Simple DIY Vegan Backpacking Meal Concepts & Suggestions (with Recipes!) – Bearfoot Principle

On the lookout for some simple DIY vegan backpacking meals? You’ve come to the precise place!

There are plenty of methods to eat as of late: keto, plant-based, lacto-ovo, paleo… simply to call just a few. However is it potential to observe your dietary preferences if you hit the paths? As an out of doors chef, I’m right here to let you know that sure, you possibly can. You’ll be able to prepare dinner up tasty meals and stick along with your food plan, no matter it might be, out within the wild.

I’m Chef Corso, head chef and founding father of Outside Eats and I’m on a mission to raise the out of doors meals expertise by quick, simple, and engaging recipes, meal plans, and pocket-sized cookbooks. Nevertheless you’re consuming, I need you to have the ability to stick with your meals beliefs and maintain your stomach completely happy as you head into the outside.

I like mountain climbing and backpacking and seen that the majority people are simply boiling water and including it to a bag come mealtime. To me, it is a missed alternative to have a tasty, filling, and thrilling meal that compliments your journey, fairly than simply shoveling down energy that don’t refuel in one of the best ways. 

On this put up, I’m going to cowl the fundamentals for simple DIY vegan backpacking meals together with balanced meal planning methods, how to buy elements, my favourite vegan backpacking recipes, and extra.

All photographs courtesy of Chef Corso

Concerns When Planning DIY Backpacking Meals

Earlier than you head off to the shop to purchase elements, it’s necessary to assume by your journey so that you simply’re well-prepared. You don’t need to overpack meals and carry greater than you want or worse, underpack and danger going hungry.

Listed here are just a few concerns to consider earlier than a backcountry journey:

How Many Folks Are You Planning For?

Each journey and meal plan begins with one query: “How many individuals are going?”

Planning a solo journey requires very completely different meal planning than a visit with 6 hungry hikers. As soon as you already know the quantity in your crew, you possibly can work to create an ideal meal plan that can be satisfying for everybody.

Whereas I typically see people planning their meals solo even on group journeys, planning as a gaggle for major meals is a enjoyable method to share tasty recollections collectively and it isn’t as exhausting as you assume.

DIY vegan backpacking meal prep doesn’t need to be a burden. Meal plan collectively and share the load!

How Massive of a Pot Do You Want?

As soon as you already know your group measurement, you can begin to consider cooking tools. You’ll be able to select a camp range and pot/pan mixture from the identical firm or you possibly can combine and match.

Listed here are cooking pot capability ranges to focus on based mostly in your group measurement:

• Solo journey: 300-500 ml pot
• 2-person journey: 500 ml -1.2 L pot
• 2-4 individual journey: 1.2 L – 2.5 L pot
• 4+ folks: 2.5 L – 4 L pot

Tip: If you happen to combine and match pots and stoves, search for a range that has a burner massive sufficient to help the circumference of your pot so it has a secure touchdown zone and doesn’t tip over.

How A lot Meals Ought to You Deliver?

Determining how a lot meals to deliver may be one of many largest challenges of planning a backpacking journey.

Everybody has completely different appetites and every day on the path can require various vitality wants. For instance, sooner or later of the journey might contain a tough 10-mile hike to the highest of a 14er in Colorado whereas the subsequent day may merely be “hammock and chill” by an alpine lake.

I are inclined to not concentrate on a calorie quantity and fairly concentrate on tasty, filling meals at every dinner time. All of the recipes I create are supposed to present hearty servings for many hikers.

Every recipe additionally notes what number of parts it makes and is straightforward to scale up or down based mostly in your journey.

In case you are involved about amount, pack somewhat bit extra of your pantry objects (see under) or just a few extra snacks.

If you happen to do need to plan your meals based mostly on energy, a normal rule of thumb is 2,500 – 4,000 energy of meals per individual per day.

At a minimal, you’ll need to plan breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for every day on the path.

Not each backpacking meal in your journey must be DIY after all, however I’ve included just a few of my favourite simple DIY vegan backpacking recipes on the finish of this put up to get you began.

Suggestions for Planning DIY Vegan Backpacking Meals

Now that you know the way many individuals that you must pack meals for, let’s get into some meal-planning suggestions.

Begin within the Pantry

For any DIY backpacking meal plan, I at all times begin within the pantry. Test the cabinet for what plant-based staples you may have already got available like:

All of those choices are light-weight, packable, filling, and versatile based mostly on what you need to make within the backcountry.

Decide Your Protein

Protein is a crucial macronutrient to focus on for an entire meal however it may be difficult to search out plant-based choices that final for days away from refrigeration.

Listed here are just a few vegan protein choices to take a look at:

Add Taste By Spice Mixes

Spices and spice mixes are THE BEST approach so as to add taste with out carrying heavy sauces and condiments.

A few of my favorites are:

Tip: When shopping for spice blends, at all times examine the ingredient listings for the quantity of salt. You need blends which have spices as the primary ingredient, not salt.

Watch Chef Corso select which spices to pack for backpacking

Add Texture & Freshness

Lastly, add one thing recent to spherical out your meal. Texture and freshness are key parts to finishing a flavorful dish at house and so they’re simply as necessary exterior on the path.

These key attributes are lacking from packaged meals and I feel they’re necessary to focus on when creating backpacking meals.

Listed here are some choices for veggies that final for a number of days on the path with out getting bruised, slimy, or soggy.

I are inclined to concentrate on recent for the primary days of my meal plan then transfer to drier, extra secure choices because the journey progresses.

Tip: For freshness, I like packing alongside a lime or lemon, and a small plastic bottle of apple cider vinegar so as to add that little little bit of pop to my meals. Don’t need to take alongside liquids? Try Sumac. It’s a dry spice that has a pleasant lemony taste that provides no weight.

Suggestions for Packing DIY Backpacking Meals

In case you are not bringing alongside pre-packaged meals, you’ll must pack up the elements in your DIY vegan backpacking meals and maintain every thing organized.

I like utilizing compostable Ziplock baggage (keep in mind to pack them out), reusable Stasher Luggage, and stuff sacks to maintain issues organized. Sometimes I’ll pack every meal into one Ziplock bag after which pack every day’s meals into one stuff sack. That approach, I don’t need to go rummaging by my whole pack to search out that day’s dinner.

For liquids like oil, vinegar, and soy sauce, I like reusing outdated soda or juice shot containers. They’ll range in measurement from 1 oz – 16 oz and are an ideal method to reuse one thing you have been simply going to throw away. These 2 oz bottles are excellent for shorter journeys.

For spices, I reuse washed-out lotion tins or rehydration tab bottles. You can additionally these Humangear Interlocking Containers (medium measurement) for pastes and different taste elements.

DIY Vegan Backpacking Recipes

Now for the enjoyable half, let’s dive into the recipes!

Beneath are just a few of my favourite plant-based recipe concepts for DIY backpacking breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

DIY Vegan Backpacking Breakfasts

DIY Vegan Backpacking Lunches

DIY Vegan Backpacking Dinners

DIY Vegan Backpacking Desserts

Thanks for coming alongside! If you happen to’re looking for easier DIY path recipe concepts, hit up outdooreats.com or try my YouTube web page Chef Corso for extra tasty choices.

Get on the market!

What are your favourite DIY vegan backpacking meals or suggestions? What questions do you have got about meal planning for a backpacking journey? Depart a remark under!

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