13 Dorm Kitchen Essentials
Looking for the complete list of dorm kitchen essentials?
Here is everything you need to make a kitchen area in your college dorm room!
Most traditional dorm rooms do not come with any type of kitchen space or kitchen appliances. You might have a common kitchen on your hall to share with the other residents, but that’s it!
So if you want to have a kitchen area in your dorm room, you’ll have to take a DIY approach. These are my top 15 dorm kitchen essentials!
Related: 25 Dorm Room Essentials That Will Save Your Life
1. Mini Fridge
A mini fridge is a must-have dorm kitchen essential. It’s also one of the pricier things you can get for your dorm room, but trust me, it’s well worth the cost if you want to keep any cold/frozen food in your room!
This (along with any other appliances on this list) is a great thing to split the cost of with your roommate if you will both be using it!
2. Mini Fridge Stand
Another dorm kitchen essential is a mini fridge stand. It gives you something to set your mini fridge on so it’s not sitting on the floor, and it has two storage drawers you can use for plates, food containers, etc.
I also like that this mini fridge stand is wheeled, making it easy to move if you are rearranging your dorm room. Though a mini fridge might be small, it’s actually quite heavy, so a wheeled stand will make it much easier to move!
3. Microwave
Getting a microwave is a must for your dorm room. You can make SO many things in the microwave. (Don’t believe me? Check out this list of 25 Microwave Mug Meals You Can Make in Your Dorm for some ideas.)
This is another more expensive item, but one you can split with your roommate.
4. Food Storage
I love the ideas of using a three tiered cart for food storage in your dorm room.
You can use this to store any type of dry food like granola bars, chips, popcorn, cereal, etc. It’s super practical AND super cute!
5. Food Containers
Food containers are a must-have for dorm kitchens. These airtight containers are great for storing leftovers or doing meal prep.
5. Refrigerator Caddy
How smart of an idea is this refrigerator caddy?! It hangs over your mini fridge and lets you store all your utensils and plates.
6. Tableware/Utensils
It’s a good idea to have a set of reusable tableware and utensils in your dorm room. This set with four cups, plates, and bowls, is the perfect size because you don’t want these items to take up too much storage space in your dorm room.
7. Coffee Maker
A Mini Keurig coffee maker is the perfect coffee maker for your dorm room!
They are super compact and hardly take up any space, making this the perfect coffee maker to fit into your dorm kitchen area.
8. Filtering Pitcher
A Brita filtering water pitcher is an underrated dorm kitchen essential.
My roommate and I had one of these and we would fill it up in the shared hall kitchen in our dorm, then use it to refill our water bottles or water plants throughout the day. Super helpful to have in your dorm room!
9. Ziploc Bags
Ziploc sandwich bags are something you always want to have on hand for packing food and other miscellaneous items. Grab a big box of these and they should last you throughout the school year!
10. Paper Towels
Another really helpful thing to have in your dorm room kitchen is paper towels. (Don’t forget a paper towel roll holder as well!)
11. Chip Clips
The last thing you want is to attract any bugs or other unwanted pests in your dorm room by leaving food out! (Plus, it’s really annoying when someone leaves chips open and they get stale… just saying.)
Be sure to get some chip clips to close up any snack items in your dorm room.
12. Electric Hot Pot
An electric hot pot is such a genius addition to any dorm kitchen. If you aren’t familiar with these things, you can basically use them to cook anything!
Just a few examples of things you can cook in an electric hot pot include rice, ramen noodles, soup, oatmeal, eggs, and more. If your dorm does not allow microwaves in the dorm rooms (which some do not – make sure to check before you move in!) then this is a good alternative.
13. Magic Bullet
A Magic Bullet blender is the perfect thing to have in your dorm room kitchen area if you are a fan of making smoothies!
The Magic Bullet is super compact and takes up very little space, and you can whip up an easy smoothie for breakfast or a snack in just a few minutes.
College Dorm Kitchen Essentials
This post showed you the best dorm kitchen essentials for college students.
For even more dorm room essentials, be sure to check out the following posts:
- 11 Dorm Bedding Essentials You Need for College
- 6 Dorm Bathroom Essentials Every Freshman Needs
- 10 Dorm Room Organization Essentials You Need
- The Ultimate College Packing List
If you have some questions, don’t hesitate to email us.
