Food & Nutrition Diets Vegetarian, Vegan, and Plant Based Diets The Vegan Essentials to Keep In Your Pantry at All Times Once you fill your cupboards with these vegan staples, you'll never have to force down a bland plant-based meal again. By Laura Rege Published on April 26, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Olga Peshkova/Getty Of all the preconceived notions about vegetarian and vegan diets, the biggest is that the meals are flavorless AF. But if you don't have the right plant-based ingredients to add to your dishes, that stereotype might just ring true. To prove the omnivores wrong — and keep your taste buds excited — stock your pantry with these 10 vegan essentials, including ones that offer bold flavor, whole-grain goodness, and meat-free protein. With each of these items on-hand (whether these specific products or your own favorite version of each one), you'll just minutes away from great vegan meals. Pickled Vegetables Stone Hollow Farmstead Vegan Essential to Try: Stone Hollow Pickled Vegetables. Get a taste of briny tang in a variety of produce, such as baby carrots, cayenne peppers, and tomatillos. Chop them up, and toss them into vegetable dishes and salads, use them to top a Bloody Mary, or just enjoy them as a bright and crispy snack. Buy It: Stone Hollow Pickled Vegetables, $18, stonehollowfarmstead.com Vegetable Stock Dark Horse Vegan Essential to Try: Dark Horse Umami Bouillon. Made from foods like mushrooms, seaweed, leeks, and tomatoes, this organic instant bouillon gives deep, satisfying umami flavor to plant-based soups, stews, sauces, and marinades. Buy It: Dark Horse Umami Bouillon, $20, darkhorseorganic.com Pasta Amazon Vegan Essential to Try: Monograno Felicetti Farro Pasta. This artisanal pasta is made in the Italian Alps and uses single varieties of wheat. The whole-grain farro has a taste and texture slightly reminiscent of delicious crispy bread. It's high in protein too, adding more nutrients to your plant-based dishes. Buy It: Monograno Felicetti Farro Pasta, $9, amazon.com Healthy Oil Amazon Vegan Essential to Try: Stony Brook Roasted Pumpkin Seed Oil. When a dish requires a little extra oomph, add a drizzle of this oil as a finisher. Its transformative flavor has hints of toasted sesame, roasted mushrooms, and pumpkin, and perfectly complements salads, grilled vegetables, and fish. You'll never want to use olive oil again. Buy It: Stony Brook Roasted Pumpkin Seed Oil, $12, amazon.com Beans Rancho Gordo Vegan Essential to Try: Rancho Gordo Beans. Whether you choose black, pinto, or cranberry, the heirloom variety of beans from Rancho Gordo will give you a new appreciation of this protein-rich plant food. Use in salads, pastas, dips — or almost anything. Buy It: Rancho Gordo Beans, from $6, ranchogordo.com Mustard Amazon Vegan Essential to Try: Maille Old Style Mustard. A generous dollop gives a punchy and slightly spicy flavor to plant-based sandwiches, marinades, sauces, and dressings. Bonus: The seeds add welcome pops of chewy texture. Buy It: Maille Old Style Mustard, $10, amazon.com Sauerkraut or Other Fermented Flavor Amazon Vegan Essential to Try: Sauer Frau Squeezable Kraut.A plant-based diet needs fermented foods for a dose of gut-friendly probiotics. Enter this innovative product that transforms sauerkraut into a condiment to spread on sandwiches, top grain bowls, and stir into roasted vegetables. It's even available in three addictive flavors, including classic and Bavarian. Buy It: Sauer Frau Squeezable Kraut, $13, amazon.com Salsa Xilli Vegan Essential to Try: Xilli Salsa Macha. A potent blend that introduces new flavor profiles to everyone's favorite condiment: slow-fried chipotles and toasted peanuts in a smoky chili oil. It gives spiciness and depth to noodle dishes, eggs, vegetables, tacos — and just about anything else. ( These Plant-Based Dips Are Just As Binge-Worthy As Queso Buy It: Xilli Salsa Macha, $18, xillinyc.com Rice Amazon Vegan Essential to Try: Sandhill Organic Wild Rice. This gluten-free grain has a rich, nutty flavor, and it's high in fiber, protein, magnesium, zinc, and B and E vitamins. Cook it as a tasty side, use it to make rice burgers, or swap it for steel-cut oats at breakfast. Buy It: Sandhill Organic Wild Rice, $13, amazon.com Marinara Sauce Walmart Vegan Essential to Try: Rao's Homemade Marinara. Savory and robust, this sauce tastes like you made it, with chunks of Italian plum tomatoes mixed with basil, oregano, and garlic. Toss it with your favorite noodles, use it as a pizza topping, or make it the base for a tomatoey braise to serve over vegetables. Buy It: Rao's Homemade Marinara, $6, walmart.com Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit