In addition to transcriptome and proteome studies, metabolome analysis represents a third complementary approach to identify metabolic pathways and adaptation processes. In order to elucidate basic principles of metabolic versatility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we investigated the metabolome profiles of two genetically and morphologically divergent strains, the reference strain PAO1 and the mucoid clinical isolate TBCF10839 in exponential growth and stationary phase in six different carbon sources (cadaverine, casamino acids, citrate, glucose, succinate and tryptone). Both strains exhibited strong similarities in mode of growth; the metabolite patterns were mainly defined by the growth condition. Besides this adaptive response, a basic core metabolism shapes the P. aeruginosa metabolome, independent of growth phase, carbon source and genetic background. This core metabolism includes pathways related to the central energy and amino acid metabolism. These consistently utilized metabolic pathways are closely related to glutamate which represents a dominant metabolite in all conditions analysed. In nutrient‐depleted media of stationary phase cultures, P. aeruginosa maintains a specific repertoire of metabolic pathways that are related to the carbon source formerly available. This specified adaptation strategy combined with the invariant basic core metabolism may represent a fundamental requirement for the metabolic versatility of this organism.