10 Easy Backpacking Recipes
One of backpacking’s greatest joys is savoring a well-cooked meal on the trail. And while food is always tastier after a long day’s hike, it isn’t just about flavor. There’s also the satisfaction of pulling a good meal together on the go, with nothing more than what you can carry.
All it takes to have a great camp cooking experience is a little creativity, a little planning, and the right gear. A simple, reliable camp cooking system is at least as important as the ingredients you bring—as is some basic cookware.
Camp cooking systems are lightweight, designed for versatility and ease-of-use. A little know-how can help you get the most out of them. (And our stove selector can help you find the one that fits your needs best.). Here are 10 easy backpacking recipes to help you get started.
Easy Backpacking Breakfast Recipes
Start your day off right with plenty of protein. These breakfasts will give you the energy you need to hit the trail with gusto, even if you prefer sunsets to sunrises. They’re also easy to make—after all, you may not have had your coffee yet.
Breakfast Quesadilla
Sure, you could make an omelet for breakfast, but that’s a little harder to carry around. This breakfast quesadilla is easy to fix in the Summit Skillet, and starts your day with protein and plenty of vegetables.
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Hot Granola Breakfast
This hot breakfast is a great just-add-water recipe that’ll get you up and moving in no time. Combine the ingredients in a bag at home. Once you’re on the trail, just boil some water, and add your ready-to-cook meal right into the water. A mixture of dried oats and trail mix makes this filling and protein-rich at the same time.
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Easy Backpacking Lunch Recipes
These lunches are perfect for a midday refuel. They’ve got the calories you need to keep going, and they’re easy to make and carry right in your Jetboil container. If the recipe makes too much or too little, remember that you’re free to adjust it based on the size of your group—or the size of your Jetboil stove!
Quick Tortellini Soup
This soup uses the classic onion/celery/carrot base, because being on the trail doesn’t have to mean giving up on fresh veggies. Using bouillon instead of chicken stock saves pack weight, which frees you up to tote delicious, fresh cheese tortellini.
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Easy Backpacking Dinner Recipes
Your camp dinner at the end of a long hike can be one of the most satisfying parts of your day. These recipes are filling enough to feel like a special treat, but light enough to carry around.
Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken and Artichokes
This hearty, filling dinner rounds out your standard tomato sauce with sautéed onions and garlic. It’s a simple pasta sauce that gives you room for flexibility, which you don’t get buying pasta sauce off the shelf. You may even adopt it at home! (Try seasoning to taste with herbs like basil.) You can also use dried chicken if you want to save on pack weight.
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Camp Chicken Fried Rice
Trail-friendly preparations like microwavable fried rice, pre-cooked chicken, and dried veggies are easier and faster to cook on the go. They let you enjoy the savory combination of flavors that make fried rice perfect while saving yourself time and pack weight.
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Easy Backpacking Dessert Recipes
Backpacking is no reason to skip out on dessert. In fact, there’s no better time to treat yourself than when you’re gathered with good friends and family around a campfire—or camp stove! That little bit of sweetness doesn’t just help end the day on a good note. It sets traditions and precedents with the people you love. Taking time for life’s little pleasures is a good thing to model for your fellow campers—whether they’re your kids, or just the people in life who deserve the best.
Upside Down Fruit Cobbler
This upside-down cobbler is an easy, fun treat. Just mix your cobbler ingredients in, and place the fruit on top before letting it cook for a while! You can set yourself up for an easy time by mixing your dry ingredients (like sugar, flower, baking powder, and cinnamon) together in a bag ahead of time!
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Easy Backpacking Snack Recipes
Not everything you cook has to be a whole meal! Here are some snacks you can make to put a little pep in your step when you hit the trail.
Chi-Chi Ramen Noodles
The difference between a decent college experience and a great one is whether or not you realized that instant ramen was meant as a starting point, not a whole meal by itself. Adding meat, veggies, or even eggs is a great way to flesh out the ramen experience. But instant ramen’s useful doesn’t end when your mid-20’s do. The Chi-Chi Ramen Noodle experience takes things off in a completely different direction that’s sure to spice things up.