Last updated on November 30th, 2022 at 08:22 am
13 Creative Backpacking Meals: Cool and Easy Recipes
Backpacking meals can be simple and delicious, but they have to meet a lot of criteria: quick and easy to make, lightweight, filling, and tasty. Food is one of the most important things you’ll want to keep light. If it’s not easy to make or doesn’t taste good after being warmed up on a backpacking stove it probably doesn’t belong in your pack.
When choosing meals for backpacking, look for things that you can make in a small pot and won’t take up much space.
We have put together a few creative backpacking meals that will save you space in your pack and keep you fueled for whatever adventure awaits!
Table of Contents
Always Eat Well on the Trail
If you’re an avid hiker or backpacker, it’s important to know how proper nutrition can affect your health and safety on the trail. We may not think about it when we leave for a trip, but staying well-nourished is of utmost importance.
Here are some tips to ensure that you stay well-fed throughout your hike:
Nutrition is one of the most important factors in hiking and backpacking. As a general rule, it’s always better to be well-nourished than underfed.
In order to maintain energy levels throughout the day, you need to eat regularly and make sure that your meals are of good quality. The time between meals should not exceed five hours, so plan ahead.
Food on the trail can be extremely difficult to carry because of its weight and bulkiness. For this reason, you want to select lightweight foods that will give you a lot of energy and calories.
You should eat carbohydrates and proteins every time you eat. You need the carbs for energy, and the protein to keep your muscles from breaking down. A good way to think about this is to plan on eating one gram of protein for every pound of body weight per day. That’s over 100 grams of protein!
Creative Backpacking Meals
There’s no need to settle for the same old boring, bland backpacking food all the time. Thanks to some creative, inspired cooking techniques and a dash of imagination, you can enjoy delicious, flavorful backpacking meals any time of year.
Here are some creative backpacking meals that are meant to fill you up and keep you moving through the day.
Freeze-dried
Freeze-dried are the most popular, convenient, and lightweight backpacking meals. They are super easy to prepare (just add boiling water) and they are also delicious. But not all freeze-dried backpacking meals are created equal. Some brands have a great taste while others don’t, so try out a few different brands before making your purchase.
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Instant mashed potatoes with dehydrated cheese, butter, bacon bits, and dehydrated veggies is a very tasty backpacking meal. This dish, however, requires quite an undertaking to prepare because you have to boil water, cook the potatoes and then mix everything together.
Instant Oatmeal
Hot oatmeal is one of the best backpacking meals you can have. The great thing about instant oatmeal is that it takes less time to prepare than regular rolled oats. It’s also a lot easier to cook with just a little bit of water than it is to cook rolled oats. Mix in some nuts, dried fruit, and powdered milk for extra protein and you’ve got yourself a great meal!
Breakfast Burritos
Breakfast burritos are simple to make, tasty, filling, and provide lots of energy for the day. You can make breakfast burritos by stuffing them with whatever leftover meat you have from dinner, some scrambled eggs, cheese, and veggies. Wrap it all up in a tortilla and your delicious meal is ready! You can spice up your breakfast burrito by adding salsa or hot sauce. Add avocado for extra calories.
Trail Mix
One of the most common backpacking meals is trail mix. The ingredients are easy to find and it’s very easy to make. You can add chocolate, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or a combination of all four for a sweet and salty snack that will hold you over until your next meal.
Tacos
Tacos are a great food because you can eat them with your hands and they taste good even when they’re cold. The downside of this meal is that it’s heavy so you might not want to eat it every day.
Simple Vegetarian Pad Thai Recipe
It’s hard to beat a big bowl of Pad Thai noodles. Toss some rice noodles in a pot of boiling water, add some veggies and tofu, then toss in your favorite Asian sauce.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
A good grilled cheese sandwich is one of the simplest and most satisfying meals you can make while backpacking. It takes just minutes to prepare and tastes delicious.
Chili Mac and Cheese
We’ve never met a child who didn’t like macaroni and cheese. It’s simple to make, stores well, and is easy to eat on the trail. It is also very filling so you can eat less of it and have plenty of energy for hiking or playing in the woods.
Rice and Beans
This is another one of our favorite backpacking meals. It’s super easy to make and can be done in about 10 minutes (not including time for water to boil).
Bagel Sandwich
Pack some sort of bread products in your pack. It is a good way to get some carbohydrates into your system and it gives you something to snack on later in the day. Bagels make a great backpacking meal because they are dense and high in calories. They are easy to pack, making them an ideal food for the trail.
Chicken Fajita Dinner
This meal is hearty and savory. It comes with a spice packet and has enough calories to fill you up after a long day of hiking.
Beef Stroganoff
This is a classic backpacking meal that has been enjoyed by backpackers for decades.
Conclusion
There are many creative backpacking meals that you can make on the trail. A typical backpacking meal is quick, easy, and tasty.
We hope that this article has given you some great food ideas for your next trip into the wilderness. These meals will provide you with the necessary energy to help you through your adventure. This can be a trip into the woods or just a weekend hike.
Frequently Asked Questions
What food is good for backpacking?
When deciding what food to bring on a backpacking trip, it is important to consider the following factors:
The weight of the food: You will be carrying all of your food with you, so you want to make sure it is as light as possible.
The shelf life of the food: You want to make sure the food will last for the duration of your trip.
The nutritional value of the food: You need to make sure the food will give you the energy you need to hike all day.
Some light, shelf-stable, and nutritious foods that are good for backpacking include:
-Dried fruits and vegetables
-Canned soups and stews
-Instant oatmeal
-Trail mix
-Energy bars
What do you eat for breakfast while backpacking?
When you’re out on the trail, it’s important to fuel your body with nutritious meals that will give you the energy you need to hike all day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so you want to make sure you’re starting your day off right with a healthy breakfast.
There are a few things to keep in mind when planning your backpacking breakfast. First, you want to make sure you’re including all the food groups in your meal. That means carbohydrates for energy, protein for muscle repair, and fat for long-lasting energy. You’ll also want to make sure you’re including a source of water, either in your food or as a separate drink. And finally, you’ll want to make sure your breakfast is lightweight and easy to prepare.
How do you make a backpacking meal?
There are many different ways to make a backpacking meal, but the basics are always the same. First, you will need to gather all of the necessary ingredients. This includes things like rice, dried meats, vegetables, and spices. Once you have all of the ingredients, you will need to cook the rice and dried meats. After that, you can add the vegetables and spices to taste.
Backpacking meals can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. The important thing is to make sure that you have all of the necessary ingredients and that you cook the rice and meats thoroughly. With a little bit of planning, you can make a delicious and nutritious backpacking meal that will keep you going on even the longest of hikes.
How can I eat cheap backpacking?
One of the biggest concerns when backpacking is how to eat without spending too much money. Here are some tips on how to backpack on a budget:
Plan your meals ahead of time and pack food with you from home. This will save you money on buying food while you’re on the road.
If you’re traveling in a country where food is cheap, take advantage of that and eat out often.
Stay in hostels or camping grounds where you can cook your own meals.
Buy food in bulk and cook large meals that will last you several days.
Restaurants are expensive, stay away from them.
Look for free or cheap activities in the places you visit. This will help you save money on entertainment.
How many days of food can you carry backpacking?
One of the most important considerations when backpacking is how much food to bring. You need to make sure you have enough food to last you the whole trip, but you also don’t want to carry more than you need. So how do you strike the balance?
As a general rule, you should plan on carrying enough food for 1-2 days more than the length of your trip. So, if you’re planning on a 5-day trip, you should bring enough food for 7 days. This will give you some wiggle room in case you get delayed or have to hike farther than you planned.
Of course, the amount of food you need will also depend on the type of food you’re carrying. If you’re carrying dried goods like pasta or rice, you’ll need more than if you’re carrying canned goods or packaged foods.
