Food is a crucial aspect of backpacking trips. You spend a lot of time planning, dreaming, and craving it, but you don't want to spend a lot of time making it. While commercial backpacking food is convenient, it can be expensive. This article provides you with easy and delicious backpacking meal ideas that you can create yourself.
Key Considerations for Backpacking Food
Good backpacking food should be shelf-stable, lightweight, nutritionally dense, and require little to no cooking. While canned items are non-perishable, they are too heavy and bulky for backpacking. Aim for a calorie count of 25-30 calories per pound of body weight per day.
Essential Gear
- Stove: Choose a backpacking stove with adjustable flame output to avoid scorching your food. The Soto Windmaster is a popular option.
- Pot: A pot size of at least 600mL-700mL per person is recommended.
- Utensil: A regular spoon-shaped utensil is preferable for one-pot cooking, as it allows you to scrape food bits out of the pot more easily.
- Pot Cozy (optional): A pot cozy helps save fuel and keeps your food warmer for longer.
Backpacking Breakfast Recipes
To get out of camp as early as possible, many backpackers opt for individually wrapped bars like granola, energy, or protein bars. These require no prep and can be eaten on the go, but they are not very satisfying. Here are some more filling and delicious breakfast options:
Granola with Powdered Milk and Dried Fruit
This is one of the easiest backpacking breakfasts. Measure out your favorite granola, add a tablespoon or two of powdered whole milk, and dried fruit. Place it all in a Ziploc bag. In camp, empty the bag into a bowl or mug and add boiling water.
Instant Oatmeal with Dried Fruit and Nuts
Pack a portion of instant oatmeal along with your favorite dried fruit and chopped nuts in a bag. A sprinkle of ground spices like cinnamon or ginger can add even more flavor. In camp, empty the bag into a bowl or mug and add boiling water. If instant oatmeal isn't your preference, you can use rolled oats, but you'll need to simmer it all in your pot.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
OvaEasy Egg Scramble with Hash Browns and Bacon Bits
This breakfast recipe has been a staple on guided trips since 2015. This meal is a favorite and goes on every backpacking trip. To make a scramble for two, pack ½ cup OvaEasy and 2 tablespoons of bacon bits (optional) in a bag. In camp, rehydrate the hash browns according to package directions. Heat the oil in your pot over medium heat and add the re-hydrated hash browns. Fry those for a couple of minutes. Then reduce the heat and move the hash browns to one side of the pot.
Breakfast Berry Cobbler
The Breakfast Berry Cobbler is a delicious and super easy to make recipe from The Backcountry Foodie. In a separate container, pack 1 tbsp of coconut oil. To make this one out on trail, boil ½ cup of water and then add both the boiling water and the single serving coconut oil packet to the dry berry mixture. Give it a stir and then add this to your backpacking food cozy and let it rehydrate for 10 minutes.
Breakfast Rolled Oats
You can never go wrong with having rolled oats or some type of oatmeal for breakfast. If you do want to take the time to cook breakfast, Breakfast Rolled Oats is a hearty and easy option. To make this one out on trail, start by boiling 1 cup of water. Then add the boiling water to your rolled oats mixture. Give it a little stir and then add it to your Backpacking Food Cozy and let it sit for 10 minutes. While the oats are rehydrating, mix together some water and powdered dry whole milk to make the milk for your oats.
Backpacking Lunch Recipes
The last thing you want to do in the middle of the day is dig your stove out of your packs and cook (and clean up) a hot meal. Cold-soaking is a method that requires nothing more than water and time. The following dehydrated meals are designed to be cold-soaked, making them perfect for lunches on the trail.
Cheese, Crackers and Salami
One of my all-time favorite backpacking meals is having cheese, crackers and salami together, which is also considered a no-cook option. This means you don’t need to pull out your backpacking stove for this one. You typically go for a peppered salami, but you can choose any type of shelf stable meat.
Read also: Healthy Eating on the Run
No-Cook Energy Drink
If you’re like me and find that you’re not super hungry when you wake up in the morning when out on trail, there’s always the option to drink the calories you need to get you going. When you’re ready to drink this one, simply add 1 cup of water to the powdered mix, shake and then enjoy.
Backpacking Dinner Recipes
Beans & Rice
This meal is a favorite. It goes on every single backpacking trip. I never get tired of it. Clients love this recipe. It’s rare that someone struggles to finish this meal. But if you have a smaller appetite, use less beans and rice (but keep the ratio). Pack ½ cup instant refried beans (or black beans), ½ cup instant rice, and 2 tsp taco seasoning in a bag. Bring along a 1oz of cheddar cheese and a 1 oz snack size bag of Fritos. In camp, bring 1¼ cup (300mL) water to a boil and add the beans, rice, and seasoning. Simmer for a few minutes until the rice is tender (or take it off the heat and put it in your pot cozy after you stir in all the ingredients). For short trips (like a weekend), individually packaged cheddar cheese has a decent enough shelf life and are a good option for their melt-ability. If you’re going on a longer trek, hard cheese are a better choice so choose an aged cheddar instead.
Peanut Noodles
For years Peanut Noodles has been a crowd favorite, usually ranking just below the world famous Beans & Rice. This backpacking dinner recipe goes on every single guided trip and on most personal trips, especially if I have a prepared batch of sauce already in the fridge.
Polenta
Like instant potatoes, polenta absorbs a significant amount of water, at a 4:1 volume ratio. So this meal cooks bigger than the two-ounce serving would suggest.
Fried Rice
This is probably the most “complicated” of the recipes on this list. Using OvaEasy Eggs, instant rice, and freeze dried veggies, this Fried Rice is such a treat-and a reader favorite! Bag 3: 1 cup dehydrated or freeze dried veggies + 1 vegetable bouillon cube + ½ tsp. brown sugar + ½ tsp. Mix the OvaEasy with 3 oz. water in your cookpot and stir to blend. Place the pot on your stove over low heat and scramble, stirring frequently so the egg doesn’t stick to the bottom. Then add 1 ¼ cups of water and the contents of the veggies + spices bag to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the veggies are soft (about 5 minutes). Add the instant rice, stir, and remove the pot from the heat and cover.
Read also: Mobile Dining Revolution
Pesto Pasta
For one serving, pack 3oz of angel hair pasta in one bag. In a separate bag, measure out 2 tablespoons of Knorr Pesto sauce mix, a parmesan cheese packet (or 1 tbsp grated parm), a handful of sun-dried tomatoes, and a tablespoon of pine nuts. In camp, add the pasta to your pot and just barely cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the pasta is tender (or boil for 1 minute and then place it in your pot cozy if using). If there is a lot of water left, drink it or discard following Leave No Trace (see below) so there’s only ~¼ cup remaining.
Pad Thai Noodles
This zippy, slightly spicy noodle dish is reminiscent of Pad Thai. For one serving, pack 3 oz of rice noodles or a packet of ramen noodles (toss the seasoning pouch). In a separate bag, measure out a tablespoon of brown sugar, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp crushed chili pepper flakes (adjust for spice tolerance), and 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts. Bring a packet of peanut butter and a packet of True Lime. If you prefer, you can swap the chili flakes with a single serve packet of sriracha. In camp, place the noodles into your pot along with the veggies if you’re adding them, and just barely cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the noodles are tender. If a lot of water remains, drink it or discard following Leave No Trace (see below) so there’s only ~¼ cup remaining.Set aside the True Lime packet and then stir in the remaining ingredients to create the sauce.
Ramen Noodles
For one serving, mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon each sesame oil and sriracha (tinker with this depending on your spice tolerance) and store it in a sealed container. Place ½ cup freeze dried vegetables (like these) and ¼ cup dried shiitake mushrooms in a baggie along with a ramen packet-throw out the seasoning packet. In camp, place the dry ingredients in your pot and cover with water.
Couscous with Apricots and Almonds
Couscous is such an easy starting point for a bunch of different trail meals. For two servings, pack ½ cup couscous, 1 cup dried chopped apricots, ¼ cup sliced almonds, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 4 teaspoons ras el hanout, and one packet of True Lemon in a bag. Then, bring along 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sealed container or 2 olive oil packets. On trail, boil 5 oz of water (a little more than ½ cup) and then add everything to the pot. Cover and remove from the heat-the cous cous will take about 5 minutes to fluff up.
Mac & Cheese
Is there anything better than a bowl of creamy mac and cheese? Grab a box of store-bought mac & cheese, then pack a ¼ cup or so of dehydrated vegetables and your favorite seasoning blend. Add in bacon bits, dried beef bits, instant beans, or even a chopped up Epic bar or tuna packet to add some protein. In camp, place all the ingredients into the pot and add water to just barely cover it. Bring it to a boil and then simmer, stirring frequently, until everything is cooked through (you can add more water if needed).
BBQ Mac N Cheese
The BBQ Mac N Cheese recipe is probably one of my most favorite out all of the grocery store backpacking meals featured in this post. To make this one out on trail, start by boiling 1 cup of water. Add the boiling water to ½ cup of shell noodles in either a Freezer Ziplock quart-sized bag or some type of reusable food container that can withstand boiling water. Once the noodles are done rehydrating, drain any extra water.
One Pot Thanksgiving Dinner
If you’ve seen some of my previous backpacking food recipe videos on my YouTube Channel, The Hungry Hiker, you might have noticed that the One Pot Thanksgiving Dinner isn’t a new cheap and easy grocery store backpacking meal featured on my channel. When you’re ready to make this one out on trail, boil 1 and ½ cups of water and add to the dry potato/stuffing mixture. Once rehydrated, add a 2.6 oz pouch of pre-cooked white chicken breast and ½ cup of fried onions. Stir and serve.
Cheesy Chicken Casserole
The Cheesy Chicken Casserole is the most expensive backpacking meal featured in this post, but it has the most base options when putting this one together. You can either use Stove Top Stuffing, instant rice or couscous as a base for this one. To make the Cheesy Chicken Casserole, start by boiling 1 cup of water. Then, add either the stuffing, instant rice or couscous and a 1.4 oz bag of dried broccoli bites to the boiling water in a Freezer Ziplock quart-sized bag or some type of reusable food container that can withstand boiling water. Once rehydrated, add a 4 oz Velveeta Cheese sauce pouch, a whole 2.6 oz pouch of pre-cooked chicken breast, crispy fried onions and then stir.
Ramen Bombs
First, start by boiling 1 and ½ cups of water. Add ramen noodles and boiling water into a Freezer Ziplock quart-sized bag or some type of reusable food container that can withstand boiling water, like this CNOC Outdoors Buc Food Bag.
Backpacking Dessert Recipes
Fruit Crisp
Why not end your day with the easiest one pot backpacking dessert?! Fruit crisp is our favorite sweet treat and it’s dead simple to prep and make. The basic recipe is 1-1.5 oz of freeze dried fruit (apples, berries, peaches, or a combination), 3 sugar packets, and a half cup of granola. In camp, add the fruit and sugar to your pot with about ½ cup water and bring to a simmer. Simmer (stir frequently) until the fruit is soft-add more water as needed. There are so many ways to customize this basic recipe-add warming spices, nuts, or switch up the fruit.
Additional Backpacking Food Ideas
- Chicken, tuna, and salmon packets
- Beef jerky and dried meats
- Cheese (hard cheeses are more shelf-stable)
- Granola, energy, and meal bars
- Trail mix, nuts, and dried fruit
- Peanut and almond butter packets
- Powdered hummus
- Tortillas
- Dark chocolate
- Coffee and tea (instant options are lightweight)
- Instant noodles and pasta
- Instant soup packets
Tips for Preparing Backpacking Meals
- Make-Ahead Meals: Prep meals at home so you can quickly heat them at your campsite.
- Just Add Water Meals: Combine dried ingredients and add water to cook at your campsite.
- Collect Condiment Packets: Save condiment packets from restaurants and takeout to add flavor to your meals.
Leave No Trace
Biodegradable soap needs the microorganisms found in soils in order to break down. Leave No Trace recommends digging a cathole 6” deep to dispose of dishwater, and then burying it.
tags: #healthy #backpacking #meals #recipes