Is your pantry prepared for warm weather with these summer pantry staples?

Summer pantry staples for picnics and cookouts to quick dinners and lunches on hot days… These seasonal summer dishes have the ingredients you will reach for all season long during warm summer days.

Planning for and stocking these summer season pantry staples will ensure fewer last minute grocery store runs for summer recipe and meal ingredients. You’ll be prepared for everything from salads to s’mores to lemonade and hamburgers and hotdogs (and more, of course, there’s always more).

All the ingredients mentioned below are in the one page printable Summer Pantry Staples Shopping List.

Mayonnaise is a big summer pantry staple

Mayonnaise is in heavy rotation during the summer for potato salad, chicken salad, and macaroni salad, as well as coleslaw and the usual sandwiches. Mix mayo with relish for DIY tartar sauce.

An extra jar of unopened mayo in the pantry as a backup is always a good idea.

Lemons & lemon juice

A backup jar of lemon juice and a few fresh lemons on hand and you are always ready to make icy cold sweet lemonade in hot weather or a fresh lemon meringue pie. Lemon is also great sprinkled on grilled or sauteed vegetables with some diced garlic or fresh herbs.

Summer salads from pantry staples

Ranch and Italian dressing for green salad, chef salad, and pasta salads, as well as olive oil for drizzling, and vinegar for pickling and salads are essential summer pantry staples.

Make sure you have celery and mayo for chicken salad and onion, tuna, peas, and your favorite pasta shape and mayo, eggs, and celery for macaroni salad.

For pasta salad, you’ll need Italian dressing, pasta (we use bow tie or spirals), peppers, onions, pepperoni, feta or cheddar, black kalamata olives, and diced or cherry tomatoes.

Slice a fresh tomato and drizzle with olive oil and finely sliced basil–maybe add some fresh sliced mozzarella if you can find it.

Pick up a jar of lemon tahini and canned chickpeas to make hummus bowls and to drizzle tahini dressing over grilled veggies.

Summery Sweets

Stash a bag of marshmallows, a package of chocolate bars, and a box of graham crackers and you have the ingredients for s’mores. Toast the marshmallows over the grill if not a campfire and sit on a log or a lawn chair to enjoy summer s’mores.

Strawberry shortcake is another summer dessert–fresh berries, sugar, whipping cream, and shortcake or biscuits are simple ingredients to have on hand.

Strawberry rhubarb pie is another summery sweet: our recipe requires butter and flour for the crust, and fresh strawberries, rhubarb, tapioca, and sugar.

Condiments for Cookouts

Ketchup, mustard, and relish for those hamburgers and hot dogs. For grilled meats, stock up on barbecue sauce, marinades and rubs. Don’t forget the charcoal or propane!

Hamburgers and hot dogs (and buns!)

Do you cook more hamburgers and hot dogs in the summer? It’s easy to forget the buns and rolls so a bag of hamburger and hotdog buns in the freezer will ensure you have these on hand for any impromptu grilling of hot dogs and hamburgers. They thaw easily in a matter of hours or you can defrost in the microwave or on the grill.

Pickles and pickled vegetables and fruits

Make your own dill pickles or have a couple of jars on hand to go with burgers and sandwiches. Tart fresh pickles are a great summer pantry staple to have on hand. Don’t forget the dill, garlic, distilled white vinegar, kosher salt, and pickling spice (bay leaves, peppercorns) if you are making your own pickles.

Ever had dilly beans? These are pickled green beans–all the same ingredients as pickles but with green beans instead of cucumbers. Easy to make yourself or readily available at farmer’s markets. If you like heat, try pickling jalapeno peppers.

All the produce: summer fruits, herbs, and vegetables are summer pantry staples.
It’s the season for corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes and berries! Summer is also all about fresh herbs. Squash, green beans, lettuce… so many options from the garden, at the farmer’s market, or the local store.

Consider putting up some fresh produce: canning jams and jellies, making your own pickled vegetables and salsas, and drying herbs for winter use. Try orange calendula citrus preserves.

Fresh or frozen berries swirled with yogurt also make a great warm weather breakfast–or a spectacular frozen treat when frozen into popsicles.

Have fresh basil? You’ve got the main ingredient for pesto, along with pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil.

Supplies and Tools for the Summer Pantry

Finally a few summer-specific supplies and tools to consider:

• Do you have enough ice cube trays to freeze coffee cubes for iced coffee, tea cubes for iced tea, or herbs for later use? Iced coffee cubes won’t dilute your iced coffee or tea.
• Popsicle molds and sticks for make your own summer frozen treats with yogurt and berries or juices and fruit.
• What about a dehydrator for herbs? Corn cob holders?
• Lots of tea towels or kitchen towels are handy in summer.
• Fabric bags for produce are reusable and washable–reducing waste in purchasing and storing.
• Canning jars for pickling and preserving (also good for storing dried foods!).
• A picnic basket?
• water bottle/s?
• Salad spinner or giant tea towel for drying greens

All the summer pantry staple ingredients mentioned here are in a one page printable shopping list: Summer Pantry Staples Shopping List

Do you have summer pantry staples from your own part of the world that aren’t listed here? Drop us a line and let us know!