5 Easy Backpacking Recipes That Any Hiker Can Do Well

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Hiking is one of the most popular outdoor activities not only in the U.S. but also in many countries around the globe. However strenuous hiking might seem, it actually has several health benefits.

Besides that, people prefer hiking over other outdoor activities because it frees them from the stress of everyday life. The beautiful scenery and landscape give many hikers peace of mind, and it allows them to escape from whatever stresses them.

I bet you’ll agree with me when I say that hiking is one of the things most of us look forward to doing when we think of “vacation.” As much as it is fun and enjoyable though, hiking can also get a bit tiring, and when we’re tired we either want to sleep or eat and I bet most of us prefer to do the latter.

If you’re someone who likes to cook outdoors, especially while on the trail, then I can guarantee you that after reading this article, you’ll have five more delicious, easy-to-make recipes you can add to your cooking arsenal.

In this article, I’m going to teach you five backpacking recipes that any hikers can do very well, so make sure to keep reading!

My List Of 5 Easy-To-Make Backpacking Recipes:

1. The Trailblazer Energy Bars

Personally, I prefer eating these delicious energy bars while backpacking. This one, in particular, needs to be done at home, and you can store them away and eat them during your backpacking trip.

You might think it’s a bit overwhelming for you when you look at the steps, but trust me when I say that you’ll find it really easy once you try making them!

Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 to 60 minutes

Yield: 9 Energy Bars

Ingredients

• 6 strips bacon
• 2 very ripe bananas
• ½ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups rolled oats
• ¼ cup roughly chopped peanuts
• ¼ cup roughly chopped dates

How To Make:

1. Heat your oven to 400°F.
2. Arrange bacon in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook until very crispy, this can take around 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Let cool on a paper towel-lined plate.
4. For the meantime, reduce the oven heat to 350°F.
5. Combine bananas, peanut butter, maple syrup, and salt in a mixing bowl and mash until smooth.
6. Chop bacon and add them to the banana mixture along with the oats, peanuts, and dates, then mix well.
7. Smooth mixture along with the oats, peanuts, and dates, then mix well.
8. Smooth mixture into a greased baking dish.
9. Bake for 30 minutes, then let cool for at least 2 hours.
10. Cut the bars into nine squares and wrap them individually.

After that, you can finally enjoy them while backpacking. There will surely be enough bars to feed you and your group!

2. Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

This one’s a great breakfast recipe and is relatively easy to make. You can make these pancakes while on the trail, especially after already spending a night in the backcountry.

You’ll need to bring a few tools with you to make them, but you don’t need to worry since you can use the same tools to make the rest of the recipes listed here!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: Up to 12 small pancakes

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup cornmeal
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup dried blueberries
• ½ cup raw wheat germ
• ½ cup milk powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 ½ cups water
• Cooking oil
• Maple syrup

Things You Need:

• Skillet
• Spatula
• Stove (or you can choose to cook over fire)
• Water bottle
• Long handle spoon

How To Make:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a zip top bag then add 1 1/2 cups of water. Massage well.
2. Heat up the skillet using a bit of oil. Scoop batter out of bag with spoon into hot skillet. Make a small circle – about 3 inches in diameter.
3. Wait until batter has air bubbles and then flip. Keep an eye on the flame and adjust so skillet doesn’t get too hot.
4. Wait until the pancake turns golden brown. Re-flip if necessary.
5. Repeat until you run out of batter. Add oil to skillet as necessary to prevent pancakes from sticking.
6. Stack the pancakes to your liking and drizzle with maple syrup.

Easy right? Make sure to try this recipe with your family and friends on your next backpacking trip!

3. Apple Cinnamon Peanut Butter Bagel Bites

This is by far the easiest recipe on this list. Even your kids can make this recipe since it only involves a few ingredients. It’s a must-try recipe for your next backpacking trip!

Prep Time: Less than 5 minutes

Yield: 1 (You can choose to pack more bagels to make more)

Ingredients:

• 1 mini bagel, split and toasted
• 2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
• ¼ green apple, cored and sliced
• Cinnamon sugar

How To Make:

1. Spread peanut butter over warm, toasted mini bagel. Top with apples and cinnamon-sugar. Eat immediately.

That’s it! If you’re unsure how to toast the bagel, remember how that you can use the tools for cooking the Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes above. You can toast the bagel using the skillet, brushed with some oil!

4. Pepperoni And Cheese Quesadilla

The recipes just keep getting better, aren’t they? Spice up your backpacking trip by making this awesome recipe! It’s nutritious as much as it is delicious, and it can feed your entire group!

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 8 slices

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon tubed tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium-sized wheat flour tortilla
• 50 grams grated Cheddar cheese
• 8 slices shelf-stable pepperoni

How To Make:

1. Mix the tomato paste with 2 tablespoons water and oregano in a mug.
2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
3. Put the tortilla in and reduce the heat.
4. Fry on one side, then turn and smear with tomato sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.
5. Cook until the cheese melts, then top with pepperoni.
6. Fold the tortilla in half, remove it from the pan, and slice it to about eight pieces.

Easy right? Now, onto the last one!

5. Smoked Chicken Jambalaya

If you think you can’t make a Creole dish while backpacking, this recipe will absolutely change your mind.

If you’re closely following my blog, you’d have already read my previous article on how to preserve foods in the wild.

You can learn how to smoke in the wilderness by reading that article. Also, since this recipe involves smoked chicken, I suggest you use only the best wood for smoking chicken since it’s one of the things that affect a smoked chicken’s flavor. Check Dona’s Kitchen for some pointers on how to go about your smoked chicken wood selection.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time:  20 minutes

Yield: Serves 1 to 2 (you can adjust the ingredients to make more)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 handful (about 50g/1.76oz) smoked sausages, sliced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 3-4 pcs canned pimentos, drained and sliced
• 1/3 cup quick-cooking rice
• Salt

How To Make:

1. Heat olive oil in a pot, add onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft.
2. Add sausages, and sauté until browned.
3. Stir in tomato paste, Cajun spice mixture and pimentos. Cook for another 1–2 minutes; then pour in rice and 2/3 cup water.
4. Bring to a boil. Season to taste and simmer for 10 minutes – stirring occasionally – until rice is done and all liquid is absorbed.

And you’re done! Now you know you can make a Creole dish while backpacking.

Next up, I’ve written some useful things to remember while backpacking to enhance your backpacking experience, so just keep reading!

Useful Things To Remember:

Pack out your trash

Some people forget to pack out their trash after camping, make sure not to commit the same mistake. I’m sure you don’t want to contribute to the destruction of nature, so always remember to pack out your trash.

Store your food properly

Proper food storage is essential, especially if you’re going to be backpacking for several days. There’s a lot of useful resources where you can learn incredible food storage techniques. I strongly recommend you to learn some!

Don’t pack too much food

This is one of the most common mistakes for beginner backpackers. It’s pretty understandable since no one really wants to go hungry while backpacking, but packing too much unnecessary weight can ruin your backpacking experience.

Remember to bring only the right amount of food for your trip.

Be smart about where you camp

As much as possible, you’ll want to avoid accident-prone areas, and zones with dangerous animals such as bears, snakes, and the likes. I recommend camping near a water source, just to be perfectly safe.

Here Are Some Useful Backpacking Meal Tips:

Try to avoid canned foods

I’m sure you already know why I want to give you this tip.

Canned foods are dense, and again, you don’t want to pack too much unnecessary weight. Besides that, they create bulky trash to pack out, so just try to avoid bringing them.

Bring some fresh foods

Bringing some fresh foods is always a great idea. They’re nutritious, and they often give you the energy boost you need for your backpacking trip. Try bringing some fresh fruits and veggies the next time you go backpacking!

Go for some hot drinks

Aside from soups, warm beverages can do wonders for your camping experience. Evenings in the wilderness can get rather cold, and you can’t always rely on fire to warm you up, so it’s best to just go for some hot drinks.

Don’t drink alcohol

However cool it may seem to some, drinking alcohol while backpacking can be problematic. It’s not a good idea to drink alcohol before going to bed. Aside from disrupting your sleep cycle, it also makes you pee more, which can get you dehydrated, and you don’t want that to happen while you’re backpacking.

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