Spice rack ideas might sound a bit niche, but how often do you reach into the depths of your cupboards for cinnamon, only to come out with paprika? It's time to beautify your best spice rack furthermore, to make cooking a little more straightforward and, of course, to prevent any future bakes from coming out oddly in flavor. Cayenne cinnamon roll anyone? We didn't think so.
Choose a rack that suits your needs for starters and it'll make organizing spices more streamlined from the get-go.
No more will you open kitchen cabinet doors, only to enter a timewarp of outdated tarragon, pumpkin spice and more. Your spiced device could be wall-mounted, hidden in a drawer or neatly on your countertop, whatever it looks like, it should enhance and not hinder your kitchen storage.
So it's time to get organized and there are so many cool DIY looks and ways to store spices properly that it won't take so long and the end result will bring you total joy.
1. Choose a built-in spice rack
If you adore cooking and using spices, then it’s worth having a purpose-built spice rack incorporated into the wall at the design stage of your kitchen. It will become a seamless part of your kitchen and you will easily be able to see what you have, when you need it. Look out for cute little Kilner jars to keep your spices in.
2. Pick a freestanding option if cupboard space is tight
If your drawers are already full of useful kitchen paraphernalia and you love to have a large range of spices, then look for a freestanding rack that holds as many as possible, and some even come with a turning mechanism.
3. Store spices on the back of a door
Having a spice unit hung on the back of your door is a great solution if you don’t have room in your drawers and you don’t want to clutter up your worktop. Keep them super organized and place the ones you use the most in the middle of the rack for ease of use.
4. Keep all your spices in easy reach
This handy little number will keep your spice jars neat and tidy in your cupboard ready for when you need them, or if you have room on your worktop then keep them on there. There’s enough space for at least twelve of your favorites.
5. Pick up the ever-popular Ikea spice rack
If you love scandi style look out for a design that’s made from birch wood like Ikea's, it will work well in a pared back style kitchen. Having a spice rack that can be fixed to the wall is a great space saving option, it frees up drawers and worktops. If you have a big collection of spices then simply invest in two or three and make a feature of them.
6. Add a touch of industrial style
There’s something to be said for mixing up kitchen styles and we love this metal spice rack that sits on an exposed wall next to a Shaker style unit! The three generously sized shelves will give you plenty of room for your spices and wall-mounted is also a great option - keep your worktops clear is our motto!
7. An under shelf spice rack? Yes please
This clever design fits under your shelf so it will free up storage space on your worktop, shelves and cupboards. It fits neatly to the underside and holds up to 7 standard sized spice jars on their sides. You simply pull out the compartment when you need to retrieve your spices.
8. Make the most of your wall units
We love a bit of integration and this spice rack end unit is one of our favourites! The smart finish ensures that the spice jars fit in with the rest of the scheme and are held in place with the matt chrome metal bars that match the fixtures and fittings in the rest of the kitchen.
9. Pick up a spice caddy
This charming little spice holder ensures you can keep your spices together but have them to hand when you need them. They can sit on a windowsill or neatly on a shelf when not in use – and easy to carry with the wooden handle to boot! For similar try Target's iron and mangowood rack.
10. Make your base units work harder
Okay, so this is similar to the one we mentioned above that’s integrated into the wall unit, but this one is a base unit – different enough right? We like this idea as the shelves are quite deep so you can keep larger items on them alongside your spices.
11. Think outside the box
Baskets and wooden crates are useful pieces to have in a kitchen, they can store and hide all manner of things, including spice jars! If you don’t fancy the usual spice jar rack and like more of a freestanding feel then consider buying a few of these wooden crates to keep them in instead.
12. Make everything accessible
This stylish spice rack comes with the spices included – you get all the main ones like parsley, oregano, fennel and ground cinnamon and it has rose gold screw lids that are fixed so you simply reattach them after use. There are 16 jars altogether and the rack rotates so you can spin it round to find the ones you want. Check out this design for similar.
13. Pick a spice rack you can leave on display
You can keep this spice rack out on the side as it’s so beautifully designed. Made with a cork base, the five glass jars also have matching cork lids that will keep their contents super fresh until their next outing. We love the use of cork as it’s sustainable and definitely a material that is seeing a resurgence in interiors.
14. Use the back of your door
If you like to keep your spices hidden out of sight when not in use then consider this wall mounted spice rack. It can go on a wall or you can fix it to the back of a door as shown here - just make sure the door can still close once it’s fitted with the jars in place. The rack holds 16 jars and has a metal finish.
15. Use a spice rack as practical decor
You can be stylish even with the most mundane of items – which is why we like the look of this acacia wood spice rack that looks like it has a walnut veneer. It holds up to six bottles and can easily be wiped clean if it gets splashed during cooking. Another bonus is that it can be stored vertically and horizontally on your worktop or shelf.
16. Incorporate a custom built spice rack
If you’re having a remodel ask your joiner to create this mini alcove that sits right next to the countertop. It needn’t be much deeper than a standard spice jar – keep your most used at the bottom for easy reaching.
17. Hang your spices over a door with a hook design
Small kitchen? Look out for spice rack ideas that are also clever space saving solutions like Wayfair’s Dahlstrom 3-tier spice rack that cleverly hangs over a cabinet door or the side of your fridge - we love this idea!
It can hold 15 jars altogether and has seven handy hooks on the bottom that can hold utensils and towels.
18. Pop them in a drawer with an organizer
Ikea’s Uppdatera spice rack sits inside a drawer organizer and you can pop your spices into it and they will sit neatly ready for use. The bonus of them being in a drawer is that they’re out of the way when you’re not cooking – ideal if you love a more minimalist approach in your kitchen.
19. Or have them out on display
Wall-mounted spice rack ideas will keep your countertops clear which is always a bonus, especially when space is limited. Not only does this X-nrg Life design hold your most used spices, but also knives, towel bar and utensils. It’s made of sturdy aluminum and is lightweight too.
20. Tiered designs make for easy use
We love the simplicity of a tiered design, some are expandable too which is a great option. This design from Urban Deco is similar to the one professional home organizer, Britnee Tanner’s used here.
21. Create uniformity with glass jars and labels
‘Trending right now is an organized kitchen spice drawer. You can really make it stand out with a small investment in clear glass bottles and matching labels – the ones I use are budget friendly from Amazon and the spice drawer organizer is DIY,’ explains Kim Emery, owner and designer of Clipper City House blog.
‘Make it easy to locate the not so often used spices by alphabetizing! You can easily make a DIY custom spice rack drawer insert using wood.’
22. On view or out of sight?
This contemporary 2-tier spice rack is so stylish it would look peachy on your countertop or open plan shelving. Another bonus is that it’s foldable if you don’t want it out all the time. There’s one full depth shelf and one narrow one making it ideal for spices and oils.
23. Lacking cabinet space? Use your refrigerator!
Genius designs are worth their weight in gold, and that’s what you get with this magnetic spice rack from Wayfair. It can sit on the side of your refrigerator, or anything that’s magnetic and comes in white steel with a wooden bar across the front. There’s a non-slip rubber mat inside so the spice jars will keep still.
We asked Salt Lake City based professional home organizer Britnee Tanner for her top tips on organizing your spices:
What can be used as a spice rack?
Don't be afraid to get creative with spice racks! You can use a variety of options just remember to first measure your space. If you are storing spices in a cabinet, think about a Lazy Susan turntable or spice rack riser. This will allow you to use vertical space well so you can actually find all of your spices. If you are placing spices in a drawer, consider a drawer organizer as this will keep your spice labels visible and keep your spices from shifting around when you open and close the drawer.
How do you make a simple spice rack?
A 2-tier Lazy Susan turntable or even a cabinet shelf are the simplest forms of a spice rack. For larger cabinets, consider adding in your own stackable shelf.
Where do you put spices in a small kitchen?
A wall-mounted spice rack is a great option when you don't have cabinet or drawer storage. Another option is to find a stackable countertop spice rack. Both can work really well in small kitchens.
How do you store lots of spices?
The first thing I recommend if you have a lot of spices is to go through all of them first and look for any that are expired. After that, I recommend getting matching spice jars and labels. A unified spice jar approach allows all of your spices to fit perfectly in your cabinet or drawer so you don't have to try to make odd-sized containers fit together. Store any extra spices in a backstock bin on a top cabinet shelf or in your pantry where you can grab from when you need to restock.