
Best Dehydrated Camping Foods in 2021

Heading off on a camping adventure can be a real a real chore, especially when it comes to the pre-preparation. It’s not dissimilar to a military style operation you need so much gear! So the last thing you want to be worrying about are all the pots, pans and billycans you might need in order to get a decent and nutritionally sound meal inside you. This is especially true if you’re on a real active pursuits style camping trip, where hiking is going to feature heavily or mountain climbing, biking and generally being active and expending lots of energy. This is where dehydrated food can literally be a life saver, allowing you to quickly re-fuel, no fuss, no sacrificing on flavour, just quality protein packed, energy restoring goodness that you can restore back to life with little more than some boiling hot water! Let’s take a look at some of the best freeze dried food options that are shelf life and back pack friendly that you can rustle up in a hurry.
The Best Dehydrated Camping Food
1Mountain House Beef Stroganoff

Mountain House Beef Stroganoff is one of the most popular dehydrated camping foods on the market. All you have to do is add water and it’s ready to eat in 10 minutes. You can eat it straight out of the pack, so there’s no cleanup. Then, you can throw away the recyclable packaging. The pack contains six pouches, which amounts to 12 total servings (each containing 280 calories). You might not be expecting amazing flavors from a camping meal like this but we think the Mountain House Beef Stroganoff. There must be some reason it’s so popular.
Ready to eat in 10 minutes
Six packs (two servings each)
280 calories per serving
Recyclable packaging
30-year taste guarantee
- BrandMountain House
- ModelBeef Stroganoff
- Weight2.37 pounds
2Mountain House Classic Bucket

If you’re planning to spend a few days out into the wilderness, you’re going to need more than one pouch. This bucket of Mountain House has 12 pouches with five different flavors – beef stew, beef stroganoff, granola with milk and blueberries, spaghetti with meat sauce, and chicken fried rice. That means you can mix it up a little when you’re miles away from civilization. Each pack contains two servings (with between 200 and 300 calories per serving) and they’re ready to eat in just 10 minutes. We also like the fact that the packs are completely recyclable.
12 pouches (two servings each)
200-300 calories per serving
Five different flavors
Ready to eat in 10 minutes
Recyclable packs
- BrandMountain House
- ModelClassic Bucket
- Weight6.6 pounds
3Backpackers Pantry Louisiana Beans And Rice




All the taste and original Cajun spiced flavour but with none of the cooking required. This is a simple but delicious dehydrated dish of red bean and rice tossed in a Creole style sauce. Free from Gluten and Vegan friendly too, this will have the whole camp happy and feeling full after a gruelling day out and about. It’s a tasty way to re-fuel before getting your head down for a good night’s sleep.
Full of Cajun and Creole spices
Non GMO, Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten Free
Member of the 1% for the planet campaign
High carb power meal
Simply add boiling water and leave to sit for 13-minutes
- BrandBackpacker’s Pantry
- Model102307
- Weight8.82 pounds
4Patagonia Provisions Red Bean Chili




Think of time spent around a campfire and you are quite likely to conjure up the aromas of a fresh, hearty and spicy chili. It’s such a great fireside treat, especially after a long day of trekking. Preparing a home-made chili from scratch though requires lots of ingredients, time, not to mention preparation surfaces and don’t even get started on the clean-up mission afterwards. Step forwards this hearty and authentic certified organic Red Bean Chili from Patgonia which cooks in just 10 minutes. Packed with protein and fiber and sure to make a tasty meal home or away.
Certified organic red and pinto beans, carrots, tomatoes and bell peppers
14 grams of plant based protein and 12 grams of fiber per serving
Gluten, meat and dairy free
Cooks in just 10 minutes
Simply boil in water
- BrandPatagonia Provisions
- ModelRed Bean Chili
- Weight174 g
5Mountain House Chili Mac With Beef




Imagine the full taste of a chili round the camp fire but with zero cleaning up to do afterwards or for that matter no preparation involved beforehand either. Literally 10 minutes to a tasty and nutritious freeze dried meal that will satisfy both your taste buds and your hunger and help restore those energy levels after a busy day out exploring a National Park. Chili Mac With Beef is packed with a kick of spice to tickle your taste buds but also a whopping, muscle repairing, 32 grams of protein. With the Mountain House Chili Mac with Beef you’ll get just that and with two and half servings per pack, you could go for second helpings too!
Authentic chili flavor with real beef and macaroni
Quick and easy prep in just 10 minutes
30-year Mountain House taste guarantee
32 grams of protein
2.5 cups serving per pouch
Allergen notice; contains wheat and soy
- BrandMountain House
- Model53119
- Weight6.4 ounces
6Mountain House Lasagna With Meat Sauce




Fancy the great taste of an authentic Italian style Lasagna just like your Mama used to make ya! Think again buddy, you’re on a camping trip! Who wants to be whipping up a béchamel sauce over a camping stove? Actually though, with this Mountain House freeze dried Lasagna you really can enjoy the taste of Italy, wherever you might be camping out. Just don’t forget to bring the Parmesan.
Handily available in packet, pouch, pro-pak or can
Made with pasta, cheese and Italian style sauce
Quite and easy prep in just 10 minutes
30-year Mountain house taste guarantee
2.5 cups serving per pouch
Allergen notice; contains milk and wheat
- BrandMountain House
- Model53127
- Weight6.4 ounces
7Backpacker Pantry Pad Thai




Few of us probably have the skills to cook a decent Pad Thai at home, let alone over a campfire so this dehydrated version is a delicious option and so easy to make. Literally all you need is boiling water and you are ready feast on this Far Eastern favorite. Better still it’s high in protein but completely gluten free and Vegan friendly making it a great choice for all palates and dietary requirements.
Contains rice noodles in a sweet garlic sauce with vegetables and soy protein
Member of the 1% for the Planet campaign
Non GMO, Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten Free
Simply add boiling water and let is sit for 15-20 minutes before serving
- BrandBackpacker’s Pantry
- Model102303
- Weight12 ounces
8Good To Go Thai Curry

If you want really tasty and aromatic food after your days’ adventure but you don’t want to have to go to the lengths of preparing all your ingredients only to spend hours over the stove, then this is a great range. Let’s face it, if you are hiking in the back of beyond, you can’t speed dial for a curry to be delivered! This Good to Go Thai Curry then is a fantastic and flavorsome option with spicy yellow coconut curry sauce over vegetables and Jasmine rice. It might well be dehydrated but it is certainly not lacking in taste.
Ready to eat in minutes just add water
Packed with an aromatic blend of spices
Pescatarian and Gluten Free
Low in Sodium and No preservatives
4-year shelf life
- BrandGood To Go
- Weight189 g
9Good To Go Classic Marinara With Penne

Real food for real adventurers just like you! If Italian is on the menu tonight then this Good to Go Classic Marinara, rich tomato based sauce will have you dreaming of Rome (not home!) Designed and developed by chef’s this is a fantastic and tasty dish that will provide much need comfort and sustenance after a hard days’ trek. The perfect meal to finish off your day.
Ready to eat in minutes just add water
Italian style tomato sauce with brown rice penne
Vegan and Gluten Free
Low in Sodium and No preservatives
3-year shelf life
- BrandGood To Go
- ModelGood To-Go
- Weight8.6 ounces
10Backpacker’s Pantry Chana Masala

When you’re out in the wilderness, you’ll find yourself dreaming of home comforts. One of our favorite home comforts is a delicious curry, which is why this pack of Backpacker’s Pantry Chana Masala deserves a place on this list. Each serving contains 430 calories, which means you can survive off a couple of these a day. These packs are also vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and aren’t genetically-modified. The only slight downside is that they take 20 minutes to get ready, so they’re not the fastest packs to get ready.
Ready to eat in 20 minutes
One pouch (two servings each)
430 calories per serving
Non-GMO, vegetarian, vegan & gluten-free
- BrandBackpacker’s Pantry
- ModelChana Masala
- Weight7.9 ounces
Dehydrated Camping Food Buying Guide & FAQs
Q: Does Dehydrated Camping Food Taste Good?
A: Quite frankly, if you don’t like the taste of any food in general, whether it’s been dehydrated or not, you won’t eat it no matter how good someone tells you it is for you! Whereas in the past freeze dried food may well have had a bad reputation, today it has come on leaps and bounds in terms of taste, texture, and packaging. Most are at the least still going to require some boiling hot water although you can get lots of on the go bars and dehydrated sources of protein that you can grab out of the bag. When it comes to preparing a dehydrated camp meal though, a good idea might be to take along some of your favorite spices to give it that extra little bit of home cooked flavor and spices are of course space saving and easy to pack even if you are limited on space and only traveling with a backpack. Today though you can get everything from a Thai Chicken Curry to a Beef Stroganoff so there is no need to miss out on eating something that is both tasty and nutritious.
Q: How Do I Prepare Dehydrated Camping Food?
A: For most dehydrated food that needs re-heating, you are going to need some hot water so preferably a pan and a stove or some means of creating heat from a campfire. Generally, all you will need to is pre heat your water then add your sachet for the desired cooking time, open and serve ready to savor a delicious flavored and authentic meal. This makes them the perfect option for all kinds of outdoors activities including camping, backpacking, hunting, fishing as well as being a great everyday store cupboard backup.
Q: How Long Is The Shelf Life For Camping Food?
A: Well, that depends upon the original food source and the conditions in which it has been dehydrated but a whole variety of vegetables, once hermetically sealed, can be stored for up to 8-10 years if kept at a stable room temperature. Pretty amazing. The best foods generally for freeze-drying are veggies with broccoli and green beans literally steaming up ready to be consumed in a matter of minutes still bursting with essential vitamins and minerals.
Q: Is Vegan Backpacking Better For Me?
A: Vegan backpacking is a relatively easy option as some of the best sources of food for dehydrating are in fact vegetable and vegan sources. There are plenty of Vegan brands around and it makes a wise choice.
Additional Things To Consider
Look out for the calorie count. If you are on trekking expedition during the day you’re like to have expended a huge amount of calories by the time you get back to camp so make sure you refuel adequately. Depending upon the amount of exercise you’ve done that day and the calorie intake you’ll consume from one of your dehydrated meals, you might need to even pop two of them onto your stove to really get those energy levels back up and ready for another adventure the next day.
Be aware of the sodium levels in this kind of quick fix food source. This is processed and packaged food after all so the chances are that it will already be pretty high on the sodium stakes as salt is a known preservative helping to keep all kinds of foods fresher for longer. Too much sodium can, of course, have an adverse effect and lead to raising blood pressure levels so just be mindful of your daily intake.
Make sure that you are also taking on board plenty of protein when you are on camping expeditions too. Protein is the best way to repair tired muscles and get you back firing on all cylinders so look out for freeze-dried meals that have a good percentage of protein.