If your seasonings and spices live in a jumble of half-empty jars and mystery lids, you’re not alone. Most of us aren’t lucky enough to have a walk-in pantry or a perfectly labeled drawer system. The good news is that getting your spices in order doesn’t take a full kitchen makeover — it’s all about finding small, smart fixes that make everyday cooking feel smoother.
While there are plenty of tips and tricks for organizing spices (more on that below!), sometimes a simple buy is all you need. A good organizer saves time, cuts stress, and ideally keeps your kitchen tidier for years to come. Here are 12 options that actually work in real homes, whether you’ve got one drawer to spare or a crowded countertop.
But that’s not all! Aside from smart organizers you can use all over your kitchen, it can be helpful to know smart tips and tricks that make keeping your spices tidy even easier. Here are some to keep in your back pocket.
The 10 Easiest Tricks for Organizing Spices
Here are 10 of the most creative (and convenient) methods to store all your spices — no matter how much cabinet space you have available.
1. In a Drawer
Storing your spices in a drawer can save cabinet space and make your go-to seasonings super easy to grab in a pinch (pun intended!). If you don’t have room to lay the jars down, consider dropping them into a drawer so that they’re standing up. Just be sure to label the tops of the jars so you can see what’s what.
2. In Deli Containers
3. With Tension Rods
Easily increase your cabinet space by installing a tension rod so you can stack smaller spice containers on top of bigger ones. You can also use this trick if you have tall drawers!
4. Under Cabinets
Another clever way to turn wasted space into storage space: Use the bottom of your upper cabinets! Simply adhere magnets to glass jar lids and hang a magnetic knife strip beneath the cabinet. You can easily see and grab what you need, and you won’t be using up valuable real estate inside your cabinets.
5. On Picture Ledges
6. On the Side of Your Fridge
Decant your spices into magnetic tins and stash them on the side of your fridge. You’ll always be able to see what you have (as long as you label them), they’ll all be easy to grab, and you’ll free up cabinet space.
7. On a Pegboard
8. On a Lazy Susan
9. On the Backs of Cabinet Doors
There are all sorts of special organizers you can buy for your spices. This one just might be the coolest one, though, because it mounts onto the back of your cabinet doors and uses an otherwise wasted space.
10. On a Rolling Utility Cart
Who knew a small amount of structure could make your kitchen feel so different? When everything has a spot, cooking feels calmer and more enjoyable. You don’t need to go out and buy a dozen jars at once. Just pick one area to start!
Maybe it’s a drawer that’s been bothering you for months, or that one cabinet that’s always a little too full. Once you organize it, you’ll wonder why you waited so long. Because when your spices finally make sense, the rest of your kitchen somehow follows.