How to Make DIY Backpacking Meals You'll Love

A Step-by-Step Guide to Fueling Your Adventure with Meals that Taste Great

After that hike straight up to Look Out Meadow, my feet were aching. My thighs were burning. And all I wanted to do was sit down and eat a really good meal. But all the guides had packed was cheap mac’n’cheese, Boulder bars, and some Gatorade. Talk about disappointment. 

Listen, you did it! You finally got the permits you’ve been waiting for and now you’re packing for your trip. You’ve got the gear, you’ve got your maps, but one thing that’s stonewalling your packing process is your backpacking meals. 

You usually stick to DIY backpacking meals, you’re tired of the same old backpacking meals you always bring. But when you take a look at the prepackaged options out there, they're expensive! And that's one good reason why you prefer DIY backpacking meals.

They're expensive! And you prefer to keep your backpacking meals cheap, and your destinations expansive. 

But don't make the mistake my guides made. Don't pack nothing but cheap food that has limited -- if any -- nutritional value.

Instead, follow this step-by-step guide to making your DIY backpacking meals that won't break the bank. I'll even share with you exactly how I make my favorite backpacking meal -- Chicken Caprese Pasta -- when I'm on the trail.

One pot backpacking meals are a must on the trail.

3 Steps to Easy DIY Backpacking Meals that You'll Love

There are different types of DIY meals that you can make. You can fully prepare your meals and then vacuum seal them, so all you need to do on the trail is warm it up in the package. If you have a dehydrator or freeze-drier, then you can make your own "just add water" meals.

Or you can choose to prepare your meals on the trail. Either way these are the 3 keys to easily make DIY backpacking meals that fuel your adventure and still taste great.

1. Pre-mix ingredients

2. Pre-package meals together

3. Prepare your meals simply

   
   

Step 1: Pre-mix your ingredients and spices.

What takes the most time when you’re cooking a meal? 

The prep work. 

You’ve got to trim your meat, measure out spices or dry ingredients, chop your veggies, etc. 

Lugging around a bunch of different spices and veggies isn’t a good idea when you’re backpacking. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for bland food.

Pre-mix your favorite spice combinations, dry goods, or baking mixes before your trip.

You can keep your spices mixes labeled in an old sprinkles container, or you can toss them right in with your pre-measured quinoa, rice or pasta. Now you have a meal that only requires water to rehydrate.

With all of the measurements done beforehand, the only thing you have to do in camp is boil water and add your protein. 

Step 2: Pre-package Backpacking Meals Together

Keep all the ingredients you need for one meal packaged together, so your pack stays organized and unpacking your next meal is easy.

Pre-package one meal together with as little material as possible to reduce weight. I’d also suggest labeling it with the day, mealtime, and what it is.

If it’s all going into one pot, you can just put it in the same bag. 

Step 3: Prepare your DIY Backpacking Meal on the Trail

You’ve made it to your first campsite, and you’re ready to prepare your meal. 

You’ve already done all the hard work. Now pull out the pre-marked meal and start boiling water. Follow your recipe’s instructions, and bon appetit!

Those are the keys to making easy backpacking meals, but how do you make sure those meals replenish your body and still taste good?

What Makes a Good Backpacking Meal?

Your body and mind deserve the comfort of a good meal. While you don’t expect 5-star dining while you’re backpacking, that’s no reason why you shouldn’t have a few expedient comforts.

After a hard hike, a good backpacking meal replenishes your body, rebuilds your muscles and renews your spirit. Why suffer through utter exhaustion and deprivation because you don’t want to carry the weight of sustenance?

I’ve been there, done that, and there’s nothing worse than getting to your gorgeous destination only to be too depleted to move from your camp. 

Good backpacking meals are about balancing what your body needs with what you want. 

You want meals that are quick and easy to make, but that are also delicious, comfort food after a long, hard day. 

You need food that replenishes your muscles, refuels your cells, and renews your spirit. 

Oh yeah, and they need to be lightweight without a lot of packaging that turns into trash that also doesn’t cost a small fortune. 

Is that so much to ask? 

Let’s Talk about Backpacking Nutrition

Make your own granola with your favorite oats, nut, and fruit.

Contrary to typical backpacking wisdom, the most important factor in the food you bring while backpacking is not weight or type or packaging or even perfect nutrition. 

The most important factor in choosing what food you should bring backpacking is whether or not you will actually eat it.

I have ended backpacking trips with extra food -- not because I packed extra food -- but because I was done eating terrible food and just wanted to get back. That's not a good way to cope.

Yes, I know oatmeal, boxed mac-n-cheese, and chicken and rice are some of the easiest and lightest foods you can bring backpacking, but they’re also the reason that I hated meal times when I was in Scouting — yes, I’m that picky eater.

Proper nutrition while backpacking lets you enjoy the journey — not just endure it.

I used to look at my trips as purposeful deprivation to see how much I could endure. While it was certainly character building, it was also unnecessary. Sacrificing nutrition kept me from fully experiencing the places I got to see because I was always too tired to actually explore them. 

Aside from bringing food you like, you should also bring the food with the nutrition that your body needs to replenish your muscles and renew your cells¹. 

Ever experience leg cramps toward the end of your trails? 

Yeah, that’s your muscles not getting enough magnesium.

Can’t poop? 

That’s because you’ve been eating protein bars and chicken and rice for three days with little to no dietary fiber and not a lot of fat. 

When you choose not to replenish your body, you risk chances of serious injury when your muscles give out. 

You need food that’s lightweight, won’t spoil, and is nutrient dense. That’s actually why I don’t recommend bringing rice and traditional pasta.

Here are some nutrient-dense options that will take your backpacking meals from bare and bland to nutritious:

Freeze-Dried, Dehydrated, or Sun-Dried Foods: 

These foods are lightweight and delicious. Some dehydrated foods rehydrate really well, like sundried tomatoes — especially when you add balsamic vinegar and basil pesto. But we’ll get there in a minute.

Proteins: 

Complete proteins are valuable sources of protein and fiber along with other essential nutrients like magnesium, iron, Omega 3s and B vitamins. 

Quinoa, Flaxseed, and Chia seeds are good examples of complete proteins that are great additions to your backpacking recipes. 

And because they’re more nutrient-dense, a little goes a long way. 

There are also a number of meats and cheeses that don’t require refrigeration and add tons of flavor to your meals. 

Think pepperonis, bacon bits, parmesan — do you see where I’m going with this?

Fats: 

Please don’t forget the fat! Many nutrients are fat-soluble², which means your body can only absorb them if you eat those nutrients with fat. Fat is also essential to the brain's processes³. 

Nuts, flaxseed, and chia seeds are a great source of healthy fats that are lightweight. But don’t be afraid to pack some additional fat like whole coconut milk or olive oil. Yes, it’s heavier, but if you premeasure your meals like we talked about, then you’ll find you’re not bringing a lot of extra weight.

Electrolyte drink mixes: 

While water should be your main source of hydration on the trail, having an electrolyte drink on hand helps your body replenish faster.

Now that you’ve got a general idea of backpacker-friendly foods, let’s get into how to come up with ideas for DIY backpacking meals you’ll love.

Do-It-Yourself Backpacking Meal Ideas that Fit You

Instead of giving you a one-size-fits-most list of backpacking meals ideas, let's tailor this to you specifically. That means you first need to think about why you're DIYing your backpacking meals. And then, I'll demonstrate how I personally find new ideas for backpacking meals.

There are a lot of valid reasons out there. And each one has a different challenge.

1. You have allergies or food sensitivities: 

Unless you have allergies or food sensitivities, you won’t understand the frustration and anxiety caused when you’re reading the back of a label and it says, “may contain traces of milk and soy”. 

Really? I’m not trying to play roulette with my digestive tract – does it contain milk and soy or not? 

In the end, you put the package back on the shelf because it’s not worth the risk.  You don’t want to be on the trail having bouts of diarrhea because it turns out there were traces of dairy or soy.

Your challenge: Finding food that's allergen free, yet still appropriate for backpacking.

2. You have diet restrictions due to a health condition:

Many diabetics prefer to prepare their own food because they know how their blood sugar reacts to certain foods and the amount of exercise they’re doing. By preparing their own food they control what they’re taking in and prevent unwanted health complications on the trail.

Your challenge: Making sure you pack balanced meals on the trail, while also having super, easy snacks to keep your sugar up throughout the day.

3. You like to keep your backpacking meals cheap:

DIYing your food is how you keep your backpacking meals cheap. In fact, that’s how I started out. I would scrape together the money to go on these week-long trips, and then have to keep my food as cheap as possible. Was it worth it? Absolutely, but it also had its consequences. 

While I enjoyed the challenge and the hikes, I was usually too tired after a day’s hike to do more than cook food and play cards in camp. So even if you’re going the cheap route, don’t skimp on nutrition.

Your challenge: Learning what foods are worth the extra cost, so you can properly fuel your adventure.

4. Or maybe, you’re a picky eater with a highly refined palette:

You understand that texture matters, and sometimes “just add water” doesn’t cut it. I’m right there with you. I can only eat so much oatmeal out of the package before I start getting a gag reflex. And the watery mush that results from a lot of expensive premade backpacking meals is insulting. 

For us, switching up your cooking methods is going to give you the variance in selection and better textures to your food. We’ll talk more about that a little further on.

Your challenge: Adding variance of textures and types of food, so that you don't get tired of eating.

What Cooking Equipment Do I Need?

Before I show you how I put together my meals, you need to have the right equipment. (No, there are no affiliates. These are just what I carry with me.)

I’ve backpacked with the bare minimum of an oversized camp mug, camp knife, and water bottle. It works, but it also taught me that some things are worth the weight.

Here’s what I use now:

1. Aluminum Mess Kit

Aluminum is lightweight and heats up quickly. Bring at least the top and bottom of the mess kit, so you can then steam bake goodies on the trail.

2. Silicone Baking Cups

These beautiful inventions make baking on the trail possible. They are light, durable, and easy to pack. 

3. Utensils 

I keep my utensils simple. A lightweight combination fork and spoon, and my trusty camp knife. 

4. Camp Stove and Fuel 

As much as I love cooking over a campfire, you may find yourself in a circumstance where you’re not allowed to build a fire. It may be because there’s a drought in the area, or it may be the policy of that particular park. 

So find a camp stove that fits your needs. I have a wood burning stove that has never let me down. But if you prefer a steady fuel source, then reach for a compact gas stove.

How to Come Up with Your Own Backpacking Meal Ideas

This is easier than you think. You probably already have the recipe; you just need to make backpacker-friendly substitutions.

First, make a list of all your favorite meals. Then, go through that list and scratch off all of the ones that are just not possible.

Once you’ve narrowed down the list, see what backpacker-friendly substitutions you can make to achieve the same tasty sensations of your favorites. 

Here’s one of my favorite meals as an example...

My Favorite Backpacking Meal: Camp Caprese Pasta 

A favorite meal of mine is Caprese – like anything caprese. The combination of tomato, basil, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar is simply irresistible to me.

My Caprese Pasta recipe normally uses:

Camp Caprese Pasta in my trusty camp mug.

• Fresh tomatoes

• Whole mozzarella

• Fresh basil

• Balsamic 

• Olive oil 

• Chicken

• Spaghetti

Now fresh tomatoes are too squishy for backpacking, so I substitute them for sundried tomatoes. 

Spaghetti breaks too easily, so I exchange that with a short whole wheat or legume pasta like bowtie or shells. Legume pastas use lentils or chickpeas in the pasta dough giving the pasta more protein and fiber than your traditional pasta. It adds nutrition without extra weight.

Mozzarella is out because it’s a soft cheese that requires refrigeration after 24 hours, but parmesan is a hard cheese and can last longer — especially when you combine it into a pesto. 

That’s right. I premix the rest of the ingredients and the parmesan cheese into a pesto. If you like pine nuts, you can certainly add those too.

In camp I cook my pasta, drain most of the water but not all, add my sundried tomatoes and fully cooked chicken to heat through, and then toss the pasta with the pesto. 

Voila! Chicken Caprese Pasta on the trail. It’s an easy, nutritious, filling, delicious backpacking meal that is lightweight, inexpensive, and takes about 10-15 minutes to cook.  And this is also great with bacon bits. Yummm…

Now, I have a sweet tooth, so my meal doesn't end with the main course. And a hard day’s work deserves dessert!

The Best Backpacking Dessert I’ve Ever Had...

It’s no secret that I have a sweet tooth and a chocolate addiction. So I figured out how to make my favorite dessert while backpacking: Chocolate Coconut Cake

Never skip dessert

Remember those silicone cups? Yep, this is their main purpose in life. 

Using a steam bake method, I can bake cupcakes, muffins, dumplings, and biscuits on the trail.

I cut down the regular recipe to just 2 servings and pre-mix all of the dry ingredients beforehand. It comes out to about a cup of dry mix, and half a cup of liquids. 

And it’s worth every ounce! 

Normally this cake uses eggs, but they’re hard to subdivide and harder to pack, so I substitute milled flaxseed instead. 

I bring a carton of unopened coconut milk that doesn’t need to be refrigerated. I use most of it to make a creamy sauce at dinner and reserve a couple tablespoons for the cake.

At camp, after I make dinner, I put a little water in my mess kit to boil, then I set the batter-filled silicone cups into the boiling water. Make sure the water isn’t more than halfway up the cups or else you’ll get soggy cake instead of fluffy, moist, amazing cake. 

Finally, I put the lid on and let it bake for about 10-15 minutes, while I eat my dinner.

Now you may think that the cake will come out sticky instead of fluffy because of the steam, but trust me it doesn’t! — remember, I’m picky. 

Baking these cupcakes comes out better than when I make it at home because, I’ve never had my cakes burn using the steam bake method.

Conclusion

Now that you've seen how this can work, you can make easy, delicious, healthy backpacking meals on the trail that fit your tastes and lifestyle without breaking the bank.

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