Dehydrated Camping Food: Your Ultimate Guide to Delicious Backpacking Meals

Wild camping adventures become truly rewarding when you can enjoy delicious, home-cooked meals right outside your tent, thanks to the magic of dehydrated backpacking food. Investing in a food dehydrator has revolutionized my outdoor experiences, bringing gourmet flavors to the backcountry without the weight or waste. Homemade dehydrated backpacking meals offer a wealth of advantages, making them far superior to store-bought alternatives in several key ways.

Firstly, they are significantly cheaper and undeniably tastier than commercially produced dehydrated or freeze-dried backpacking meals. Secondly, you have complete control over the ingredients, allowing you to create meals tailored to your personal taste and specific nutritional requirements. Finally, by making your own dehydrated meals, you drastically reduce packaging waste compared to pre-packaged options, making your backpacking trips more environmentally friendly.

Creating your own dehydrated backpacking meals at home is surprisingly straightforward. With a grasp of a few basic principles, you’ll discover that many of your favorite dishes can be easily adapted for dehydration. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process, answering all your essential questions and covering key topics to get you started on your dehydrated food journey.

Let’s dive in!

What You’ll Need

The most essential piece of equipment is, unsurprisingly, a food dehydrator! The market offers a wide array of choices, but for backpacking meals, you’ll need a dehydrator with trays and, importantly, nonstick sheets (which may need to be purchased separately). Standard dehydrators typically come with mesh sheets, ideal for drying fruits and vegetable pieces. However, non-stick sheets are crucial for dehydrating anything pureed or with a high liquid content, like backpacking meals.

For reliable performance, the Excalibur brand is highly regarded. I personally use their 9-tray version, and it has served me faithfully for years. Another excellent option, offering comparable performance at a slightly lower price point, is the BioChef brand. I used a large BioChef dehydrator when I was producing dehydrated backpacking meals for sale. Its generous size is likely overkill for most home users, but if you anticipate frequent adventures and larger batches, it might be a perfect fit.

Both Excalibur and BioChef dehydrators are incredibly user-friendly. Simply prepare your food, load it onto the trays, and set the temperature. The dehydrators conveniently feature temperature guides right next to the dial, eliminating guesswork. Just turn the dial to the recommended temperature and let it work its magic.

The primary difference between the two brands is that BioChef models include a timer, though I rarely find myself using it.

Beyond dehydration, these devices offer versatility. They can also create controlled temperature environments for tasks like proofing bread dough and making yogurt – features I utilize frequently!

Beyond a dehydrator, proper storage is key for maintaining the quality and extending the shelf life of your dehydrated food. For short-term storage, simple zip-top bags can suffice. However, for longer storage, airtight containers are essential. A basic vacuum sealer comes in handy, allowing you to portion your food into adventure-ready packets. Consider using biodegradable food bags (mine are from Jamo Solutions) for an eco-conscious approach.

For added protection against moisture, especially in humid environments, consider investing in silica gel moisture absorbent packs. These lightweight packs (just 2g each) can be added to your dehydrated food pouches. Just remember to remove them before rehydrating your meal on the trail!

The crucial element in preserving dehydrated food is preventing moisture. Why is this so important? Let’s explore the science behind food dehydration.

How Does Dehydrating Food Work?

Understanding the fundamental principles of food dehydration is crucial for preparing homemade backpacking meals that are not only safe for storage and easy to carry but also delicious and satisfying on the trail.

As the name suggests, dehydration is the process of removing water from food. This process achieves two key objectives: it significantly reduces the weight of the food, making it ideal for backpacking, and it inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and molds, thereby preserving the food and preventing spoilage. The primary goal is to lower the water content to a level where microbial growth is impossible, typically around 10-20% moisture content. This reduction in moisture content is what allows you to create homemade backpacking meals that are lightweight and shelf-stable for your adventures.

Mechanisms of Dehydration

Heat: Dehydration relies on applying heat to food, which provides the energy needed for water to evaporate. While it’s possible to dehydrate food using an oven or even solar energy, a food dehydrator is the optimal tool. It excels at maintaining a consistent, low temperature and also ensures…
Air: Continuous airflow is just as critical as heat in the dehydration process. The moving air carries away the moisture evaporating from the food’s surface. Proper airflow is essential for even drying and prevents mold growth by not allowing moisture to linger.
Surface Area: The amount of surface area exposed to both heat and air directly impacts dehydration speed. The greater the surface area, the faster the process. This is why food is generally sliced thinly or chopped into small pieces before being placed in the dehydrator. We’ll discuss food preparation in more detail below.

Factors Affecting Dehydration

Temperature

It’s tempting to increase the dehydrator’s temperature to expedite the process. However, excessively high temperatures can actually cook the food rather than simply drying it. For most foods, the ideal dehydration temperature range is between 95°F and 160°F (35°C to 71°C), varying based on the food type. Here are some general temperature guidelines:

Fruits: 135°F to 140°F (57°C to 60°C)
Vegetables: 125°F to 135°F (52°C to 57°C)
Meat (jerky): 145°F to 160°F (63°C to 71°C)

Humidity

Low humidity is crucial for efficient dehydration. High humidity in the surrounding air can significantly slow down the drying process and increase the risk of food spoilage, as the air is already saturated with moisture and less able to draw moisture from the food.

Airflow

Adequate airflow is vital to continuously remove moisture as it evaporates from the food’s surface. Food dehydrators are specifically designed to provide consistent airflow circulating around the food trays, ensuring even drying.

Thickness and Size of Food

Thinner slices and smaller pieces of food dry much faster than thick, large chunks. Uniformity in size, while not absolutely essential, promotes even drying throughout the batch.

Basic Principles of Making Homemade Dehydrated Backpacking Meals

What Type of Meals Can I Dehydrate?

You have the flexibility to dehydrate both individual ingredients and complete, pre-prepared dishes, depending on your culinary goals and preferences for your backpacking meals. Most often, I opt to dehydrate fully prepared dishes. This means I cook the entire meal, dehydrate it, and package it into portions. Then, on the trail, all that’s needed is to add boiling water for a satisfying and convenient meal.

Many dishes are well-suited to dehydration, particularly:

Dishes featuring small pieces, such as rice, lentils, and finely diced vegetables. These smaller components dehydrate more evenly and rehydrate quickly.
Dishes that are relatively low in fat. High-fat content can hinder dehydration and reduce shelf life.
Your favorite recipes! Many of the meals you already enjoy cooking at home can be adapted for dehydration with a few minor adjustments. Aim to keep the fat content reasonably low and ensure ingredients are diced into small pieces, and you’ll likely have a successful dehydrated backpacking meal.

Counterclockwise from top left: Veggie chili, tarka dhal, jambalaya, dal with rice, veggie cassoulet, rice biryani with toasted cashews.

Here are some specific examples of dishes that dehydrate particularly well:

Lentil-based dishes such as soups and dals. Lentils rehydrate beautifully and provide excellent nutrition for backpacking.
Rice and grain-based dishes like paella, rice and beans, and risottos. Grains are lightweight and rehydrate effectively.
Chilis, both vegetarian and meat versions. Chili is hearty, flavorful, and satisfying on a cold evening in the backcountry.
Minced meat dishes, especially using lean minced beef or venison (e.g., bolognese, chili con carne). Minced meat dehydrates well and rehydrates into a palatable texture.
Vegetable-based stews, such as ratatouille, chickpea tagine, and vegetarian cassoulet. Vegetables retain flavor well when dehydrated and offer essential vitamins and minerals.

My personal preference for backpacking and wild camping leans towards vegetarian dishes rich in vegetables, pulses, grains, and plenty of spices. However, this is purely a matter of personal taste. If you are a meat lover, feel free to incorporate meat into your dehydrated backpacking meals. Just opt for leaner cuts and ideally meat that has been minced or shredded for better dehydration and rehydration. For a basic guide on dehydrating meat specifically for jerky, this primer on dehydrating meat for jerky offers helpful tips and ideas.

What About Dehydrating Individual Ingredients?

Beyond complete meals, dehydrating individual fruits and vegetables can be incredibly useful for enhancing other dishes or creating trail snacks. Here are some of my go-to individual ingredients to dehydrate:

Mushrooms. Having dehydrated mushrooms on hand is incredibly convenient for adding a boost of umami flavor to soups, stews, and noodle dishes. (See my recipe for Miso Soba Noodles which utilizes dried shiitake mushrooms).
Chilies. I always keep a supply of dried chilies to add a spicy kick to any meal. A little bit of dried chili can go a long way in adding warmth and depth of flavor.
Greens. Especially kale. Dehydrated greens like kale are fantastic for adding a nutrient boost to various meals. Or, for a healthy and lightweight trail snack, try making backpacking kale chips? They are surprisingly delicious and packed with vitamins.
Strawberries. Sliced dehydrated strawberries are a delightful addition to cereals, oatmeal, or porridge. They rehydrate well and add a touch of sweetness. Note: I’ve found that other berries, such as raspberries and blackberries, don’t dehydrate as successfully. They tend to be too delicate and crumble apart easily. Strawberries, however, dehydrate brilliantly! While some people also frequently dehydrate bananas, I personally find them too intensely sweet once dehydrated.

What Doesn’t Dehydrate Well?

While dehydration is a versatile preservation method, some foods are not well-suited to the process:

High-fat foods generally don’t dehydrate effectively. The higher fat content increases the risk of rancidity, shortening their shelf life. While technically possible, I wouldn’t recommend storing high-fat dehydrated foods for more than a week.
I’ve also encountered challenges with dehydrating cooked chicken and tofu. They tend to become chewy and don’t rehydrate well, resulting in an unappetizing texture. (However, I’ve heard that freezing tofu before dehydrating can improve its rehydration).
Foods with a very high water content are also poor candidates for dehydration. Think of lettuce, cucumber, and watermelon – it’s hard to imagine they would be anything but unpleasant after rehydration! Dehydrated avocado? Definitely not recommended.
Large, chunky pieces of food, whether meat or vegetables, should be avoided. They can take an excessively long time to dehydrate completely, increasing the risk of mold growth before they are fully dried.

How Do I Dehydrate a Pre-prepared Meal?

Dehydrating a pre-cooked meal is a remarkably simple process. Once your meal is cooked, allow it to cool down completely. Then, spread it out in a thin, even layer onto your dehydrator trays that are lined with non-stick silicone sheets. Spreading the food as thinly as possible is crucial for efficient and even dehydration. Once the trays are loaded, simply place them in your dehydrator, set the dial to the correct temperature, and turn it on. Let the dehydrator work its magic!

How Long Will it Take to Dehydrate the Food?

The dehydration time varies significantly depending on the moisture content of the food you are dehydrating. Soups and stews, being inherently high in water, will naturally take longer to dehydrate than drier foods. Again, it’s worth reiterating the importance of spreading the food in a thin layer on the dehydrator trays to maximize surface area and speed up the process. (Looking back at the paella picture above, I could have spread it thinner, but it still dehydrated successfully in the end!). Here are some general time guidelines for common ingredients:

Cooked lentils: 6-8 hours
Cooked rice: 5-7 hours
Tomatoes: 10-18 hours
Carrots: 6-10 hours
Peppers: 8-12 hours
Strawberries: 6-10 hours

If you are dehydrating a pre-prepared meal that contains a mixture of ingredients, the ingredient with the highest moisture content will determine the overall dehydration time. For instance, when dehydrating a tomato-based stew like bolognese or chili, it can easily take upwards of 15 hours to dehydrate completely. The good news is that you can’t really over-dehydrate your food. To ensure complete dryness and prevent any risk of spoilage, I often let my dehydrator run for around 24 hours, especially for thicker meals.

How Do I Know When My Backpacking Meal is Finished Dehydrating?

Knowing when your backpacking meal is perfectly dehydrated is quite straightforward. The key indicator is the texture: the food should be crispy throughout. A fully dehydrated meal will resemble one large, brittle cracker. It should easily crumble when you break it apart, ready for packing and your upcoming adventure.

Top tip: If you’ve dehydrated a pureed dish, such as lentil soup, consider using a food processor to blitz the dehydrated result into a powder. This reduces its volume for packing and also significantly speeds up the rehydration process on the trail.

How Do I Portion My Dehydrated Food into Individual Meals?

Portioning your dehydrated food into individual meals largely depends on your personal calorie requirements for backpacking. As a smaller person, I typically aim for meal portions that are around 500 calories each. Here’s the method I use for portioning:

Calculate total recipe calories: I start by calculating the total calorie count of the entire recipe I’ve prepared. I find this calorie calculator for recipes to be a helpful tool.
Determine number of portions: Based on the total calorie count and my desired portion size (e.g., 500 calories), I decide how many individual meal portions the recipe will yield. For example, if a recipe has 2000 calories total, and I want 500-calorie portions, it will make 4 portions.
Dehydrate the food: I proceed to dehydrate the entire batch of cooked food.
Weigh dehydrated food: Once fully dehydrated, I weigh the total amount of dehydrated food.
Calculate portion weight: I divide the total weight of the dehydrated food by the number of portions calculated in step 2. This gives me the target weight for each individual meal portion.
Portion into bags: Finally, I weigh out each individual portion into separate bags, aiming for the calculated portion weight.

How Do I Rehydrate My Backpacking Meal on the Trail?

Rehydrating your dehydrated backpacking meal on the trail is designed to be easy and quick – exactly what you need after a long day of hiking! Some meals, particularly those with smaller pieces, can be rehydrated simply by pouring boiling water over them in a bag or container and letting them sit for 5-15 minutes. (Powdered soups, as mentioned earlier, rehydrate almost instantly). Here’s my typical rehydration process using a pot and camp stove:

Set up camp stove: I start by setting up my camp stove and placing a pot on top.
Add meal and water: I empty my dehydrated meal portion into the pot and add just enough boiling water to cover the food.
Boil and simmer: I bring the water back to a boil, then turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let it sit.
Taste test and adjust: After about 5 minutes, I do a taste test. Are there still crunchy, dehydrated bits? Does it need more water to reach the desired consistency? If so, I add a little more boiling water, return it to a brief boil, and let it sit covered for a few more minutes. Usually, by this point, the meal is perfectly rehydrated and ready to enjoy!

Tip: For ultimate convenience, especially on quick trips or when minimizing cooking time is a priority, pureed soups are an excellent choice. By blitzing the dehydrated soup into a powder before your trip, as described earlier, you can achieve almost instant rehydration. Simply add the powder to your mug or pot, pour boiling water over it, stir well, and the soup should be ready to eat almost immediately.

How Long Will Dehydrated Food Last?

The shelf life of dehydrated food is influenced by several factors, including the type of food, the thoroughness of dehydration, storage conditions, and the packaging used. Most properly dehydrated fruits and vegetables, when stored correctly, have a shelf life of 6-12 months. However, for my homemade backpacking meals, I personally aim to use them within three months of dehydration. This isn’t solely for food safety reasons, but also because I’ve found that the flavor and texture of the food can start to decline and become slightly “stale” if stored for extended periods. Plus, using up my dehydrated food stash regularly motivates me to create new recipes and experiments!

Interestingly, this adventurer apparently enjoyed one of my dehydrated backpacking meals over two years after it was made, and reported that it was still delicious and in perfect condition:

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Dominic Raad (@bikeofthenorth)

Next Level Homemade Dehydrated Backpacking Meals

I often view my basic dehydrated meals as a starting point, a foundation upon which to build more elaborate and exciting camp cuisine. For example, dehydrated chili or refried black beans can be transformed into delicious tent tacos with the simple addition of tortillas and your favorite taco fixings:

Even a few carefully chosen garnishes can elevate a simple dehydrated meal to something truly gourmet, enhancing both flavor and texture. Here are some of my favorite lightweight garnishes to pack along:

Homemade garlic butter croutons or breadcrumbs for added crunch and flavor.
Toasted nuts and seeds for healthy fats, protein, and textural contrast.
Fresh herbs, especially parsley, which travels surprisingly well and adds a burst of freshness.
Lemon or lime wedges to brighten flavors and add acidity.
Ginger panko breadcrumbs for an Asian-inspired twist and crispy texture.
Fresh or pickled chilies for heat and zest.
Hot sauce to cater to spice preferences.
Hard cheeses, especially Parmesan, for salty, savory umami.
Crackers or tortilla chips, crumbled on top for added texture and to scoop up the meal.

While there are some reputable dehydrated food brands available commercially, I must admit I often find them somewhat underwhelming. They tend to be overly processed and have a rather gloopy texture, often designed to be eaten directly from the pouch. The idea of ending a challenging day in the wilderness with a bland, gloopy meal eaten out of a plastic bag just feels a bit sad to me. In contrast, a truly delicious and satisfying meal can be its own reward, significantly lifting spirits and morale, especially on particularly demanding days in the backcountry.

Favorite Recipes for Dehydrated Backpacking Meals

Here are a few of my favorite recipes, both from my own kitchen and from other online sources, that are particularly well-suited for dehydration and backpacking. They may not all be specifically designed as “dehydrator recipes,” but by following the tips and techniques outlined above, you can easily transform them into fantastic dehydrated backpacking meals ready for your next adventure!

Not Yet Ready for Homemade Dehydrated Meals?

If the idea of making your own dehydrated meals still feels a bit daunting, or if you’re short on time, don’t worry! Check out my other post on wild camping food / what to eat on a wild camping trip for plenty of delicious and convenient meal ideas that don’t require a food dehydrator at all. You can still enjoy fantastic food on your wild camping adventures while you consider dipping your toes into the world of homemade Dehydrated Camping Food!