camp meals

Pumpkin Banana Pudding

Powdered pudding that needs no fire. Mix with cold water, stir, and top with crackers.

calories
250
weight
2 oz
cal / oz
125
protein
5 g
serves
1, scales
prep
2 min
cook
0 min
total time
2 min
water
120 ml cold
cost
$

Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.

  • Dessert
  • No cook
  • Backpacking
  • Thru-hike
  • Bikepacking
  • Vegetarian
  • Nut free
  • Eat in the bag
  • Pre-mix at home
  • Shelf stable
  • Dump and stir

Ingredients

Freeze-dried banana powder 2 TBSP
Pumpkin powder 3 TBSP equivalent to 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
Milk powder 1 TBSP
Cinnamon 1/2 tsp
Pumpkin pie spice 1/4 tsp
Granulated sugar 1-2 tsp or honey or maple syrup
Graham crackers or cookies 1/4 cup crumbled for topping

Method

  1. Mix all dry ingredients except the crackers in a small pot, cup, or bowl.
  2. Add cold water gradually, stirring until you reach pudding consistency, about 120 ml total.
  3. Stir until the milk powder dissolves and everything combines smoothly.
  4. Top with crumbled graham crackers or cookies.
  5. Eat immediately or let it sit a minute for flavors to settle.

Freeze-dried banana and pumpkin powder rehydrate entirely in cold water with no heat required. Milk powder dissolves into the mix, creating creaminess without refrigeration. Everything combines in a cup in under five minutes.

Dessert is a morale device on long hiking days but doesn’t need to be complicated. This one weighs two ounces, tastes like fall even in summer, and uses only a cup and a spoon.

Packing

Mix all dry ingredients into a single-serving quart bag at home. Pack the crackers separately in another bag to keep them crisp.

Variations

  • Warm it gently over a stove on the lowest setting if you have time, stirring constantly.
  • Add instant vanilla pudding mix in place of milk powder for richer flavor.
  • Use any cookie—shortbread, vanilla wafers, or digestive biscuits work if you don't have crackers.

https://www.trailgroove.com/blogs/entry/526-no-bake-banana-pudding-backpacking-dessert-recipe