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Pantry generator

What can I cook tonight?

Type what's on your shelves. We'll return three real recipes you can pull off with what you have - plus matches from our catalog.

Your recipes will appear here.

We start with a filled-out example - just hit Generate.

Pantry Recipe Generator: Cook What You Already Have

List the ingredients you actually have, and this tool suggests three dinners built around them instead of sending you back to the shop. Each idea comes with the method, so you can start cooking straight away.

How it works

  1. 1Type your ingredients in plain language, for example chicken thighs, rice, half an onion, frozen peas.
  2. 2Add anything you want to avoid, like a diet, an allergen or the oven if it is too hot to use it.
  3. 3You get three dinners with steps, and a note where a swap or a small extra would improve the result.
  4. 4Assume you have salt, fat, an acid and a couple of spices. Those four are what turn ingredients into a meal.

Real examples

Eggs, potatoes, onion, spinach
A crisp potato hash with wilted greens and eggs on top, in the spirit of our sweet potato breakfast hash.
Tinned chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, garlic, pasta
A 20-minute chickpea and tomato skillet, or the pasta version if you want it stretched further.
Tortillas, black beans, cheese, lime
Smoky black bean tacos with a quick squeeze of lime to wake everything up.

Good to know

  • Ingredient ideas are only as good as the list you type, so include the seasonings and fats you have.
  • It suggests cooking, not food safety. If something has been open or cooked for a while, check storage guidance before using it.
  • Nutrition and diet notes are general cooking guidance, not medical or clinical advice.

Frequently asked

Do I have to list every ingredient?
No. Five or six real items is plenty. Mentioning your fats, acids and spices gets you better ideas.
Is the pantry recipe generator free?
Yes. Generating ideas is free. A free Kitchen Tutor Academy account lets you save what you liked and keep a pantry list.
What if I only have pantry staples?
That is still a meal. Beans, tinned tomato, pasta, rice and eggs cover a lot of dinners.

Recipes to try it on

Learn the technique

Kitchen Tutor Academy's Culinary School lessons walk through the fundamentals behind these decisions, one chapter at a time.

More tools

Cooked more than you needed? Turn the extras into a second meal. Open the Leftover Generator