25 Pantry Organization Ideas for a Happy, Tidy Food Storage Space

There’s one thing that almost everyone can agree on: Having a pantry is great, but organizing it is tough. It’s one of those places in your house that is hidden away, so people tend to push it aside when it comes it keeping up with how it looks. However, doing so only makes it more cluttered over time, which makes you want to organize it less and less because you know what a big undertaking it will be.

Thankfully, we’re here to help! Below you’ll find 25 pantry organization ideas that will help you transform that room into a neat and tidy space that is easy to maintain. There are endless ways you can upgrade your pantry so you won’t hate how it looks—from adding matching containers to bins to turntables and racks. Not only will our ideas make it look good, but they will also make finding items way easier.

So if you feel like your pantry could use a makeover, don’t put it off any longer. Now’s your chance to give it a new look. Once you do, you’ll instantly notice that you no longer feel overwhelmed looking inside because your shelves won’t be messy and crammed.

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25 Pantry Organization Ideas

1. Stick to a color palette

Before you go and start buying all kinds of containers, jars and bins, figure out what color you want your pantry organizing accessories to be in. Once you figure that out, you’ll know that whatever you purchase to use will all look uniform.

2. Add a step shelf can for canned items

Don’t stack your canned foods on top of each other in your pantry. Doing so looks messy and isn’t sturdy. That’s where a step shelf comes in handy. You just place it on one of your pantry shelves and you can place your caned on each step so you can see them all.

Related: 30 Clever Kitchen Organization Ideas That'll Double Your Storage Space

3. Install sliding drawers

If you have the chance to design your own pantry, include some sliding drawers. They can be great for hiding away snacks, storing short containers and much more.

4. Use wooden bins

Plastic bins aren’t the only kinds of containers you can use for pantry storage; bamboo ones work great too! They look sleek, can be stacked or placed side by side and instantly make your space look organized.

5. Take drinks out of their boxes

Do you keep your soda, energy drinks and ciders in their boxes when you put them away? If so, take an extra few minutes when you’re unloading them to take each drink can out of its package so it can be displayed on a shelf or two. Tip: Group them by colors for an even more organized appearance.

6. Attach a metal rack to the back of your door

Even if your pantry is small, you can add to its space by incorporating a metal rack on the back of your pantry door. If you find one that is the length of your door, it will add several additional shelves that you originally didn’t have, where you can then store food, drinks, spices, oils, jars and whatever else you have.

7. Keep the same size contains together

Adding containers to your pantry is a great first step to kicking off being organized. However, how you arrange them once you have them is also important for making your space look tidy. Remember to group your containers by size. It will give them a clean look no matter what foods you store inside each one.

8. Include a turntable on a shelf

Are you a lover of condiments and sauces? Then a lazy Susan turntable is calling your name. If you find one that has dividers in it, like this, one, it’ll make it even easier to organize and group your products.

9. Hang small packages on your pantry door

From taco mixes and oatmeal packets to Jell-O boxes and protein bars, pantries often hold lots of small items. Instead of tossing them all into a bin that you’ll have to dig through in order to find what you’re looking for, find an over-the-door pocket rack. Each pocket is the perfect size to slip those items into so they are on full display.

10. Install a wire rack

You don’t have to break out your tools to add extra storage to your pantry. What you need is a wire rack with shelves. You can slide it up against your back wall and place both big and small items on it, as well as bins and containers.

11. Store produce in cute fabric bags

When it comes to items like potatoes, onions and garlic, you don’t just want to leave them out on your shelves – that creates clutter. Having a few fabric bags in different sizes will conceal them and look cute. You can even DIY the bags by writing the names of the foods on the front that you plan on storing inside them.

12. Label your jars and containers

Once you pour your seasonings, baking ingredients and pastas into jars and containers, you want to make sure know exactly what everything is. Creating custom labels for each one is an easy way to ID each one and it’s pretty cheap to do.

13. Install wallpaper

Dress up your pantry with some wallpaper! It’ll brighten up the area and make it look brand new. Plus, it’ll help the space look clean, organized and fresh. Who doesn’t want that?

14. Include a 2-tier fruit basket

Have you ever seen a 2-tier fruit basket? They are pretty amazing! Adding one to your pantry shelf will give you a dedicated area to place apples, oranges and any other fruits you get. If you want to make them appear extra organized, get a couple and put fruits of the same colors in each basket instead of mixing them together.

15. Add metallic rods to shelves

Upgrade your pantry shelves by installing metallic rods across each one. They will especially pop if your pantry shelves are a dark color. They will not only look chic, but they will ensure your jars, spices and containers are secure.

16. Put your cereal in cereal dispensers

While cereal boxes aren’t exactly pretty to look at, cereal dispensers are! They will keep your go-to breakfast food tasting fresh while also making your pantry shelves look stylish.

17. Empty products out of their boxes and store them in jars

One way to ensure your pantry looks extremely organized is to eliminate food boxes entirely. It may be a little annoying to do at first, but over time you’ll see that it not only keeps that area in your house looking clean and put together, but it’ll also help you keep track of how much of different items you have because you can see the amount since it won’t be hidden inside a food box.

18. Mount a mop and broom holder

Brooms and mops are often something people tuck away inside their pantry. However, that doesn’t mean they look nice. If you mount an organizer that holds those items in place they will appear less messy and you won’t have to worry about them falling over.

19. Go with a soda can dispenser

Soda drinkers will be obsessed with this product once they get one. It lets you store your beverage cans in an organized way and grab one without having another one fall in the process. You can even stack them on top of each other.

20. Use a few 2-tier sliding cabinet baskets

These storage bins prove that you can find products to help you organize your pantry that are cute! This particular item comes in a variety of color choices and is made of metal so it’s durable enough to hold heavy jars or pickles or cans.

21. Make use of unique spaces

Don’t let a weird pantry design keep you from storing items there. We love that this X feature was used as a sort of shelf divider to keep different flavors of bottled water in.

22. Neatly display your foils, plastic wraps and zip-top bags

You never know when you’ll need foil, so make sure you put it in a place that is easy to access. Having a storage rack designed just for those types of kitchen items is ideal, which is why this product is good to have on hand.

23. Design custom shelves

To get your dream pantry, design it yourself! You can add in whatever size shelves and cabinets you want. Look on Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration.

24. Store your kids’ snacks in clear containers

If you have kids, help them have easy access to their snacks by creating a section just for them. Dedicate a lower shelf that they can reach for their favorite things by adding a row of clear containers and bins so they can see where everything is.

25. Neatly place your snacks in containers

Go above and beyond while organizing your pantry by placing cookies and other snacks in containers in a structured way. This definitely takes time, as opposed to just dumping them into a jar, but the results are beautiful.

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