Pantry Organization: Tips for a Creating a Healthy Pantry

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Create a healthy pantry and easily find ingredients (even if your pantry is small) with these glass containers and pantry organization ideas. You can customize all your jars and containers with handwritten labels using a water-based paint pen. Watch the video below to see how I do mine.

Pantry organization ideas - I've got several tips for creating a healthy pantry and moving all your storage containers to glass jars.

One of the lovely things about moving is that you’re forced to go through everything you own and assess if it’s worth keeping. Now, some people probably dread this (and I’ll admit it’s a ton of work), but in the end I actually find all the purging freeing. As in, my life just got heaps more “white space” – which gives me a sense of calm and satisfaction.

On my recent move I got rid of and/or donated quite a bit of stuff. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized I don’t like clutter and my style has morphed into a more minimalist, warm modern, Scandanavian-esque, yet rustic, SoCal neutral vibe. Clean and white makes me happy.

Watch my pantry organization video by clicking below:

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My entire apartment still needs furniture and decor, but as a foodie person it only made sense to tackle my kitchen first. Especially as that’s where I spend 80% of my time. A few years back I moved all my pantry dried goods into BPA-Free containers, thinking I was doing good. But now I know that BPA-Free plastics can be just as harmful as BPA, if not more. So on this recent move I ditched the plastic altogether and moved everything to glass.

Pantry organization: moving everything from plastic to glass

My number one goal on this pantry makeover was moving everything from plastic to glass. I didn’t want bulk goods and raw ingredients hanging around inside all that plastic. I also found that my former plastic containers weren’t as airtight as they claimed to be. I don’t know if it’s because of the pop-top mechanism, but I had several batches of nuts go rancid quickly in those old containers.

My new glass containers are Weck jars and I’m absolutely loving them! Ironically, they’re even cheaper than the plastic, which, I would have never guessed. But here’s what I love about them. First, the cylindrical jars are big enough for bulk ingredients, but you can still grab them easily with one hand. This was an important consideration for me, as I tend to grab things quickly. Second, the tops are 100% airtight with the gasket and clips so food stays fresh.

Pantry organization ideas - I've got several tips for creating a healthy pantry and moving all your storage containers to glass jars.

Pantry organization ideas - I've got several tips for creating a healthy pantry and moving all your storage containers to glass jars.

I use an assortment of Weck jars in everyday cooking (you’ll see them frequently in my recipe photos), but for my pantry organization I stuck to four sizes for one primary reason – the lids were the same size. The cylindrical jars line up uniformly next to one another and the mold jars (due to their slight taper) stack neatly on top of each other. This allows you to maximize storage space top to bottom.

Here are the exact pantry jars I used:

Another great thing about these glass jars is they’re dishwasher safe. So if you want to swap ingredients or clean them out, just toss them in the dishwasher. I used the glass lids and gaskets that came with the jars as I wanted that guaranteed airtight fit for my nuts, seeds and berries, though you can find cork lids as well.

Pantry organization ideas - I've got several tips for creating a healthy pantry and moving all your storage containers to glass jars.

Pantry organization ideas - I've got several tips for creating a healthy pantry and moving all your storage containers to glass jars.

Large countertop jars for my flours

Because I’m gluten-free, I use several different types of flours in my baking, such as almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour and cassava flour. Initially I wasn’t planning to leave these flours out on my countertop, but after I found the gorgeous Montana Jars with acacia wood lids, I knew they were too pretty to hide.

These jars are perfect for flours as they’re large and the opening on top is wide, making it easy to get measuring cups in and out. The wood lids also match my barstools and wood floors, so everything tied together beautifully.

Here are the exact countertop jars I used: 

If you can’t find these jars on Amazon, you can also purchase them at Crate & Barrel.

Pantry organization ideas - I've got several tips for creating a healthy pantry and moving all your storage containers to glass jars.

Pantry organization ideas - I've got several tips for creating a healthy pantry and moving all your storage containers to glass jars.

Customizing your pantry organization with glass jars and paint markers

One of the things I had the most fun with as I reorganized my pantry was writing labels on all the glass jars. I saw this post a year ago which inspired these glass jars and handwritten labels – and I knew I wanted to do the same. My handwriting isn’t going to win any penmanship awards, but the labels definitely make finding your ingredients easy. Especially as my pantry is quite dark inside.

Pantry organization ideas - I've got several tips for creating a healthy pantry and moving all your storage containers to glass jars.

Pantry organization ideas - I've got several tips for creating a healthy pantry and moving all your storage containers to glass jars.

Sharpie makes two types of paint markers (an oil-based and water-based), so make sure you purchase the water-based paint marker. These come in a variety of colors, but sticking with my minimalistic approach I went with white. I also used a medium tip, though you can purchase a fine tip as well.

If you write your label and make a mistake, you can quickly remove it with a paper towel and rewrite it. The paint marker dries after about a minute, then it won’t smudge off. But as it’s water-based, you can still remove it in the future with a little water and a scrub sponge.

Pantry organization: my wood basket and snack containers

In the video above you saw that I store my sweet potatoes, onions and garlic in a wood basket. It has handles on each end which make it easy to lift, but it’s also long and narrow so it’s great for a small pantry. I tend to just slide it in and out when I’m looking for ingredients. To ensure that the bottom doesn’t scratch my pantry shelves, I added small felt furniture sliders to the bottom.

Pantry organization ideas - I've got several tips for creating a healthy pantry and moving all your storage containers to glass jars.

I purchased my basket at Target, but if you can’t find it, these wood baskets are similar.

The plastic snack containers are similar to the wood basket in that they’re narrow and have a handle, again making them easy to pull in and out. I also love that they’re not too big, so my bars and fruit strips stay upright.

Pantry ingredients and food

Creating a healthy pantry means sticking to whole food ingredients as much as possible. Unfortunately, I can’t use those bulk bins at Whole Foods or other markets (due to potential gluten cross-contamination), but I do buy pantry staples and organic bags of items such as cashews, almonds and chia seeds, then transfer them to my glass jars.

Just remember that fresh pantry ingredients, such as nuts, seeds and berries are best eaten within a few months. So it’s a good habit to not buy too much.

I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t have snacks and munchies (remember: eating healthy isn’t about deprivation), but I do my best to purchase snacks with clean ingredients and from brands with an ethos aligned with mine.

Pantry organization ideas - I've got several tips for creating a healthy pantry and moving all your storage containers to glass jars.

Some of my favorite ingredients, brands and snacks I keep in my pantry include:

And here are items always in my kitchen:

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peak in my pantry. And hopefully it provided a little inspiration for your own pantry organization. If you’d like to see more lifestyle videos like this on my YouTube channel, let me know in the comments below!

About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

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129 Comments

  1. Which containers are best for freezer ?
    I love your Downshiftoligy Cookbook and you tube videos .
    Thank you,
    Carol

  2. This was so helpful! I’ve been reviewing my pantry containers, reading reviews and narrowing the choices. I had looked at the Montana containers, so love the validation! Thank you for showing how to do it. Love the pen!

  3. Why not put the vital proteins in glass too? it takes me so long to go through a big container, I’m thinking I’m allowing way too much leaching that way?

  4. Love all your videos, especially the meal preparation and organization videos. Love the glass containers. Wish they were less expensive so I could afford them on my fix income. Great work on your recipes and tips. Thank you for sharing your talents.

    1. Thanks for your kind words Miriam! I will be sure to find some cheaper alternatives to the glass containers :)

  5. Hi Lisa,
    Thank you for your tips and advice. I am transitioning to glass jars after watching your video and planning to buy the water based sharpie. However, I still have some of the plastic OXO containers and wondering if I can use this water based sharpie on them as well? Do you happen to know if they can be scrubbed off later like the glass jar?

  6. Hi Lisa,
    After using the 1.5L weck jars and Montana containers with wood lid for an extended time, would you still recommend these items. I’m looking for airtight glass containers and wondering if I should get those items.

    Thanks !
    Melissa 

    1. Yes! I still use them in my kitchen today for all my storage. Especially the Montana Jars for my flours.

  7. I tried your salmon recipe and it was out of this world delicious.  My husband loved it so much, we always use your recipe.  Thank you so much for sharing everything with us.  

  8. Your ideas are super great there informative, fun and a great way to get my family to join in ……thank you 

  9. Hi Lisa!
    After seeing the beautiful anchor hocking jars with the acacia lids on yours and other blogs, I decided to purchase them. They are so beautiful and I love their look on my shelf, but as soon as I put in my flours (cassava, almond, and arrowroot), the lids don’t seal as well. In fact, I push down the lids and they rise back up a little bit. Have I don’t something wrong? Have you had any problems with your seal? I’m wondering if I should try something else in them instead. Thank you!
    Beth

    1. Hi Beth – oh no, that doesn’t sound good. No, I haven’t had any issues with my lids popping up. It sounds like yours might be faulty. I’d recommend returning and trying another supplier. Best of luck!

  10. Since I am off of Facebook, was so missing your site. I just came across and I can not tell you thrilled I am. I have in the past tried so many of your recipes and advice. Both my daughter and myself have had good results in health………………Thank you so much

    1. Happy to hear you and your daughter have had a positive experience with my brand! Hope you both continue to enjoy my recipes to come :)

  11. I saw for the briefest moment a video showing spices lined up looking to be in a rack. I am desperately trying to find said video. I’ve been searching all over for what I saw in the video. Thanks.

  12. Great post.  I got the marking pens in white.  They are great for labels top of spice jars- I do not have drawer but put them in short boxes so they stand up.  Sort of divided in alphabetical order. A-F and G-Z works.  But since they are labeled now easier to find.

    Is there a kind of marker to write on glass that can be removed with something like nail polish remover?  I put rice and potato flakes in jars with directions written but just handling then the words disappear.. just writing so much better than taping paper on jars.  Hope you can recommend different marker to use.

    Thanks!  

  13. I thought that was really nice and neat. Now that’s something I would like to do myself , but the glass containers are very nice . What about pricing and the marker you used. I just loved what you did.

    1. Hi Maxine! You can find both the containers and marker in the shop page on my website or linked within the post :)

  14. Hi Lisa! I really love this post! I found the Anchor Hocking Acacia jars on Bed Bath & Beyond at excellent prices and they are SO beautiful. I can’t wait to store my baking ingredients in them. Next, I will be looking into the Weck jars. I’m ready to get my pantry looking neat and most importantly, easy to access. Thanks for all of your great tips and recommendations.

  15. Hi Lisa,
    I binge watch your YouTube videos. Needless to say, I love them. Your recipes are fantastic and easy and your style is inspiring. Thanks you!. I have a small channel and know how much work you are putting into this. I am purchasing some things with your links today but can not find the right pen label marker in white medium water base. Your link goes to a confusing page (Amazon probably did that to your link) so if you have a moment I would love the exact marker you purchased. Thanks a mil. Lori

  16. Hi! Thanks for this beautiful inspo! I’m trying to transition from mason jars to Weck and have been trying to make sense of jar sizing. Would you be able to estimate or do you know for sure how many oz or lbs of product each Weck jar holds? For example, you have rice in the big jar, how much rice does the jar hold? Or matcha powder in the smaller size, how much matcha does it hold? Thank you!