5 Ideas for Organizing a Small Kitchen Pantry

Lisa Rivera • 11 November 2021

A small kitchen pantry is a lifesaver in tiny apartments and single dwelling homes, but it can quickly develop into the bane of your existence when disorganization hits. Everything from finding the Fruit Loops to the flour becomes a challenge.

Whether you want to deck out your pantry DIY-style or just want to keep it from becoming a bottomless pit of lost items, the following tips are just the ticket you need!

Purge, purge, purge: Remove everything that’s not essential.
Utilize vertical space: For instance, the back of the door can give you several additional feet of storage space.
Think about “U”: Arrange your items in a loose U-shape.
Make it easy on the eyes: Clear bins and labels allow you to easily see everything at a glance.
Create pantry stations: Keep items for particular occasions and people in one central space.

Ready to make your small kitchen pantry work for you instead of the other way around? Time to get clever with your space!

Purge, Purge, Purge!

Before you do anything else, ask yourself this question: Is [enter first pantry item you see here] supposed to be in the pantry? If the answer is a resounding "no," get it out! You shouldn’t have anything in the pantry that's not pantry-related. Check out this list to whittle down your store of items, but remember, even if you have space leftover, your pantry cannot become a catch-all for anything you can’t find a place for in the kitchen. You’ll simply fall back into disarray.

Utilize Vertical Space

When you look at a small pantry, it’s easy to overlook avenues to help you use that space in the most functional way possible. Up and down spaces offer some less obvious opportunities to organize.

Use shoe sleeves over the back of the door to hold freezer bags, reusable shopping bags, or extra appliances.
DIY tip: Add cute labels to create a unique makeshift over-the-door spice holder!
Repurpose an old wooden wine rack to make back-of-the-door cubbies.
HGTV suggests a wall pegboard. This option will work wonderfully if you have a skinny or awkwardly shaped wall. Simply install removable pegs in any configuration you want to hang extra kitchen utensils, lunch bags, oven mitts, or even your mop and broom.
Hang your extra items. You can put up a tension rod or old shower bar between two walls to give yourself hanging space for kitchen towels. You can even place baskets with hooks over the bars to make more bin-style storage.
DIY Tip: Don’t forget to look up—all the way up! Adhere hooks into the ceiling to make additional storage for yourself, which is great for small kitchen pantries that have neither a door nor unclaimed wall space. All you need is some baskets strung together on rope or chains. Get crafty with the directions on Women’s Day to make your own fun hanging storage device.

Think About “U”

Everything is perfectly in its place...until you need to find something. The Kitchn says a pro tip is to organize all of your pantry essentials into a u-shape. That way, you always have a clear line of sight to all items, even the ones in the back, as well as room to get what you need without unpacking the entire cupboard.

Some other organization tips for your u-configuration:

Always place the tallest items in the back and the shortest upfront.
Use a Lazy Susan that you can easily remove from your “u-space” if you absolutely need that area for storage.
Tiered organizers are an excellent way to save space on small jars.

Make It Easy on The Eyes

One of the reasons small kitchen pantries are so easy to clutter up is because they're overwhelming to the eyes. If you tell someone to go into the pantry to find cereal, they are essentially looking for one box in a sea of boxes.

Make your pantry items easier to spot by adding in these organizational essentials:

Clear bins and containers: Now instead of searching for a cereal box among many, you can just see your Lucky Charms at a glance and be on your way.
Label everything: Whether it’s a clear bin or a drawer full of the kid’s snacks, have some kind of indicator of what’s there so everyone in the family is in the know.
Add string lights: Pantries aren’t always the most brightly lit areas. Putting up a few lights, especially in areas that tend to become a mess, can quickly help you locate items and keep your pantry neat as you go.

Create Pantry Stations

Part of staying organized is identifying the biggest opportunities to become disorganized. Do you have kids that implode the pantry when they make their lunches or breakfasts? A messy partner? Are you an avid baker who likes their kitchen gear just so?

Situations like these are great for pantry stations. Now, the kids can find everything they need in one central area without venturing into any other section. Your partner can find everything they need for their evening snack without moving your baking supplies and vice versa.

Conclusion

Always keep function in mind for your small kitchen pantry. How do you plan to use it? What do you plan to store there? Answering questions like these will help you prioritize your goals, maximize space, and keep your pantry running smoothly.