liquid smoke
Valentine Hot Sauce, or your favorite hot sauce
vegetable broth cubes or bouillon