Before you start reorganizing your small but deep pantry, start by taking inventory of everything you currently have in your pantry. Also, measure your pantry! Measure the width, depth, and height of every shelf. Once you have read through the tips below, make a quick sketch of your future pantry, including all the products (containers, baskets, bins, turntables, etc) you need, based on your pantry inventory and measurements. Then only, purchase all the products.
Only once you have a plan in mind for your future pantry and have purchased all your containers etc, start reorganizing. Trust me, there is nothing worse than emptying your entire pantry inventory onto your kitchen counters and table to realize in the middle of the project that you need products in order to complete the project. This will just lead to a messy kitchen and a lot of frustration.
9 absolute best tips to organize a small but deep pantry:
- Add drawers to your pantry
- Put items you use daily on the most accessible shelf or drawer
- Store dry food in clear containers
- Organize your dry food storage containers according to size
- Use a non-skid tiered spice rack to organize spices
- Think outside the box
- Label everything
- Dedicate a section to back stock
- Install a chalkboard wall sticker
Let’s have a look at these tips, so that you can be as well-prepared as possible, before organizing your small but deep pantry.
This post is all about Small But Deep Pantry Organization!
1. Add Drawers To Your Pantry
You can add drawers to make a pantry with deep shelves more accessible! Drawers will allow you to reach all the way to the back of your deep pantry shelves, without needing to move anything around.
Drawers also help you maximize space! Not only do they allow you to use the entire horizontal space, they make it easier to use the vertical space too, which is otherwise often wasted on shelves.
Side note: Just like you would only put drawers at the bottom of your kitchen cabinets, for obvious practical reasons, you should only add drawers to the bottom shelves of your pantry.
You can have drawers installed by a carpenter or you can DIY them.
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2. Put Items You Use Daily On The Most Accessible Shelf Or Drawer
Think snacks, cereal, chips, and spreads! All the pantry goodies you need to access daily or multiple times a day, to put together a quick breakfast or snack. Make sure that these items are stored on the pantry shelf which is the most easily accessible.
The shelf that is most easily accessible, is the shelf that is closest to counter height.
3. Store Dry Food In Clear Containers
The biggest drawback of deep pantries is that things easily disappear in the back of the deep shelves. When you are organizing your deep pantry, your priority should thus be on increasing visibility! Clear food storage containers will help to achieve this objective.
They also help to keep your dry goods contained neatly, instead of spilling everywhere, keeping your pantry clean and bug-free.
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4. Organize Your Dry Food Storage Containers According To Size
If you want an aesthetically pleasing pantry, you should invest in a set of matching food storage containers. When you have a deep pantry, it is helpful to have some taller ones and some shorter ones. Put the taller ones in the back, and place the shorter ones in front. This way you will be able to see everything on your shelf without moving stuff around.
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5. Use A Non-Skid Tiered Spice Rack To Organize Spices
A tiered spice rack is a fantastic organization solution for deep pantries! They allow you to organize all your spices neatly, without having to shuffle anything around.
You could also use your tiered spice rack to organize jars or cans in your pantry!
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6. Think Outside The Box
If your pantry is too small to satisfy all your pantry needs, think outside the box! Dare to store some of your pantry ingredients outside of the pantry.
For example, since my pantry is small, I decided to install some open shelves in the kitchen to store our breakfast ingredients on. To keep things practical and aesthetically pleasing, I use glass food storage containers with wooden lids.
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7. Label Everything
Whenever you organize anything, you label everything. That’s the number 1 organization rule! Jokes aside, labeling will do wonders for your deep pantry. Label your containers, baskets, and even drawers and shelves.
Not only will it make cooking easier, but ingredients will be quick to identify! But also, it will help to make putting things in their place a breeze.
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8. Dedicate A Section To Backstock
If you are one of those people (like me) who stocks up heavily when something is on sale, then you might run into some storage issues. Your small pantry might not have space to store a large number of duplicates. Consider a back stock section in your garage or basement to store back stock, so that you don’t overcrowd your small pantry.
There is a second type of backstock to consider! When you choose to decant your dry ingredients into clear storage containers, you might not always be able to empty the entire box or bag. These odds and ends need to go somewhere. Some people like to store them on their top shelf, but I personally prefer to store them in the bottom drawer of my pantry. I categorize them in storage bins.
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9. Install A Chalkboard Wall Sticker
Installing a chalkboard wall sticker on the back of your pantry cupboard door is a genius way to keep a running grocery list! Whenever you run out of anything in your kitchen, you just write it down. Continue to update it throughout the week and when shopping day comes around, make sure to buy everything on the list.
This hack is handy for any pantry, but especially for small deep pantries, which tend to have limited visibility. You don’t want to start shifting things around to see what you are out of, just before you hit the grocery store.
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Did you find this post helpful? Don’t forget to let me know, by leaving a comment below.
This post was all about Small But Deep Pantry Organization!
Learn More About Kitchen Organization:
- How To Organize Your Kitchen For Optimal Efficiency
- The 9 Best Kitchen Organization Products To Add To Your Kitchen In 2022
- 11 Insanely Practical Kitchen Organizers And Storage Ideas That Will Transform Your Kitchen