10 Simple Backpacking Meal Ideas that are Trail Friendly

That’s why we’ve compiled this list of simple backpacking meal ideas to give you some variety. It’s broken down by meal type (breakfast, lunch/snacks, and dinner), but don’t let that stop you – breakfast for dinner is always delicious!

Breakfast

The first meal of the day….There are a lot of different opinions on what to have for breakfast while on the trail. Some like a hot breakfast, others prefer something very simple like a bar or granola with milk. It’s really personal preference. For us, we fall mainly in the hot breakfast camp, complete with coffee. But at the same time, it has to be simple, and preferably easy cleanup. Here are our favorites:

Instant Oats

Honestly, oatmeal is our go-to breakfast. This is a classic, for good reason! It’s easy, it’s quick cleanup, it’s delicious. It’s can also be a good blend of carbohydrates and fats to get you started on your hike. But instant oatmeal can get old. That’s why we love to “dress it up” with all the toppings. For example, I like to add peanut butter (the real stuff, thank you), milk powder, and a handful of granola to mine. My husband prefers just milk powder and plenty of peanut butter.

Think of instant oats like a blank canvas – you can add whatever you want! Feeling like dessert for breakfast? Add cocoa and peanut butter. Want something savory? How about some dehydrated spinach and bacon or jerky? The sky’s the limit, so please don’t rule these out as “boring”.

Bonus tip: instant oats are so easy to DIY. You can buy in bulk and repackage them either in freezer safe baggies or reusable silicone bags (keep wet ingredients separate) and just add hot water when you are ready to eat. If you like a chewier oatmeal, we’ve had good success using regular oats this way, too. Keep in mind, it is chewier and it may need longer to rehydrate (but I like the texture better!).

Bacon and egg wraps

I’m not gonna lie – these are more work. Still pretty simple, but more involved than boiling water. But they are sooo good. And there’s room to make it even simpler. Ideally, these are best your first morning if you are using fresh eggs (to minimize the chances of breaking your eggs). If using powdered, you can rotate these in whenever!

Fresh scrambled eggs will require more cleanup, so keep that in mind. You can also substitute jerky or summer sausage for the bacon, or leave the meat out altogether. For powdered eggs, rehydrate first, and then cook (you can even boil them in a freezer safe bag to cook them). We like to scramble the eggs with a tiny bit of oil (you can do this in a tall pot, but it requires more patience and time so your eggs are not too soft; a backpacking skillet is ideal). Add in some bacon bits, salt and pepper, and cook until your eggs are set. Tuck into a tortilla with hot sauce and enjoy! You could also add some rehydrated veggies for variety.

Lunch/Snacks

The general consensus is: if you are on the trail at lunchtime, keep it super simple! Most of the time, I don’t want to pull out everything, boil water, and make a hot lunch. And if the weather is bad, I may skip a “traditional lunch” altogether and just snack. These lunch ideas may seem light or snack-like for a meal. The reason for that is you should have been snacking during the morning and probably won’t be super hungry. Of course, the choice is yours! Don’t let my preferences sway you. However, that is why these meal ideas are probably the simplest.

StarKist Smart Bowls

These pouches are the definition of simple backpacking meal ideas. They come in different flavors and combine carbs with protein for a quick lunch to get you through. If you are a super hungry hiker, you might need two to make a meal. But if you snack through the morning, this is probably plenty. Our favorite flavors are [inset text]. Another variation of this would be those tuna or chicken salad kits.

Peanut Butter and Trail mix rollup

I was never a huge fan of PB&J growing up – the bread would be soggy by lunchtime and I would be hungry in an hour. Enter these rollups. Spread some peanut butter on a tortilla and add some trail mix. The fats and proteins in the nuts and peanut butter will keep you going. Plus, tortillas travel really well. You could also add dried fruit if you wanted. As far as trail mix, you could use whatever brand or recipe you like, but our favorite homemade version is this one.

Jerky/Beef Sticks with Cheese and Crackers

Another super simple lunch idea that also works great as a hearty snack. Basically, it’s your favorite jerky or meat stick (we love Chomps), cheese, and some kind of crackers. For cheese, many hard, low-moisture cheeses are safe to go unrefrigerated for a while, even up to 2 weeks in moderate weather! Think cheeses like aged cheddar, parmesan, or gouda. Just be sure to bring only what you need, and don’t pre-slice it (this can make it spoil faster). Want a simpler option? Try cheese crackers, like these.

Meal/Snack Bars

Meal bars can be a great lunch option if you want to keep things simple. They also work great on hikes where you don’t want to stop and eat at mid-day. There are tons of options out there, so this really boils down to preference. There are some key things to look for, though. You want a bar that has a good amount of calories, protein, carbs, and fat. After all, these are going to keep you hiking. Oh – and make sure they taste good. You want to look forward to your meals, not dread them! Some well-known options include Clif Bars, Larabars, and and RX Bars.

Dinner

Mmmmm, dinner. Or supper. I guess it depends on where you were raised. Either way, when I’m backpacking, it’s the meal I look forward to the most. In our experience, dinner needs to be filling, satisfying, easy, and delicious. After a long day of hiking, a lackluster meal is, well…disappointing. These are some our favorite simple backpacking meal ideas.

Thai peanut ramen with chicken

This is hands down one of my favorite meals on the trail. There is something so comforting about ramen. And there’s plenty of room for customizing this meal to your tastes. In fact, we adapted it from Dirty Gourmet (Side note: this is an AWESOME book full of all kinds of recipes for hiking, camping, and backpacking). Package your ramen noodles and whatever dehydrated veggies you like in a silicone or freezer bag. In a small baggie, add one seasoning packet, ginger powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and peanut butter powder. At camp, add hot water to your noodles and let them rehydrate. Then smoosh in your seasonings, stir in a pouch of chicken, and top with plenty of sriracha! Soooo good.

Easy Burritos

On a trip to Walmart, I found pouches of flavored meats like pulled pork and fajita chicken. So we had to experiment. These burritos with the fajita chicken were yummy! Package instant rice and dehydrated veggies in a silicone or freezer bag – throw in some dehydrated bean flakes if you have them! I also go ahead and add cumin, garlic, chili powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. At camp, add some hot water and let sit for about 5 minutes or so until the rice has absorbed it all. Then stir in your fajita chicken and wrap it all up in a tortilla with hot sauce. You could also bring some cheese powder to throw in, too.

Loaded mashed potatoes

Here’s another idea you can really play around with. Instant mashed potatoes are super versatile. You can add all kinds of seasonings, cheese powder, and dehydrated vegetables like kale, green beans, or broccoli. Then top with either a pouch of pulled pork, or some jerky or summer sausage.

Final Thoughts

Backpacking meals are a great opportunity to get creative. You can absolutely go with prepackaged meals if you want, but DIY versions can be even more flavorful, more cost effective, and super simple. One caution: try them out at home first so you can nail down your seasonings to your liking. And recognize that you will probably be hungrier than normal after all your exertion! I hope you enjoy this list, and I’d love to hear if you give any of these simple backpacking meal ideas a try.

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