Quick Easy Meals to Make for Backpacking

Meal planning for your next backpacking trip? We've compiled our favorite backpacking food, ingredients, and meal ideas to help you get started. Find out what food is best for hiking, discover new ingredients, and get inspired by some delicious new backpacking meals.

Let's clear the air here: There is no shame in relying on packaged food for your backpacking trips! We get it. Not everyone has time to make their own backpacking meals before setting off on a trip (if you do have time, we have a whole post about dehydrating food for backpacking!).

We're speaking from experience here: In 2019, we hiked the JMT for our honeymoon. Organizing and dehydrating 18 days' worth of food was the last thing we had time for while planning a wedding.

So, we did what many people do before a backpacking trip: raid the shelves of REI and our grocery store for anything and everything that looks tasty!

In this post, we share our favorite backpacking food ideas from hundreds of miles hiked over the past few years. We hope this article gives you some new delicious trail food ideas!

What makes for good backpacking food?

There are a few factors to keep in mind when determining whether a food is good for backpacking: shelf-stable, weight, calorie density, and cook speed.

Shelf-Stable: It's important to use ingredients that can be stored at room temperature. You can get away with bringing some things like cheese or salami if you eat them in the first few days, but for the most part, you want to skip anything perishable.

Lightweight: Since you have to carry it every step of the way, backpacking food should be as lightweight as possible. Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods tend to be lightest, though there are plenty of grocery store options we'll review as well.

Calorie Dense: Backpacking takes a lot of energy, so you need food that can properly refuel you. When we plan our backpacking food, we try to average 125+ calories per ounce to keep the weight down.

Cooking Time: Consider how much patience you have to cook your food and how much fuel you will be bringing. Quicker cooking foods tend to be preferred by most backpackers for fuel conservation.

How much food should you pack for backpacking?

Backpacker.com suggests that for most backpackers who plan on hiking all day with a heavier pack, you should aim for 25-30 calories per pound of body weight, per day. If you're going to do a shorter day of hiking (less than 2 hours) or covering less strenuous terrain, you can scale it down to 21-25 calories per pound of body weight, per day.

Instead of eating just three meals per day like you might at home, aim to eat throughout the day and consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour ( source ) to keep your energy high and prevent hitting the wall.

These, of course, are just a starting point and you should adjust based on your own experience. If you're going to do a longer backpacking trip like the JMT, do a few weekend shakedown trips to get a sense of what your appetite is like.

Backpacking breakfasts

A good day on the trail starts with a solid breakfast. If you want to get through the morning without "bonking", it's best to start with some calories in the tank. Thankfully there's a lot more on the menu than just instant oats. Here are some great backpacking breakfasts to check out.

Wild Zora

Offering healthy backpacking meals for a range of diets, Wild Zora has quite a few breakfast options. Their signature grain-free instant breakfast cereal is available in Apple Pie, Blueberry Muffin, Banana Bread, Carrot Cake, Tropical Tart. They also have a limited line of AIP (auto-immune protocol) breakfasts as well!

Instant oatmeal

Instant oatmeal is quick, easy, cheap, and totally customizable. Just add hot water.Pro Tip: Use the packet as your bowl. Just tear off the top, pour the water in, and stir. The bag will get hot, but won't leak. Up the calories by adding coconut or whole milk powder, or stirring in a packet of nut butter.

Bobo's Oat Bars

A no-cook "breakfast" bar is a great grab-and-go option for any who want to streamline their morning routine. It can also be nice for people who don't wake up hungry and like to wait a little bit before eating. We particularly like Bobo's Oat Bars for breakfast, which pack 340+ calories into a 3oz bar.

Greenbelly Mud Meal

Another quick, no-cook breakfast is a meal replacement shake, like Greenbelly's MUD Meal. The name aside, it's actually a really tasty drink and we find that it mixes into cold water a lot better than many other protein powders.

Instant Coffee

There has been a huge improvement in the QUALITY of instant coffee in recent years. Our top go-to favorites are Mt. Hagen and Alpine Start.

Instant Tea

Prefer tea over coffee? No worries. Check out Instant Tea from Cusa, with flavors like English Breakfast, Chai, and Earl Grey. These tea packets dissolve entirely into the water, so there's no soggy tea bag to pack out with you.

Backpacking lunches, snacks, and bars

When backpacking, the goal is to consume a constant stream of calories throughout the day. This slow-drip offers your body a consistent and stable fuel source, preventing your blood sugar from taking a nosedive (i.e. bonking).

So we like to think of hiking as one long, moveable feast. Lots of little snacks here and there, a big snack in the middle of the day (otherwise called lunch) and then more snacking throughout the afternoon. The key to making this work is variety. Don't get burnt out eating the same thing over and over.

DIY Cold Soak Meals

If you have access to a food dehydrator, try making your own cold soak meals using a variety of pasta, beans, and veggies. Check out these recipes to start: Pasta Salad or Cowboy Caviar.

These premium grade, line-caught tuna packets are packed in oil for extra calories.

If salmon is more your speed, Patagonia Provisions has some awesome options.

SPAM also comes in a foil packet and can be a nice change of pace from seafood. We were hesitant about this one, but it's actually very tasty.

NB: Make sure you're buying the foil packets, not cans!

Packaroons

These macaroons pack in 170 calories per ounce, so they definitely pull their weight (pun intended) in your pack. They come in a few flavors including Amaretto, Blueberry Almond, and Sweet Coconut.

Energy Bars

Our best advice when packing bars is to go for VARIETY. Don't just load up on your favorite bar for a multi-day hike. Because after your trip, it won't be your favorite anymore. There are more energy bar companies out there then we can keep track of, but here are some of our favorite brands: Bobo, RX Bars, Patagonia Provisions, GoMacro, Lara Bar, Dang, Bearded Brothers, Aloha, and 88 Acres Seed Bars.

Energy Cookies& More

If you prefer your energy bars in a circular shape, then may we suggest the burgeoning energy cookie scene. We are fans of MunkPack Cookies, Lenny & Larry Cookies, and 2Betties (GF, grain-free, dairy free).

Nut butter

On a tortilla or straight from the packet (guilty as charged!), nut butter is a great addition to trail lunches. Justin's, Rx, and TrailButter are all great places to start. Our favorite on the JMT was RX Vanilla Almond Butter (sweet manna from heaven!).

Seed Butter

Allergic to nuts? No worries, 88 Seed Butters is a nut-free company that offers a wide range of packable seed butter.

Jerky and meat bars

Jerky and meat bars tend to be a little low on calories, but high in protein – which is critical for muscle repair. We like Epic Provisions and Wild Zora. On longer multi-day hikes, these are good to eat towards the end of the day to help your body repair.

DIY Jerky

If you have a little bit of experience using a dehydrator, try your hand at making your own jerky! The flavor combinations are endless! Here's our basic beef jerky recipe, and one for teriyaki beef jerky.

Honey Stinger Waffles

A quick hit of energy, Honey Stingers Waffles are a great little maintenance snack. Perfect for when you're feeling a little low-energy and need a little extra zip to get you up the next hill. They have a variety of flavors to choose from, and some even have a bit of caffeine for an extra little boost.

Quinn Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels

We are absolute fiends for peanut butter-filled pretzels. What mad hatter came up with the crazy idea, we don't know. But they're amazing. Quinn has a variety of flavors worth checking out like Maple Almond Butter, Dark Chocolate-y, and classic peanut butter.

Love Corn

Speaking of something crunchy, Love Corn is a line of crunchy corn (remember Corn Nuts?). Some of their flavors include sea salt, smoked BBQ, salt & vinegar, and habanero chili. Obviously, these are great by the handful, but they can also be added to any freeze-dried or dehydrated meal to give them a little crispy, crunchy texture.

Oloves

We absolutely love olives when backpacking. Not only are they loaded with calories, but they offer a momentary burst of savory refinement that is hard to compare. Instant morale booster. We are therefore big fans of Oloves packable olives. Enjoy them on their own, or with the above-mentioned hummus and chips spread.

Trail mix, nuts, and dried fruit

Packing an assortment of trail mix, nuts, and dried fruits is a great way to have some calorie-boosts on hand to eat while hiking (there's a reason GORP has been handed down through the generations!). Our favorite places for nuts and dried fruit in bulk are Nuts.com and Trader Joe's. You can find some of our favorite trail mix recipes here.

Candy

The snack we didn't pack for the JMT but we wish we did? Candy! We're not candy people normally, but the calorie and mid-day sugar boost would have been awesome. Haribo Gummy Bears, Swedish Fish, or Jelly Belly's "Sports Beans" are all good picks. Whatever you pick, make sure it won't be too melty.

Backpacking dinners

After a long and exhausting day on the trail, we can't help but develop great expectations for dinner. Which is why it's so important to find a meal that will end your day on a happy and satisfying note.

While there are more backpacking dinner options to choose from than ever before, our suggestion is to pick meals that sound appetizing to you now. If you're not an adventurous eater at home, then you're likely not going to magically become one on the trail.

Good-To-Go

Producing dehydrated backpacking meals from quality ingredients, Good To-Go has really expanded its lineup in the past few years. We'll be honest, in our personal experience, we've had some winner and loser meals from them. Nothing was bad, we just found a few meals to be tragically undersalted. Meals to check out:

• Mushroom Risotto
• Thai Curry
• Chicken Pho (We haven't had it, but we're very intrigued)

Next Mile Meals

Next Mile Meals is a newer company based in Oregon that focuses on keto-friendly backpacking meals. These meals are high in fats and proteins, and low in carbs and sugars. Even if you're not following a Keto diet, their meals sound like a fresh approach compared to other carb-heavy brands. They have a small product line but with meals like Italian Meatball and Chicken & Broccoli Casserole, they sound promising!

Wild Zora

Based in Colorado, Wild Zora specializes in low sugar, high-protein, gluten-free, and Paleo backpacking meals. They also offer a line of AIP (autoimmune protocol) meals. If you have any dietary restrictions, this is a great company to check out. We've heard great things about the Chili and Chicken Curry and the Bedrock Beef Chili.

Grocery Store Favorites

Whether you're making your own meals or looking for a way to stretch a freeze-dried meal, there are a bunch of store-bought ingredients you can pack along.

• Idahoan Potatoes: These are great to add to freeze-dried meals that are on the saucy side (like beef stroganoff).
• Stovetop Stuffing: Another favorite to have on hand as a "side" or in packaged meals. Combine it with instant potatoes for a Thanksgiving Bowl!
• Ramen: Does it get more basic than ramen? It's cheap, lightweight, and calorie-dense. Toss the sodium packet and doctor it up – see our Revamped Ramen recipe for ideas.
• Knorr Pasta and Rice Sides: These are great (and cheap) building blocks for meals. Add chicken, tuna, or TVP for protein.
• Annie's Mac and Cheese: Add chicken, tuna, or TVP for protein, and throw in some dried veggies (see below) to make a full meal.

Bulk Freeze-Dried / Dehydrated Ingredients

If you're building your own backpacking meals from scratch, it can be nice to buy some individual freeze-dried and/or dehydrated ingredients in bulk. Here are some of the resources we personally use when developing our own backpacking recipes.

• Nuts.com: Yes, they carry nuts. But also so so much more! Nuts.com is a cornucopia of specialty ingredients that are perfect for backpacking.
• Harmony House: With an unbelievable selection of freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients, Harmony House is another online bazaar filled with backpacking-friendly foodstuffs.
• Emergency Essentials: Emergency Essentials specializes in bulk freeze-dried ingredients. Fruits, veggies, eggs, and even hard to find stuff like butter and cheese. They've got it all! If you're building your own backpacking meals from scratch, this can be a great way to get access to individual freeze-dried ingredients.
• Dried Vegetables: We tend to find a lot of backpacking meals light on the vegetables. If you don't need the bulk sizes of Emergency Essentials, you can pick up dehydrated or freeze-dried vegetables from places like Nuts.com and Karen's Naturals to add to packaged or DIY meals for a nutrient boost.

DIY meals

The sky's the limit if you're up to making your own meals. While we've developed a lot of different backpacking recipes over there years, we'll give you our personal favorites here (ssh, don't tell the others!)

Dehydrator Recipes:

• Mushroom Risotto
• Red Lentil Chili
• Tortilla Soup
• Minestrone
• Beef Stroganoff
• Chili Mac
• Cold-Soak Pasta Salad

No Dehydrator Required:

• Thanksgiving Bowl
• Fried Rice
• Chicken Marbella

Desserts

When developing your backpacking meal plan, desserts absolutely have a place! As a special treat to mark a notable day, a morale booster after a real doozy, or just a way to pad out your dinner's calorie count, backpacking desserts are a great trick to have in your back pocket.

Nutella

This chocolate hazelnut spread is packed with calories that are derived mostly from fats, making it well worth the weight. A scoop here and there will give your body plenty of long-lasting fuel to burn. Plus, it's freaking delicious!

Nutiva

The dairy-free/vegan-alternative to Nutella, Nutiva is a plant-based chocolate-y spread that is absolutely loaded with calories! Enjoy spread on a tortilla, straight from the packet, or mix a little into a mug of hot water for a trailside hot chocolate!

Stroopwafels

A delicious Dutch treat, stroopwafels are soft, toasted waffles filled with caramel. They're loaded with calories and pretty durable. Try spreading a little Nutella between two of them and make yourself a "ice cream" sandwich.

These are some of our favorite extras to add either calories or flavor to our meals.

• Butter powder
• Heavy cream powder
• Whole milk powder
• Coconut milk powder
• Cheese powder
• Olive oil packets
• Coconut oil packets
• Sriracha packets
• Chili garlic sauce packets
• Soy sauce packets
• Tamari packets (gluten-free)
• Various hot sauce packets
• Mayo Packets
• Chicken Broth Packets
• Honey Packets
• True Lemon & True Lime flavor packets

Where to buy backpacking food

If you know what you're looking for you can find backpacking food all over the place! But here are a few good places to start your search:

↠ REI: REI has lots of backpacking food and snacks. Plus they offer 10% off your meals if you buy 8 or more meals at once!

↠ Amazon: They sell virtually everything. If you know what you're looking for, there is a good chance Amazon has it.

↠ Nuts.com: Want great prices on bulk freeze-dried ingredients? Nuts.com is an incredible resource for those looking to build their own backpacking meals and snacks.

↠ Trader Joe's: Everyone's favorite pirate-themed grocery store actually has a lot of great backpacking foods throughout the store. We particularly love their reasonably priced selection of dried fruits and nuts.

↠ Walmart: Aside from the staples like instant oatmeal, snacks, and whatnot, many Walmart stores have a decent selection of freeze-dried ingredients! We've picked up everything from butter powder to freeze-dried fruits and vegetables there. They also often carry Mountain House and other freeze-dried meal pouches.

↠ Target: We would never have thought it, but the grocery section in Target has a bunch of great backpacking food options. They have great snacks, nut butter packets, tuna and chicken packets, and instant oatmeals.

↠ World Market: If you have a Cost Plus World Market nearby, check out their food section! We found loads of fun stuff like dried salami, individually packaged cheese, single-serving condiments, fancy ramen noodles, and tons of snacks.

Favorite backpacking cooking gear

We have a whole post dedicated to backpacking cooking gear and backpacking stoves, but here are some of the basics:

Multi-Use Setup: Soto Windmaster Stove and 1.2L Pot

We use a Soto Windmaster Stove with this Sea to Summit pot when we plan on doing a mix of commercial freeze-dried meals and DIY meals. It's fairly light at a total weight of 9.7 oz.

Backpacking Mug: GSI Infinity Mug

This insulated mug is just 3.5 oz and is great for morning coffee.

Eating utensil

These Humangear GoBites utensils have served us well over the years, and they also have a fork end. This MSR folding spoon is also a good option and is a bit longer for reaching into freeze dried meal bags.

Looking for more backpacking food resources? Check out our guides to vegan backpacking food, gluten-free backpacking food, these lightweight backpacking recipes, and our ultimate guide to dehydrating food for backpacking!

This post was first published November 9, 2017 and was updated June 18, 2022. There are a ton of new great backpacking food products that we included!

Fresh Off The Grid is a culinary resource for the outdoor community. We offer a collection of recipes, how-to guides, and camp cooking gear to help you enjoy great food in the great outdoors!

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