20 Best Vegetarian Backpacking Meals (2022 Updated)

I love a good pad Thai, and boy does this dehydrated dinner taste exactly like good pad Thai. I found that this vegetarian version is actually better than the chicken one; if you want chicken or some sort of protein with it, happy yak has packs of just dehydrated meats, which you can easily add to your pad Thai.

The only reason I docked 1 star off this meal is because it has a few different packs that you have to empty into the main pouch (ie. peanut butter, lime, spice mix). Otherwise, it is a delicious backcountry dinner meal!.

I have been packing these regularly on trips now since I discovered it. It is very easy to put together and it tastes fantastic too. I noted it is a bit on the saltier side but after a long day of hiking and sweating, it really goes down well and replenishes me.

It can be alot of food for one depending on your day. Highly recommended!.

I received this meal as a gift (with a new JetBoil stove) and took it with me up to Garibaldi Lake (near Whistler BC) a couple weeks ago for a two night trip. I prepared this for supper on night one and loved it.

It’s a medium heat which is fine even though I prefer super hot. But the flavours were well balanced and it tasted like an authentic Thai meal. I mean it’s not going to compare to a restaurant prepared meal, but for freeze dried fare this particular dish is top notch.

I’ll be buying more for future trips.

For best results do not cook this in the bag, use double the water and reduce until desired consistency. The noodles are thin and good, the sausage reconstituted perfectly and had a nice Italian seasoning to them – and it wasn’t very spicy.

The sauce was creamy with a hint of rosemary. Like most of these meals, adding salt and pepper is a must. I know that most people will be cooking this in a bag. I’ve had this out of the bag and it’s ok.

By cooking it in a pot the ingredients will have a better chance to rehydrate. Cooking it in a pot will take more time and use more fuel – worth it considering just how much better the results are. (use a windscreen for best fuel economy) This was part of our meal repertoire during a 5 day portage trip in Algonquin park.

It is 2 servings, but we split it among 3 guys – which ended up being a perfect amount. We would cook 3 different meals and split it between us – a great way to explore different flavours.

This meal is a staple on any hiking or camping trip. We loved this dish! Hearty, tasty and lightweight. Very comforting after a long day out in the woods. Make sure you really give it a good mix! The first time we made it a lot of the spices and flavouring got trapped at the bottom and it was bland.

Mix it right and it will hit the spot!.

Ill first say that I have a shake daily, usually after the gym or a run. Been drinking dozens of different ones over the years and making my own. I also tend to really enjoy most of the backpacking meals.

This item however was absolutely vile. It neither smelled like chocolate and banana or tasted like it. Soon as I took the first swallow my body rejected it and I started retching. Im an avid hunter, bad smells and bother me, but this thing was terrible.

DO NOT buy it. And always remember to test out your stuff BEFORE you get out into the field.

Pad Thai is one of my favorite meals. Whenever I travel I always go get some for at least one meal. It never tastes the same but is always delicious. After a long morning of backpacking straight uphill with a heavier than normal pack I was pumped to have this for lunch.

Despite my hunger pains I couldn’t eat more than a couple of bites. I wish I would have save the packet of peanut butter inside and just ate that plain so I could have at least had a few bites of something edible.

I offered it to my starving, garbage disposal boyfriend who was starving and waiting on his meal to cook, he wouldn’t even eat it and he eats anything. The noodles never rehydrated after the allotted time.

I resealed and gave it another 5 minutes and it was still soup with hard noodles. That part didn’t bother me, I love soup! But this soup tasted like a pound of pepper mixed with a tad of peanut butter and hot water.

I love pepper but I do not like to eat only pepper and that is what this would be if I hadn’t added a peanut butter packet to it. Pepper, pepper, pepper!! I know I needed the calories so I kept trying to choke it down but after 4 or 5 bites I had to give up.

My mouth was so peppery I had to spit and swish my mouth with water for a half hour or so before I could drink my water without it tasting like straight pepper. My dinner was also from them and tasted like straight pepper, but it at least rehydrated the food and I was able to choke down half of it.

I will not buy anything from this brand again if pepper is listed in the ingredients.

This Pad Thai was a good meal for me and my wife (we did also eat some crackers). It’s a great choice for anyone avoiding gluten and dairy, but really it’s a good choice for anyone because it’s easy to make and tastes good.

It takes about 15 minutes; add peanut butter packet, add hot water, stir, wait 8 minutes, stir again, wait 7 more minutes, add peanuts and eat. I chose to shake/knead the package rather than stir. I noticed after I made it that the directions are tailored for an altitude of 5000′, but I made it at sea level and it was re-hydrated perfectly, the noodles weren’t mushy at all.

As for taste, it’s more citrus-y than peanut-y, while still having a nice creamy texture. Lime was the dominant flavor on this, with very little spiciness despite the sriracha description. The ingredients are all real foods that you can pronounce and feel good about eating.

Have I had better Pad Thai? Absolutely, but not out of a lightweight foil bag that I can take with me anywhere.

Perfect as a hot meal on the boat, with a few caveats. As a lover of pad Thai and not a fan of Sriracha-drenched food, I found this not your usual pad Thai but more of a tasty chili-lime-peanut noodle dish.

Delicious as a spicy dinner option. The heat was a reasonable level for my taste (I will never relate to the people who douse their food with Sriracha and this was on the right side of spicy for me).

Other caveat: this contains palm oil which I know can sometimes be sustainable but not listed as sustainable here. The noodles do soften deliciously in time, assuming you use boiling water. Adding fresh tomatoes or avocado is a wonderful touch (which is how I enjoyed the leftovers) but this is hearty and flavorful as it is.

Thoughtful vegan meal; just wish it mentioned the palm oil source in the peanut butter.

This was one of the best freeze dried meals I have had! Huge chunks of zucchini and tasted fabulous! I bought 4 more and will continue to buy for backcountry trips. 10/10

Taste was just OK. Great serving though. Pretty filling. I would not buy this meal again though as the taste was just average.

Will buy again, good taste to the sauce & I like the extra bit of veg. This (for me) feeds 1 after a day of hiking. Generally with BP pasta dishes I add a little extra water & let sit for an extra 5 mins—find the dish rehydrates a little more consistently this way.

5 Stars! I recently found Nomad Nutrition earlier this year. I’m are vegan and spend a fair amount of time on multi day hikes. All of the meals are delicious especially the Caribbean Curry (truly delicious), Indian Red Lentil, and Hungarian Goulash and Cali Breakfast Bowl.

YUM!.

This was really delicious – flavorful and lots of veg. I wish that the front packaging was more descriptive – there is only a vague dish name (e. g. , Caribbean Curry) and you have to look on the back/ingredients list to see what is actually in the curry.

Love that all the options are vegan and gluten free!.

This was the perfect meal on a recent camping trip. Packed with flavour. Will certainly buy more. Also very much recommend borscht in the same line. These meals taste like restaurant-quality food.

This is a great addition to my favorite backpacking meals. Flavor: It’s got just the right amount of spice, for me at least, and I’d say I’m a medium-hot salsa guy. It also is incredibly hearty and filling – the black beans especially held up well dehydrated and but-for the variety of ingredients you could pass it off as made from scratch at your campsite.

Generally, I want the most calories and the best taste in the least amount of space with the least amount of work to prepare. This totally fits that description. Size: It’s labeled as a two-serving meal, so you and a friend can get dinner out of one pouch of food, but I think that’s likely only true if you have other food to supplement it with, or if you and your friend have a lighter appetite.

For me, it works best as one big serving after a longer hike – though to be fair, I couldn’t finish it all. Packaging/ease of use: Pretty standard, just add hot water and let it steep for 8 minutes. The first time I tried it, I let it sit for only about 5 minutes and the quinoa was crunchy, so let it sit the whole 8 minutes.

I reuse the bag to hold soapy water for cleanup as well. Other good things: I bring pouch food to work for lunch sometimes, and am adding this 3 Sisters Southwestern Q&B to my rotation.

For backpacking meals, I care about 3 things (in this order): 1. Ease of Use: This is a “just add (boiling) water” meal – no special packages to take out or add later, no extra dishes, only 15 min to rehydrate, & the package stands up on its own, on a relatively flat surface.

I grade Ease of Use “A+”! 2. Calories & Nutrition: 720 Calories per pack! That’s good compared to most other backpacking meals, and fantastic for a vegetarian option (vegan, I believe). 138g carbs, 28g protein, and only 9g sugar! It does have 1440mg (63% DV) of sodium, but that seems standard with dehydrated meals.

I grade Calories & Nutrition “A”! 3. Taste: The taste is good. The ingredients taste surprisingly fresh, but the seasoning gets boring halfway through. The rice could have re-hydrated better (I’ll probably let it sit longer than the instructions next time).

I grade Taste “B”. The only possible negative is the beans, which some people avoid when hiking. That said, for me it’s 5 stars, and it’s definitely going in my backpacking meals rotation!.

Good protein content (21g/serving), low fat (2g/serving), very high vitamin C, but literally zero vitamin A. Sodium is moderate for these types of meals (590mg/serving). Fibre is 13g per serving. There has to be vegetarian options, and I imagine they must be tough to produce, but this one doesn’t taste too good.

I found it just “edible”, but generally unappealing. It wasn’t overly bitter or disgusting, but for the price I expect a much better flavour than this. I was hungry, but opted not to finish both portions, (as I usually have no problem doing when hungry.

) If I only ate food that tasted like this, I’d probably be twenty-five pounds lighter. so I suppose that could be a selling point. *wink* If it had decent amount of vitamin A, I’d have been more generous with the overall rating, sacrificing flavour for nutritional value.

Alpineaire: I’ve had worse, it isn’t TERRIBLE, but this one certainly needs a bit more tinkering. I’ll keep sampling, but as is, I won’t buy this one again.

Rehydrating this vegetarian chili was simple and quick. If you don’t have a measuring cup on the trail (because who does?) there are easy measure lines along the sides so you know exactly how much water to add.

The bag is also resealable to keep that moisture in. Simply add your boiling water, seal, and wait! There was also a surprising amount of flavor! 10/10 would absolutely buy again! 🤤.

Stay far, far away from the Mesquite BBQ Chicken! Far away! I can’t believe they ever released this flavor. It smells good – but don’t be fooled! I barely finished my package, and I was almost gagging by the end.

I’m not usually very picky with food, but this flavor is terrible. Be warned! Zero stars for the Mesquite BBQ! Some other flavors are decent: Black Bart Chili, Peppered Beef with Rice, Spicy Sausage Pasta – they’re not amazing, but for a quick meal while backpack hunting they’re pretty good and enjoyable.

So my 3 star rating reflects my general experience with the AlpineAire meals, as it’s hit-and-miss with the flavor quality. Portions are also small. They say 2 portions, but I can easily finish the whole package myself, and still feel that I could eat more.

So, not really recommended, unless you are willing to risk some expensive and lousy meals to discover the decent ones.

Really enjoyed the flavors of this and liked how savory it was without any meat in it. The stroganoff flavors were delicious without being too salty, and the mushrooms made it feel very hearty – Vegetarian without feeling like it.

This meal hydrated very well, I only noted one or two small clumps when I ate it. I shorted the water a bit, just based on previous experiences with dehydrated meals being somewhat soupy – I wouldn’t recommend skimping on water.

In this case I think the directions are perfect (I ended up adding in the water I had shorted because it felt too thick at the end of the cooking process). The bag is well shaped for rehydrating; there aren’t any sharp corners, so it’s easy to get a utensil in there to mix things well.

This was delicious and filling, definitely a great choice for camping cuisine.

Easy to make – just add boiling water and let sit. Be sure to remove the oxygen absorber which may be buried. I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful it was. There was an abundance of mushrooms, much more than comparable pasta side dishes intended for kitchen/stove preparation.

The noodles were initially a little firm, but were perfect after a couple extra minutes “cooking” in the package. I liked the thick consistency, but you could easily add a bit more water to make it creamier.

There was enough to share, and my partner also commented favorably on the flavor and texture. A nice change from the mac & cheese I usually have while camping.

I have tried many Alpine Aire packaged meals ,they say 2 servings , but I get more like 4 out of one package. I found some a bit bland at first but I now open the pouches at home and sample one teaspoon in boiling water ,like the directions say.

If I find something lacking I add my own spices. The pouch is a zip lock ,so it is easy to reseal. I hike and camp alone ,and usualy have one meal in the evening , there is always loads left over for next day or 2.

Bought this after eating Veg Dal Baht in Nepal on and off for two weeks, so had to see if it was any better. Let sit for max re-hydrating time and it was surprisingly good, better than Nepal. The Veg Dal Baht in Nepal was always very watery and short on spices, which was not very appealing, but this was very good with lots of spices.

Forgot to take a picture, but it was the consistency of a very thick soup.

This dinner was awesome. I chopped up some red pepper and popped it into the bag when I added the hot water and it tasted amazing. Great taste, great nutrition, awesome dinner to have in the backcountry.

Had to use one of my six pack of M & C because when I cut the box open carefully it was packed to the top and I sliced into a pouch. It was ok, had to use a little pot with a lid since the pouch was not usable.

I was expecting a little better flavor and cheesier. Saved some in frig for a day was better after it sat overnight. Usable but by far not the best.

Had the 3 cheese macaroni and cheese yesterday on a 2 day backcountry/wilderness trip. After a long day of hiking through every weather imaginable in the mountains until 11pm this meal was a godsend.

It was delicious, and very welcomed. I could have mixed it up better to spread the cheese around more but it was great nonetheless.

Whether you’re enjoying this at home, or out on an adventure you’ll love the cheesy flavor. If you’re out doors you’ll be glad you brought this yummy comfort food along with you. Highly recommend.

My friend bought one of these for his bug out bag in case of emergencies. But since he wasn’t sure of the taste so he decided to try it out before considering getting more. From his opinion of the mountain house noodle chicken, he liked it quite a bit, said it was quite tasty, and recommend it.

I got to try some and must say I enjoy it too especially if you let it soak in the boiling water for a little longer than advertise. If only it was a little cheaper, but considering that it’s said to have a shelf life of a couple years it’s probably an acceptable price.

Also watch out for some of the frat reviews on the mountain house that you see here like the one from Portland, OR, United States.

The Pasta Primavera is our favorite in the Mountain House brand. It’s so easy to prepare-add boiling water to the bag and wait. The veggies are flavorful and the noodles get soft. The package says 2.

5 servings. We each had our own package. After a full day of backpacking, it hit the spot.

This is a great meal for chilly nights. We had this one a few weeks ago while we were camping out and the entire family liked it. It cooked up quickly and easily. Packed with flavor and we served it with the roasted vegetables for a well rounded meal.

We will definitely be buying this meal in the future and is one of our families favorites now.

Love love love the red lentil stew!! So much flavour coming from the coconut milk, paprika, thyme and rosemary. I love adding a little extra water to make it more soup-like and have never had an issue with anything being crunchy or not rehydrating properly.

10/10 recommend this product!!!.

Well spiced and tastes pretty good. However, a few of the ingredients are undercooked and stay chewy/hard even after boiling for much longer than recommended on the package, and remained that way even the next day.

Considering the very high price, I expected a lot better than that.

Santa Fe Style Rice & Beans with Chicken is the best tasting dehydrated meal I have ever eaten, and I have eaten quite a few over the past 20 years. The reason I have eaten quite a few is they are simple for a hiker like me who does a couple of hikes per year and wants the least preparation necessary.

Most dehydrated meals are tomato based which tends to lead to an acid stomach for me. This one does not have cheese as an ingredient so it wasn’t gummy at all. The flavor was excellent with the rice, beans, chicken and spices each presenting with every spoonful.

I would definitely recommend adding this to your menu for you next hike. I used it with Hurricane Ian hitting Florida and it was easy to prepare with electrical power out and my camp stove an easy means to heat the water.

Interestingly this meal requires 2 cups of water, while most in the past have been less than two cups. This allowed the dehydrated ingredients to fully rehydrate, and I didn’t encounter any “crunchy” rice or beans.

Glad to see the manufacturers have realized what the hiking community has been doing all along and adding extra water to rehydrate. Most often times hikers are a bit dehydrated and need the additional water anyways.

Kudos to Backpacker’s Pantry for this recipe.

This meal is packaged in a convenient pouch with attractive graphics on the exterior and the package permits preparation of a meal without a separate pan. The instructions on the package were very clear and straightforward, and involved the addition of water and 2 separate stirrings and wait times.

The flavor and aroma of the meal were appealing, with smoky notes and some pepper flavor. The chicken rehydrated well and was better than expected, but the rice remained rather chewy after the 15 minute wait time.

(In the end I found the chewy texture to be a good contrast to the other softer components of the meal). The salt content was good for me, but when I buy this product again I may add pepper flakes for more spicy heat.

This product would be good with tortillas or taco chips and a packet of sour cream. The serving size is generous and satisfactory for two people. I would definitely buy this product again when I’m planning outdoor activities where I want simple preparation and a satisfying meal.

The only drawback to this type of meal is that the packaging does not appear to be recyclable – I hope an innovation in recyclable packaging is in the works.

I’ve eaten a lot of freeze dried meals while backpacking. This is one of the better ones. There are pluses and minuses: POSITIVES: +The meal is tasty, with a distinct southwest flavor. I’ve moved away from very spicy foods, and this fits the bill.

+The packaging is lower profile than some products, meaning less trash to pack out. +I like how the directions are in a large bold font, so I don’t have to dig around for my reading glasses. +It is not packed full of preservatives/chemicals.

In fact, there aren’t any, except salt. +I weigh 130 pounds. At 40 grams of protein (counting both servings), that’s close to my RDA. +I like the high fiber aspect. +The chicken is tender and tasty. NEGATIVES -It’s not really two servings as is claimed.

After a hard day of hiking, you need more than the 300 calories per serving. Even 600 isn’t enough for a meal for many people. I wish products in general would rationalize the serving size thing. As noted, I’m pretty small, but I easily ate both servings for 600 calories.

–I followed the directions carefully (water amount, stirring, waiting, stirring again), yet the rice was still a little hard. This was not a big deal. It must be difficult to find the balance between adequately reconstituting freeze dried food without losing too much heat.

–Though the meal was over all quite tasty, the first taste sensation was “salt. ” Consuming both servings, as I did, would give me 55% of my RDA. I note that the “best by” date is ten years hence (2032).

I wonder if the product could get by with a little less salt. That said, after a hard day of hiking/sweating, replacing some salt isn’t a bad idea. Overall, I would buy this product again, as I like the convenience of not having to create my own backpacking food.

I love all of Good To-Go’s meals! (The Thai curry is my current favorite. ) They are delicious, filling, and satisfying after a long day of hiking. They are all dehydrated, so a little on the heavy side depending on how long you are packing for.

The packaging is durable; we never experienced any break-throughs, holes, or leaks. And the company’s co-owner and chef, Jen, recently become HACCP certified, so be on the lookout for options with meat in them coming soon! The classic marinara with penne has really great flavor, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the pasta held up.

Being gluten-free, I thought that the brown rice penne would fall apart, but it held together fairly well and still had bite/texture to it.

What can I say, it’s pretty delicious and filling. My only complaint is they don’t offer a meat sauce version. I’ve cubed up a slice of spam to get around this, but it’s great without as well.

I brought this with me on a chilly fall hike in the Idaho backcountry. I was not disappointed!!! It’s delicious and warm and the pouch keeps it warm for a long time! A high quality product! Love it!

I love this product so much. This flavour is by far my favourite. I have probably purchased over a dozen packs already and will continue purchasing them. It says it’s meant for 2 people but I can almost eat it myself since it’s so yummy.

The BP Cuban Style Coconut Rice and Black Beans is a vegan (if it matters to you) meal with 840 cal per pouch, enough for a filling meal for one or lighter lunch for two. It’s white rice with black beans lightly flavoured with coconut and banana.

Comes with a small pouch of EVOO which isn’t mentioned in the instructions so I added it like a dressing after the 20 minute rehydration step. It’s a lot of rice and I would have liked more black beans for protein.

Relatively bland which I took care of with a good dose of black pepper and hot sauce. Corn would have been a nice addition or as a side dish. Maybe share it with a veggie side.

Went on a bike tour of the Kettle Valley Rail trail and wanted to pack as light as possible, so we bought several flavors from this brand including this one. Unfortunately this was not appetizing. We were really hungry but this didn’t hit the spot.

I dare say we’d rather have tomato sauce with plain crackers than eat this again.

It tasted better than expected.

TranslateShow in original languagePros: Erg voedzaam en goede smaak. Makkelijk en snel te bereiden. Cons: Structuur in de mond is niet fijn. Pap met stukjes. Was even wennen.

This is a fantastic breakfast option from Mountain House. I found this even better than their incredibly good mainstay Beef Stroganoff. It’s actually spicy and its well-seasoned; I didn’t need, or want, to add anything to this.

It does contain milk, for those non-dairy people out there.

Please sell these in bulk cans, because this is the only instant breakfast we’ll be buying for camping now!!! We were amazed to find something that checks all our boxes: meatless, flavorful, good texture, and filling.

I tried this meal at home since I never had this brand of backpacking food before. I was pleasantly surprised at 1) the portion size and 2) it did not taste like your typical dehydrated meal. After rehydration, the amount of food filled up to the zipper.

It was a bit difficult to stir at this point. I would suggest shaking up the sealed pouch intermittently during the 15 minute rehydration time to get all the ingredients mixed up nicely. As for the taste, it was simply delicious.

The lemon juice added a nice kick. The texture reminded me of sticky rice dumpling, or zongzi. It was really filling for me, but then again, I was testing this meal at home and not after a long day of hiking.

This was one of my favorite backpacking meals. The flavor is deep and it was filling. It also seemed heavy on the salt, but I guess that could be a benefit if you had a sweaty day. I had some trouble with opening the pack though for whatever reason.

It’s very thick plastic and I couldn’t get a clean tear. Make sure to have some sort of cutting tool handy.

Unfortunately REI in’t stocking this or can’t get it, so I’m looking for another source – it is fantastic. It was the only dehydrated product that excluded all my food allergy triggers. I was amazed at how much food this packet produced.

The NPS recommended eating twice as much as normal during Grand Canyon hikes, but I think the 2 servings in this package could easily have fed 3. I ate it all since there was no refrigeration available at Phantom Ranch.

No regrets. I added a basil flavored oil, but the seasoning would have been perfect without it.