Are you searching for small kitchen storage ideas because you have a small kitchen or live in a rented home, and you don’t have the luxury of a built-in pantry? Here’s the good news: you don’t need one. With the right kitchen canisters, pantry organisers, and storage bins, you can transform an ordinary kitchen unit into a highly functional DIY pantry cabinet instead.
Whether you’re struggling with cluttered shelves, endless half-open packets, or simply too little space, this guide will show you how to create a “pantry equivalent” right inside your kitchen units.
1. Assess Your Kitchen Storage Space
Before buying anything, take a good look at what you already have. Which cupboard or cabinet could work best as a dedicated food storage spot? Is there one or a couple that are close to the place where you prepare your meals?
- Tall cupboards are great for bulkier items.
- Shallow cupboards work well for spices, cans, and smaller dry goods.
- Even drawers can be organised into a place to store food items.
The goal is to centralise food storage by having all your food items in the same place so you don’t waste time (or buy duplicates) hunting through random cabinets.
2. Look at What Food You Have
Gather all your food items together so you can see how much you have. Then you will have an idea of the space you need to accommodate it all. It is best to do this just after you have done a grocery shop, so you have an accurate idea of all the items for which you need to find space.
Once you have it all together, now is the time to go through them all to make sure it’s all up to date.
Assess each item to see if you can’t reduce the space it takes up with better canisters to store it. Consider the packaging too – maybe you can transfer it into a better canister that is air-tight and stackable. Also, smaller packets, boxes or bottles could be grouped in a clear storage bin.
3. Measure the Space in the Kitchen Unit
Before considering kitchen canisters and food storage bins, you will need to know the dimensions of the shelves and the space between them, so you know what will fit and what will not. Keep these dimensions on a list so you can refer to them when you are selecting canisters.
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2. Invest in Clear Kitchen Canisters
One of the easiest ways to make your units feel like a pantry is by using airtight canisters. They keep ingredients fresher for longer, prevent spills, and make everything look neat and uniform.
- Store pasta, rice, flour, sugar, oats, cereal, coffee, and even snacks.
- Go for stackable sets to maximise vertical space.
- Transparent canisters make it easy to see when you’re running low.
To make the overall look and feel more streamlined, consider choosing canisters in one size/style. Sets of canisters often come in packs with varying numbers of canisters eg a 36 pack or even just 7 in the set. Some packs have canisters that are all the same size – others have a selection of different sizes. A range of lid types are available – wood, black and grey. Consider all these criteria to create your own personalised arrangement.
3. Add Pantry Organisers Inside the Cabinet
It is not necessary to decant all your foods, as not everything needs to go into canisters – but everything does need a place. That’s where pantry organisers are very useful. These storage solutions come in many different forms such as
- Pull-out bins: Group snacks, baking ingredients, or meal kits.
- Lazy Susans (turntables): Perfect for oils, sauces, and condiments.
- Tiered racks: Lift up cans and jars so nothing hides at the back.
This is where you’ll need to look carefully at the dimensions of the containers to make sure they will fit your cabinet space.
There are many arrangements of these simple, small kitchen storage ideas available online that will instantly create order in even the tiniest kitchen. Some have holes in the sides to act as a handle for easy access, and others have handle extensions. Sizes and shapes vary, so you will need to see which ones fit your space.
4. Create Zones for Easy Access
A pantry isn’t just about storage but also about efficiency. To achieve this, divide your cupboard-pantry into zones:
- Dry Goods Zone: Pasta, rice, flour, sugar.
- Snack Zone: Crackers, nuts, bars.
- Breakfast Zone: Cereals, oats, coffee, tea.
- Cooking Zone: Oils, spices, and sauces.
This makes cooking and shopping faster as you’ll always be able to see what you have. After sorting out my kitchen units in this way, I was able to prepare meals from scratch more easily and with no frustration, as I could very quickly see where all my ingredients were.
5. Maximise Vertical & Hidden Space
As someone who has a small kitchen and rents, I have come to understand that it is key to make clever use of every inch. Try these space-saving hacks:
- Shelf risers double your usable shelf area by giving access to the vertical space
- Stackable canisters turn wasted air space into storage.
- Cabinet door racks hold wraps, foil, spices, or cleaning supplies.
- Hooks inside cupboards can hold measuring spoons, small tools, or even clip bags shut.
6. Keep It Maintained
An organised cupboard only works if you keep it that way. I tell my family that everything has a place and everything must be put back into its place. That way it is easier to keep things in order.
- Label your canisters – chalkboard stickers or a label maker keep things clear.
- Rotate food regularly (use FIFO: first in, first out).
- Do a 5-minute tidy once a month to keep things under control.
While preparing my weekly grocery shopping list, I will be looking in each of my kitchen units to see what I need. This is when I do a quick tidy up. This works with the fridge too, as I give each of the shelves a wipe down.
7. My Top Picks for Kitchen Cupboard Pantry Essentials
Want to create your own pantry-in-a-cupboard setup? Here are a few smart storage hacks that are available online:
Airtight Canister Set – stackable, clear, perfect for dry goods.
Airtight Clear Plastic BPA free Kitchen Canisters Storage Set
Pull-Out Storage Bins – These are clear, containers, making it easy to see what is in them. The hole acts as a handle so you can pull it out.
Clear Pantry Storage Bins with Handle
Lazy Susan Turntable – Use this product as a way to store those seasonings in an easy to access way – as you spin it around you can find the one you need.
Turntable Organiser for Cabinet Kitchen Pantry
Tiered Shelf Organiser – I find this product useful for storing tomato cans and jars. The fact that it is adjustable helps to fit it into the space.
Adjustable Tiered Shelf Organiser for Cabinet Pantry
Label Maker / Chalkboard Labels – This product makes the finishing touch to organisation easy. I like that you can choose fonts, sizes and styles you want.
Label Maker Machine to Organise your Pantry
Final Thoughts
You don’t need a walk-in pantry to have a beautifully organised kitchen. With a few kitchen canisters, organisers, and smart storage hacks, any cupboard can function just like a pantry.
Not only does this save space, but it also makes cooking and shopping easier (and much less stressful).
So are you ready to get started? Go through each of steps –
- Which kitchen units/cabinets might be suitable
- How much food do you have – go through it
- Measure the space so you know what size/type of canisters/organisers you can accommodate
- Group items together, and figure out what storage bins/systems you need
- Purchase storage systems
- Keep it tidy with a weekly 5-minute tidy up
