Easy Backpacking Dinner Recipes

Food is an important aspect of most backpacking trips—a lot of time is spent planning it, dreaming about it, craving it… but you don’t want to spend a lot of time making it! In this post we’re sharing our favorite one pot backpacking meals that will fill you up after a long day of hiking.

—commercial backpacking food can get pricey. So, whenever possible, we like to prepare our own backcountry meals using a combination of dehydrated food and ingredients from our local grocery store.

In this post, we’re going to show you how to create your own EASY and delicious meals for your next backpacking trip! In addition to being easy to prep (no dehydrator required for these meals!), these are all one-pot meals so clean up is a cinch, too.

One Pot Backpacking Meals

If you’re interested in taking your trail cooking to the next level, consider making your own dehydrated meals using a food dehydrator! We have a ton of ideas to help you get started, so check out this resource with our best backpacking recipes (most of these are one-pot meals, too!).

Aim for a calorie count of 25-30 calories per pound of body weight, per day. To keep down the weight, consider the caloric density of your food and add olive oil to your meals on trail for extra calories whenever it makes sense (store it in a sealed container inside a plastic bag, or buy single serve packets).

Stove: You’ll want a backpacking stove that gives you the ability to regulate the flame output so you don’t scorch your food. The Soto Windmaster is our favorite canister stove for this style of cooking. If you want use an integrated stove system, the MiniMo has good simmer control as well.

Stoveless Backpacking Meals

Pot: Aim for a pot size of at least 600mL-700mL per person. Of all the backpacking pots we’ve used, this one is the easiest to clean because its ceramic coating prevents food from sticking, and the size is perfect for two people.

Utensil: I find that a regular spoon-shaped utensil (vs a spork) works better for the one pot method of cooking, and here’s why—a flat spoon shape lets you scrape all the food bits out of your pot without damaging it, making washing your pot

Easier. I like these humangear UNO spoons a lot (and if you need a fork, it’s still there on the other end!).

No Cook Backpacking Meal Ideas For Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner

: A pot cozy can help you save fuel and helps keep your food warmer, longer. It’s also a super simple DIY project. You can read more about using and making a backpacking pot cozy here.

Shelf stable protein options: TVP (bulk bin or online), instant beans (bulk bin or online), chicken or tuna packets (most grocery stores)

We’ve heard stories of people bringing fresh eggs on their hikes, but we’re not those people. Instead, if we want to cook up a scramble on a lazy morning in camp, we bring along OvaEasy egg crystals. We really have a hard time telling the difference between these and scrambled eggs from whole eggs!

Backpacking Food Ideas & Meal Planning

To make a scramble for two, pack ½ cup OvaEasy and 2 tablespoons of bacon bits (optional) in a bag. In a separate bag, bring a 3oz package of instant hash browns, and a small container or packet of oil.

In camp, rehydrate the hash browns according to package directions. Add ¾ cup (6 oz.) water to the bag of eggs, seal, and mix well.

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. Add the egg and scramble, stirring frequently, until they set up and are cooked through.

Smart Backpacking Food Ideas

This is just about the easiest backpacking breakfast there is! Measure out a portion of your favorite granola, add a tablespoon or two of powdered whole milk, and add dried fruit. Place it all in a ziploc bag. Once you’re in camp, just add hot or cold water directly to the bag (or transfer it all to a bowl first).

Our favorite fruits for this recipe are dehydrated strawberries, dried blueberries, or freeze dried raspberries (you can usually find these at Trader Joe’s, too). (nuts.com)

Are you a chocolate lover? Check out our DIY Chocolate Granola recipe! This is a decadent-tasting breakfast, but hey—you’re backpacking! You earned it!

Easy Backpacking Dinner Recipe

Than the above! Pack a portion of instant oatmeal along with your favorite dried fruit and chopped nuts in a bag (a sprinkle of ground spices—think cinnamon or ground ginger—can add even more flavor!).

If instant oatmeal isn’t your jam, you can also do this with rolled oats—you’ll just have to simmer it all in your pot. Here’s a recipe with our favorite flavor combination—Apricot & Ginger Oatmeal.

Ramen noodle packets are simple enough, but we like to give them a bit of an upgrade by adding dried mushrooms and vegetables along with packing a homemade spicy soy & sesame oil sauce to create the broth.

Diy Freeze Dried Backpacking Meals From Bulk Ingredients

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. If you want to skip the instant ramen, substitute with 3 oz of soba noodles or other noodles of your choosing.

In camp, place the dry ingredients in your pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the noodles are done and the veggies are soft, then pour in the sauce.

Couscous is such an easy starting point for a bunch of different trail meals. One of our favorite versions is this Moroccan-inspired recipe.

A Week Of Lightweight, Nutritious Backpacking Food

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. For protein, bring a packet of chicken (find this at the grocery store) or freeze dried chicken.

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. If you used freeze dried chicken, you’ll need a little more water and it would be a good idea to simmer everything for a few minutes before taking it off the heat.

Is there anything better than a bowl of creamy mac and cheese? Well… maybe—what if you loaded it up with some veggies and some chili powder, taco seasoning, or Cajun spice blend?

Best Backpacking Recipes

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. If you want to add extra calories and creaminess, you can pack some powdered whole milk or butter powder in the bag with the veggies & spices.

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). Or, bring to a boil for 60 seconds and then take it off the head and place it in your pot cozy if you use one for 10 minutes.

If you have a food dehydrator and want to make a next-level version of this with beans and ground beef, check out our Dehydrated Chili Mac recipe!

The Best Backpacking Meal

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! This was created as a vegetarian meal, but you could add meat if you’d like—the Sriracha Chicken Epic bar is our favorite with this recipe.

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. For extra calories and flavor, bring some olive oil in a sealed container or a single serve olive oil packet.

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. Stir in the remaining ingredients to create the sauce and finish with the olive oil.

Easy & Delicious 5 Ingredient (or Less!) One Pot Camping Meals — She Dreams Of Alpine

If you’re not familiar with Chicken Marbella yet, you’re in for a treat! This is a sweet and savory dish made popular by the Silver Palate in the ’80s. We first made this