Best Freeze-Dried Meals

Shopping for easy, ready-made meals for backpacking or your emergency go-bag? These are my picks for the best freeze-dried meals out there.

I don't always camp with freeze-dried meals.

One of my favorite things about camping is campground cooking, and I love to add fresh produce to our food and make it (mostly) from scratch.

But sometimes that's simply not practical.

For example, when we flew to California to go backpacking in Yosemite, we brought along freeze-dried meals.

When we flew to Arizona to hike Camelback Mountain and the Siphon Draw Trail, we knew we'd be car camping, but flying with our Coleman 2-burner propane stove was out of the question. Instead, we brought a small backpacking stove and some freeze-dried meals.

Are Freeze-Dried Meals Worth the Price?

There's no doubt about it: at $5 to $15+ per serving, these meals can be pricey.

But.

There's something so satisfying about eating a hot, well-seasoned meal after a full day of hiking. Some of us (me, for instance) get pretty grouchy when we live on trail mix for days.

If you have the time (and equipment) to make dehydrated meals at home, go for it! No, dehydrating is not the same as freeze-drying, but making dehydrated meals might be a little more accessible for most people than freeze-drying.

Otherwise you (like me) will have to buy your meals.

Also, it's okay if you end up with freeze-dried meals left over after your trip, because they have long shelf-lives and are perfect for emergency go-bags or emergency shelter-in-place rations.

Freeze-Dried Meals: Our Top Picks

We tried lots (and lots) of freeze-dried meals. We were looking for meals that are relatively easy to find. They also needed to be somewhat affordable, which to us meant competitively priced and (preferably) feeding at least two people per package.

We checked the calorie count, because a few of the meals had quite low calorie counts, and we almost always eat freeze-dried meals when we're HUNGRY. We were aiming for at least 300 calories per person.

Also, because we love desert backpacking, we kept an eye on the amount of water required per meal. I'm always most impressed when meals use less than one cup of water per serving. If you've got limited water available on your hike, this one matters!

Finally, these meals had to taste good!

Our all-time favorite freeze-dried meals are:

• Any Mountain House meal
• Any Peak Refuel meal
• Backpacker's Pantry Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal
• Backpacker's Pantry Pad Thai

A Word of Caution

It's true. Some freeze-dried meals are just plain nasty.

I don't have a full list of the "worst" freeze-dried meals out there, but I will say that I do not like freeze-dried eggs. In my opinion, freeze-dried breakfast "egg" scrambles are the worst.

If you want to try a meal with freeze-dried eggs, I recommend starting with just one egg-filled meal. Don't buy them in bulk for the first time, because (again), they are the worst. Instead, I recommend oat or granola breakfast meals.

Below you'll find more in-depth thoughts on the different freeze-dried meal brands out there. Keep in mind that, except for Omeals, they require a heat source to boil water.

Alpine Aire

Pros

• More affordable than average
• Good selection of vegetarian options, such as Alpine Aire Forever Mac & Cheese. (Meat options are clearly labeled with the type of meat, which I really appreciated.)

Cons

• Didn't love the flavor
• More added sugar than some brands

Backpacker's Pantry

Pros

• Good variety of meatless options
• Loved the Backpacker's Pantry vegetarian lasagna, Three Cheese Mac & Cheese, and Backpacker Pantry's Pad Thai (which is vegan and gluten-free)
• Good breakfast options, like Backpacker's Pantry blueberry walnut oatmeal
• Good dessert options, like Backpacker's Pantry chocolate cheesecake mix and Backpacker's Pantry creme brulee. (Expect their desserts to taste like really satisfying puddings.)

Cons

• Some meals were "just okay" and we wouldn't choose to purchase again, including Three Bean Veggie Stew, Kathmandu Curry, Chana Masala, and Cuban Black Beans & Rice

Firepot

Pros

• Specializing in vegan and freeze-dried meals
• Good flavors in the Firepot meals we tried! We liked the smoky tomato paella and vegan orzo bolognese best from the ones we tried.
• Sustainability efforts: compostable packaging and pouch recycling
• Small business in rural England (we love supporting small business!)

Cons

• Less protein and more carbs than some brands
• Use more water than some brands (which is fine if you're not rationing water as on a backpacking trip)

Good To-Go

Pros

• Many dietary options available, including gluten-free
• Good flavors (we liked the chicken pho and Thai curry the best)
• Good To-Go is a small business in Maine (yay, small businesses!)

Cons

• Soups required more water than other meals (naturally, but still something to be aware of)
• Soup meals were tricky to eat in the plastic packaging, as the soup made the pouches a little bit wobbly. (If you're backpacking with bowls or mugs it would help.)

Heather's Choice

Pros

• Heather's Choice has lightweight packaging
• Pretty decent flavors (we tried African Peanut Stew and the Spinach Curry with Chicken and Rice — though we added hot sauce to both!)

Cons

• Single-serving packages make price per serving higher than some brands
• Use more water than some brands

Mountain House

Pros

• Easy to find, both in stores and online
• Relatively affordable
• Consistently tasty
• Use a moderate amount of water
• Cook quickly
• Delicious Chicken Fajita Bowl (we usually scoop it into tortillas for an even more satisfying burrito-style meal)
• We liked their freeze-dried chicken curry meal (bring red pepper flakes for extra spice!)
• Good breakfast option: Mountain House's granola with milk and blueberries

Cons

• Fairly high-carb
• Most or all entrees include meat, if that's a deal-breaker for you
• Not many diet-specific options

Nomad Nutrition

Pros

• Nomad Nutrition makes plant-based meals

Cons

• Single-serving packaging, making them more expensive per serving than some brands
• Didn't care for the flavor of Hungarian Goulash and Caribbean Curry we tried (If you like a different one and think we should give it a try, let us know!)

OMeals Self-Heating Meals

Pros

• Self-heating! No stove (or backpacking stove) required
• Several vegetarian options
• Good flavors
• We liked the Omeals vegetarian chili (eat it with corn chips, or scoop into a tortilla for extra calories!)
• We also enjoyed this protein-packed Omeals Southwest-Style Chicken and Rice and this Omeals Chicken Creole with Brown Rice (if you love Cajun seasoning — and bring red pepper flakes to add spice!)

Cons

• Packaging is heavier than other meals (more weight to carry if backpacking)
• Portions are single-serve, making them more expensive per serving than some brands

Peak Refuel

Pros

• Peak Refuel has fantastic flavors, including Peak Refuel Chicken Coconut Curry, Peak Refuel Chicken and Rice, and Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli. These meals were among the most consistently delicious that we tried.

Cons

• Slightly pricier than our other favorites
• Fewer meal options than some brands

Obviously, I haven't tried every brand out there, so if there's a meal you love and I completely missed it, let me know what it is!