Maaike to the End
My favourite backpacker trail menu

Hike, eat, sleep, repeat. Food is crucial to keep your energy up and stay on the move. Pack enough calories but don’t overdo it—too much food is heavy, but too little will leave you drained. Here’s a breakdown of my favorite vegetarian trail foods. 
Oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts
Lunch wrap

Here’s a breakdown of my favorite vegetarian trail foods. 

Breakfast

  • Oatmeal mix with sugar, cinnamon, nuts, chia seeds, and (freeze) dried fruit. You can swap cinnamon for instant hot chocolate. Check your local biological, Turkish or Chinese supermarket for freeze dried fruit;
  • Bars for a quick start when you want to hit the trail early;
  • Hot chocolate or instant coffee.

Lunch

Wraps or crackers with:

  • Veggie spread (Zwergenwiese is my go-to, available in lightweight one portion packs).
  • Pesto/tapenade (repack into a plastic container to avoid heavy jars).
  • Cheese (Babybel and hard Ducth cheese works great).
  • Instant hummus or peanut butter—both lightweight and easy to mix.
Bring snacks you love for a morale boost after a long day and for tough times!
- Maaike van den Ende

Snacks:

Bars, stroopwafels, nuts, snickers, or other chocolate (heat permitting).

Dinner

  • Freeze-dried meals;
  • Couscous with broth, nuts, cheese, instant hummus, and (freeze-dried) veggies;
  • Noodles with instant peanut butter, nuts, and veggie chips;
  • Macaroni with tomato sauce and cheese.

Continue reading:

Curious about my overall meal strategy and packing tips? Want to learn how I handle resupplies on European trails? Looking for ideas on grocery store backpacking food available in Europe? Check out my other articles! Read my other articles about hiker food on the trail:

Prepare for your trail 

Are you preparing for your first long distance trail or want to tackle a lesser-known European thru-hike with limited hiker facilities? I’ve got you covered with blogs about my personal hiking gear essentials, my favourite (vegetarian) trail meals and different resupply strategies I used. I also share tips on finding and selecting wild camping spots, setting up your tent in different conditions and leave no trace principle.

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Gear list
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Hiker food
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Camping pitch