Build-Your-Own Trail Oatmeal Packets
One base packet, five ways to flavor it. Cheaper and less salty than the store version.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 3.1 oz
- cal / oz
- 135
- protein
- 11 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 1 min
- total time
- 6 min
- water
- 160 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Campfire coals
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Basecamp
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Rolled oats | 1/3 cup | instant or quick; old-fashioned needs longer to soften |
|---|---|---|
| Oat bran | 2 tsp | wheat germ or wheat bran works, but then it is not gluten-free |
| Chia seeds or ground flaxseed | 1 tsp | |
| Powdered milk | 2 tsp | non-fat dissolves better than whole |
| Dry sweetener | 1 to 3 tsp | brown sugar, maple sugar, coconut sugar |
| Cinnamon | 1/8 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/16 tsp | |
| Dried fruit | 2 tbsp | or 1/4 cup freeze-dried |
| Chopped nuts | 1 tbsp | optional |
Method
- Empty one packet into your mug or pot.
- Boil about 160 ml of water and pour it over. Stir once.
- Cover and wait three or four minutes. Quick oats want another minute or two.
- Stir again. If it is soupy, wait; if it is stiff, add a splash more hot water.
Store-bought instant oatmeal packets are mostly sugar and salt, and there are four flavors. Mixing your own costs less per serving and lets you pick what goes in. The base is oats, oat bran, powdered milk, sweetener, cinnamon, and a little salt. Everything after that is decoration.
Three ingredients earn their weight. Oat bran thickens the bowl and keeps it from turning watery at the bottom. Chia or flax adds fat and fiber and disappears into the texture. Powdered milk is where most of the protein comes from, and it does more for the mouthfeel than sugar does. Freeze-dried fruit rehydrates in the mug; regular dried fruit stays chewy, which some people prefer. Build a week of packets at once and morning becomes one bag and one pour.
Packing
Build each packet at home in a quart freezer bag, not a storage bag. Storage bags leak seams when you pour boiling water in. Eat straight from the bag inside a cozy or an insulated mug and there is nothing to wash.
Variations
- Apple cinnamon maple: freeze-dried apples, extra cinnamon, maple sugar.
- Apricot ginger: chopped dried apricots and a teaspoon of minced crystallized ginger.
- Cherry almond: freeze-dried cherries and sliced almonds.
- Cranberry orange pecan: dried cranberries, dried orange peel, chopped pecans.
- Chocolate cranberry: a teaspoon of cocoa powder with dried cranberries.
- Drop the powdered milk or swap in powdered coconut or soy milk for a dairy-free packet.
https://chuckwagoneer.wordpress.com/2019/01/02/oatmeal-breakfast-for-backpacking