The best vegan store-cupboard ingredients

Dried goods
Analogues
Cans
Jars
Freezer
Spices
Oils and fats
Vinegars
Miscellaneous

Dried goods

These all keep well in their own bags, closed tightly and stored in large sealable plastic containers, away from light.

Analogues

Sounds revolting? It can be read as substitutes (usually soya-based), for flesh and dairy foods (see also the Freezer section below):

• Redwood Foods make a range of Cheatin' meats, the finest for me being the Rashers
• soya "cheese" Sheese from Bute Island Foods is good, my favourites are blue, smoked, Mozzarella-style, Cheshire-style, Edam-style
• Redwood Foods' Cheezely is also good, especially for Mexican dishes, either Cheddar-style, garlic and herb or nacho
• Tofutti cream/soft-style "cheeses" are also very good and, by the same maker, the wonderfully creamy "Mozzarella Style" slices - these melt better than other types
• the grated Parmesan substitute, Parmazano (available in health stores and Tesco) is essential
• soya milk and cream (sweetened and not) - I try to stick to organic since soya is one of the major GM crops

Cans

• pulses (cannellini, borlotti and red kidney beans, chickpeas)
• plum tomatoes
• sweetcorn

Jars

• sun-dried tomatoes
• artichokes
• herbs (basil, coriander)
• lemongrass
• olives (black kalamata and green Manzanilla)
• capers
• vegan pesto (Zest is good)
• roasted peppers, sweet cherry peppers (Peppardew brand)
• egg-free mayonnaise (Plamil is good)
• mustards (Colman's English, Maille Dijon and wholegrain)
• Indian chutneys and pickles (Geeta's are superior - my favourites are lime & chilli and tomato chutneys, plus chilli, garlic and brinjal (aubergine) pickles)

Freezer

• sausages (I like Linda McCartney and more recently, Redwood Vegideli Sage & Marjoram and Holland & Barratt Lincolnshire-style)
• peas
• broad beans
• spinach
• Swedish Glace non-dairy 'ice-creams' - beats 'traditional' ices hands down

Spices

A self-confessed spice-addict, with over 30 different spices, some in more than one form. I'm lucky to have come across a cache of amber jars with screw caps for storage, but failing this, keep away from light to preserve flavour - don't store in a rack in a bright kitchen! Store any remaining bulk in a tightly-sealed container away from light.

 

Spice	Comments
Asafoetida	becoming easier to obtain, essential for specialist Indian cooking
Caraway seeds	mild aniseed taste - often used in cabbage dishes
Cardamon	always buy whole pods - Indian and middle eastern cuisines
Cayenne pepper	beware so-called "chilli powder" - this is often a mixture; use cayenne for the real thing
Chillies (whole)	small dried red chillies, for Indian, Thai and Mexican cuisines
Cinnamon	powder and sticks - for Indian cooking and many puddings
Cloves	distinctive and aromatic - for Indian cooking
Coriander	powder and seeds - essential for many cuisines
Cumin	powder and seeds - essential for many cuisines
Curry leaves	essential for southern Indian cooking
Fennel seeds	mild aniseed taste, more aromatic than caraway
Fenugreek (methi)	powder, seeds and leaves - Indian cooking
Garam masala	an aromatic blend of spices, usually for a late addition to Indian dishes
Ginger	fresh root is best (it freezes and grates from frozen), but powder is occasionally required
Mustard seed (black)	essential for southern Indian cooking
Nutmeg	invest in a small proprietary grater and buy whole nutmegs - they keep forever
Paprika	widely used, with mild sweetish taste
Paprika (smoked)	fantastic smoky taste - good for Mexican and Spanish cuisines
Pepper	always freshly grind - "the king of spices"
Star anise	strong aniseed flavour - for Oriental dishes
Turmeric	powder and (rarely) whole dried root - bright yellow with earthy taste - essential for Indian (especially dhals) and middle eastern cuisines

This covers the more common spices, but there are more.

Oils and fats

• extra virgin olive oil (keep a bulk-buy value-for-money oil with good robust flavour for cooking, plus a more expensive fruity oil for salad dressings and 'finishings')
• sunflower oil, for general cooking and deep-frying
• sesame oil (always use roasted), essential for oriental cooking
• walnut oil, for summer salad dressings
• Pure margarine (the organic is the one) - not perhaps store-cupboard but essential, this tastes better than butter
• vegetable ghee is a useful standby for Indian cooking - Sharwood's do a good one

Vinegars

• red and white wine, for general use
• malt, essential for traditional chips
• balsamic, for salad dressings, roast vegetables and caramelising onions
• cider, a mellow alternative to white wine
• sherry, fantastic for a sharper salad dressing, especially rice salads
• rice wine, essential for sushi

Miscellaneous

There always has to be a "miscellaneous" category to catch all those oddments; so, in no particular order:

• tomato purée
• passata (sieved tomatoes)
• wasabi powder or paste (Japanese dishes)
• mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
• soya sauce (shoyu or tamari) 
• Vecon concentrated vegetable stock (for strong-flavoured stock)
• Swiss bouillon powder (for light stocks) - available in vegan and organic form
• miso (fermented soya bean paste)