This Essential Grocery List is a life saver on the busy weeks. The first step in cooking is gathering all of your ingredients, but you don’t want to run out to the grocery store every single time you prepare a new recipe. Having a well-stocked pantry will make life in the kitchen so much simpler, because you’ll have most of what you need every time you cook.
Essential Grocery List
It’s so helpful to have a basic grocery list to help you remember which foods to buy at the store. This food shopping list is my go-to!
It’s better to stock up on things like grains, seasonings and spices, baking essentials, oils, condiments, canned and frozen foods, etc. so you can just grab them when you need them. These things have a long shelf life, so keep them in your kitchen for convenience.
However, you do have to go the supermarket sometimes, and there’s a way to make that trip easy and hassle-free: Keep a grocery list! If you go in blindly, you’ll leave with things you don’t need, and nothing that actually helps you prepare a good meal.
What do you put on that list though?
I’ve got you covered! I created an easy grocery list filled with all of the essentials. Plus there’s a free printable version that you can take with you to the grocery store. It has everything you need to stock your pantry, your freezer, and your refrigerator.
What to Buy at the Grocery Store
This is the perfect grocery list filled with all the basics and essentials. It should help get you going if you’re new to cooking, or if you’re just left staring helplessly at an empty pantry and don’t know how to fill it.
Cooking can seem overwhelming if you have to buy loads of groceries just to make one recipe, but if you already have the basics in your kitchen, then you can shop stress-free.
So print out our easy grocery list, stock up your pantry and fridge, and you’ll be cooking in no time!
Click to get your Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
Fresh Produce
- Apples
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Avocados
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Lemons/Limes
- Onion
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Basil
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
GRAINS
- Breadcrumbs
- Pasta
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Sandwich Bread
- Tortillas
MEAT/PROTEIN
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Ground Beef
- Sliced Turkey
- Lunch Meat
DAIRY
- Butter
- Sliced Cheese
- Shredded Cheese
- Milk
- Sour Cream
- Greek Yogurt
BAKING GOODS
- Baking powder
- Baking Soda
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Flour
- Honey
- Vanilla Extract
- Dry Yeast
- Chocolate Chips
- Cocoa Powder
- Powdered Sugar
FREEZER
- Fruit and Berries
- Frozen Veggies (Corn, Peas, Broccoli, etc)
- Juice Concentrate
- Pizza or Other Convenience Meals
- Pie Crust
- Cookie Dough
CANNED/DRIED GOODS
- Chicken stock/broth
- Salsa
- Diced Tomatoes
- Jam/Jelly
- Peanut Butter
- Pasta Sauce
- Beans (Black Beans, Chickpeas, Baked Beans, etc)
- Soups
- Tuna
- Green Chiles
- Canned Veggies
- Coffee or Tea
Get more details on the best non-perishable and pantry foods
CONDIMENTS/SPICES
- Black Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Cinnamon
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Cumin
- Garlic Powder
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Mayo
- Nutmeg
- Paprika
- Salt (Course Sea Salt and Kosher Salt)
- Soy Sauce
- Steak Sauce
- Hot Sauce/Buffalo Sauce
- Salad Dressings
OILS/VINEGARS
- Apple cider vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Vegetable/Canola Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- White Vinegar
- Cooking Wine
- White Wine Vinegar
SNACKS
- Crackers
- Nuts
- Quick Oats
- Popcorn
- Tortilla Chips
- Cereal
Click to get your Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
I hope this essential grocery list can help you buy what you need and make your home cooking so much easier!
Stock Your Kitchen
Find more ideas for your grocery list, stock up your kitchen, and print more cooking guides and charts to keep handy!
Hi Cookie Rookie! Looking at this list for the first time and I love it. Will print it and will suggest to my friends to look at it.
I’m so happy to hear you found it helpful, Onelia!
Thanks so much. My mom is out of town and it’s just my dad and I and my dad doesn’t know how to cook. I was really struggling with what we need so this helped a lot considering we are on keto.
I’m so glad you found this helpful, Katlyn! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Dairy is categorised as grains on the printable
Thanks so much for pointing that out. New version just added :)
Love the list! FYI, the printable has Grains listed twice. Should be Dairy. :-)
Thanks for pointing that out! I will get it updated asap!
These are great lists! I use the Cooklist app to track what I have to make putting together my grocery list much easier
Looks great, just wish I had the money to buy it 😔
Day by day I’m gaining a new experience through Becky’s recipes!!!
I love hearing this!!
Love all the Printables… Very handy… Love the recipes as well.. Great Job… Thank You????????
Thank you, they are lifesavers!
Looks like a fun site. To the grocery list, I would add ‘ WW Flour’.
Good idea!
Great grocery store list. Thanks !
You’re welcome! So glad you like it.