Make Your Own Camping Oatmeal: DIY Backpacking Breakfast Recipes

No backpacking food is quite as polarizing as oatmeal, but I’m firmly of the opinion that homemade instant oatmeals are one of the easiest, most satisfying camping breakfasts. Oatmeal on its own is boring and bland, but it’s biggest liability is also its greatest asset. The oats function as the canvas onto which any array of fruits, nuts, seeds, berries and other flavors can be painted, aka added. In this way, instant oatmeal is really the unsung hero of backcountry breakfasts, where you can the same meal every morning yet never the same thing twice.

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In order to have “just add water” oatmeal, you’ll need to use quick oats or instant oats. Old-fashioned, or rolled, oats must be boiled on a stove so you don’t want to use these in this recipe (your oatmeal would still be edible if you did, but not very palatable). Quick oats are rolled thinner than old-fashioned oats and have a higher volume to surface-area ratio, which helps them absorb water faster and cook quicker.

The base ratios for any instant camping oatmeal is 1 parts oats to 2 parts water, typically 1/2 cup oats to 1 cup water for a single serving.

Homemade Berries & Cream Instant Oatmeal

My favorite way to eat backcountry oatmeal is with a handful of freshly picked berries! Just in case you don’t run across a good huckleberry bush (or thimbleberry, serviceberry, blueberry, wild strawberry, black raspberry . . . so many possibilities) from which to harvest freshly picked berries, this oatmeal recipe has you covered. And when you do, the additional fruits complement, rather than compete with, the flavors.

• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 2 Tbsp freeze-dried or dehydrated blueberries
• 2 Tbsp freeze-dried or dehydrated strawberries
• 2 Tbsp instant milk or heavy cream powder
• 1 Tbsp slivered almonds
• 1 tsp sugar

Homemade Cinnamon, Raisin, Walnut Camping Oatmeal

This tried and true camping oatmeal is especially good on a cold morning, where the plump raisins and nourishing walnuts leave you feeling warm and satisfied. This recipe also uses ingredients available at almost any grocery store.

• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 2 Tbsp raisins
• 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
• 1 Tbsp butter powder
• 2 tsp granulated brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• sprinkle of salt

Preparation Instructions: Measure out all the ingredients and add to re-sealable bag. If rehydrating directly in a bowl, you can use a standard ziplock style bag and do not need to add an oxygen-absorber if planning to use this meal within a few weeks. That’s one less thing to pack in, and one less piece of trash to pack out.

Serving instructions: ~1 cup boiling water, adjusted for consistency preference. Stir and let sit at least a minute. This recipe does not require strict water ratios. Add more water for thinner oatmeal. For thicker oatmeal, let sit at least 5 minutes.

 

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Have you tried our homemade instant oatmeals recipes while camping or backpacking? Let us know how we did and share your suggestions with fellow hikers. We love to hear all the places variations of this recipe have been enjoyed!