Winter Camping: Recipes & Menu Planner

In winter, food doesn’t just keep you going: It keeps you warm. The carbs, fat, and protein in a well-balanced meal provide a store of fuel to burn in cold temperatures. We make winter camping easy with this preplanned weekend menu; tailor to your group size and preferences, and you’re good to go.

Weekend Menu Planner

A dining guide fortified with extra warmth and calories–based on the grocery list below

Dinner 1
Instant soup, macaroni & cheese, hot drink (coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or cider)
Breakfast 1
Oatmeal, granola bar, hot drink
Breakfast 2
PB&J bagel, hot drink
Dinner 2
Hearty Veggie & Bean Soup, Abominable Snowman
Lunches & Snacks
Small, frequent snacks eaten on the go keep you warm and energized. Choose your favorites and graze hourly.
Crackers, jerky, cheese, dried fruit, energy bars, cookies, Gatorade, trail mix with nuts and chocolate, pepperoni (foods with a low moisture content are least likely to freeze)

Hearty Veggie and Bean Soup

Alaska Mountain Guide Eli Fierer favors this recipe for a warming, rehydrating meal.

1/2 C. split peas
1 C. instant rice
1 C. dried veggies
(try mushrooms
and sun-dried
tomatoes)
3 T. butter
1 pouch chicken breast
1 packet Knorr soup mix
1 cube chicken
bouillon
Loaf of bread

1. Soak the peas in hot water for 45 minutes.
2. Add dried veggies, soup mix, and bouillon to one liter of water, and bring to a boil. Add peas and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in rice and chicken; when rice is cooked, swirl in the butter. Enjoy with bread. Serves 3.

Abominable Snowman

Buck Tilton, coauthor of NOLS Winter Camping, warms up with this favorite brew.

1 packet instant hot chocolate mix
2 T. powdered milk
Pat of butter
1 T. brown sugar
1 shot tequila

Place hot chocolate and powdered milk in a mug. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water. Stir in butter, brown sugar, and tequila.

Winter camping grocery list

[ ] 2 packets instant oatmeal
[ ] 3 servings coffee/tea/hot chocolate/cider
[ ] 1 granola bar
[ ] 1 bagel
[ ] 2 T. peanut butter
[ ] 2 T. jelly
[ ] 1 box crackers
[ ] 1 pack jerky or pepperoni
[ ] 1 pack dried fruit
[ ] 1 pack trail mix
[ ] 2 energy bars
[ ] 4 individually wrapped cheeses
[ ] 1 pack cookies
[ ] 7.5 T. Gatorade
[ ] 1/2 C. split peas
[ ] 1 C. instant rice
[ ] 1/2 C. dried mushrooms
[ ] 1/2 C. sun-dried tomatoes
[ ] 1 pouch chicken breast
[ ] 1 packet Knorr soup mix
[ ] 1 bouillon cube
[ ] 4 T. butter
[ ] 1 loaf crusty bread
[ ] 1 packet hot cocoa
[ ] 2 T. powdered milk
[ ] 1 T. brown sugar
[ ] 1 oz. tequila