Tips for organizing baking supplies and ingredients so they are all within reach! Tips for maximizing your kitchen cabinet storage space and getting things organized.
I’m currently organizing our kitchen drawer by drawer and cabinet by cabinet, with the goal of creating an organized kitchen one small project at a time. And today’s project is all about organizing baking supplies!
I don’t do a ton of baking, but every time I went in search of flour or baking soda I was met with an avalanche of baking things. Our baking ingredients live in a small lower cabinet (the annoying builder grade ones with the tiny half shelf). Things get shoved in every which way and precariously stacked.
We don’t reach for baking supplies super often so it’s easy to let our baking cabinet be a giant mess. Out of sight, out of mind!
But having to pull everything out just to find the crumbled bag of flour shoved to the back of the cabinet was getting pretty annoying so I finally did something about it. And oh my word friends, having a beautifully organized baking cabinet makes me want to do A LOT more baking!!
Let’s take a look at my newly organized baking cupboard and chat about some tips for organizing baking supplies in your own kitchen!
Ready to declutter your home and get more organized?
Download the free KonMari checklist by filling in the form below:
Download Your Free KonMari Checklist!
Review the rules, check off your progress, and see which category is next with this free KonMari checklist! Subscribe to have the free guide sent straight to your inbox. By downloading this guide, you will also receive weekly emails from me filled with organizing tips!
More kitchen organization:
- Organize Your Christmas Cookie Baking Schedule (Free Printables)
- How To Organize Your Small Pantry
- Organize Your Fridge From Top To Bottom
- Creating An Evening Kitchen Shutdown Routine (So Your Kitchen Is Always Clean!)
<<PIN THE IMAGE BELOW FOR LATER!>>
Video: Tour My Organized Baking Cabinet!
Take a quick tour of the lower cabinet I turned into a functional space for keeping baking ingredients organized! Then check out all of my pantry organizing tips down below.
This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for details.
Baking Cabinet SOURCES
Baking Cabinet Organizing Supplies
If you're organizing baking supplies, check out the containers and bins listed below!
Pull Out Drawer For Kitchen Cabinets
This is the drawer I added to my cabinet! It's such a great way to optimize your cabinet space, especially those deep lower cabinets where things have a tendency to get lost in the back. My containers fit on here perfectly, too! Everything is easy to access when I need it thanks to this drawer.
The Home Edit Pantry Canisters
These are the canisters I used to organize all of my dry baking ingredients. They are crystal clear and have an airtight seal on the lid. They come in 3 sizes that are perfect for baking items! I used the small size for baking chips, medium for brown sugar and powdered sugar, and large for flour, oatmeal, and sugar.
Clear Pantry Bins
These are my absolute favorite bins to organize any space! They are the perfect depth for kitchen cabinets and have really nice handles. I used two of these on the small shelf in my baking cabinet.
Clear Scoops
These clear scoops are so handy to keep in the containers with your baking ingredients! They come in several sizes, I ordered a couple sets of the medium size and tucked one in all of my larger containers.
DIY Labels Made With Cricut
If you have a Cricut, check out this tutorial to learn how I create my own customized pantry labels out of vinyl!
The Home Edit Pantry Labels
These pretty pantry labels are another awesome option if you don't want to make your own!
Fine Point Paint Marker
Handwrite your labels with a paint marker! Use a cursive font for a chic look (this always looks good, even if you don't have the best handwriting!).
Terra Cotta Brown Sugar Saver
Add this adorable little guy to your brown sugar to keep it soft!
Baking Cupboard Organization
1. Assess What Isn’t Working & Make A Wish List
Before you start organizing, it’s always a good idea to take a few minutes to assess what isn’t working about your space currently. Jot down a list of the things that annoy you the most, what needs improving, and anything that is working just fine.
Now make a wish list of what you want out of an organized space. What would make it more functional? What do you want to improve? What kinds of things do you need a storage solution for? Write it all down!
What wasn’t working about my baking cabinet:
- it’s impossible to reach the things in the way back
- with only a little half shelf, there seems to be a lot of wasted space
- bags of flour and sugar don’t stack, get shoved to the back, and sometimes spill
- things fall out when I open the cabinet door
- I don’t have any idea what’s all in here
- it’s hard to tell when I’m getting low on something
My baking supply storage wishlist:
- less clutter
- a pull-out drawer so I can reach things in the back
- clear containers so I can see what I have at a glance
- a way to neatly stack things so they don’t fall over
- containers that will prevent spills
2. Pull Everything Out
The first step to any organizing project is to pull everything out of the space so you can see what you have. This also allows you to clean shelves and drawers and everything before you begin filling it back up.
I removed everything from our baking cupboard and spread it out on the kitchen island. This allowed me to actually see what I had and I quickly noticed things that I never use.
3. Purge, Purge, Purge!
And that brings us to the next step–purge like crazy! Before you do any organizing, take some time to sort through things.
- Toss anything that’s broken, expired, or clearly trash (aka my 4 expired cake mixes, squashed cupcake liners, and bits of paper that got ripped off the flour bag).
- Toss or donate things you never use (maybe that fancy cake decorating kit?).
- Toss or donate duplicates (half of my cookie cutters were duplicates of each other!).
4. Designate A Storage Space
Decide where you will store your baking items. This could be a kitchen cabinet or pantry, or I’ve even seen people get creative and store in a hutch or cabinet near their kitchen if kitchen space is really tight.
In addition to finding actual storage space, also try to think about where your baking supplies will be most convenient for you.
Once you’ve decided on a space, figure out a plan for what will go where and what type of containers will work best. Create a plan and take measurements of your cabinet before you go shopping for containers!
For us, upper cabinet space is prime real estate and since we don’t bake super often, I opted to store our baking supplies in a lower cabinet in our island. The location is convenient because we like to clear off the island and do all of our baking there.
To make our lower cabinet more functional, I added this pull-out drawer to the bottom of the cabinet. This is the first time I’ve used a product like this but I definitely plan to install them in other lower cabinets over time. It’s so useful! Now I can reach everything in the way back of the cabinet so nothing gets lost and forgotten back there.
This is the pull-out drawer I purchased, they have other sizes and styles, too, like a pull-out frying pan organizer that I just installed the other day.
5. Decant Ingredients Into Clear Pantry Containers
One of the best things you can do to create a beautifully organized pantry is to decant dry foods into clear pantry containers. Using uniform containers allows you to maximize your storage space and get rid of bulky packaging.
Another benefit of transferring your dry ingredients to clear containers is being able to see at a glance when you’re running low on something.
Note: Before you go on a container shopping spree, always do the earlier steps first. Purge and create a plan, measure your cabinet space, and then you can find the perfect containers.
I chose these clear canisters for our baking supplies because they are crystal clear and look beautiful, plus they’re modular so they all stack nicely. The three size options worked perfectly and I love that they are rectangular which maximizes every square inch of cabinet space better than round jars would.
I also added these cute clear scoops to the larger canisters. They’re so handy!
6. Corral Small Baking Items In Clear Pantry Bins
Now that you have all of your dry ingredients decanted into clear containers, take a few minutes to organize the rest of your smaller baking items (cupcake liners, food coloring, cookie cutters, etc.).
My favorite way to organize things like this is with these clear bins that have nice handles and are specifically designed to fit the depth of kitchen cabinets.
I used two clear bins to organize all of the smaller baking supplies on the small upper shelf. This is a big improvement since I can easily grab the bin’s handle and pull it out onto the island to access what I need (no more sticking my head halfway in the cabinet just to reach the things in the back!).
7. Add Pretty Pantry Labels
Lastly, label like crazy! Adding pretty labels is the perfect finishing touch to any pantry organizing project, in my opinion.
There are several ways you can create labels:
- DIY vinyl labels made with your Cricut (what I did)
- Handwritten with a chalk pen
- Label maker (this is the one I have and love!)
- Purchase pantry label stickers
I always use my Cricut Maker cutting machine to label clear containers like these. I stick with a simple Cricut Sans font and usually use white vinyl for a classy, clean look.
To create your own vinyl labels, measure your containers to figure out what size label you need and then design the labels in Cricut DesignSpace. Then you’ll cut them out on adhesive vinyl, weed the excess, and use transfer tape to stick the labels on the containers.
Related: DIY Labels Made With Vinyl And The Cricut Maker
I’m not a big baker, but I’ve definitely been doing more baking since organizing this cabinet! It’s so much more enjoyable to work in a clean and organized kitchen!
Adding that pull-out drawer was a huge improvement in the function in this lower kitchen cabinet and using those pretty clear pantry containers made all the difference in keeping things neat and organized.
Ready to jump into decluttering your house following the KonMari Method? Be sure to download the free checklist using the form below!
Download Your Free KonMari Checklist!
Review the rules, check off your progress, and see which category is next with this free KonMari checklist! Subscribe to have the free guide sent straight to your inbox. By downloading this guide, you will also receive weekly emails from me filled with organizing tips!
Looking for more kitchen organization ideas? Take a look at these:
- Organize Your Christmas Cookie Baking Schedule (Free Printables)
- How To Organize Your Small Pantry
- Organize Your Fridge From Top To Bottom
- Creating An Evening Kitchen Shutdown Routine (So Your Kitchen Is Always Clean!)
- DIY Labels Made With Vinyl And The Cricut Maker
Have a fantastic day!
I love how your baking supplies look in the containers. However, how do you keep track of expiration dates of the staples? For the glass jars I use for flour, sugar and other bulk items, I write the expiration date on freezer tape and place it on the lid. I also wash the jars before refilling. I would love to change to a more space saving system, but I’m wondering if the plastic containers leave water spots? Sometimes no matter how good of a drying job you think you’ve done with plastic, there’s still water spots. Of course, I live in an area with very hard water. Love your blog and great tips!
Hi Patty, thanks for leaving a comment! I typically write the expiration dates on the bottom of the containers with a chalk marker. For fridge items that expire faster, I use a dry erase marker on my containers. Usually I write the dates on the back or bottom of the containers. You system of labeling with freezer tape is perfect! I haven’t had a problem with water spots on these, I hand wash them and then make sure to thoroughly dry with a towel. That seems to be enough to keep the water spots away.