How To Organize a Small Kitchen without a Pantry

We have officially lived in seven different homes and not a single kitchen included a walk-in pantry. I have had to get creative in each small space to find somewhere to store our pantry items. As a large family in a small house, it hasn’t always been ideal, but I’ve learned there are definitely ways to make use of your kitchen cabinets and even other spaces to store your food items! In this post, I’m going to show you how the pantry solutions I have come up with in my kitchen with no pantry.

I’m no stranger to a tiny kitchen, but the kitchen we live in right now is truly small for a family of 9. It has not been ideal figuring out a good way to store food for my large family, but I have figured out a way to maximize the cabinet space in a way that works for us. Below you’ll find the items I use that help me make the most of my cupboard space.

I have three kitchen cabinets that work as my kitchen pantry. It definitely has been a bit difficult because two corner cabinets and a regular cabinet serve as food storage instead of storage for other items. the kitchen is a smaller space and because of that I don’t have a lot of extra counter space for much.  Here is how we make it work.

How To Organize a Small Kitchen without a Pantry

If you don’t have a pantry, you’ll need to use all of your cabinet space wisely. We use different items inside of our cabinets to keep our food items and other kitchen essentials organized.

Lazy Susan

I have two lazy susans in the cabinet where I keep all of my spices. I have found that the lazy susans keep the spices contained, and I can easily spin them to find just the spices I’m looking for. Because the spices are pretty easily contained, I am able to store kitchen tools in the same cabinet.

Storage Containers

In the same cabinet on the upper shelf I keep my dry goods. I like to keep all of my pantry staples together. Here you’ll find flour, sugar, cereal, baking soda, baking powder, quinoa, and things like that. I use storage containers to hold my bulky items and make them easier to access. 

I have slowly started purchasing storage bins to hold smaller items. If you’re able to corral small items in one easy storage bin, your kitchen organization will be so much better. You won’t have items falling out all over your cabinets. Place similar items in like storage bins, and simply pull out what you need. These are great for individually packaged snacks, too.

Can Organizers

My other corner cabinet holds most of my canned goods, pasta, and any quick snacks I purchase week to week. I am thinking of purchasing some can organizers to help make use of the vertical space between the shelves. This will also help prevent cans from falling around and will free up a lot of space in the cabinet.

Tiered Risers

The last cabinet in my kitchen that I use for pantry storage holds several kitchen staples such as olive oil, vegetable oil, vinegars, drink mixes, chocolate chips, and things like that. I love my tiered risers to hold many of my vinegars and oils. They allow me to see what I have in the cabinet and they also take advantage of the vertical space. It’s so nice to be able to easily find what I need when I’m cooking dinner. 

Small Kitchen Organization Ideas

So, if so many kitchen cabinets are acting as pantry storage space, how do we organize the rest of a small kitchen? The answer is very carefully, and thoughtfully! I have to declutter the kitchen on a regular basis to keep it from overflowing. 

Drawer Organizers

If you don’t want your drawers to become a jumbled mess, it is probably a good idea to include drawer dividers or organizers of some sort. We keep our silverware in an organizer so that way our everyday items are in easy reach.

Top of Your Fridge

Don’t underestimate the power of the top of your fridge. This is where I keep my aluminum foil organizer, as well as some bins that hold extra water bottles.

Cooking Utensils Storage

When you’re in need of small kitchen storage ideas, you are going to have to look to your kitchen counter space to serve you. We absolutely keep some small appliances out on the counter. I try to only keep items we use on a daily basis on the kitchen counters. I have a crock that I keep all of my most used kitchen utensils. It’s right beside the stove, so it’s in a great place if I need to grab something quickly.

Other items I keep on my kitchen counters include a mug tree which has great mug hooks for our often used coffee cups, a small tray to hold butter, salt, and pepper, and olive oil.

Shelf Stackers

I also use shelf stackers in larger cabinets, like my cabinet under the sink. It allows me to have an extra shelf! I can fit way more in that little space because of the shelf.

Pantry Alternatives

If you have the floor space, you can definitely add in some pantry alternatives. You can purchase cabinets online or at a big box store that can serve as a make-shift pantry and give you lots of additional storage.

Kitchen Carts

If your kitchen layout allows it, a rolling cart is a great idea to help add a little more space to your kitchen. You can store often used items like seasonings or oils on your cart and have them in easy reach.

Coat Closet

Another great space for a pantry could be an underused coat closet. Remember, you don’t need to store everything directly in your kitchen. I would definitely consider a coat closet a great place to store bulk kitchen items or table linens. 

Under Beds

If you like to buy in bulk but lack the space for bulk items, you may even be able to store things under your bed. A lot of people don’t think about all the extra storage space they may have just underneath their beds!

Are you looking for more small space storage solutions? Check out these posts!

• Clever Shoe Storage Ideas for Small Spaces
• Brilliant Storage Ideas for Small Bedrooms on a Budget