17 of the Best Pantry Storage Ideas for Creating a Tidy Space

The pantry is one of the most frequently visited spots in any home. It houses important ingredients for your favorite dishes and is where you store everything from extra snacks to drinks. But because this is such a popular area, keeping your pantry staples in order can be time consuming and difficult. One easy way to keep your pantry organized? By adding as much dedicated storage as possible. Sure, shelves are great, but go the extra mile by adding baskets and canisters to stash specific items in, then give everything in your pantry it's own dedicated space. Before you do that, you'll want to clear out the shelves and discarding the stale items. Now it's time to put back everything that's left. As you start, consider our functional yet stylish ideas to maintain your pantry so that everything is fresh, clearly labeled, and within easy reach for your next meal.

Any cook worth their salt knows that a great home-cooked meal begins in the pantry. If you can keep it well stocked with spices and everyday staples, then do what you can to ensure those essentials are well-organized, it will serve you well. We're sharing pantry storage ideas that will not only help keep your food fresh for longer, but that will also help you make the most of your space.

For those low on surface area, go vertical. Place your less frequently used ingredients—like unique salts, flours, and oils—on a shelf above the entrance to your pantry. Or, if your pantry is more of a closet, use an over-the-door rack that makes keeping track of your essentials a little easier. One of our favorite ideas to get rid of unsightly boxes is to move items into clear jars. Add a label to the exterior and you'll never spend hours looking for a misplaced item again. Bonus: You'll always know how much you have left.

Ahead, explore some of our best pantry storage ideas that will make your life easier, and your area neater. 

Rather than putting stickers on each container, designate zones (for oils, condiments, snacks) with bookplates. "They keep everything organized and add vintage charm," Lorna Aragon, Living's home editor, says, while helping everyone from babysitters to guests navigate. Using inexpensive crates, which allow for air flow, to store potatoes and onions extends their shelf-life, while putting your prettiest bowls to good use (we like Ohio Stoneware's Utility Crocks (from $23, stonewareoutlet.com) and Shoulder Bowls (from $22, stonewareoutlet.com)) makes for a pretty display. She also advises decanting nonperishable staples—"This cuts down on visual clutter," Lorna explains—like rice and beans into canisters and taping their boiling instructions to the bottoms of the jars to avoid "How long do I boil this for?" moments.

Wicker bins, or bins of any natural material, help keep your pantry organized by storing anything from canned goods to children's snacks. Clear labels describing exactly what's inside each bin makes hunting for your midday snack or that last dinner ingredient a breeze.

Assign shelves a type of food or use, like baking essentials, dry ingredients, and snacks, and place boxed goods into glass canisters for affective pantry storage.

Ensure your baking ingredients are properly stored and organized in your pantry with these containers, which an air-tight seal. As an added bonus, they stack like a dream.

Shop Now: Martha Stewart Collection Six-Piece Bakery Set, $100, macys.com.

Use your pantry's varying shelf heights to your advantage by storing taller items, like bottles, on the bottom.

For a home with limited and open pantry space, opt for a uniform look by placing items like cereal and baking essentials in clear storage containers.

While color-coding might not be feasible for your everyday pantry, arranging your favorite beverages on full display in a butler's pantry is an aesthetically pleasing option.

Designating a storage bin in your pantry (preferably on a low shelf) for your kids with a clearly written label is a great way to stash their favorite snacks where they can get them.

Use unused areas in your pantry for storage, like the back of a door. Place your most-used spices in magnetic or adhesive tins for easy access.

Hang an over-the-door rack on your pantry entrance to house anything from spices to oils.

Shop Now: Elfa Utility White Mesh Over the Door Rack, $187, thecontainerstore.com.

If you're lucky enough to have a ledge or shelf above your pantry door, it's a great storage opportunity for your less frequently used items, like specific flours and oils.

Drawers that you can pull out instantly make the back of the pantry shelf accessible.

Store alcohol on a shelf or in a drawer that has enough height to allow the bottles to stand up. Here, vertical shelves separate the types of alcohol, making it easy to find exactly what's needed.

What to do with those extra grocery bags? Reuse them with this handy holder—it even makes for a pretty addition to the décor.

Store ingredients in airtight containers, away from heat and light sources. These etched-glass storage jars are both functional and decorative.

Insects are unwanted little guests that can nonetheless creep their way into the crevices of your pantry. Protect them with an age-old trick: Drop a dried chile pepper or bay leaf into each jar. These colorful plants are nontoxic and have natural insect-repelling properties.

Stored the right way, spices will last up to one year. So keep them in airtight, light-proof containers, away from heat. But which was which? Use our clip-art labels for organizing and identifying each one.