15 Groceries to Stockpile Now, According to Preppers

In our post COVID-19 world, it's not unusual for people to get a little worried now and then and start stocking up on essential items (will we ever forget the crazy stockpiling of toilet paper and paper towels during the pandemic lockdowns?). While most people only think about those issues during national shortages or emergencies, preppers (essentially people who are always on red alert for concerning events) have their own year-round methods of making sure they never run out of important food items. In these uncertain economic times, we were curious what the preppers recommend that people should always have on hand—here's what they had to say on social media.

Rice

Rice is a delicious, easy to prepare, versatile staple item that lasts for a long time if stored correctly. "We have started buying a bag of chickpeas and a bag of rice every time we go to the store, eventually to fill up a big bin of dry goods. We're pretty broke, so it's the best we can do," one Redditor shared.

Dry Beans

Many preppers recommend stocking up on dry beans, but only if it's something you know how to cook and actually enjoy eating. "Dry, calorie dense staples like beans, lentils, rice, pasta, ect are what I would start out with," one suggested. "I have a grain mill so I also stock up on wheat berries because they store well long term. Just make sure whatever it is you're stocking up on you're actually eating. No sense in buying up food if it's just going to spoil."

Canned Soup

Canned soup is the perfect "prepper" pantry staple. "Every time you go to the store and buy a couple cans of soup, buy a couple extra," one Redditor said. "When you buy a jar of peanut butter, buy three. Especially when it's on sale. I like soups. Especially with the pull ring top. That's a meal ready to eat, even cold if you can't warm it. When I shop, I buy 6 for the week and an extra 6 for my deep pantry. Then I rotate through using the oldest first."

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is another protein/fat-packed staple. "Everytime you go to the store, buy an extra peanut butter, or nutella, or can of beans or tomatoes, or coconut milk, or… whatever. It'll cost you an extra $5-10/week, and before you know it, you'll have a solid, stocked pantry," one prepper suggested.

Canned Chicken

Canned chicken is an excellent, shelf-stable source of quality protein. "We mix the canned chicken and canned salmon from Costco into a chicken/salmon salad – like tuna fish salad. Add a little of the 505 green chili and it is quite tasty," one shopper said.

Tinned Fish

Many preppers recommend stocking up on canned trout, tuna, and salmon. "Trader Joe's smoked canned trout is a little pricey but worth it in my opinion," one prepper recommended. "Walmart has Bumble Bee brand which is good also," another added. Sardines also got special mention for being cheap and nutritious.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Spam

SPAM gets plenty of mentions as an ideal prepper staple. "I keep spam around and some corned beef. Less common: Hard to find in the US but canned duck confit is delicious. I've brought some home from European trips. Canned duck cooked in the can is one of the few meats that's legal to bring home," one shopper said.

Quinoa

Quinoa is a highly-recommended alternative to rice, packed with protein and nutrients, versatile, and easy to cook. "If you like  rice, maybe you'd like quinoa? It cooks in a rice cooker, but has more protein in it," one prepper suggested. "I did quinoa this time too. Quinoa is a complete protein," another responded.

Instant Oatmeal

Instant oatmeal is another pantry staple that is easy to store and incredibly versatile. "Quick oats are awesome for just putting in a bowl, adding some boiling water, stirring, and eating just a minute or so later," one Redditor said. "Rolled oats take a bit more time to process (generally, should be on an active heat source and boiling for a few minutes), and have more of a 'hearty' texture to them and a bit more chew. I add them to things like banana bread, muffins, etc."

Pasta

Pasta is a must-have long-term storage item for preppers (and parents!). "I know lot of folks stock and like pasta (we do). We found our picky kid loved egg noodles," one Redditor said. "Unlike regular pasta, they have 8 grams of protein in a serving. We would serve our kid plain egg noodles, or sometimes egg noddles with chicken broth and carrots. I stock this kind of pasta now."

Knorr Sides

Knorr pasta and rice sides get top ratings for being versatile and convenient. "Just get packets of Knorr Pasta/rice sides," one prepper suggested. "You can jazz them up and eat them with regular meals, quick lunches, but they also last a super long time and are super cheap."

Freeze-Dried Meals

Stocking up on freeze-dried foods is another highly recommended tactic, preppers say. "I find that freeze dried is great to store because I cook with ingredients and don't use many pre prepared foods," one Redditor said. "I haven't opened any of my Augason Farms cans but have eaten plenty of freeze dried fruits and vegetables as snacks. It's true to flavor and will likely reconstitute as well or better than pre-prepared foods."

Powdered Milk

Powdered and evaporated milk is good to keep on hand, preppers say. "Bread baking supplies, dried eggs, evaporated milk, canned vegetables and fruits, canned tuna and chicken," one suggested. Coconut milk is also mentioned as a decent pantry staple.

Canned Fruit

Canned fruit is great to keep on hand in case of emergency, preppers say. "I ordered a bunch of #10 cans of eggs, fruits, and veggies last night, and I will make a Costco run within the next couple days to get canned meats and other canned and dry goods," one Redditor said.

Canned Tomatoes

Dried and canned tomatoes are another excellent and versatile pantry staple. "Canned tomatoes thanks to potential tariffs… in addition to the crazy weather we're already experiencing," one prepper said. "Dried tomatoes are awesome for cooking," another commented.