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food inventory categories

Pantry Categories That Will Level Up Your Organization

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Shared by Katie

How to use pantry categories to organize your food storage space. A simple pantry organization idea that makes a huge difference!

A close up of pantry labels for pantry categories on a wooden table

Pantry Categories

The best way to organize your pantry is to break it up into pantry categories or zones.

In this article, you’ll get ideas for pantry categories, tips for organizing your pantry, and ideas for doing a food inventory.

Food Inventory Categories with What You Have On Hand

food inventory categories

design a home management plan that works for you

If you’re just starting to organize your pantry, it’s helpful to take everything out of your pantry so you can see what you have.

Even if you’ve organized your pantry before, this is a useful step.

It gives you the chance to declutter, throw out expired items, and be more aware of what you’ve been storing in your pantry.

As you take items out of the pantry, group them by category.

Some of your categories might be broad (like “baking” for baking soda, baking powder, etc.), and others might be super narrow (like “diced tomatoes” if you just happen to have 13 cans of diced tomatoes in your pantry!).

Take everything out, and do one of the following for each item:

  • Throw away (expired items, damaged goods, etc.)
  • Put in a donate box (go here to find your local food bank)
  • Put into a category

As you put things into categories, you can just group them together on your counters, a table, the floor, or whatever works for you.

This step will give you a good visual of exactly what you’re working with.

Plus, once everything’s out, you can wipe everything down inside your pantry and give it a good cleaning.

Pantry Organization Categories

Once you have everything out of your pantry, and grouped into loose categories, it’s time to think about what types of zones you want to create in your pantry.

You may want to just stick with the categories you came up with while taking everything out of your pantry!

But if you need some more ideas, check out the list below.

You will NOT need to use every single one of these categories, but seeing the ideas may trigger some good ideas about how you want to organize the items you have.

  • Canned goods
  • Pasta & rice
  • Baking items
  • Snacks
  • Breakfast foods
  • Nuts & Seeds
  • Mixes
  • Vinegars & Cooking Wines
  • Oils
  • Sauces
  • Condiments
  • Sweets & Candy
  • Pickled items
  • Boxed Meals (like macaroni and cheese)
  • Cereals
  • Spices
  • Beverages, tea, coffee
  • Root vegetables (onions, potatoes – though they shouldn’t be stored together)
  • Breads
  • Paper goods
  • Soups 
  • Fruits & vegetables
  • Pet food
  • Sides
  • Beans & legumes
  • Jellies & spreads
  • Canned meats
  • Miscellaneous – because some things just don’t fit in a category, no matter how hard we try!

Pantry Inventory List Printable

To keep our pantry organized, I make a pantry inventory so I always have a good idea of what we have.

A close up of pantry inventory printables on blue background

Grab the Pantry Inventory Printables in this Article – NOW ON SALE for just $3

25 Pantry Inventory Printable Pages – INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF – Letter Size {8.5″ x 11″}

Always know what’s inside your pantry with these stylish pantry inventory printable pages!

No more fearing what might be lurking in the depths of your pantry, or losing food to spoilage.

Use these printables to organize your pantry, and use it as a money-saving tool.

Get 25 pantry inventory printable pages with columns for the item name, quantity, and use-by-date.

Print as much as you want for personal use.

Includes these pantry inventory pages:

breakfast foods
pastas & grains
pet food
condiments
vinegars & oils
sides
beans & legumes
nuts & seeds
candies & treats
beverages
jellies & spreads
canned meats
canned goods
spices
sauces
snacks
breads
paper goods
baking goods
soups
fruits & vegetables
miscellaneous
use it up! (for things you want to use up right away)

Great for meal planning!

Go here to get the Pantry Inventory Printables in this post – NOW ON SALE for just $3

More Pantry Organization Ideas

  • Clever Pantry Storage Ideas You’ll Want to Try
  • Organize Food Staples with a Pantry Inventory
  • A Simple Solution for Covering Pantry Wire Shelving

pantry categories that will level up your organization

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Filed Under: Food, Home Management, meal planning, Organize Tagged With: pantry

About Katie

Obsessed with simple, easy home management. Mom to twins. Founder of Organizing Moms.

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