Ultralight Backpacking Recipes Lightweight & High-Calorie Meals

Ultralight Backpacking Recipes Membership

Dietitian-Created, Trail-Tested Ultralight Recipes to Stay Energized on the Trail

Trusted by over 3,000 active members across 20 countries

Featured Recipe

Inspired by the classic German Chocolate Cake, this trail-friendly version brings all the rich, nostalgic flavors — buttery pecans, coconut, and gooey caramel notes — without dishes to clean. It’s pure celebration in a bag after a long day’s hike.

German chocolate cake is what I have for my birthday every year for over 40 years. So happy my favorite foodie brought a family recipe to the site. This will be a double batch for so many meals this year.

Peter G.

German Chocolate Cake in a Bag featured recipe thumbnail

What Makes Our Ultralight Backpacking Recipes Unique?

Test Drive a Sample Recipe

Try this Foodie fan favorite!

Test Drive a Sample Recipe

Try this Foodie fan favorite!

Backcountry Foodie Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta recipe preview with nutrition facts, meal prep tips, and portion adjustments

I’m feeling proud of myself for making my own meals now! I thought it would be too overwhelming to do it myself, but now I’m hooked!

michele barnett testimonial image

Michele B.

How Our Recipes Make Your Trips Better

250+ Ultralight Recipes

No need to eat the same thing every day.

Save Time Prepping

Plan faster with easy-to-find ingredients.

Feel Stronger

Meals designed for endurance and recovery.

Less Pack Weight

Smart meal planning keeps your pack light.

Fits Any Diet

Filter recipes by dietary needs, allergies, and preferences.

How Our Recipes Make Your Trips Better

250+ Ultralight Recipes

No need to eat the same thing every day.

Save Time Prepping

Plan faster with easy-to-find ingredients.

Fits Any Diet

Filter recipes by dietary needs, allergies, and preferences.

Feel Stronger

Meals designed for endurance and recovery.

Recipe

Membership
$ 36
/Per Year
  • 250+ Ultralight Backpacking Recipes
  • New Recipes Added Monthly
  • Complete Nutrition Profile & Weight
  • Metric & US Customary Measurements
  • Adjustable Serving Sizes
  • Printable Field Instruction Labels
  • Search & Filter Recipes by Preferences
  • Hiking Calorie Calculator

Meal Planner

Membership
$ 48
/Per Year
  • All Recipe Features Plus...
  • Favorite Recipes Collection
  • Create Unlimited Multi-Day Meal Plans
  • 40+ Days Sample Meal Plans
  • 1000+ Commercial Meals & Snacks
  • Auto-Generated Shopping Lists
  • Dietitian-moderated Forums
Most Popular

Meal Planner+

Membership
$ 72
/Per Year
  • All Meal Planner Features PLUS...
  • On-Demand Masterclasses $120 value
  • Backpacking Food 101
  • Don't Just Eat, Eat Well
  • High Altitude & Cold Weather Nutrition
  • Ultralight Meal Planning
  • Nutrition for the Bariatric Backpacker
  • Mastering Backpacking with Diabetes

Recipe
Membership

Meal Planner Membership

Meal Planner+
Membership

250+ 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

100’s of Commercial Meals & Snacks

Shopping Lists Auto-Generated & Mobile-Friendly

3-Day, 5-Day, & 7-Day 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

Nutrition for the Bariatric Backpacker

Mastering Backpacking with Diabetes

Pricing

$36

per year

$48

per year

$72

per year

30 Day Guarantee

If you’re not satisfied, we’ll refund you—
no questions asked.

If you’re not satisfied, we’ll refund you—no questions asked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Probably! You can filter our recipes by diet type including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut free, low-sodium, low-sugar, reflux-friendly, and bariatric-friendly. We also include special diet-friendly ingredient substitutions as appropriate.

Leave that stove at home if you want! We offer a wide variety of cold soak and no-cook recipe options.

Absolutely! Each recipe includes a PDF with field instruction labels, which can be downloaded and printed.

No, unless you want to dry your own ingredients. Only a handful of our recipes require a dehydrator.

  • Recipe Membership: Access to 250+ ultralight recipes, with new additions each month.
  • Meal Planner Membership: Full access to recipe database and meal planning tools, including templates, the shopping list generator, and the Commercial Food Database.
  • Meal Planner+ Membership: Everything from the Meal Planner Membership, plus six masterclasses, tip sheets, and community forums.

A minimum of one (1) recipe is added to the library every month! It isn’t unusual for Aaron to add more than one recipe at a time.

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. To request a refund, email us at [email protected] within 30 days of your purchase or renewal date. For more details, visit our Membership Terms & Conditions.

Share Backcountry Foodie with your friends and earn $10 credits for every friend who joins and stays past their 30-day guarantee. Credits can be stacked and applied toward renewals or upgrades! Learn more in our Membership Terms of Use.

Absolutely! If you have additional questions, you can schedule a free 15-minute chat with Aaron using this calendar link or by sending us a message via our Contact Us form. Whether it’s about meal planning, recipes, or using the platform, we’re happy to help!

Backcountry Foodie Ultralight Backpacking Recipes Membership preview featuring a Garlic Parmesan Ramen recipe with nutrition facts, serving sizes, and meal prep options for hikers and backpackers.

Why a Recipe Membership is BETTER Than a Cookbook

Sneak Peek Behind the Scenes

Watch a Demo of Our Recipe Membership.

Behind the Scenes

Watch a Demo of Our Recipe Membership.

Backpackers Love These Meals!

What others have to say...

What’s Inside Our Ultralight Recipe Collection?

Freezer-Bag Style

Freezer-Bag Style

225 Recipes

Cold Soak Recipes

Cold Soak Recipes

135 Recipes

Dehydrator Not Required

Dehydrator Not Required

201 Recipes

Grocery-Friendly

Grocery-Friendly

151 Recipes

Dietary Preferences

Dietary Preferences

113 Vegan Recipes
219 Vegetarian Recipes
181 Gluten-Free

Special Diets

Special Diets

37 Bariatric-Friendly Recipes
166 Low-Sugar Recipes
73 Low-Sodium recipes

Freezer-Bag Style

Grocery-Friendly

No Cook & Cold Soak

Vegan & Vegetarian

6 Special Diets

What Our Recipe Members Are Saying

Excited backpacker smiling next to a Colorado Trail sign at Engineer Mountain, wearing sunglasses and a hiking pack.
"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.

Female hiker wearing a sun hat and pink neck gaiter standing in front of a Lincoln Gap Long Trail sign, ready for an outdoor adventure.
"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.

Male hiker wearing a beanie and outdoor gear, posing with a scenic mountain landscape in the background on a clear, sunny day.
"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.

Deborah Anderson Backcountry Foodie ultralight recipes and backpacking meal planning website testimonial headshot
"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.

Andrea Mueller Backcountry Foodie ultralight recipes and meal planning website testimonial headshot

"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 Herr Backcountry Foodie ultralight recipe and meal planning website testimonial headshot
"On my five-day hike, your meals/recipes stood out. I look forward to them each day. In fact, for the meals where I did not use your recipes, I was disappointed in myself for not using your meals. You and your recipes definitely added to the quality of my trip!!!!!"

Paul H.

Ellie Average Hiker Backcountry Foodie ultralight recipes and meal planning website testimonial headshot
"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

Need Help Planning?

Backcountry Foodie's Other Services Can Help!

Meal Planner

Optimize your adventures with our meal planner designed to save you time & money.

Nutrition Coaching

Get your questions answered by chatting with our backpacking dietitians.

Calorie Calculator

Fine tune your meal planning strategy with our comprehensive hiking calorie calculator.

Aaron, a dietitian and experienced thru-hiker, enjoying an ultralight backpacking meal by an alpine lake, representing Backcountry Foodie’s high-calorie, trail-tested recipes

Having trouble creating nutritious and lightweight meals for your adventures?

Look no further! At Backcountry Foodie, we specialize in creating ultralight recipes that are not only delicious but also packed with the essential nutrients your body needs. With countless recipe ideas and expert tips, we’re here to help you take your outdoor culinary adventure to the next level.

Trail Nutrition Tips Tailored to You

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Choose your trail persona & get expert backpacking nutrition advice —customized for your experience level and trail style.

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Enjoy 20% off our memberships when you use coupon code LABORDAY20 at checkout!

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Sale ends Sunday, July 7th at midnight.