Ultralight Recipes
for Hungry Hikers
Dietitian-Created Recipes &
Meal Planning Tools for Backpackers
Our Ultralight Recipes & Meal Planning Tools Help You...
- Enjoy your food and stay energized on trail.
- Relieve stress and simplify meal planning for multi-day trips.
- Use dietitian trail-tested advice to better fuel your adventures.
- Connect with a community of like-minded hikers worldwide.
Ultralight Recipes
Optimized for Peak Performance
200+ dietitian-created ultralight backpacking recipes designed to encourage recovery and reduce inflammation.
Special Diet Friendly
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, low-sodium, reflux-friendly, and low-sugar options.
Ultralight & Low Volume
Bear can friendly recipes averaging >140 calories per ounce to save you pack weight and space.
Freezer Bag Style
Simply mix dry ingredients and prepare in 5 minutes or less at home and on trail. No cooking, simmering, or dehydrating required.
"Backcountry Foodie is my go-to resource for recipes for my backpacking trips. The recipes are not only delicious and light-weight but they’re nutritious and will save you money. I also love the peace of mind of knowing what’s in my food. Thanks so much, Aaron!"
Jess B.
Recipe Dashboard
Sleek Design
Easily search for recipes using a variety of filters in addition to member ratings and reviews.
Nutrition & Dry Weight Values
Carbohydrate, fiber, protein, fat, sodium, kcal/oz, and dry weight (ounces & grams) provided.
Unit Conversions & Adjustable Serving Sizes
Switch between US customary/Metric and adjust serving sizes with a click of a button.
Save & Print for Later
Create a favorites list and print recipes with field instruction labels for later use.
FEATURED IN
Meal Planner
Multi-Day Backpacking Meal Plans
Create unlimited meal plans with just a few clicks using our recipes and 700+ commercial foods, bars, and snacks.
Auto-Calculated Nutrition Summary & Dry Weight
A complete nutrition profile is auto-calculated for each day including total calories, dry weight, water volume needed for meal prep, and more!
Mobile Friendly Shopping List
Customizable shopping lists are auto-generated based on meal plans selected.
Dietitian-Created Lightweight Meal Plans
Use any of the 43 sample ultralight backpacking meal plans weighing less than 2 pounds each as a starting point when planning for your adventures. 3000, 4000, and 5000 calorie, thru-hiker, no-cook, and no-appetite options are available.
TRUST THE TRAIL
Backcountry Foodie provides nutrition coaching for Trust the Trail's guided backpacking trips. Aaron was featured on episode 180 of their podcast, which provides a great overview of her approach to ultralight meal planning for backpackers. Check it out here.
Community Forums
Dietitian Moderated
Confusing misinformation about backpacking food found online is clarified by dietitians with 20+ years of hiking experience.
Expert Advice
First time backpacker? Ask questions in a safe environment without the fear of being bullied.
Latest Hot Topics
See what's hot at a glance and share your thoughts.
Worldwide Member Directory
Connect with like-minded hikers in your neighborhood or continents away.
HOW WE GIVE BACK
We support non-profit outdoor organizations through direct donations and member discounts on our services.
A percentage of your purchase price will benefit the Pacific Crest Trail Association.
On-Demand Masterclasses
Dietitian Produced
Expert advice delivered via on-demand virtual masterclasses by an ultralight, long-distance backpacking dietitian with 20+ years of backcountry experience.
Recipe Demonstrations
Learn how you can efficiently prepare ultralight recipes at home and on trail and save time and money.
Ask the Dietitian
Ask your backpacking food questions and receive trustworthy answers from the instructor.
Variety of Topics
Backpacking Food 101, How to Avoid Hitting the Wall, Nutrition at Altitude, Ultralight Meal Planning, Backpacking with Diabetes, Nutrition for the Bariatric Backpacker, and more!
what our members are saying
"Backcountry Foodie was a wonderful resource for my Colorado Trail planning. The recipes were easy and tasty, the tools were streamlined and easy to use, and the food planning which I had been dreading turned out to be fun! Thanks, Backcountry Foodie, for a great experience!"
Caroline D.
"I am just so wowed by your recipes! I am doing tests at home at this point and I am more excited than ever to get out backpacking so I can eat more of what I have been testing. These calorie bomb meals are delicious, but would be very dangerous if I made them part of my home meal routine. 😉"
Robin M.
"I’ve been using Backcountryfoodie.com for over a year. I like the variety of meal recipes, but I really appreciate that Aaron is making sure that I’m getting a balance of carbs, fats, and protein. That keeps me hiking strong."
David B.
"Yesterday was the first time I used your meal planner feature to create my own with your recipes and I LOVE it! Having the water and oils quantities listed in the nutritional count was a surprising and most appreciated find! This will be our first thru hike and we are leaning heavily on your nutrition guidance and are very grateful for you."
Deborah A.
"I love what Aaron is doing! I firmly believe that nutrition is key to SO many parts of life and my biggest fear of a thru hike was not nourishing my body in a way that would help me have sustained energy, maintain muscle and stay mentally strong for 6 months. However, then I found Backcountry Foodie and I feel like it is TOTALLY possible."
Andrea M.
Paul H.
"Backcountry Foodie offers quick recipes that are easy to make, and they cover the sphere – cold soak, hot, gluten free, vegetarian, etc. You name it, they really do have something for everyone. As I get older and hike further, keeping my pack weight low while maintaining healthy nutrition is important." Read full review here.
Ellie
Here's what you can expect on your next adventure...
Delicious Ultralight Backpacking Recipes
You'll look forward to your meals in the backcountry!
Feel Great on Trail
Power through the day and finish feeling strong with protein optimized for performance and carbohydrate to protein ratio needed for recovery.
Lighter, Smaller Food Bag
Ultralight backpacking meal plans maximize the calories and nutrition per gram to reduce your overall pack weight and volume.
Quick & Easy Meal Prep
Freezer-bag style meals are prepared in half the time and use less than half the water when compared to commerciallu freeze-dried meals.
Get Started
Eat Well & Love Your Backpacking Meals!
Recipe
Membership-
200+ Ultralight Recipes
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New Recipes Added Monthly
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Complete Nutrition Profile & Dry Weight
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Metric & US Customary Measurements
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Adjustable Serving Sizes
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Printable Field Instruction Labels
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Search & Filter Recipes
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Hiking Calorie Calculator
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$100's Worth of Discount Codes
Cancel Any Time
Meal Planner
Membership-
All Recipe Features Plus...
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Favorite Recipes Collection
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Create Unlimited Multi-Day Meal Plans
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43 Days of Sample Meal Plans
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Mobile-Friendly Shopping Lists
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Dietitian-Moderated Forums
Cancel Any Time
Meal Planner+
Membership-
All Meal Planner Features PLUS...
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On-Demand Masterclasses - $120 value
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Backpacking Food 101
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Don't Just Eat, Eat Well
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High Altitude & Cold Weather Nutrition
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Ultralight Meal Planning
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Nutrition for the Bariatric Backpacker
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Mastering Backpacking with Diabetes
Cancel Any Time
most popular
Recipe
Membership
Meal Planner
Membership
Meal Planner+
Membership
200+ Dietitian-Created Ultralight Recipes
New Recipes Added Monthly
Complete Nutrition Profile & Dry Weight
Metric & US Customary Measurements
Adjustable Serving Sizes
Field Instruction Labels for Packaging
Search by Ingredients & Sort by Calories per Ounce
Filter by Special Diet, Meal Type, Meal Prep, & More
Suggested Recipes Using Similar Ingredients
Meal Planner
Hiking Calorie Calculator
Favorite Recipes Collection
Create Unlimited Custom Meal Plans
Meal Plans Auto-Tabulate Daily Nutrition Profile
700+ Commercial Meals & Snacks to Choose From
Shopping Lists Auto-Generated & Mobile-Friendly
3-Day, 5-Day, & 7-Day Backpacking Meal Plan Templates
43 Sample Meal Plans Weighing Less than 2 lbs per Day
Community Forums
Dietitian Moderated Forums
Hiker to Hiker Discussions
On-Demand Masterclasses - $120 Value!
Backpacking Food 101
Don't Just Eat, Eat Well - How to Avoid Hitting the Wall
High Altitude & Cold Weather Nutrition
Ultralight Meal Planning
Mastering Backpacking with Diabetes
Nutrition for the Bariatric Backpacker
Backpacking Food Discounts
Save $100s on outdoor gear & food using coupon codes
SHARE THE LOVE
Gift memberships are available for your backpacking friends & family!
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