Stocking your kitchen is easy with my vegan grocery list! 🥕Cooking is a lot more fun and tastier when you have the right ingredients. If you need help deciding what to buy, here are many of my favorite go-to vegan foods I like to keep in my pantry.
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Sometimes we tend to overcomplicate the concept of living vegan. Rather than being a restrictive diet or lifestyle, it's quite the opposite. The sky's the limit when it comes to creating extraordinarily delicious and satisfying plant-based meals, like my vegan stuffed shells with spinach and cheese.
One of the first questions I'm often asked about being vegan is "If you don't eat meat or dairy, what do you eat?" My standard reply is simply "Everything else!" Most restaurants now offer vegan options and many grocery stores and supermarkets have shelves dedicated to vegan foods. If you enjoy cooking, you'll be amazed by the endless varieties of delicious and nutritious dishes you can prepare, all with plant-based ingredients!
With so many fantastic packaged food options available, sometimes it can be hard to choose which to buy. Over the years, I've tried a LOT of vegan products and have found the ones I love the most. I know how expensive it can be testing new foods only to discover you don't like some of them. I want to help you save time and money by sharing my list of favorite vegan foods that I think are great.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for vegan easy lemon artichoke orzo salad.
What about allergies and food restrictions?
Depending on your specific dietary needs, and restrictions, you might not be able to consume some of the items I have listed. This list is based entirely on my personal (non-professional) preferences, and should not be considered as nutritional or science-based advice. Always consult with your doctor before making changes in your diet.
What's in a vegan pantry?
Here are many of the packaged food items we typically keep on hand in our kitchen pantry & fridge.
The Carrot Underground is proud to be sponsored by Yes Milady! Eggcellent seasoning. It's fantastic for tofu scramble and plant-based "eggy" dishes.
You'll love this recipe for Vegan California Breakfast Burritos
Some of our favorite vegan dairy products.
🥕Vegan Grocery Shopping Tips:
If you live in a neighborhood with several grocery stores nearby, it's worth price comparing between stores. You may be surprised by how much you can save.
Keep an ongoing list of items you need. I have a chalkboard on the inside of my pantry door. I just take a photo of it with my phone before I go shopping. You can also use my printable vegan grocery list to take with you.
Plan your shopping trip before you leave the house. If you shop at multiple stores like I do, make sure to bring an insulated cooler bag to keep refrigerated and frozen foods cold between stops.
Many vegan cheese and non-dairy milk products have short shelf lives (once opened, approx. 7-10 days). I keep a Sharpie marker in the kitchen to write the date I first open a package (on the lid or container). That helps avoid guesswork and spoiled food.
I always make sure I have fresh lemons, limes, garlic, and onions on hand. I'm crazy about keeping at least one live basil plant on my kitchen counter... oh that aroma! Given the choice, I always prefer organic & love to shop farmers markets & support local vegan purveyors & vendors.
Purchase fresh seasonal veggies and produce when you know you're going to use them right away. Tender salad greens, tomatoes, and avocados are best used within a few days of purchase.
Can't find specific brands at your local markets? Check the company websites for stores near you. You can find lots of vegan food items and products online! Talk to your store managers. Let them know about products you would like them to carry. Visit your neighborhood Farmers Markets. They are great places to find vegan food vendors and super fresh, locally grown organic produce.
Be sure to put your reusable shopping bags back in the car after you unload your groceries. Don't leave home without them!😊
Trolley bags and reusable produce bags by Lotus Sustainables. Save 10% off your order with promo code: CONNIEM10
🥕Top Tips for Storing Potatoes
Potatoes are a staple at our house. We use them to make fondue, soups, stews, and gardener's pie, and love them mashed, smashed, roasted, and baked. Stored correctly, potatoes will keep a long time. Here are a few tips to help keep your taters fresh longer:
🥕Tater Tip #1 Always store potatoes in a dark, cool, well ventilated place. A pantry or cabinet is a good location, as long as it is not near an oven or heat source. It’s why farmers can store potatoes for weeks inside root cellars. Wonder why potatoes turn green? Exposure to light promotes chlorophyll, which is great for houseplants, but not spuds.
🥕Tater Tip #2 Keep potatoes in a ventilated basket or mesh bag. Never store them in the plastic bag from the store. I love re-useable mesh produce bags. They’re perfect for storing potatoes, onions, and garlic. Plus they’re washable.
🥕Tater Tip #3 Always remove and discard any potatoes that are green, sprouted, have soft spots, mold, or signs of damage.
🥕Tater Tip #4 Wash potatoes only when you’re ready to use them. Until then, keep em’ dry.
🥕My Vegan Grocery List
Subscribe & receive my FREE printable vegan grocery list as a thank you!🥕
Baking & Cooking Essentials
- Arrowroot - for thickening
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Chocolate chips - Guittard
- Coconut - unsweetened flaked
- Cornmeal
- Cornstarch - for thickening
- Cream of tartar - for vegan meringue
- Extracts - Vanilla, Lemon, Rum
- Flour(s) - Wheat, Whole Grains, Oat, Almond, and Gluten-free
- Tapioca flour - for thickening
- Xanthan gum - for vegan meringue and thickening
Beans & Legumes (dried or canned)
- Black beans
- Black-eyed peas
- Cannellini beans
- Edamame
- English peas
- Garbanzo beans/chickpeas
- Great Northern beans
- Green beans
- Kidney beans
- Lentils
- Navy beans
- Pinto beans
- Red beans
- Snap peas
- Snow peas
- Soybeans
Cereals and Grains (Basics)
- Barley
- Bulgar
- Farro
- Granola - Kind, Purely Elizabeth
- Oatmeal - Bob's Red Mill Organic Thick Rolled Oats
- Quinoa
- Rice - Basmati, brown, wild rice
- ​Spelt
Condiments
- Hot sauce Cholula, Tabasco Red or Green, Tapatio, Sriracha
- Ketchup - Annie's Organic
- Liquid aminos - Bragg
- Mayonnaise - JUST Mayo
- Mustard - Annie's Naturals Organic
- Nutritional yeast (aka 'Nooch')- Sari Foods or Bragg
- Soy sauce - San-J Organic
- Worcestershire sauce - Annie's Naturals Organic
Dairy & Egg Replacers
- Butter Earth Balance or Miyoko's
- Cream cheese - Follow Your Heart, Kite Hill, Miyoko's, or Violife (each brand is really great.)
- Mozzarella cheese - Miyoko's
- Parmesan cheese - Violife
- Ricotta cheese -Kite Hill
- Sliced cheese - Field Roast 'Chao' or Violife (great for grilled cheese sandwiches)
- Egg replacers - Ener-G or Bob's Red Mill (great for baking) JUSTEgg(perfect for quiche, french toast & scramble)
- Ice cream - SO Delicious (I'm crazy about their Cashew Salted Caramel Cluster) Ben & Jerry's
- Milk (almond, coconut milk/cream, hemp, oat, rice, soy)
- Yogurt - SO Delicious (I LOVE their Key Lime)
Dips, Dressings & Sauces
- Salad dressings - assorted
- Cheese sauce (our favorite)
- Hummus - basic and varieties
- Pasta sauces - marinara and varieties
- Pesto (our favorite)
- Tzatziki sauce (our favorite)
Fruits and Vegetables (bottled, canned, dried, fresh, or frozen)
- Apples
- Apple Sauce
- Apricots
- Artichokes/artichoke hearts
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Bananas
- Beets
- Berries
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Capers
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Cherries
- Citrus Fruits
- Coconut
- Corn
- Cranberries
- Cucumbers
- Currants
- Dates
- Figs
- Jackfruit
- Juices - fruit and veggie
- Kale
- Lettuces
- Mango
- Melons
- Mushrooms
- Nectarines
- Olives
- Onions
- Peaches
- Pears
- Peas
- Peppers
- Pickles
- Pineapple
- Plums
- Potatoes
- Prunes
- Radishes
- Raisins
- Root veggies
- Salad greens
- Spinach
- Squash
- Tomatoes
Meat-like Replacers
- Brats - Beyond Meat
- Burgers -Beyond Meat 'The Beyond Burger'
- Chicken - Gardein Crispy Tenders
- Jackfruit - canned in brine
- Meatballs - Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs
- Sausages - Beyond Meat Sausages, Field Roast Italian Sausages
- Seitan
- Soy curls
- Tofu (Medium and Firm)
- TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein)
Nuts & Nut Butters
- Almonds
- Almond butter
- Brazil nuts
- Cashews
- Chestnuts
- Hazelnuts
- Macadamia
- Peanuts
- Peanut butter
- Pecans
- Pine nuts
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
Oils
- Avocado
- Canola
- Coconut
- Flaxseed
- Grapeseed
- Olive - Extra Virgin
- Peanut
- Sesame
Pasta
- Angel hair
- Bow tie
- Fettuccine
- Israeli couscous
- Lasagne
- Linguine
- Macaroni
- Orzo
- Penne
- Ravioli - Kite Hill
- Rigatoni
- Rotini
- Shells - Regular or Jumbo
- ​Spaghetti
- Vermicelli
- Ziti
Seasonings & Spices (including fresh herbs)
- All-purpose seasonings - Spike Gourmet Natural Seasoning, Trader Joe's Umami Seasoning, Simply Organic All-Purpose Seasoning, Eggcellent Spice Mix (perfect for tofu scramble)
- Basil - fresh or dried
- Bay leaves
- Cayenne
- Chili powder
- Chives - fresh or dried
- Cinnamon - ground or sticks
- Cloves - whole and ground
- Cilantro - fresh or dried
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Curry powder
- Desert salt - Oryx (my favorite!)
- Dill Weed - fresh or dried
- Ginger - fresh or dried/powdered
- Garlic - fresh
- Garlic powder
- Garlic salt
- Himalayan black salt - aka Kala Namak
- Himalayan pink salt
- Italian seasoning
- Kaffir lime leaves
- Marjoram
- Nutmeg - whole or ground
- Onion powder
- Oregano - fresh or dried
- Paprika
- Pepper - black, red, white (whole peppercorns or ground)
- Red pepper flakes - crushed
- Rosemary - fresh or dried
- Sage - fresh or dried
- Sea salt
- Taragon - fresh or dried
- Thyme - fresh or dried
- Turmeric
Seeds
- Chia
- Flax
- Hemp
- Poppy
- Pumpkin
- Sesame
- Sunflower
Soups​
- Assorted vegan soups - bottled, canned, or boxed
- Vegan bouillon
- Vegan vegetable broth
Sweeteners
- Blue agave nectar
- Coconut sugar
- Dates - date sugar
- Date paste
- Maple syrup
- Brown sugar - organic
- Vegan powdered sugar - organic
- Vegan sugar -organic
Vinegars
- Apple cider
- Balsamic
- Distilled white
- Malt vinegar
- Red wine
- Rice
- White wine
🥕 TIP: Having the right tools can make cooking a lot more fun, successful, (and delicious!).
Here are a few of my favorite everyday vegan kitchen essentials I use all the time here in The Carrot Underground🥕kitchen!
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