11 Creative Substitutes to Buy When Pantry Staples Are Out of Stock
Updated: Apr. 13, 2024
When you can't find your favorite pantry staples like pasta, bread and peanut butter, look for these options instead.
Can’t Find Pasta?
You can use zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash in place of pasta, or if you have flour and eggs, learn how to make pasta from scratch. Check your store’s freezer aisle for alternative pastas as well.
Can’t Find Peanut Butter?
Try different nut butters, like almond butter or cashew butter, or if you’d like to branch out, try allergy-friendly sun butter. If your grocery store still has peanuts and honey in stock, break out the food processor for homemade peanut butter.
Can’t Find Spaghetti Sauce?
Stock up on cans of diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning for a fresh, easy pasta sauce in minutes. Have a bit more time? This stamp-of-approval spaghetti sauce will have your entire house smelling like an Italian restaurant.
Can’t Find Oatmeal?
If the store is out of flavored oatmeal packets, grab a canister of instant oats to make your own. Or simmer quinoa in twice the cooking liquid to create a creamy, oatmeal-like consistency. Add milk and fresh berries for a healthy, protein-packed breakfast. Or try these other mix-ins.
Can’t Find Rice?
Look at other grains like orzo, barley, farro, bulgur or seeds like quinoa. Cut carbs and add more vegetables to your diet when you learn how to make cauliflower rice; broccoli rice is a great option, too.
Can’t Find Sugar?
In the mood for some comfort baking? Try cutting the sugar with diabetic-friendly desserts or substituting more natural alternatives like maple syrup, agave nectar and stevia.
Can’t Find Beans?
If canned beans are in short supply, check out the dried goods section. Dried beans are usually cheaper and easier to find; just be sure to cook them properly before eating them. If only your go-to beans are out of stock, try other canned beans you don’t typically cook with.
Can’t Find Bread?
Spending more time at home is the perfect opportunity to make some of your go-to staples from scratch, like basic homemade bread. Check the refrigerated and freezer sections of the grocery store for canned biscuits and dough as well.
Can’t Find Flour?
Check your local baking aisle for baking mixes to cut your cooking time in half, or make your own gluten-free flour mix to have on hand any time the baking urge strikes.
Can’t Find Soup?
When you can’t find canned soup at the store, check the freezer section for easy pasta and rice dishes to have on hand instead. Or spend a quiet afternoon in the kitchen making batches of healthy soup recipes to freeze for later.
Can’t Find Boxed Mac and Cheese?
When easy meals like canned pasta and boxed macaroni and cheese are missing from the shelves, make large portions of your own and freeze leftovers in individual portions for quick dinners later this month. You can’t beat the cheesy, creamy goodness of real slow-cooker mac and cheese.
Up next: Learn all about yogurt substitutes!
Originally Published: April 03, 2020
