By: Jane Birch
Below is a list of possible whole food, plant-based (WFPB) kitchen staples and useful tools. This should give you a good idea of the types of ingredients people use when cooking WFPB. You do not need a fully stocked kitchen to go WFPB. Start simply with the recipes and ingredients you like!
When buying products, look for 100% plant-based, with very little or no oil, sugar, salt or chemicals.
FRUITS
- Various fresh, frozen and canned fruits
- Lemon/lime juice (for cooking)
VEGETABLES
- Various fresh, frozen and canned vegetables
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Tomato paste, tomato puree, and/or tomato sauce
WHOLE GRAINS
- Barley
- Brown rice
- Buckwheat
- Corn meal / polenta
- Millet
- Oats (old-fashioned rolled or steel cut)
- Popcorn kernels
- Quinoa
- Rye
- Spelt berries (farro)
- Wheat
- Whole grain flours, such as whole wheat, whole spelt, or brown rice flour
- Whole grain pasta, such as whole wheat, brown rice or soba [buckwheat] noodles
- Whole grain foods, such as bread, tortillas, pita or flatbreads
LEGUMES (dry or canned)
- Beans
- Adzuki
- Black
- Cannellini (white kidney)
- Chickpeas (garbanzo)
- Kidney
- Mung
- Navy
- Pinto
- Soy
- White
- Refried beans (no fat added)
- Lentils (red, brown, French, etc.)
- Peas (black-eyed peas, split, etc.)
NUTS AND SEEDS (Use in small quantities. Best kept in fridge if not used quickly.)
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Chia
- Flax (must be ground before eating to get the nutrients; always keep ground seeds in refrigerator)
- Pecans
- Poppy
- Pumpkin
- Sesame
- Walnuts
HERBS AND SPICES
- Basil
- Bay leaves
- Black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili powder
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Coriander seed
- Cumin
- Curry powder
- Dill seeds/weed
- Dried chilies
- Garlic powder
- Ginger (ground)
- Mustard seeds
- Nutmeg
- Oregano
- Paprika
- Red pepper (crushed flakes)
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Smoked paprika
- Thyme
- Turmeric (ground)
CONDIMENTS
- BBQ sauce (vegan)
- Hot sauce (Sriracha, Tabasco, chipotle)
- Mustard (different varieties)
- Jelly (with no added sugar)
- Ketchup (with natural ingredients)
- Salsa (fresh or cooked)
- Soy Sauce (low sodium soy sauce or Tamari and/or Bragg Liquid Aminos)
- Sweetners (use in small quantities, less than 5% of total calories a day, then it doesn’t matter much which you choose): agave, brown rice syrup, date syrup, honey, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses , raw sugar, stevia, table sugar
OTHER
- Applesauce (unsweetened)
- Arrowroot powder or corn starch
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cocoa or carob powder
- Dried fruits (raisins, dates, apricots, apples, prunes, etc.). Can keep in fridge.
- Non-dairy milk (soy, almond, rice, oat). Look for whole ingredients and no oil or chemicals added). You can also make yourself.
- Nutritional yeast
- Pasta sauce
- Soy foods (traditional soy foods, no highly processed soy products): tofu, soy milk, tempeh, miso paste
- Vanilla extract
- Vegetable stock (liquid, cubes, or powder—no added oil, preferably low sodium or no salt added).
- Vinegar (apple cider vinegar, balsamic, rice, etc.)
Useful Cooking Tools
The starred (*) items are the essentials. To save money, start with what you have until you figure out what will be useful in the long-term.
- *Cutting board (plastic and/or wood)
- *Knives (good quality)
- *Measuring cups, cooking utensils
- *Non-stick pots and pans (see suggestions here)
- Blender
- Citrus press/juicer
- Food processor
- Grater
- Immersion blender
- Non-dairy milk maker
- Parchment paper (non-stick paper for baking)
- Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot
- Rice cooker
- Scissors
- Spatulas
- Tongs
- Vegetable steamer
- Vegetable peeler
More advice on cooking tools
- Cathy Fisher, Straight Up Foods
- Emma Roche, PlantPlate
- Verconica Grace, Low Fat Vegan Chef
- Susan Voisin, Fat Free Vegan
More WFPB Food Resources
Last updated April 7, 2017
