Backpacking Rice Recipes

You can make an unlimited variety of backpacking meals with rice by varying the meats and vegetables that you mix with it. This page features backpacking rice recipes that are filling and flavorful.

Photos: Backpacking recipes with rice.

Black Bean & Salsa Bark Stew
Rice with Ham & Vegetables
Beef & Broccoli with Rice
Chicken & Rice Cacciatore
Corn Bark Stew
Easy Cheesy Rice & Beans

These are just a few of the rice recipes included in Recipes for Adventure: Healthy, Hearty, and Homemade Backpacking Recipes.

Dehydrating Rice for Backpacking Meals

Rice was precooked in vegetable, chicken, and beef broth, then dehydrated.

Photos (left to right): Dried rice precooked in vegetable broth, chicken broth, and beef broth.

Advantages of using dehydrated rice on the trail:

Saves fuel.
Rehydrates quickly with boiled water.
Rehydrates with cold water for cold-soak salads.
You can build in extra flavor by precooking the rice in chicken, beef, or vegetable broth before drying it.

Explore:

How to Cook & Dehydrate Rice.

Cold-soak Rice Salad Recipes.

Backpacking Rice Recipes on the Menu:

Sausage-Seasoned Ground Beef with Rice & Vegetables

Curry Chicken & Rice

Hawaiian Shrimp & Rice

Easy Cheesy Rice & Beans

More Backpacking Rice Recipes

Sausage-Seasoned Ground Beef with Rice & Vegetables

This meal combines bold, spicy flavors and the satisfying chew of beef, balanced by creamy rice and rich gravy.

Sausage-seasoned ground beef with rice and vegetables.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

½ cup dried rice (60 g)
¼ cup dried sausage-seasoned ground beef (35 g)
¼ cup dried mixed vegetables (10 g)
2 Tbsp. country sausage gravy powder (15g)
1½ cups water to rehydrate

Ingredient Notes:

How to dehydrate sausage-seasoned ground beef.

Any type of beef-flavored gravy powder will work, but the country sausage type of gravy powder that is often paired with biscuits & gravy is delicious and spicy.

Any combination of vegetables will work. The recipe as shown used dried, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and celery.

At Home:

Package all ingredients in a Ziploc bag.

On the Trail:

Combine all ingredients with water in pot and soak for five minutes. Light stove, bring to boil, and cook for one more minute. Wait 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Alternatively, add boiled water to ingredients in a Mylar bag or thermos food jar. Stir, seal container, and wait 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Large Serving for 24-Ounce Thermos Food Jar

Ingredients:

⅔ cup dried rice (75 g)
⅓ cup dried sausage-seasoned ground beef (45 g)
⅓ cup dried mixed vegetables (15 g)
2½ Tbsp. country sausage gravy powder (18g)
2 cups water to rehydrate

Thermos Preparation:

After adding all dried ingredients to thermos food jar, add boiled water all the way to the top of the thermos. Stir and replace lid. Wait 15 to 20 minutes, up to four hours before serving. With long soak times, the texture of rice will be mushy, almost like mashed potatoes. The pleasantly chewy ground beef balances the creamy texture.

Curry Chicken & Rice

This recipe features an easy sauce made with powdered milk, curry powder, and chili powder.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

½ cup dried or instant rice
¼ cup dried chicken
¼ cup dried vegetables; try a mix of carrots, red & yellow bell peppers, and onions
1 Tbsp. powdered milk
1 tsp. curry powder
¼ tsp. chili powder
1¼ cup water to rehydrate

At Home:

Cook white or brown rice in chicken broth and dehydrate; or use instant rice.

Pack powdered milk and seasonings in a small plastic bag and enclose with other ingredients in plastic bag.

Variations:

For an interesting vegetarian meal, substitute dried apples and raisins for chicken. Chicken flavored TVP is also good in place of chicken.

Take the meal in another direction by using dried shrimp instead of chicken.

Backpacking Recipe: Curry Shrimp & Rice.

Photo: Curry Shrimp & Rice ingredients.

On the Trail:

Combine all ingredients except powdered milk and seasonings with water in pot and soak for five minutes. Light stove, bring to boil, and cook for one more minute. Remove from stove, stir in powdered milk and seasonings and wait ten minutes.

Hawaiian Shrimp & Rice

Serves 1

Ingredients:

½ cup dried or instant rice
¼ cup dried shrimp
¼ cup dried vegetables, such as bell peppers, assorted colors
2 Tbsp. dried pineapple
½ tsp. dried coconut
1 cup water to rehydrate

At Home:

Dehydrate white or brown rice by precooking and drying it using vegetable broth or use instant rice. See Dehydrating Rice.

Pack dried pineapple and coconut flakes in separate small plastic bags. Enclose with other ingredients in plastic bag.

Variation: Substitute dried ham for shrimp. Omit the coconut if using ham.

On the Trail:

Combine all ingredients with water in pot and soak for five minutes. Light stove, bring to boil, and cook for one more minute. Insulate pot and wait ten minutes.

There are more backpacking rice recipes in the Action Guide: Dehydrating 31 Meals. The guide also includes instructions for dehydrating quinoa, which can be substituted 1:1 for rice in any meal.

Backpacking Recipe in the Action Guide: Turkey with Broccoli & Rice.

Photos: Backpacking recipe from the Action Guide: Turkey with Broccoli & Rice

Easy Cheesy Rice & Beans

Photos show a variation of this recipe: Dried ground chicken was added in place of some of the beans.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

½ cup dried or instant rice
¼ cup dried beans, any kind
¼ cup dried vegetables; try a mix of peas, carrots, corn, and green beans
1⅓ Tbsp. cheddar cheese powder
1 Tbsp. powdered milk
Pinch red pepper flakes
1¼ cup water to rehydrate

At Home:

Combine and pack cheese and milk powders in a small plastic bag. Enclose with other ingredients in plastic bag.

Variations:

Use any other combination of dried vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini and mushrooms.

Dried meat can be substituted for, or used in combination, with the beans. Black-eyed peas also work well.

On the Trail:

Combine all ingredients except cheese and milk powders with water in pot and soak five minutes. Light stove, bring to boil, and cook for one more minute. Remove from stove, stir in cheese and milk powders. Insulate pot and wait ten minutes.

Substitute Dried Quinoa for Rice 1:1

Quinoa is a healthy seed that comes in black, white, and mixed varieties. It can be precooked and dried as easily as rice. Substituting quinoa for rice in meals will increase the protein content and lend more variety to backpacking meals.

Recipes for Adventure II: The Best of Trail Bytes includes a section about dehydrating quinoa, with a tasty recipe for a cold-soak Quinoa Salad with Cucumber-Salsa Dressing.