Organizing a small pantry can be tough, but there are easy ways to make it work better. Start by cleaning out your pantry. Throw away old or expired items and make sure all the packages are sealed to keep food fresh and avoid spills.
After cleaning and checking everything, it’s time to organize.
You can use smart tools and simple DIY projects to make the most of the space you have. These ideas not only save space but also make your pantry look nice. Look at these ideas for small pantries to find tips and inspiration for your own house.
Install pocket doors
When you have a small space, think about using pocket doors for a pantry closet. These doors slide into the wall, so they don’t need extra space to swing open. You can also have fun choosing a bright paint color and adding panel designs.
Try the “Lazy Susan”
A lazy Susan is a great tool for your cupboards and pantry. You can use it to store spices, oils, canned soups, and more. Everything stays organized and easy to reach.
Use floor-to-ceiling pantry shelves
To make the most of a small area, put in shelves that go from the floor up to the ceiling. Add some nice trim at the top and bottom, and paint them a bold color like dark green. This will make them pop against a white subway tile wall.
Keep it simple
Remember the simple solutions, too. A cookie jar isn’t just traditional, it’s practical. Use a few in your pantry to keep snacks like cookies and protein bites fresh.
Install pantry drawers
Use deep cabinets to store big items like pasta boxes and large bags of chips. But for smaller things like cans and jars, consider adding pull-out drawers. This way, you can easily see what you have and avoid wasting food.
Print cute basket labels
Labels are great for organizing small spaces. They make your pantry look nicer and help you find things quickly. If you often change what you store, use erasable labels or chalk so you can update them anytime.
Use glass food storage jars
Instead of keeping food in bulky boxes, put it in glass jars.
Jars save space, look neat, and let you see what’s inside. This makes it easier to know when you need to buy more.
Stack items
Use clear bins to see how much you have left of something. Stack things in these bins to use all the vertical space in your pantry.
Maximize access with a ladder
If you have high shelves in your pantry, install a rolling ladder to reach them easily. A ladder also adds a fun, vintage look to your space.
Do not use big boxes
Get rid of extra mess by taking snacks out of their boxes. Put things like popcorn bags, granola bars, and other snacks into clear containers. This makes them easy to see and grab when you want them.
Make the most of your space
If you don’t have much room in your pantry, you need to be clever. Use the backs of cabinet doors for extra storage by adding narrow shelves.
Make sure the shelves are shallow enough so the doors can still shut. Use small rods to hold tiny things like spices in place. Put bigger snack boxes and bags right on the shelf. To save more space, stack cans and containers on top of each other.
Use glass jars for storage
Glass jars are great for keeping grains and pasta. Put labels on them so you can quickly find what you need. You can find fun labels to print from the internet.
Organize your cookbooks
If you have many cookbooks, give them their own shelf in the pantry. You can stand them up or stack them by the author, the occasion, or the type of food.
Use cloth bins
Cloth bins are useful not only in your bedroom but also in your pantry. They help keep things tidy. You can put any boxes or bags in them, and stick a label on the front so everyone knows what’s inside.
Use different types of storage
When setting up a small pantry, it’s smart to use different kinds of storage for different foods. It’s all about organization!
In a pretty green pantry, you might find L-shaped shelves on the wall filled with baking items, a lower cabinet without doors for canned food, cereal, and a snack basket, and a small counter for things you use every day like bread and a fruit bowl.
This counter is also great for preparing food.
Put away extra appliances
If there’s space in your pantry, store appliances you love but don’t use often. This helps keep your kitchen counter clean and open for daily use.
Appliances can take up a lot of space quickly.
Turn a closet into extra pantry space
Think creatively about where you can keep extra food supplies.
You can use a closet outside the kitchen if needed. This could be in a mudroom, laundry area, hallway, or even a cool basement.
This is a good spot for buying and storing large amounts of things like cans and bottles that you use often in your kitchen.
Make a kid-friendly spot
If you have young kids, think about where to put snacks they can reach easily, like juice boxes and fruit snacks, in drawers or bins.
This lets them get their own snacks and learn to be a bit independent.
If your kids eat snacks all the time, you might want to put these snacks higher up where they can’t reach them easily!
Add slide-out pantry drawers
Put slide-out drawers in your kitchen cabinets to organize things better and make them easy to reach. These drawers pull out so you can see and grab what’s in the back without moving everything around.
Plus, they stay hidden behind the cabinet doors when you close them.
Hide the toaster
If you don’t use your toaster every day, clean it and then put it on an open shelf in the pantry. It’s still easy to see, but it won’t take up space on your kitchen counter. Ah, that’s much better.
Fit in a slim pantry
If you don’t have much space, a narrow pull-out cabinet can make a big difference. You can buy a rolling unit that fits between small gaps in the room, or you can have one built into your cabinets so it blends in.
On its thin shelves, arrange cans of soup, pasta boxes, and snack bags by type. When you’re getting ready to go shopping, just pull it out to quickly check what you have. Everything is easy to see but hidden when you don’t need it.
Use a tiered stand
Place jars of soup and tomato sauce on a tiered stand. This saves space and lets you see all your items easily. Plus, grabbing what you need from your pantry will feel like shopping at a cute little market.
Choose a stackable system
Whether you have a small closet or some empty wall space, using a track system that you can change to fit your needs is great for organizing pantry items. You can have someone install it for you, or you can do it yourself if you’re good with tools.
Add open shelves and pull-out drawers that you can move around as needed. For small pantries, put your food in safe containers and use a lazy Susan for sauces and step shelves to stack cans neatly.
Store spices in style
Use the back of your pantry door to save space. Hang a spice rack there and fill it with all your cooking spices. This is a smart way to use space and keep things tidy.
Contain everything
Even in a small pantry, putting non-perishable foods like pasta, cereal, rice, lentils, crackers, and chips into airtight containers helps save a lot of space.
Get rid of bulky boxes and bags. Use matching bins for snacks that you can grab and go. Store pantry-friendly vegetables like potatoes and onions in baskets. This way, everything is easy to see and get to, and it saves space.
Use the floor
In a small pantry, every bit of space is important. Put lined bins on the floor to make sure you use every inch of space for storing food supplies.
Adjust pantry shelves
Make the most of your pantry space by adjusting the shelves to fit both small and large items. If you can’t move the shelves, use a tiered rack to double your storage space, or put things from half-empty boxes into containers with flat lids that you can stack up to save space.
Place healthy foods in plain sight
In this small pantry, use a tiered tray to hold grains and spices. Put fruits in separate bins so you can quickly grab a healthy snack when you’re hungry.
Add floating shelves
If your pull-out pantry is too small, hang some floating shelves nearby for things you use a lot, like tea bags or kids’ snacks. Since these will be out in the open, try putting them into matching jars or bins to keep things looking neat.
Use airtight containers for everything in the pantry to keep food fresh and save space, especially if you can stack them.
Stack boxes
If you like to keep food in its original box, stack the boxes. This makes it easy to see what you have and quickly get what you need.
Add extra furniture
This is a great idea if you’re renting or planning a future kitchen upgrade. A stylish stand-alone cabinet can work as a hidden pantry.
Choose one with doors that match your style and space. You could even fix up an old piece of furniture to make it special and good for the environment. Inside the cabinet, organize your items by type to keep your small pantry tidy.
Hang your cups
Use the back of your pantry door to hang measuring cups and other cooking tools. This saves space in your drawers and keeps everything where you can easily see it.
Organize shelves with turntables
A turntable, also known as a Lazy Susan, is a great way to make the most of your shelf space. It helps keep your pantry items organized and makes it easy to reach everything. Instead of digging through messy shelves to find something in the back, just spin the turntable to bring it to the front.
Decant your food
When you’re not sure, decant it! Move foods like cereal and marshmallows from their original boxes to clear jars. This keeps them fresh and lets you see what’s inside.
Paint a chalkboard wall
For a fun touch, paint a wall or the side of a cabinet in your pantry with chalkboard paint. You can use it to write a shopping list that everyone can add to.
It’s a creative way to make your small pantry special.
Try the “tea trick”
Be inventive with how you store your tea. If you love tea, keep your different teas where you can see them. This makes choosing your tea easy and fun.
Sort shelves by category
Keep your pantry tidy by organizing shelves by what they hold. For example, put your mixer and all your baking stuff together on one shelf. Have another shelf just for canned food, and another for your cookbooks.
Use big baskets
Don’t be shy about using large baskets in your small pantry. They’re good for holding different items and look nicer than big plastic bins.
Install floating shelves
Use the wall space in your pantry or kitchen by putting up small floating shelves one above another. Fill these shelves with canned goods, spices, or sauces, and put a label on each shelf so you know what goes where.
Use shelves smartly
Put the things you use a lot on the shelves that are easiest to reach. Keep heavy items like your mixer low to the ground so they’re safer and easier to get.
Put things you only use sometimes or seasonally on the higher shelves so they don’t take up the space you use the most.
Organize by purpose
Group things by how you use them to make your tasks easier. For example, put everything you need for your child’s lunchbox on one shelf. This makes your morning less rushed.
Add decorative beadboard
Make your small pantry look nicer by adding beadboard behind the shelves. You can paint the beadboard the same color as your shelves or kitchen cabinets, or choose a fun color to make the pantry more interesting.
Beadboard is not only pretty but also strong and easy to clean.
Switch to stacking glass containers
Use glass containers with flat tops for things you use often. This saves space because you can stack them. Label each container with what’s inside, when it goes bad, and how to use it. You can write this on a label or a piece of tape.
Hide things in cabinets
Use kitchen cabinets to hide pantry items and keep your kitchen tidy. Cabinets and pull-out drawers are great for storing things together. Check them often to use items before they expire and avoid wasting food.
Use high cabinets for extra items
Put things you don’t use every day in upper cabinets. This is a good place for extra supplies and things you only need sometimes. Keep a step stool nearby so you can reach them when needed.
Hang a shelf on the pantry door
In a small pantry, every bit of space matters. Hang a floating shelf on the inside of the pantry door to hold lighter, unbreakable items like trash bags and paper towels since the door opens and closes a lot.
Install a pull-out pantry
Keep items you use often in a pull-out cabinet in your kitchen. These long, narrow cabinets have shelves that slide out, making it easy to find what you need. They’re perfect for storing baking tools and supplies you use regularly.
Turn an old cabinet into a pantry
If you don’t have a pantry, use an old cabinet as a mini pantry in your kitchen. Choose one with doors or glass fronts to keep things looking tidy. Organize items by type, and use storage bins or baskets to keep similar items together.