Backpacking Oatmeal: 3 Recipes for Your Next Backpacking Breakfast

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I posted a poll on my YouTube channel asking everyone what they liked to eat for breakfast in the backcountry. Oatmeal was the top response. But if you’re bored with oatmeal and want some fun ways to change it up, check out my 3 backpacking oatmeal recipes below!

Why make your own backpacking oatmeal?

I totally understand why oatmeal is such a popular backpacking breakfast. It’s lightweight, easy to pack, warm on a cold morning in the backcountry, and it doesn’t take long to prepare.

But if you backpack a lot, the store-bought packets and flavors can get boring. They’re also full of artificial flavors and processed sugar – things I prefer to avoid if possible.

So I hit the bulk section of the grocery store and then got in my kitchen to experiment with my own oatmeal recipes that were more filling and nutrient-dense.

These 3 oatmeal recipes make the perfect backpacking breakfast. All you have to do in the backcountry is boil water and enjoy! Not only are these backpacking breakfast ideas full of flavor, but they’re also customizable.

Don’t like walnuts? Swap in pecans. Don’t like bananas? Swap in mango. Create a breakfast you’ll look forward to!

Note about freeze-dried fruit:

The freeze-dried fruits in these recipes will be sensitive to moisture in the air. It’s best to prepare these recipes right before your trip and limit the number of times you open and close the bags.

To do this, pack your meals in individual servings the day before your trip. Try to remove as much air as you can from the bags and seal them really well.

If you’re going on longer trips and need to store these oatmeals for longer than a few days, consider using dried fruits instead of freeze-dried fruits.

Where to buy ingredients for homemade backpacking oatmeal?

Luckily, the ingredients for these oatmeal recipes are really easy to find. Trader Joe’s is a great place to find nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and freeze-dried fruits.

Target also has an excellent selection of nuts and fruits to choose from.

Lastly, you can find just about everything and anything on Amazon of course.

Finding coconut oil packets:

The most challenging ingredient to find in these recipes is probably the individual coconut oil packets. I get mine from Trader Joe’s, but I’ve also seen them at Whole Foods. Just make sure that whatever packets you buy are food-quality and not intended to be a hair or body product!

Backpacking Oatmeal Recipes

1) Vanilla Almond Berry Oatmeal

This oatmeal is so delicious and creamy thanks to the RX Vanilla Almond Butter packet. This is a great way to add flavor and fat to the oatmeal! It goes really well with berries for a delicious and filling backcountry breakfast.

Vanilla Almond Berry Oatmeal

An easy and filling backpacking oatmeal recipe with almonds, and freeze-dried berries.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:5 mins

Cook Time:5 mins

Total Time:10 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup instant oats
• 1/4 cup freeze-dried blueberries
• 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 packet of RX Vanilla Almond Nut Butter

Instructions

At Home:

• Put the oats, freeze-dried blueberries, freeze-dried strawberries, and sliced almonds into a small sealable bag.
• Place the almond butter packet in the bag. Do not open the almond butter packet yet. Wait until you’re at camp.
• Seal the bag well, and double bag it if needed. You don’t want the bag to rip.

At Camp:

• Open the bag and take out the almond butter packet.
• Pour the oat mixture into your bowl and add about 1 cup of boiling water.*
• Finally, open the almond butter packet and stir that in.

Notes

*The amount of water can be adjusted based on what you like. For example, I prefer my oatmeal on the thicker side, so I usually add a little bit of water at a time and stir in between each addition until it’s at the consistency I like.

Servings: 1 breakfast

2) Tropical Pineapple Coconut Oatmeal

I love pineapple! It’s one of my favorite fruits and it works so well in this oatmeal recipe with coconut oil to give it a fun tropical vibe. This is an easy way to keep your breakfasts interesting on the trail. Make sure that the coconut oil packets you buy are food-quality and not intended for hair or body care!

Tropical Pineapple Coconut Oatmeal

A delicious backpacking oatmeal recipe with tropical vibes from pineapple and coconut.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:5 mins

Cook Time:5 mins

Total Time:10 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup instant oats
• 1/4 cup freeze-dried banana slices
• 1/4 cup dried pineapple slices diced
• 1/4 cup toasted coconut chips
• 1 individual coconut oil packet* food-quality

Instructions

At Home:

• Put the oats, dried pineapple, and freeze-dried bananas into a small sealable bag.
• Add the coconut chips to another separate small bag.
• Place the bag of coconut chips and the unopened coconut oil packet into the main bag with the oatmeal and fruit.
• Seal the main bag well, and double bag it if needed. You don’t want it to rip.

At Camp:

• Open the bag and take the coconut oil packet and the coconut chips out and set them aside.
• Pour the oat mixture into your bowl and add about 1 cup of boiling water.**
• Next, open the coconut oil packet and stir that in. The hot water will melt the coconut oil and make the oatmeal nice and creamy.
• Lastly, add the coconut chips on top for a nice crunch.

Notes

*I get mine from Trader Joes, but if you don’t have a Trader Joes near you, they are easy to find on Amazon. Look for packets that have about 0.5 oz of coconut oil per packet.
**The amount of water can be adjusted based on what you like. For example, I prefer my oatmeal on the thicker side, so I usually add a little bit of water at a time, and stir in-between each addition until it’s at the consistency I like.

Servings: 1 breakfast

3) Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Who else loves anything chocolate? This backpacking oatmeal feels decadent! The combo of chocolate and peanut butter is certainly hard to beat.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal

This backpacking oatmeal recipe is for all the chocolate peanut butter lovers out there!

Print Recipe

Prep Time:5 mins

Cook Time:5 mins

Total Time:10 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup instant oats
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup freeze-dried banana slices
• 1 packet of RX Nut Butter Peanut Butter

Instructions

At Home:

• Put the oats, cocoa powder, chia seeds, and freeze-dried bananas into a small sealable bag.
• Put the peanut butter packet in the bag. Do not open the peanut butter packet yet. Wait until you’re at camp.
• Seal the bag well, and double bag it if needed. You don’t want the bag to rip.

At Camp:

• Open the bag and take out the peanut butter packet.
• Pour the oat mixture into your bowl and add about 1 cup of boiling water.*
• Finally, open the peanut butter packet and stir that in.

Notes

*The amount of water can be adjusted based on what you like. For example, I prefer my oatmeal on the thicker side, so I usually add a little bit of water at a time, and stir in-between each addition until it’s at the consistency I like.

Servings: 1 breakfast

How to make backpacking oatmeal (video):

The video below will walk you through the entire process of making your own backpacking oatmeal.

Need more backpacking meal ideas?

I hope you enjoy these easy, lightweight, and low-cost backpacking oatmeal recipes. If you need even more ideas, check out these 30+ backpacking food ideas.

Nick and I love these backpacking oatmeal recipes for breakfast because they taste amazing and they keep us full on the trails for hours!

What combo are you excited to try first? Feel free to ask me any questions below, and if you do try one of these recipes, make sure to come back and give it a rating!