DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets
Oats, salt, sugar, fruit, and nuts bagged at home. Hot water is the only step in camp.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 2.6 oz
- cal / oz
- 127
- protein
- 7 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 2 min
- total time
- 12 min
- water
- 120 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
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Day hike
- Car camping
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Quick oats | 3 tbsp | rolled oats work but stay chewier |
|---|---|---|
| Kosher salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Brown sugar | 1 tsp | |
| Dried fruit | 1 tbsp | chopped dates, raisins, or cranberries |
| Sliced almonds | 1 tbsp | or any chopped nut |
| Cinnamon | 1/4 to 1/2 tsp | nutmeg, ginger, or dried orange zest also work |
Method
- At home, stand a row of freezer bags open and fill each one: oats, salt, sugar, fruit, nuts, spice. One bag is one breakfast.
- In camp, boil about 120 ml of water.
- Pour the water into the bag, or into your mug with the bag contents dumped in.
- Wait one minute, stir, and eat. Add a splash more water if it is stiffer than you want.
This is a pantry version of a grocery-store oatmeal packet, and the only real work happens at home. Quick oats hydrate in about a minute in hot water, which is why they are the base instead of rolled or steel cut. The salt is not optional. A quarter teaspoon is what separates oatmeal from wet cardboard.
One packet as written is small for trail breakfast, so double it if you are walking all day. Nothing here needs a cooler, and the dried fruit softens in the same minute the oats do, so there is no soaking step and no second pot.
Packing
Freezer-grade quart bags only. Sandwich bags will slump and leak when you pour boiling water in, so if you are eating out of the bag, use the heavier ones or a cozy.
Variations
- Skip the sugar at home and carry a small squeeze bottle of maple syrup instead.
- Two tablespoons of powdered coconut milk in the bag makes it richer without a cooler.
- Stir in a spoon of peanut butter at camp for another 100 calories and some staying power.
https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/how-to-make-your-own-diy-instant-oatmeal-packets