Spanish Pantry Staples You’ll Actually Use
One of the easiest ways to start cooking Spanish food is with pantry staples that are readily available here in the US. My husband and I often joke (or actually maybe complain is a better word) about the Spanish restaurants nearby. We keep trying, and honestly most of them suck, even the ones with the best reputations in our city. (And often super expensive for dishes that are, in the end, pretty straightforward.)
The good news is, as I said, there is a lot of Spanish food that’s pretty easy to make at home if you have the right ingredients. Even if you have no interest in cooking Spanish food, the items below are great for huge variety of dishes (and I do use them for all sorts of things). I don’t want to recommend anything here that you’ll spend 20 bucks on to use one time in one recipe and then have it go bad in the back of your cabinet (pomegranate molasses anyone?).
If you can’t find these Spanish pantry staples in stores near you, most of them are easy to find online. Stock just a few of these, and you can whip up authentic Spanish flavors anytime—and most of the recipes in my favorite Spanish cookbooks.
Pedro Ximénez Vinegar: Dressings & More
There are lots of other sherry vinegars that could be Spanish considered pantry staples, but Pedro Ximénez is the one I use the most. Pedro Ximénez grapes have a higher sugar content and are partially dried in the sun before they are pressed to make wine or vinegar. Since the amount of juice extracted from the dried grapes is smaller, the PX wine can be expensive. The vinegar too, but trust me you get what you pay for! So I usually use this one to use as a finisher. I use it for salad dressings, sauces when you need a little acidity or depth. Also good for marinades and it goes great on gazpacho as well.
Also, I originally thought Pedro Ximénez was just a guy with his own wine and vinegar, but actually it is the name of the grape, if you were wondering.
- Try it drizzled over roasted vegetables or use in place of classic balsamic vinegar on a salad (I really don’t love balsamic vinegar, not sure if that’s just me)
- Despaña Brand Foods’ version is my go to
Pimentón: The Spanish Pantry Staple That’s Everywhere
Pimentón is one of the primary flavors that you would recognize in a Spanish dish. It’s in paella, sprinkled on patatas bravas, and is one of the main flavorings in chorizo. As you can see it’s not a Spanish pantry staple for nothing- it’s used in tons of dishes. There are a few different types, like Hungarian paprika (also good!!), but here I am talking about the Spanish version.
Pimentón de la Vera is made from ground red peppers, which are then smoked and ground to make the spice. The two main types are sweet/dulce and picante/“hot” (Spain’s version of hot—it’s really not spicy, I assure you). The sweet variety is mostly used with light meat, such as octopus, rabbit, or chicken (and thus, paella). The hot variety is used in heartier stuff like soups and stews and in chorizo.
Try to avoid getting this in the supermarket and go for Pimentón de la Vera or real Hungarian paprika. The supermarket ones are really not good and don’t add much dimension to your cooking.
- Try sprinkled on eggs, or get crazy, make a paella!
- I buy the brand El Rey de la Vera – both sweet and “spicy” are available on Amazon
Dried Chorizo: Easy Flavor
Spanish chorizo is very different from the fresh Mexican style that’s pretty common in U.S. supermarkets. It’s cured, firm, and loaded with smoky pimentón. The Palacios brand is the most common, both here and in Spain, and comes in two varieties: mild and “picante.” Again, “picante” here is very in quotes—it is not picante by my standards. In any case, I just buy whichever one is available.
I always keep some around to slice and eat as a snack, fry with eggs, or make my husband’s favorite comfort food: macarrones con chorizo.
- Try it: sauté a few slices of chorizo in olive oil, then use the oil to fry eggs or toss with chickpeas.
- Palacios is my go to brand
Good Olive Oil
If there’s one Spanish pantry staple (or just overall staple) you can’t skip, it’s olive oil. I keep two kinds: one more neutral-flavored for cooking, and one grassy, peppery extra virgin for drizzling raw over vegetables, fish, or bread.
Quick note on packaging. When you buy in bulk, opt for bagged olive oil in a box rather than the metal tin if you can. If you are going to take a while to use it, the olive oil in the bag is less likely to oxidize as the oil level goes down, because of the vacuum. Not the end of the world if you can’t find that packaging, but it’s better for large quantities to maintain the flavor and quality of the oil.
- Spanish regions to look for: Jaén, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha. (But they make good olive oil all over the Mediterranean, so anything you like is good!)
- For a finishing oil, I’ve been loving this one from Nobleza del Sur. Great choice if you like a really spicy olive oil. I am less picky about the ones I cook with, so I usually just go by price. Also California Olive Ranch which is widely available in supermarkets and uses Arbequina olives– the most common varietal in Spanish olive oil.
Bomba Rice: The Spanish Pantry Staple You Need for Paella
The classic paella rice. Bomba absorbs flavor while keeping its shape, which is exactly what you want in rice dishes. Bomba rice is a short-grain, round rice from Valencia. This rice is capable of absorbing up to twice as much broth as other types of rice without dissolving, resulting in a much more flavorful rice.
Key ingredient for paella and arroz meloso, but also just a really nice rice to make and eat on the side. Matiz brand sells bomba rice that’s easy to come by. They make 2 kinds: one that comes in a red bag for paella, and a classic bomba rice. Supposedly the red one is better for paella because it is longer and less fluffy/starchy at the end. I think i have made paella with both with pretty good results, but worth noting that the blue kind takes forever to cook.
- It’s also great for arroz al horno and simple arroz meloso / rice-with-broth dishes.
- Matiz brand
Ortiz Canned Tuna
I think most of you probably already know this brand, and have seen it in one shop or another. It’s well stocked (and pretty expensive) in many shops for a good reason—it’s really really good! Ortiz uses bonito, a smaller, sustainable tuna usually weighing less than 20kg. All of the fish used by Ortiz is caught on rod and line in the Bay of Biscay and then processed by hand.
Like I said, it’s not cheap, but the fish is fabulous: perfectly poached, seasoned, and packaged with actually decent olive oil. I use this all the time for quick dinners, or a tuna and tomato salad when it’s too hot to cook. Throw some olive oil and Pedro Ximénez vinegar on and you’ve got a nice dinner!
- Another favorite: toss it with white beans, parsley, and lemon for a nice bean salad (great picnic option or make-ahead lunch).
- I buy this in packs of 24 on Amazon (god forbid I run out of tuna for 1 day I guess). They sell in more reasonable quantities as well.
Tinned Anchovies: My Favorite Spanish Pantry Staple
I could eat these straight all day personally (albeit with a generous quantity of water). The good ones aren’t fishy—just buttery, salty, and perfect with a glass of vermouth. I use them on everything from tomato salads to toast with butter, to pastas.
The best ones are from Cantabria, and cleaned, salted, filleted, and packaged by hand. It’s really hard to rival the umami and depth of flavor of these.
There are several brands making good ones at varying price ranges. If I am using them to cook, I just buy the cheapo ones in the supermarket. If I am going to eat them on their own, Ortiz or Donostia Foods (are my picks.
Also! If you’re ever in Madrid, don’t miss Doña Habana, an amazing store that specializes in anchovies and other Cantabrian specialties. Check my post here about what to bring back from Madrid for more on that and other recs.
- Honestly, by themselves or with anything at all, I love these so much. But you could make gildas, or just eat these with bread, saute with garlic to make a pasta, endless uses.
- Ortiz again, Fishwife, or Donostia brand foods
Chickpeas: The Affordable Spanish Pantry Staple
I love chickpeas, not just for Spanish dishes but for salads, pastas, with tuna, etc. They are cheap (especially when you buy the bagged kind), delicious, and full of fiber (important if you’re really trying to maximize your fiber intake like me). Overall, they’re one of the most affordable ways to have a nutritious meal.
I used to hate them, and I think it’s because I only ever tried the slimy canned ones. But once I started making them from dry I completely changed my mind. Jarred chickpeas are a Spanish staple, and in Spain the jarred ones are indeed as good as cooked fresh. That said, those have nothing to do with the aforementioned slimy canned ones we have here in the U.S.—so I do recommend cooking from dry. (Doesn’t take as long as you think if you soak them. Usually, though, I just throw them in the crockpot for the day.)
Anyway! Chickpeas are the base of garbanzos con espinacas in Seville, and show up in cocidos/stews across the country.
- I also use them for quick soups, or tossed with tuna, olive oil, and paprika. Also highly recommend this chorizo kale pasta from the NYT topped with manchego—it’s Spanish adjacent i guess.
- You should be good to go with any brand of dried ones you can find in the supermarket. If you’re dying to try the jarred ones from Spain, El Navarrico brand is pretty easy to find online.
Closing
If you’ve made it this far, you probably already know: Spanish cooking isn’t complicated, it’s ingredient-driven. With just these Spanish pantry staples—a good vinegar, paprika, olive oil, bomba rice, canned seafood, and legumes—you already have the basis for tons of great Spanish recipes. Start with just one or two, and you’ll be surprised how many dishes suddenly taste a little more like Spain.
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