Beautiful Walk-in Pantry Organization Ideas (2024)

Walk-in Pantry Organization Ideas: Tips for making a beautiful and organized pantry for easy access to your dry goods and pantry items.

See links below to all of the items I used to organize this pantry!

Keeping the pantry organized in our busy home is a great way to stay on top of meal planning and be able to keep track of the food items that we have on hand, especially when it’s time for a trip to the grocery store!

When planning out the system for this pantry makeover in our home, I wanted to keep things affordable, yet stylish at the same time. It’s also a very real space in our home, with little kids, so using products like lazy susans, clear containers, and baskets makes these easily accessible, especially with deep shelves, was super important.

You will also love these other organization ideas!

What can I use to organize my pantry?

When it comes to pantry storage, there are specific tips that I have that work for the pantries I’ve organized over the years:

(See the full “how-to” card below to print and use as a guide for your own pantry organization!)

• Lazy Susans: These can be really helpful for reaching items in the back of the shelf, especially with deep shelving.
• Clear Containers: Using these or clear bins for certain products is a great idea, so you can see in without having to open or pull out the container.
• Glass Jars: They provide such a classy look and also allow you to see in!
• Labels: I used pre-printed labels for most of the products and I absolutely love this set! You can also use a label maker or chalkboard labels!
• Spice Racks: Placing spices, canned goods, and other small jars/bottle-type items are KEY for deep shelves. This way items aren’t hidden and you can utilize height!
• Baskets and Crates: You can use various sizes and types but they work fantastic for keeping similar items all in one place!
• Can Risers: Sometimes you can use the same riser for canned goods and spices! Just be sure to check your measurements, and make sure the spice rack is big enough to hold a large canned good.

Walk-in Pantry Shelving

Since we have a white pantry, the walk-in pantry shelving is made of wooden shelves that are painted white wood, on white walls. We’ve had wire shelves in the past but wire shelving allows items to fall through and smaller items may have a hard time balancing on the wires.

So if you’re building or doing a pantry makeover, I highly recommend using wooden shelves if possible. (Although if you have wire shelves, the baskets and crates come in even handier.) You can also use a shelf liner though if you have struggled with items falling through the wire shelving.

Deep Pantry Organization

How do you organize a walk in pantry with deep shelves?

The items I used for this walk-in pantry work lovely for deep shelves. The baskets and crates can pull out, so you can not only reach items in the back easily but so you can carry them to your kitchen if you’re baking and cooking something and want to use a few things at the same time!

I also make sure to only put larger containers towards the back, make sure they’re full of items that I don’t have to use often, and that they’re not super heavy. (I don’t want to have to pull out a really heavy item from far back.)

Dry Foods and Goods

Mostly everything, when it comes to food in a pantry, is considered “dry foods” but depending on the dry good, and how it’s packaged, varies on how to store and organize it.

Expert Tip:

If you purchase dry goods that come in small, individual packages, such as:

• hot chocolate
• oatmeal
• granola bars

Those look best, unboxed and stored in their own basket or crate. (As long as the individual item is labeled. If not labeled, (such as cake mixes) I leave those in the box, if you can’t see what the item is. If it’s something such as “saltines” you can leave those in the box, or store the sleeves. Whatever you prefer!)

What you see in the photo above:

• Bread Box (bottom right) – this has tortillas in it currently because I simply needed to make a trip to the grocery store!
• White Baskets – These are PERFECT for small packaged items such as oatmeal, cake mixes, etc. You can see through the baskets to see what’s inside of them but they hold items really well!

What you see in the photo above:

• Small clear containers with white lids: These are smaller but hold items such as chocolate chips, dried fruit, candy, and nuts, PERFECTLY!
• Labels: This is an amazing set of sticker labels for just about anything you’d store in your pantry!

What you see in the photo above:

• Jars with Wooden Lids: I found mine at Ikea and Amazon. The spaghetti and small jars with animal and mini Ritz crackers can be found on Amazon. The larger glass jars (pancake mix and bread flour canisters) were found at Ikea but similar can be found here!
• Flour and Sugar Canisters: I found the flour canister and the sugar canister at Target!
• Smaller glass bowls with wooden lids: the smaller bowls (that are holding the cocoa powder, chia seeds, corn starch, and flax seeds) were from Ikea but similar can be found here! (They’re 22 oz. and the glass canisters I used are 20 oz.)
• Basket for plastic wear: I LOVE putting our disposable forks, spoons, and knives in this basket! It makes them so accessible and looks better than the boxes/bags that they come in!
  

Snacks and Paper Goods

In the photo above:

• Large Wooden Crates (On the bottom): I used the large crates to store paper goods such as paper towels, paper plates/bowls, and solo and coffee cups.
• Open Crate (Bottom Left): I used the same crate here as I did for the “bread box” above, to store cookies in!
• Small Wooden Crates (Top left): These are the perfect size to hold snack bars, fruit snacks, and more! Something to keep in mind when organizing snacks in a pantry is that keeping HEALTHY snacks on a low shelf, with easy access, can come in handy so the kids aren’t always asking for a snack.
• Small wire basket (top right): This basket holds hot chocolate mixes wonderfully! I made sure to keep this in a “drink” section of the pantry.
• Clear, tall container with white lid: This is a taller version of the clear containers I used above for baking chips and dried fruit. I stored tea bags in this container.
• Small glass rectangular container with wood lid: Sometimes we have drink mix packets (Liquid Iv’s powdered mix, etc.) that we store in here. I found this at Ikea but you can find a similar set of them, here!

Spices, Canned Goods, and Cereal

• Large Wooden Crates (on the top shelf): I use these to store items that we don’t need very often and that need to stay in their boxes/bags. (Such as candy, popcorn kernels, popcorn fixings, saltines, etc.) I chose solid crates for these items so you can’t see in.
  There really isn’t a need to see inside them, since we don’t use the items very often, and they usually look messy inside
• Wooden Can and Spice Jar Risers: I absolutely LOVE these. They do make wire risers (a lot like pantry wire shelving) but I loved the wood look, so they’d match the crates and baskets.
• Spice Jars and Labels: Use code: FANTAB10 to get 10% off your own! The second I saw these, I knew I had to have them. Not only are they beautiful but I loved buying them from the place that I did because they create custom labels for you! (Sometimes when you buy a set, you only get so many labels and they may not have a specific spice that you need!) If you need help deciding which spices to put in your pantry, you’ll love where I share the top 20 spices to have in your kitchen!
• Baking Soda Container: I love OXO products but wasn’t too fond of the prices so I limited what items I used. I like to keep my baking soda and brown sugar (see next) fresh as can be so I was willing to spend a bit more for these.
• Brown Sugar Container: Like the baking soda above, brown sugar is something I wanted to keep fresh with an air-tight seal. I also use this brown sugar keeper to keep things fresh!
• Cereal Containers: These are AMAZING! They not only look so much nicer than cereal boxes but the seals on these are tight and keep our cereal fresh. (I bought extras because sometimes we have more cereal than some and I also use them to store marshmallows!)
• Chip Crate (Bottom right corner): Same as the bread box used above, this is a crate that’s shaped in a way that it can hold items that won’t roll out but that’s open in the front so it’s easy to reach in and grab what you need! (We put this on a low shelf because our kiddos like chips!)
• Large Baskets (not pictured in this photo but they are visible in the first image in this article): I needed something to store overflow products in. Meaning, if I have a little flour leftover, or an extra jar of peanut butter, I store them in the “overflow” bins.
  TIP: These really help keep clutter down on the shelves, and I always know to check the basket when I run out of the item on the shelves. When I pull the extra out of the basket, I know to add it to my grocery list.

What you see in the photo above:

• Lazy Susan: I have two of these, one in each corner on the same shelf. On one lazy susan I stored condiments such as BBQ sauce, dressing, etc. On the other (in the photo above) I stored sweet condiments such as peanut butter and syrup.
• Wood Riser: Just like I used for canned goods and spices, this riser comes in handy for items such sprinkles, honey, canned frosting.
• Small Crate: Same as above, for the snacks, we use the small crate to hold our keto supplies.
• Woven Rectangular Basket: I used this same basket above for the plastic utensils. In this space, I used it to hold sauce and seasoning packets.

Oil and Produce

On the floor, underneath my small appliances, I like to keep oils and produce on the bottom so it’s cool and dark.

• White Mesh Basket: This is what I use to store my vegetable oil, large jugs of olive oil, etc.
• White Metal Basket: When I have potatoes, I usually store them in the basket you see but all I had was one lonely onion when I took this photo. This basket works great for produce that needs to stay in a dark, cool area.

Dishes and Cookware

White Dishware: I didn’t use anything to store the dishes in, simply because they’re too big and they look pretty when they’re stacked an organized way!

Small Appliances (above): All along the bottom shelf (hidden behind the door, when opened) I store all of my small appliances. They’re handier this way than storing in a deep cabinet and when the door is open, you can’t see them anyway so it works out!

What you see in the photo above:

• White Linen Basket: I use this basket on the left to hold my cookie cutters simply because I loved the look of it. But you could also use a woven basket.
• White Wire Basket: I use this basket on the right, to store fabric napkins and they fit perfectly!

Apron Organization

I LOVE a good apron. So I like to keep them handy for when I’m cooking, so hanging them on the back of the door with a Command Hook, works for me! You could also use the back of the pantry door if you’re low on pantry space, for more storage if you have a small pantry, and use a door rack. (Or even a shoe organizer to hold spices, if you have very little cabinet space!)

How to Organize a Pantry

Here are my tips for getting started, for walk-in pantry organization ideas, or any type of pantry, really!

1. Start by making a list of “categories” that your pantry will have. For instance, will you have a “baking” section? Or what about a “cereal” or “chips” section? Making a brain dump of all the items you’d like to store in your pantry is a great place to start!
2. Next, measure your shelves. Go ahead and take a photo of the pantry too, so if you’re out and about shopping and you see some amazing containers, you’ll be able to refer back to the photo to see if it would work in that space. Carry a mini tape measure in your purse so you can measure something at the store if need be. This little gadget also comes in SO handy when shopping for home furnishings.

   Extra tip: Love organizing as much as me? Jot down the measurements in your Trello account so you can easily access them while you’re out. Or, upload a photo of your pantry to an app on your photo and with text, add the measurements of the shelves and spaces, right on the photo, in the space.

3. Draw it out! If you’re a sketcher (don’t worry, you don’t have to make it look pretty) draw some lines on the paper, resembling your pantry, and write in where you think each category should go.

4. Start buying products! I’ve linked to all of the items I’ve used (under each photo above) but I’ve also linked to them all in one spot to make things easy for you:

   Shop the items I bought from Amazon!
   Shop the items I bought from Target!

   I also know that sometimes things are unavailable or not going to work for your pantry. So don’t feel like you can’t get one thing at a time, here and there. It’s a work-in-progress, and even though I’ve shared my “final” pantry reveal with you, I’m sure I’ll continue to add and change things as time goes on.

Common Questions & FAQs

If you need to declutter and organize your life, make sure to also check out my free, 5-day decluttering challenge!