20 Spice Rack Ideas for Better Organization

Pretty and clever ways to keep spices organized

All kitchens share one universal feature: they all have a designated space for spices (and yes that space may just be haphazardly thrown in a cabinet). These spice storage ideas will not only make your spices look aesthetically pleasing thanks to uniform containers or pretty labels, but they'll also make this notoriously disorganized part of a kitchen neat and easy to work with. With just a little bit of work, you'll get major payoff from an organized spice rack idea that doesn't leave you wondering where the cumin is or why you have two jars of turmeric.

Arrange With Risers

It doesn't get much more organized (or aesthetically pleasing) than alphabetized spices on risers. The bigger labels mean you can see what you have, even for spices in the way back— it also helps that these are arranged in a "window view" which means no spice is blocking another.

Use Clean Labels

This organized spice drawer offers an excuse to break out the label maker. One of the upsides of using pull-out drawers for spices is that you can see everything you have just by doing a quick glance. Labels keep it organized and clean, and the wide lids assure even larger spices, like star anise or cinnamon sticks, are easy to get in and out of the jar.

Label the Tops

Stacking square spice bottles in a cabinet and labeling their tops is such a clever and efficient way to store your spices. It will always assure you on what you have so you don't wind up with three jars of cinnamon. These are store-bought plastic jars which the creator added custom labels to the lids.

Arrange Uniformly

If you have a wide drawer without a lot of depth, it can be a great spot for storing spices. The glass jars look super pretty and uniform, plus it's easy for sticky labels to adhere to flat glass surfaces.

Use a Corner Cabinet

A narrow pullout pantry can pretty much only be used for spice storage, but it's perfect for that job. Often these type of drawers are found near or in blind corner cabinets, and using these small or awkward spaces for spices works well.

Alphabetize Your Spices

It can totally work to split your spices into two drawers, though it probably makes more sense to keep them alphabetized (as they are in the photo) so you know what spice is where. Rounded drawer inserts are helpful to keep round jars from rolling, and this way they'll stay label side up.

Utilize a Lazy Susan

A revolving tray can easily become a spice rack. One quick turn lets you see everything you have without shuffling a bunch of spices around. Keeping it alphabetical means you always know how far you have to turn to get what you're looking for.

Label With a Bigger Font

Smaller jars not only fit neatly in a drawer, but they also ensure that your spices stay at their peak freshness. Plus, any excuse to bust out the label maker is great in our book.

Write Out Labels

If you have penmanship this pretty, you might as well show it off by labelling the top of your spice jars. And even if you don't have the best handwriting, use a marker or a label maker to label the tops works well when your spices are in a deep drawer.

Design a Spice Drawer

If you're lucky enough to design your dream kitchen from scratch, definitely consider a custom spice drawer. This one has holders for keeping spices in place, plut it's roomy enough for tons of options. Baskets of spice packets right next to the drawer are handy when it comes to meal prep.

Use Multiple Lazy Susans

You won't spend a bunch of time searching for that random spice your recipe calls for when you arrange your spices and cooking oils on rotating racks or lazy susans. Splitting them up by type is also a good idea, as most turning racks aren't large enough for all your spices.

Take Advantage of Your Back Door

If your kitchen is on the smaller side or you just appreciate a great use of space, consider adding a beautiful spice rack to the back of a door or inside a cabinet. This custom made rack fits neatly on a pantry door.

Consider Open-Shelving

When your spices are this organized, you'll want to show them off with open shelving. For a spice system like this to look its best, it's important to have uniform jars that go with the look of the kitchen. We love how these jar tops match the rails on the shelving itself.

Get Creative With Pop-tops

These may be pantry staples, but this organized system would work well for extra spices. Pop-top containers keep everything fresh, and if you're just need a quick tablespoon of something, you don't need to pull out the whole canister.

Place Risers in Your Pantry

One way to make the most of your pantry space is to use risers. Not only do wooden riser tiers look chic, but they allow you to see all the spices you have and access the ones in the back without needing to shuffle all the jars around.

Label With Post-Its

We love an in-progress picture. If you're not sure where to begin when it comes to organizing your spices, it helps to remove the labels from store-bought jars or decant them all together into new jars. Then, use Post-It notes to see what you have and create an interim label system.

Create Rising Rows in Your Cabinet

This space rack organization is so beautiful you may not want to close the cabinet door. Risers keep everything looking neat, and lesser used spices can be stored up top. You can see that everyday items, like salt, pepper, and olive oil go on the rotating tray for easy access.

Have a Pull-Out System

These black spice labels with white lettering look rustic and pretty. Beyond being aesthetically pleasing, it's an example of how perfect a pull-out pantry is for spices; they fit in those awkward, narrow kitchen spaces, and you can easily see everything you have.

Customize Your Own Labels

Not sure you can write small enough for these labels? No worries, you can buy pre-written labels or customize your own online and place the stickers onto the bottles once they come in the mail.

Make Narrow Spaces Your Spice Storage

These homeowners found the perfect spot for spice storage. Some walls will only allow for a narrow, shallow cabinet. While at first it may seem pointless, it's a beautiful, out of sight way to organize spices and other everyday cooking essentials like oils and salt.

Space organization can be easy and fun once you hone in on your vision. These spice organization ideas will help get you started.