28" is acceptible an 32" is generous.

A wide walker is around 28-30 inches at the base. Walkers have those nifty baskets, so going in and out of your pantry using a walker would be fine with a 32 inch opening. Standard wheelchair width is 28 inches - so a 32 inch opening should be fine, but you won't have enough width to turn around, so consider if you would ever go in with a wheelchair.

We are planning for similar needs. We are making our bedroom, bathroom, shower, back door, and mud room 36 inches so someone pushing us along and turning corners has ample room. The pantry and other non-essential room doors will be 32.

We are putting a 32" door to our walk in pantry. My fridge will also be in there, it's just under 29" wide. I added a dedicated circuit for the fridge. My pantry is 10x10, with two closets cutting into it so it's not perfect square shape.

A full sized fridge will need 36" door to be able to install/replace it.

I'm surprised GauchoGordo said 28" is fine - my builder refused to make my 36" wide pantry any deeper than 24" b/c he said the 30" door wasn't wide enough. Though he put in a 36" x 37" linen closet with a 24" door at the end of my tub! And would have made the 24" wide linen closet in the hallway that deep too if I hadn't insisted that he use the space between that and the tub/shower in the hall bath for a hamper alcove.

The pantry backs up to a 54"x37" coat closet - so should I make the pantry a foot deeper, take the space out of the coat closet (that's so deep I store my vacuum in there, in front of the coats)? Might have to move the coat closet door a couple of inches to get the full foot though. Other than redoing the tile floors (which need to be re-set anyway, long story) in the 2 closets, I think it's a pretty simple matter of taking out the drywall, 1 stud, moving that stud a foot, and 1 sheet (4x8) of new drywall?

Is it worth it to gain a foot in depth in the pantry? I hate the 16" deep wire shelves in there (and the linen closets) now, was thinking that a 3ft deep pantry would allow me to put 18" deep wooden shelves along the back, 3ft width would allow for 8" deep x 18" long wooden shelves (for small cans/jars) along each side, or maybe 12"x 18" shelves on the hinge side and nothing on the other (except maybe griddle in box, large cooling rack I have shoved into the middle under the shelves now - rack can even be hung on the wall)? Be easier to get at smaller items with shallow shelving to the side, rather than digging things out from deeper shelves?

Thanks everyone. I will stick with the 36 door. There is already duct work in there.

I have a 36" door and have never thought twice about it.