We are often asked by new hikers, “What are your best backpacking meals?” These meals are our customer favorites.

1. Best Trail Breakfasts

The time between dinner to the next morning is a long time for your body to go without food, so don’t skimp on eating in the morning. Eating after waking can supply the energy your body needs to start the day and improves how you metabolize energy during the rest of the day.

Breakfast on the trail can range from eating a quick snack bar to sitting down to a large breakfast burrito with coffee.

Keep in mind that what you eat in the morning is more important than when you eat. Nutritionists recommend eating a hearty breakfast with a mix of mostly complex carbohydrates (i.e., whole grains, starchy vegetables) with a small amount of protein and fat (i.e., nuts, seeds, eggs) to replenish glycogen stores and provide a steady stream of energy throughout the morning.

Best Overall Breakfast: Sunrise Tofu Scramble

Need a reason to get up in the morning? This flavorful dish is a match for vegans and those who want a healthy and satisfying breakfast meal. Freeze-dried crumbled tofu with organic mixed vegetables and herbs is packed with protein and nutrients. Wrap it up in a wholegrain tortilla, give it a squirt of your favorite hot sauce, and you’ve got a restaurant-quality breakfast burrito that will sustain you on those hill climbs.

If tofu is not your thing, you might prefer Denver Veggie Scramble, made with organic whole powdered eggs and mixed vegetables. The nutrient profile is similar to our Tofu Scramble.

Best Hot Cereal: Apple Quinoa Oatmeal

When the morning air is cold and crisp, nothing beats the comfort of sipping hot coffee and washing it down with a steaming bowl of porridge. Apple Quinoa is made with a mix of instant tricolor quinoa, oats, nuts, and cinnamon apple chunks.

Best Cold Cereal: Blueberry Vanilla Crunch

While a hot meal or beverage can energize and warm you, sometimes you need something cool and refreshing. Cold cereal is a quick breakfast and is hydrating. Blueberry Vanila Crunch is a popular choice for those that don’t like mushy cold-soaked cereals or jelly-like chia cereals. Made with maple granola clusters, blueberries, coconut, almonds, and instant oat milk, this breakfast cereal provides a chewy texture. The sweet and nutty flavors of this cereal hit the spot.

2. Best Trail Lunches & Snacks

Feel like sitting down for a meal while you admire the beautiful scenery around you? Outdoor Herbivore recommends packing quick (just add cold water) backpacking meals to save you from having to unpack and repack your stove. Here are the winners from 2020.

Best Cold Lunch: Open Sky Yasai

Yasai 野菜 “ya-sai” means vegetables in Japanese, which was the inspiration for this savory cold stir fry. Chock full of vegetables, including cabbage, broccoli, peas, and carrots marinated in a ginger sesame vinaigrette. If you crave fresh veggies on the trail, this meal will deliver. Just stir in the water and the included oil packet — no cooking required.

While this cabbage veggie stir fry is yummy when consumed under a canopy of trees, it tastes even more phenomenal under an open sky.

If you need a calorie boost to accompany your no-cook salad, flatbread or tortilla is an excellent companion. You can fold up the veggies to create a sandwich wrap.

Can you tell how much we like tortilla? It’s the perfect hiking companion. A tortilla is difficult to crush, turns messy food into an easier-to-eat sandwich, acts as a sponge for sopping up leftover food bits and gravy, and adds carbohydrate calories. It can also be toasted over a campfire and served with nut butter for a warming dessert.

Best Cold Spread: Instant Hummus

Bread or dense crackers go even better with hummus. Our hummus is alive with flavor, many telling us it is more reminiscent of falafel. Preparation couldn’t be simpler — you just mix the hummus powder with water and the included olive oil packet and serve. Hummus is a delight on the trail and a rich source of complex carbohydrates.

Cold Spread Runner Up: Cheezy Squeezy Spread

Do you crave cheese? The high-fat content, creamy mouthfeel, and casomorphin release all make cheese a pleasure to eat. Instant Cheese Mix is the perfect way to indulge your cheese craving on the trail without the worry of spoilage. To prepare, simply add a bit of water to the pouch, knead to mix, and squeeze out the cheesy goodness. The texture is similar to a chip dip, so be sure to bring some crackers or bread to dip or spread.

Cheezy Squeezy is available in three different flavors, pub-style, spicy, and herby. Outdoor Herbivore’s cheese mix is made from pure organic sharp cheddar cheese and plant seasonings—no artificial colors or additives.

Vegans wanting a cheese-like experience should check out our Cheddar Garden Herb, but keep in mind that it should be mixed with hot water due to the wheat flour content.

Best Trail Snack: CinnaMonkey Chomps

Need to move quickly? Chomps are for you! Ready to eat trail snacks are perfect for hurried days and require no preparation or clean-up. If you love American-style French Toast, you’ll taste the similarity with CinnaMonkey Chomps. At 860 calories per pouch, these baked cinnamon plantain rounds are grand for high-calorie finger snacking on the trail.

3. Best Trail Dinners

After ending a long day of hiking, be sure to reserve time in the evening to enjoy a warm and nourishing meal. You earned it, and your muscles need the fuel to aid in recovery. Outdoor Herbivore’s hot entrees are packed with flavorful seasonings without overloading you with sodium. Here are our most popular trail dinners from 2020.

Best Rice Entrée: Lemongrass Thai Curry

Lemongrass Thai Curry is sure to please if you like coconut-based curries, spice, and rice. It is tangy and spicy with notes of lemony citrus. Topped with organic roasted peanuts grown and processed in the good ol’ USA.

Best Pasta Entrée: Basil Walnut Penne

Crushed basil & walnut sauce tossed with organic pre-cooked whole wheat penne. This dish is a mouthful of deliciousness and will replenish your energy.

Best Soup: Cozy Curry Soup

New! If the inclement weather requires you to take an extended mid-day break, this spicy soup will warm you up. Featuring a mix of chickpeas, lentils, carrots, rice, and potatoes.

Best Burrito: Switchback Burrito Stuffer

Burritos hit the spot, but burritos on the trail are divine. Our Switchback Burrito Stuffer is easy and quick to prepare and makes a satisfying meal when wrapped. This stuffer combines refried black and pinto beans, spicy salsa, and a generous amount of cheddar cheese for the ultimate filler. Our single size pouch makes enough to fill two large burritos.

An excellent vegan alternative is our Naked Freckle Burrito.

4. Best Trail Dessert

Need something sweet to end your evening? High mileage days should always close with dessert. Even better is to pair it with your favorite hot beverage to warm you before bed.

Best Dessert: Bear Patch Cobbler

This restorative blueberry cobbler is sure to sweeten your journey. Featuring crispy freeze-dried blueberries, sweet granola clusters, nuts, and flaxseed in coconut cream sauce. Black bear and hiker approved 🙂
Bear Patch Cobbler

About Outdoor Herbivore:

Produces real food for outdoor travel. Take us backpacking, bikepacking, paddling, motorcycling, sailing, horseback riding, RVing, air traveling, hoteling, yoga retreats, and more. Our specialty is vegetarian backpacking meals, but you don’t have to be a herbivore to fancy our food. Enhance your travel experience and taste buds with the addition of Outdoor Herbivore in your pack. Cheers to good health and joyful adventures.

Best Backpacking Meals